“Madden NFL revolutionized the industry by making music of multiple genres – from both established acts and brand-new artists – an essential emotional component of the videogame experience and the NFL season itself... Not only have we changed the gaming culture forever, we continue to move the needle musically for millions of people around the world. Madden NFL will always be recognized as the game that made the music matter in videogames.”

So what's on this most important of soundtracks? Disturbed, Franz Ferdinand, The All-American Rejects, The Offspring, Busta Rhymes with Linkin Park..the usual suspects really. Expect EA to make a huge deal out of them though, with viral videos, a special issue of Billboard magazine, and beginning the week of August 4th they'll be a different Madden artist performing each night on a "popular late night show". Hit the jump for more details, along with the full 26-song track listing.

EA Celebrates 20 Years of Madden Music With Announcement of the Madden NFL 09 Soundtrack
One of the Most Influential Soundtracks in Videogame History Returns With Major Events, Tracks from Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park, Disturbed and The Offspring

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today unveiled the music track listing for Madden NFL 09, set to release August 12, 2008. The new soundtrack features 26 songs from a multi-genre roster of superstar acts and soon-to-breakthrough artists, including Franz Ferdinand, Good Charlotte, Airbourne, From First To Last, The All-American Rejects, Rev Theory, K’Naan, and Kidz In The Hall. Madden NFL, the biggest-selling sports franchise in videogame history, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a full slate of live music events, tributes and television appearances leading up the game’s street date.

“Madden NFL is the foundation of what we do and sets the standard for every soundtrack we create,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for EA. “Madden NFL revolutionized the industry by making music of multiple genres – from both established acts and brand-new artists – an essential emotional component of the videogame experience and the NFL season itself. This 20th Anniversary Edition soundtrack celebrates that legacy like never before, complete with marketing events that take the excitement to a whole new level. Not only have we changed the gaming culture forever, we continue to move the needle musically for millions of people around the world. Madden NFL will always be recognized as the game that made the music matter in videogames.”

The highlights of the Madden NFL 09 soundtrack include genre-bending collaborations by Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park and Young Dre, The Truth featuring Good Charlotte, as well as returning Madden NFL hit makers Franz Ferdinand, Gym Class Heroes (both with pre-album prerelease tracks), All American Rejects, Shinedown, Senses Fail, Disturbed, The Offspring and Airbourne. The soundtrack’s trend of introducing emerging artists continues with 12 new acts that include The Fashion, Kardinal Offishall featuring Lindo P, In Flames, Innerpartysystem, Hollywood Undead, Mindless Self Indulgence, Izza Kizza, Trivium, Kovas and Tyga.

Cross-promotional events leading up to the game’s release include a series of :60 viral videos for tracks featured in the game, a special Madden Music Anniversary tribute issue of Billboard on newsstands July 13th, as well as other marketing partnerships to be announced in the near future. Beginning the week of August 4th, a different Madden NFL 09 soundtrack artist will perform live each night on a popular late night show.

Over the past decade, the Madden NFL soundtrack has launched premier artists that include Good Charlotte, OK GO, Fallout Boy, Franz Ferdinand, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Yellowcard, Dashboard Confessional, Jet, Ozomatli and 30 Seconds To Mars, and featured such superstars as Green Day, Outkast, Foo Fighters, blink-182, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, The Hives, Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake and Sum 41.

The complete in-game soundtrack for Madden NFL 09 features the following 26 songs:

ARTIST SONG
Airbourne Stand Up For Rock ‘N Roll
Busta Rhymes feat. Linkin Park We Made It
Disturbed Inside The Fire
Franz Ferdinand Lucid Dreams
From First To Last Worlds Away
Gym Class Heroes I’m Home
Hollywood Undead Undead
In Flames The Mirror’s Truth
Innerpartysystem Don’t Stop
Izza Kizza Millionaire
K’NAAN ABC’s
Kardinal Offishall feat. Lindo P Burnt
Kidz In The Hall Blackout
KOVAS Wax On, Wax Off
Mindless Self Indulgence Never Wanted To Dance
Rev Theory Hey Yeah
Senses Fail Wolves At The Door
Shinedown Devour
The All-American Rejects The Real World (Demo)
The Fashion Like Knives
The Offspring Hammerhead
Trivium Into The Mouth Of…We March
Tyga Diamond Life
Underoath Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Wale feat. Southeast Slim Breakdown
Young Dre The Truth feat. Good Charlotte Workin’

Unfortunately, the experience of driving in 3D on a plasma television with oversized glasses fails to impress. Samsung claims that with the tech, "you can feel you are in the game" the only feeling I got was one of nausea. The constant flicker and ghosting of your ride doesn't do much for the sensation of depth. It's hard to imagine the product being anything more than a novelty or lending itself to long gaming sessions.. but it's perfect for a five minute distraction at CES!

Further driving the Latino appeal home is new cover athlete Luis Castillo of the San Diego Chargers, pictured prancing about above.

No information on whether perfect translations for Maddenisms like "Boom!", "Where'd that truck come from?!" or "That was a perfect pass" but we'll know for sure when Madden NFL 08 en Español ships to North and Latin America later this year on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.

Alright, let's get that conversation going, folks.

Sales of the Xbox 360 critical darling BioShock outsold its first person competition Metroid Prime 3: Corruption by more than two-to-one during the month of August. Keep in mind the latter was on the market for one less week than 2K's insta-hit, but it still bodes well for a BioShock sequel.

The top ten selling games in the U.S. for August are listed below. More after the break.

01. Madden NFL 08 (Xbox 360) - 896,600
02. Madden NFL 08 (PS2) - 643,600
03. BioShock (Xbox 360) - 490,900
04. Madden NFL 08 (PS3) - 336,200
05. Wii Play (Wii) - 256,800
06. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - 218,100
07. Mario Strikers Charged (Wii) - 147,400
08. Guitar Hero II (PS2) - 145,400
09. Mario Party 8 (Wii) - 138,300
10. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (PS2) - 127,100

11. Madden NFL 08 (Wii)
12. Madden NFL 08 (Xbox)
13. Brain Age 2: More Training In Minutes A Day (DS)
14. Two Worlds (Xbox 360)
15. Pokemon Diamond (DS)
16. High School Musical: Makin' The Cut (DS)
17. Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360)
18. Madden NFL 08 (PSP)
19. Pokemon Pearl (DS)
20. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Xbox 360)

Sales for Activision's Guitar Hero franchise continue to impress, as does Nintendo's first party Wii efforts. A month of stellar sales totaling some $488 million across consoles and handheld gaming machines shows an $89 million boost over the previous August. Go video game industry!

Thanks to the NPD Group for August sales figures.

Apple stock was up 5.01 (4.28%) on news that probably had nothing to do with this at all. Full press release after the jump.

EA SHIPS FOUR GAMES FOR THE MAC

First EA-Published Titles Ever for Mac OS X

Redwood Shores, Calif., - August 17, 2007 - Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that
Battlefield 2142TM, Need for SpeedTM Carbon, Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixTM and Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium WarsTM are now available to order for Mac users. These are the first games ever published by EA for Mac OS X, Apple's advanced operating system. Users can go to the Apple Store (www.apple.com) to purchase the games today.

All games will also be available at Apple's retail stores nationwide. Need for Speed Carbon and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be available on Tuesday, August 21, and Battlefield 2142 and Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars will be available on Tuesday, August 28.

The first games from EA for the Mac are:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, licensed by
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is shaping up to be his most exciting yet. Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about the return of Voldemort in order to undermine his power, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge's ministry-approved course leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared, so Hermione, Ron and Harry form "Dumbledore's Army" with the goal of preparing themselves and other courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that looms against VoldemortTM and his Death Eaters.

Need for Speed Carbon - What starts in the city is settled in the canyons as Need for Speed Carbon
immerses you in the world's most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing. You and your crew must race in an all-out war for the city, risking everything to take over your rivals' neighborhoods one block at a time. As the police turn up the heat, the battle ultimately shifts to Carbon Canyon, where territories and reputations can be lost on every perilous curve.

Battlefield 2142 - Earth, 2142. As a new ice age depletes the planet's resources, two massive multinational coalitions wage a brutal war for the only cause that matters—survival. Armed with a devastating arsenal of futuristic weaponry and gear, including active camouflage, EMP grenades, and sentry guns, plus Battle Walkers and vast airborne bases called Titans, you must coordinate the efforts of your teammates to win the war for Earth's last fragile pieces of livable land. With extensive improvements to the groundbreaking Battlefield 2TM ranking and upgrade system and the new Titan gameplay mode, Battlefield 2142 brings the franchise's award-winning online warfare into a harsh and desperate future.

Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars - The year is 2047. A massive nuclear fireball explodes high in the
night sky, marking the dramatic beginning of the Third Tiberium War and the long-awaited return of the most groundbreaking Real-Time Strategy franchise of all time. Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars unveils the future of RTS gaming by bringing you back to where it all began: the Tiberium Universe. With the corrupt substance Tiberium blanketing most of the Earth, the infamous Kane is back to lead his Brotherhood of Nod in a massive global assault on the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the few remaining livable Blue Zones left on the planet. Only you can stop him. Featuring state-of-the-art next-generation graphics, an epic story, and truly innovative features such as the ability to transform online battles into a spectator sport, Command & Conquer is about to reinvent RTS gaming ... again. Welcome back, Commander.

Further rounding out EA's portfolio of Mac games is the release of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 08 and
Madden NFL 08 in the September/October window.

In addition to these games, other EA titles available for Mac include The SimsTM 2, The Sims 2 Open for
Business, The Sims 2 Pets, The Sims 2 Nightlife, The Sims 2 University, The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff, The
Sims 2 Seasons, The Sims 2 Life Stories and more.

Screenshots from the games can be found at http://www.info.ea.com.

EA SPORTS' MADDEN NFL 08 HITS RETAILS STORES NATIONWIDE

Top Selling Franchise Unveils New Read and React System and

is Now Available on Ten Platforms

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - August 14, 2007 - Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that Madden NFL 08, the newest iteration of the best-selling EA SPORTS™ football franchise with the exclusive videogame license of the NFL and PLAYERS INC, is now available in stores nationwide. Awarded the 2007 Game Critics "Best Sports Game" award at last month's E3 Media and Business Summit, Madden NFL 08 features a unique combination of innovative gameplay and authentic NFL football simulation.

Now in its 18th year, the Madden NFL Football franchise continues to stand out as Madden NFL 07 was last year's #1 selling video game in North America with more than seven million copies sold* since launch.

Madden NFL 08 features a new Read and React system that allows gamers to quickly identify the strongest players on the field, and to make game-altering adjustments to further affect each and every play. New player skill icons identify on-field strengths and weaknesses, providing an immediate read on what an opponent is doing. This new icon system complements a deeper gameplay experience that maximizes the skill of the individual NFL superstars, separating them from the role players, and takes NFL football strategy to a new level.

Players will rule the gridiron with intuitive controls, fluid gameplay and a new branching animation system that yields the jaw-dropping tackles and spectacular catches in Madden NFL 08. New player moves, lateral passes and the dynamic Hit-Stick 2.0 gives gamers an unprecedented and hyperrealistic NFL football experience.

Developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon, Madden NFL 08 is available for the Xbox® and Xbox 360™ video game systems from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment systems, Wii™, Nintendo GameCube™, Nintendo DS™, PC, Mobile, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and is rated E by the ESRB.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and NASCAR® racing.

Madden NFL 08 (X360, PSP, PS3, WII, PS2, MAC, GC, PC, XBOX, DS)
Crack open a brewski and invite the boys over for a few rounds.

Heroes of Mana (DS)
More Mana, more better.

Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)
As if the regular Harvest Moon wasn't fantasy enough

Luminous Arc (DS)
An RPG with witches, mages and fighters. Imagine that.

Dungeons & Dragons Tactics (PSP)
Be an uber nerd on your PSP. Unfortunately there are no twenty sided die to make you really feel at home.

Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 (PS2)
Fatal Fury 1-3 plus Fatal Fury Special all on one disc.

Operation: Vietnam (DS)
It brings the excitement of war torn Vietnam to you DS!

1914 Shells of Fury (PC)
The world's first WWI Submarine sim.

Billy the Wizard: Rocket Broomstick Racing (WII)
They may as well have called him Gary Dotter.

The kids from 1UP and EGM sat down with Sony Worldwide Studios' king cue ball Phil Harrison at E3 2007 to chat all things PlayStation software related. Of interest to console torch and pitchfork bearers is Harrison's response to questions about Madden NFL 08's underwhelming performance on the PLAYSTATION 3. Phil, why does the PS3 version run a last-gen 30 frames per second?

Well, I can only point to our own sports studio—1080p, 60 frames-per-second basketball game. I'm afraid I have no idea. We're providing some tools and technologies from our worldwide studio's core technology groups to 3rd parties now, as well. You may remember something from GDC, we announced this thing called Edge and that's now widely deployed in the third party community, and that is clearly improving the developer's ability to maximize what the CELL processor does. So, hopefully, that will assist folks like EA.

Phil later added that "It would concern me if the platform was incapable of doing it, but we've proven the platform is capable of doing it, so it's not a PLAYSTATION 3 issue. I'm trying to be polite."

Well played, Phil—but we'll make sure to mention that an NBA game features about half the players on the court compared to an NFL game. There's plenty more where that came from in the full video interview, including plenty of detail on this fall's release of Home.

I downloaded Super Stardust HD from the PlayStation Store last night, impressions of which will follow later in the day. Following a discussion with N'Gai Croal of Level Up fame over drinks and Madden NFL 08, I have a renewed interest in revisiting Manhunt. Yes, I may have been in my cups at the time, perhaps too deep, but I'm pretty sure I told Croal that I considered the Rockstar Games splatterfest one of the most important console games of the previous generation. I should reevaluate that with a bit more playtime, me thinks.

And you? What are you playing this weekend? Anyone got E3 Fever yet?