News and notes from around the world of sports video gaming:
• In the picture above, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, widely expected to be taken second when the NFL Draft kicks off in 90 minutes, enjoys a game of Halo 4 at a Microsoft-sponsored VIP event in New York yesterday.
• Operation Sports has noticed that Madden NFL 13 is offering a bunch of pre-order bonus content tied to the game's "Connected Careers" mode that no one can or will talk about yet. From GameStop, a preorder gets you Barry Sanders and John Madden himself to use in the game's career mode. Preordering through Amazon gets you Joe Gibbs and Lawrence Taylor, adversaries from the knock-down drag-out NFC East of the 1980s. [Operation Sports]
• Madden NFL 13 will have a new broadcast team and presentation. You can get a look at Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in the booth, plus the game's new replay angles, developed in consultation with NFL Films, thanks to Pasta Padre's compilation of video highlights from the recent webcast of new features.