The idea behind EA Sports' premium "Season Ticket" was to give people 72 hours with their favorite sports video game before it hit retail shelves. Turns out they will get a few more, with Xbox 360 and west coast users benefitting the most.
The full version of Madden NFL 12 will be available for download for Season Ticket holders beginning at 10 a.m. EDT over Xbox Live, and at 6 p.m. EDT via PlayStation Network. The game is immediately playable once the download completes. The file is 4.72GB on the Xbox 360, 4.87 on the PS3. All modes of play are available during this preview except for Madden Ultimate Team.
You'll need to have purchased a "Season Ticket" through PSN ($24.99) or XBL (2000 Microsoft Points) to have access to the download. While all gamesaves and associated files generated by the game (such as a profile) are transferrable, the game itself will expire and be unplayable at 6 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30, the day of Madden 12's retail release. So you actually get another six hours before you have to go buy your retail version.
Best case scenario, you are a west-coast Xbox 360 owner with a great Internet connection, giving you maybe 89 hours of game time through a long weekend. See this analysis for full breakdown of what Season Ticket offers.
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