Shutdown Corner via With Leather has the video of Madden 2009's TD celebrations and I think for once we can say they've nailed it. Here's your first look....

I don't know how I feel about Portis doing cartwheels, but the Lambeau Lamp and LT teapot endzone celebrations gave me goosebumps. I always thought the celebrations in older editions of Madden were pretty stale, so this is a good sign that the game might have improved.

Madden's brand of virtual happiness (Shutdown Corner)
Madden TD Celebrations Look Okay (With Leather)

I know a ton of you have rather eclectic music tastes which is why you should be happy with the music selections that the newest edition of Madden has come up with. The news doesn't stop there though. The artists are going to get the star treatment with a feature in Billboard Magazine and appearances on Kimmel Live starting August 4th. Via Kotaku....

EA seems to want to make it clear that the announcement of Madden 09's official soundtrack is an event, and music boss Steve Schnur told Kotaku about a few more promotions to drive the point home: First, Target's pre-order bonus for the game will be an iTunes card that lets you download ten of the soundtrack songs free. Second, an artist from the soundtrack will be playing nightly on the Jimmy Kimmel Show beginning August 4th, and third, both past and current Madden artists will play at the first-ever "Maddenpalooza," an all-day music and gaming event in conjunction with the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on August 11th.

Seems like an ingenious idea if you ask me. Many of the artists aren't as widely known and it will serve them as well as the game to be on a talk show nightly. Here's the list....

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’

EA's Steve Schnur Explains The Hype Behind The Madden Soundtrack (Kotaku)

These Madden 2009 videos are popping up everywhere, and I'm sorry for hitting you with two in a day, but this one is just completely odd. The premise for the clip seems pretty awesome, but the execution seems, as Shutdown Corner explains....Tron-like.

The clip is of yet another new Madden 2009 feature called Madden IQ and it's a system that lets the computer gauge your strengths and weaknesses and responds accordingly. You do a few drills and then the Computer's game is supposed to to adapt to your skills. The drills themselves are explained to you by a glowing John Madden and then you practice them as digital figures. Here's the clip.....

I guess it's good that Madden actually is in the game, but I'd rather have him announcing than leading me through drills. That might just be me though.

Your Madden IQ (which may have nothing to do with your real IQ) (Shutdown Corner)

SS Reporters found video of Madden 2009 with the announcers thrown in and the 20th edition of the Football game will feature Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth on the call. Here's the vid....

The replays look pretty intense, and the analysis Collinsworth is giving during them is top notch, but Tom Hammond sound like he's bored out of his mind. Hopefully it was this clip but he sounds like a robot. I'm not sure if this is telling to who the NFL Network is going to go with next season, but it's probably a good indicator.

Madden 09 Has Some Issues (Like Making Tom Hammond a Robot) (SS Reporters)

The video game world is abuzz today with the release of some of the rankings for Madden 2009. The early indications are that Madden did a pretty good job with the team rankings but the QB ones are a little jacked up. First the teams via Shutdown Corner...


Everything looks pretty good, but there's no way the Vikings should be a 90. I'll let the Eagles be ranked higher than the Skins but not the Vikings. Especially when Washington hung 32 on the team when they could have locked up a Playoff spot. Anywho, homerism aside those look pretty spot on. Now onto the QBs via Sports Gamer (click for larger view).....


Okay, a few quick thoughts here. Rex Grossman has an 84 in accuracy?!?! That's news to me. Also, Chad Pennington has an 82 in arm strength? He must be only allowed to throw 10 yard outs in the game. Other than that....Derek Anderson seems to have been shafted a bit and Tom Brady is officially the best quarterback, and Tavaris Jackson is the worst the game has ever seen.

Madden '09 likes the Patriots, but not Tarvaris Jackson (Shutdown Corner)
Madden 09: Quarterback Ratings (Sports Gamer)

This clip from With Leather via Shutdown Corner gives us our first look at gameplay on Madden 2009, and while it looks awesome, there's one problem.....Randy Moss is unstoppable. The video is long and you can watch a whole Giants possession, but if you get bored skip to the 3:30 mark.

So Randy Moss can go uncovered on a WR Screen and then outrun an entire Giants' defense? Good to know. Oh and I loved the added "Supermanning that Ho" at the end. Good stuff.

Madden '09 Allows You To Superman Ho's (With Leather)
Madden '09 footage, with Randy Moss Supermanning dat (lady) (Shutdown Corner)

Not that Madden 2009 needs anymore hype or marketing behind the release of the game in August, but it apparently has gotten from the trading card company Donruss. The two entities are teaming up to create the first cards for the Top 10 NFL Draft picks and guess where the only way you can get them. By pre-ordering Madden of course!

Texas-based trading card manufacturer Donruss and video game maker EA Sports have joined forces to create the first football cards of the top 10 NFL Draft picks in their pro uniforms.

The computer-generated rookie cards will be included with copies of Madden NFL 09 if pre-ordered on EAstore.com during a promotion that ends on May 9.

While only the top 10 picks -- including Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan and Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden -- will have real cards printed, each of the first 31 players drafted had cards virtually printed live online during the draft.

It's an ingenious idea for both companies and another reason why the Madden franchise has one of the best run marketing campaign in Sports.

EA Sports & Donruss team up for Madden NFL 09 promotion (Orlando Sentinel)
Madden 2009 Draft Cards (EA Sports)

I'm sure a lot of you are like me in that you've been playing Madden since it's inception. Well given the 20th year of the game (doesn't that make you feel old) coming out this August, EA has put together a video of Favre highlights throughout the years....

Pretty intense as far as video game commercials go. I also wonder if Brett Favre is going to just be a Free Agent in the game or if you'll have to unlock him through some complicated skills competition. Let the Madden hype machine commence!