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EA SPORTS Debuts Madden NFL 2002 on Xbox

Enhancements to World’s Top-selling NFL Video Game Franchise Deliver  More Realistic Gameplay Experience

 

 

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – October 31, 2001 – Madden NFL™ 2002 for the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft® ships today, the first Xbox title to ship from Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS).  In its 12th year, the legendary Madden franchise is looking to make an impact on this new system with gamers who have come to expect the high quality of sports video games from EA SPORTS™.  Madden NFL 2002, developed by Electronic Arts – Tiburon, one of the leading sports game studios in the country, will be available on eight gaming systems by the end of the year.

 

With the powerful CPU and graphical capabilities of the Xbox system, key features of Madden NFL 2002 look more detailed and realistic than ever before in a Madden game. Player uniforms and faces are displayed in high resolution, as are individual crowd members and field textures. More dynamic lighting is on the players and uniforms, including more uniform degradation, scuffed helmets and specular lighting effects. Coach animations feature new face and body technology, as each coach was personally laser-scanned and photographed to ensure that they are portrayed on the sideline as realistically as possible. Madden NFL is still the only game where actual coaches can roam the sideline. This year Madden NFL 2002 brings the gamer on the field with all new camera angles, going inside the huddle with a helmet cam and featuring extremely deep emotion.

 

“It is exciting for us to be able to work with the new technology of the future-generation platforms and Xbox has really given us a chance to show the players and coaches in high resolution,” said executive producer Steven Chiang.  “With the additional time we were able to update the rosters and further tune player progression in franchise mode, which adds to this popular mode of game play.”

 

Madden NFL 2002 for Xbox features the Two-Minute Drill, where points can be earned in a quick-hitting fast-paced game within the game; Create-a Team, including customized logos, uniforms, helmets and stadiums; and Training Mode, where the X’s and O’s of football can be learned from John Madden while perfecting in-game skills. Madden NFL 2002 has a new focus on player emotion and high drama along with cool replays featuring camera angles that a TV broadcast can’t capture.

 

Gamers can also play and draft as the newest NFL franchise, the Houston Texans, and can even take them to the Super Bowl™ in Franchise Mode. Madden Cards complement the game with new players, designs and cheerleaders. These cards, earned by performing certain tasks, can unlock legendary teams, players, stadiums, and can also boost player ratings.  Madden NFL 2002 lets gamers choose to play from hundreds of the greatest NFL players from the past with the inclusion of the All-Madden teams dating back to 1984, All-Madden Super Bowl and All-Madden Millennium teams.

 

Madden NFL 2002 is rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB and is available on Xbox, the PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system, the PlayStation® console, N64®, Game Boy® Color and PC.  Consumers may purchase the game directly at the EA Store SM (http://eastore.ea.com) or by calling EA Direct Sales at 1-877/324-2637, for a suggested retail price of $49.95 on Xbox.

 

EA SPORTS (www.easports.com) is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its top-selling franchises and games include FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football™, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® Golf, NHL® hockey, Knockout Kings™, NBA LIVE basketball, Triple Play Baseball™ and NASCAR®.

 

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.3 billion for fiscal 2001. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts ("EA") markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EA GAMESTM, EA SPORTS BIG™ and EA.COMSM. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.

 

Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, EA GAMES, EA Store, John Madden Football, Knockout Kings and Triple Play Baseball are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.  EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc.  PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. N64 and Game Boy are registered trademarks of Nintendo.  Xbox is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. FIFA, NASCAR, NHL, NBA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Team names are trademarks of the teams indicated.  All other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football League.  Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. www.nflplayers.com.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.



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