Madden NFL Arcade announced, Blitz fans rejoice

By Joseph DeLia, GamePro Arcade
October 15, 2009 07:30 AM PST
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Arcade-style NFL football will finally return to consoles with the release of Madden NFL Arcade this December.

Madden NFL Arcade announced, Blitz fans rejoice

I've never really been into Madden. Maybe it's because I get intercepted every time the ball leaves my quarterback's glove, or possibly because the rules of football are as clear to me as an ancient Chinese proverb, but EA football and me never seems to gel. The NFL Blitz series was always more my style, with bone-crunching tackles, flame-spouting turbo boosts and over-the-top sports action keeping my adrenal juices flowing.

Now, it appears as if EA would like to tap into the Joe market as well with the announcement of Madden NFL Arcade, which is currently being developed by EA Tiburon. This Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network title will loosen the rigid NFL rules a bit, as each five player team has four downs to advance 60 yards and score a touchdown. The first team to nab 30 points wins, and there are no pesky penalties in place to slow things down. Best of all, each team can activate unique power-ups to change the tide of battle, including one that freezes certain players and another that messes with the other team's icons. Couch co-op and online play are available of course, which is sure to lead to many a spilled soda or crushed potato chip during uncountable hours of gridiron goodness.

Madden NFL Arcade will sack PSN and XBLA this December for $14.99/1200 MS points. The press release is below:

EA ANNOUNCES ALL-NEW FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE WITH MADDEN NFL ARCADE

5-on-5 Pure Adrenaline NFL Football Meets the Award-Winning Football Franchise

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. ? October 14, 2009 - Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today an all-new way to experience the Madden NFL franchise with Madden NFL Arcade ? a fun, pick-up-and-play, 5-on-5 football game from EA Tiburon. Madden NFL Arcade is pure adrenaline football for both casual and diehard NFL fans, featuring a unique art style that brings your favorite players to life like never before! Madden NFL Arcade will be available as a download on Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Store for 1200 MS Points and $14.99 respectively, just in time for the holidays in December.

"When you look around the office and see your whole team playing and having tons of fun with it, you know the game hit the right mark," said marketing director Nathan Stewart. "We have diehard Madden fans who have worked on the franchise for a decade, and more casual gamers who are all playing together and enjoying it. If our productivity the past few weeks is any indication, we've created a game that everyone will love."

Choose one of your favorite 32 NFL teams and distinctive home stadium for a battle with the best five players on each side of the ball, and let the excitement begin! Each team is given four downs to march 60 yards to pay dirt ? no penalties or field goals allowed here, pal! Get your Madden NFL fix in a completely new way, with fast-paced games where the first team to 30 wins. Want to mix it up? Madden NFL Arcade can be tailored to fit your liking by changing options, such as skill level, points to win, and more; making each game unlike the one before. Take advantage of 13 unique "Game Changers" to break the game wide open on a single play. Add an entourage of lineman to get the sack, freeze an opposing player, turn off your opponent's passing icons, and much more. No lead is safe in Madden NFL Arcade.

Madden NFL Arcade is the perfect video game for gameday, allowing up to four players to play co-op on a single console. You can also take on the world online in head-to-head matches and track your performance via interactive leaderboards. If you like to commemorate your gridiron success, Madden NFL Arcade will also provide a host of achievements and trophies to boost your gamer score.

Madden NFL Arcade is rated E for everyone by the ESRB and is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon studio, which also produces NCAA? Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR? and EA SPORTS MMA.

Thank you gaming gods. NFL Blitz is by far my favorite football game of all-time, and it's nice to finally see another arcade-style pigskin game with the NFL license.