football

It's often been argued that Madden, EA's premier exclusive sports franchise, has had nowhere to go with its yearly editions--that users are paying for glorified "roster updates." Though it's true that many of Madden's yearly tweaks have bordered on the nearly invisible to those who weren't hard-core fans, EA Sports has taken a decidedly opposite approach to Madden 11's improvements.

Here, we look at the console version of Madden, specifically on the Xbox 360. Read here for our take on the iPad version.

Scott: "Simpler. Quicker." These are advertised on the box boldly. Clearly aware that the video game version of football has become a little like gridiron Street Fighter, with too many moves to explain without hours spent on proper training, much less the 40 seconds between plays, the emphasis in this year's Madden has clearly been placed on streamlining and mainstream appeal. Is that a smart idea, and more importantly, does it work?

Edging toward simplicity is not a trend limited to Madden. Shooters, RPGs (Fable III, in particular), and casual games have all been boiling down their interfaces, removing text and icons, and making complexity easier to grab in a shorter period of time. … Read more

The child stars of Gamerizon's Chop Chop series look like angry-eyed refugees from "South Park." But, man, do they know how to bring the fun.

Witness Chop Chop Soccer, the fourth game in the series. It's little more than single-player soccer with three-man teams--but it's a blast.

I say that as someone who's not particularly fond of playing the actual game and can't stand to watch it (unless my daughter's playing--she's a superstar).

Give proper credit to the gloriously vivid color palette, the perfectly timed crowd cheers (they groan after a … Read more

The National Football League's desire to bring technology to the game may be exciting to techie sports fans, but a recent report claiming that the league wants to put microchips into its footballs to increase referee accuracy could cause significant debate between the purists who welcome human error and those who want every call to be right.

According to Reuters, a German chip company called Cairos Technologies is currently in talks with the NFL to bring its microchip technology to footballs. The technology, which was originally designed for soccer balls, helps referees know when the ball has crossed a … Read more

LATROBE, Pa.--When you're driving randomly across Pennsylvania and fate hands you a chance to visit the training camp of the Pittsburgh Steelers, you don't stop to consider whether you've got the time.

That was my conclusion Sunday as I was driving east on U.S. Route 30 on an all-day trek toward Gettysburg. These are the last days of my six-week Road Trip 2010 project, and I'm making my way back to Washington, D.C., to fly home.

In my book, the last few days of driving had better have the least amount of time … Read more

Goaaal! is a soccer shootout arcade game, in which you try to rack up the best score possible by taking successive shots on goal.

The interface is simultaneously simple and tricky: you have a fixed view, facing the goal (and the goalie), and you just flick your finger to kick the ball. The trickiness comes from mastering accuracy (requiring much trial and error), learning how to fire on the ground versus in the air, and figuring out how to put spin on the ball by flicking from one side or the other. You can also reposition the ball by holding … Read more

The World Cup is now down to the final eight. In the U.S., where soccer mostly flies under the radar, the success of the USA team brought out a huge number of fans, many of whom probably now have a new appreciation for soccer. With the U.S. out of the running, and only eight teams left, it will be sad to see the most popular tournament in the world come to an end.

Fortunately, you can continue the fun on your iPhone with the right iPhone soccer game. I've rounded up the best soccer games at the iTunes App Store … Read more

Real Soccer 2010 offers the most game types in the iTunes App Store, tons of flexibility in formations and substitutions, and plenty more, but doesn't stand out on the iPhone because of less-than-stellar gameplay and graphics. Though the fields and stadiums look pretty good graphically, the player animations are fairly simple and the overall look is not as realistic as other titles in this genre. The controls include an onscreen joypad and two buttons for passing and shooting. You also get a special dribble move by double-tapping on the screen, but it's always the same move and rarely … Read more

Electronic Arts' FIFA soccer games are the most popular console soccer games worldwide, and FIFA World Cup continues the tradition of having the most complete and polished soccer game. The graphics in FIFA World Cup are second only to newly released Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, but when it comes to fast-paced polished gameplay, this game is tough to beat.

The control system on offense includes a joypad on the left and buttons for passing, shooting, and special dribble moves on the right. Holding down the pass button will increase power for long lobs or cross passes. We found the controls … Read more

X2 Soccer 2010 is a 3D soccer game with some great elements that set it apart from other games in the iTunes App Store, but some key features are easy to miss if you don't look carefully. The graphics are fairly good, though not the best among popular soccer games in the App Store.

The control system for X2 Soccer consists of an unfixed joypad on the left (it appears wherever you press on the left side of the screen), and three buttons on the right for quick passes, shooting, and lobs/through passes. The buttons get a little … Read more