Madden NFL 13 leads off today's crop of interesting and impressive X-Play exclusives. The latest Madden brings big changes to the series' audio design by amping up the play-by-play commentary, sound design, score and soundtrack. A football game doesn't come to life without the sweet sound of a tackle grunting and the sharp crunch of pad-on-skull action

In the video below, Blair Herter talks to Audio Producer Matt Bialosuknin about how Madden's sound design came about. Take a look and be the first on your block to see the new Madden, including gameplay footage of Jim Nance and Phil Simms.

When you're finished with the video, delve deeper into the football simulator with our Madden NFL 13 preview.

We've got a Madden NFL 13 preview for you, jocko. In the preview below, Adam "The Riveter" Rosenberg, a gridiron aficionado since his days of playing right tackle at 'Bama*, gives his thoughts on the new Madden. Spoiler alert: It's pretty much like the old Madden--when you've got a highly-tuned, top-selling sports franchise, I guess it doesn't make too much sense to change it up too heavily.

There is one key difference in Madden NFL 13 that will bring happiness to many Madden gamers, though, and that is the apparent lack of "ESP" among defensive players. Here's how Rosenberg describes the changes:

"A quick added note on that defensive tip. Last year's Madden (among many others before it) was criticized for its "psychic defenders," linemen who knew where the ball was at all times, regardless of what sightlines would suggest they could actually know about.

That's all changed in Madden 13. The tipped ball was knocked away by a defender who was facing Cutler when the ball went out. At other parts of the game, defenders that could have stopped a rush didn't respond at all because of other players blocking their line of sight. While this is hardly definitive proof that the virtual ESP is gone, it's certainly encouraging."

Check out our Madden NFL 13 preview.

*(All facts about Adam Rosenberg are entirely invented)

We've got a Madden NFL 13 gameplay preview for you, football heads -- it's time for our annual trip back to Madden country! Madden NFL 13 features a fully revamped passing game as well as CBS broadcasters Jim Nance and Phil Simms in the booth, calling the game.

Get all the Madden NFL 13 details in the video below, in which Blair Herter talks with Game Designers Larry Richart and Patrick Bellance.

It's official: Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson will be on the cover of Madden 13. Johnson, more awesomely known as Megatron, barely beat out rookie quarterback and fantasy football sensation Cam Newton by snagging 52% of the vote.

The announcement of the Madden cover, which comes every year right before the start of the NFL Draft in New York City, is one of the annual off-season highlights football fans look forward to during the sad time of late February through August. Over the course of the Madden 13 cover voting, Johnson accumulated over 19 million nods from fans around the world, due in no small part to his electrifying play and completely face-meltingly amazing nickname. 

While being on the cover of Madden can do great things in terms of a player's image, it can also strike fear in the hearts of football fans everywhere because of the so-called Madden Curse. Megatron, however, does not believe in such nonsense. 

Only time will tell whether or not the 6'5" receiver will be able to outrun the curse, but in the meantime, I'm sure Cam Newton is sitting in a corner somewhere, writing thank you notes to everyone who voted for Johnson just in case. 

Source

NCAA Football 13 brings all-new gameplay and an emphasis on passing, and Blair Herter gets an early look from Game Designer Larry Richart. Are you ready for some football? I mean, really, really ready? Because it's football time, sport-o.

Blair Herter is taking you inside the world of NCAA Football 13 in this gameplay video and interview. Blair sat down with NCAA Football 13 producer, Ben Haumiller, to talk about the next edition in the series. If you're a fan of NCAA Football  then get ready for awesome uniforms, second-generation High Dynamic Range lighting, and true-to-life stadium atmosphere.

Video games are an international language. The image above is from Milan's Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona. Fans assembled a Pac-Man display that featured Pac-Man chasing a ghost in the colors of Barcelona's away uniform. The text on the banner reads "Let's eat them!"

Not bad, Milan fans! Although, the Pac-Man might have been the best thing at the game: It was a scoreless match due to Milan's shameless bus-parking and terrible pitch. 

Source: Yahoo

The 2012 European Football Championship kicks off on June 8, 2012 and EA Sports will celebrate the event with the release of the UEFA Euro 2012 tourney as DLC for FIFA 12. The news is confirmed in a press release which also outs a planned April 24 release date on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC for the add-on content.

In terms of what you can expect, the pack will include all 53 UEFA national teams along with the eight tournament-specific stadiums. The pack will also include new challenges for players to complete, earning XP toward their EA Sports Football Club profile. Only Europe's pricing is announced right now: £15.99, 1800 MS Points and 2500 FIFA Points on PC. We're checking with EA for offical US pricing.

You can't miss this! Literally. In an unprecedented move (similar to The People's Elbow), all the NBCUniversal cable networks will be airing Once In A Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena, a 60-minute documentary devoted to the history that leads to their upcoming epic showdown at Wrestlemania XXVIII. As you will undoubtedly already know, WWE has been setting up this once-in-a-lifetime match for over a year, and, this Sunday, in The Rock's hometown of Miami, FL, the "dream match" will finally take place.

We at G4 are happy to be part of Wrestlemania XXVIII, and to show our viewers this documentary, which not only talks about the showdown, but the history that both men bring to the squared circle. As the defining superstars of their respective eras, Rocky and Cena evoke some of the strongest reactions ever known in the world of sports entertainment.

So, tune in on Saturday, March 31st @ 10PM ET to watch the premiere of Once In A Lifetime, coinciding with the end of our Tough Enough marathon (featuring the one and only 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, and both The Rock and Cena in special appearances). If you want to watch again, check it out on the morning of WMXXVIII, April 1st, @ 10AM ET.

Click over to WWE.com for the full airtime schedule of Once In A Lifetime across all the NBCU cable nets and cablecasts. 

Meanwhile, check out some clips from the special!  In this one, John Cena explains the genesis of the famous "You Can't See Me" maneuver for which he's become famous.

Here, The Rock tells the story of his tattoo, and describes what certain parts mean to him.

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It's that time of year again. Spring Training is in full swing. Baseball season is just around the corner, and MLB 2K12 is here with another round of the Perfect Game Challenge.

This year, just being the first to pitch a perfect game in the latest edition of the franchise will not be enough to win you the $1 million prize. It might not even get you close enough to really compete for it. This time, the players who throw the top eight perfect games over the course of April will compete in a tournament, and play for the money and the right to join the Perfect Club.

• REVIEW: Our MLB 2K12 Review

Also, instead of having to send in video like you did in the past, 2K12 features a game mode dedicated entirely to the contest. On achieving perfection, players will be given a code that they will then use to be added to the contest's leaderboards.

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The game-makers at Electronic Arts are bringing back the "NBA Live" name, and showing off NBA Live 13.

Like all news these days, the word comes by way of Twitter, where Cleveland Cavalier's point guard Kyrie Irving tweeted:

In Orlando for #AllStar checking out the #FutureOfBasketball with @EASPORTSNBA. Get to see the new #NBALIVE13!

EA confirmed the news, saying that the game will be out this fall and described it as an "all-new experience that captures the future of basketball." 

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Jeremy Lin, aka Linsanity, is the hottest guy in the NBA right now. Thanks to NBA 2K12, Jeremy Lin is now a playable character for the New York Knicks in video game form. Download the latest roster update for free to unlock old number 17. To celebrate the moment, we decided to make a highlight reel of Lin in the game. We took it to the next level by including our favorite Jeremy Lin nicknames.

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As a red-blooded American, I'm sure you enjoyed watching the Super Bowl yesterday with your friends and family, but as much as you may have enjoyed it, it was totally not needed. Video game Madden 12 did a fairly accurate job predicting the game last week, so you basically could have watched the Puppy Bowl instead.

Madden predicted the final score would be 27-24 in favor of the Giants. The actual score: 21-17: Giants. Very, very close, I think you will agree.

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There's no reason to watch the Super Bowl game on February 5. We already know who will win. The New York Giants will beat the New England Patriots 27-24. This is the prediction put forth by Madden NFL 12.

Specifically, kicker Lawrence Tynes kicks a game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Giants past the AFC Champion Patriots, bringing home the Giants’ second Super Bowl championship in four years. So it should be a pretty exciting ending.

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In the latest video from UFC Undisputed 3, we get a deep look at the game's Career Mode. Click the "Play" button to listen to Senior Designer Wes Bunn discuss key career mode gameplay features, including how you can rewrite history of any official UFC fighter. You'll also see watch legendary fighter Nick Robertson go from the WFA to the UFC to PRIDE to a UFC Champion!

UFC Undisputed 3 will be released February 14, 2012.