One of the best parts of playing EA SPORTS™ games is getting together with your best friend to go head-to-head, on the virtual field or the virtual court, to establish the right to brag and taunt your buddy. Invite over a bunch of friends, and you can have tournaments and crown a champion. Indeed, sports games bring friends together for fun, competition, and trash-talking.But how do you square off with all your good friends if they live across the country? Or what happens if your friends aren't around to go head-to-head?
Now, instead of having to rely on the standard answer "make new friends," you'll now be able to crush your buddies long-distance. This season, beginning with Madden NFL™ 2003, select EA SPORTS titles for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system will give gamers the ability to link up online with opponents, while enjoying the same amazing gameplay they'd get if their opponents were sitting in the same room. After all, nothing is better than testing out your skills against real live opponents!
With the purchase of the PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor, Madden gamers will be able use the Internet to play exhibition or ranked games against online opponents, as well as download the latest updated rosters. Now, when teams sign or trade for players in mid-season, or suffer major injuries that keep them off the roster, you can keep your in-game rosters current thanks to the online capability.
Getting up and running with online play is quick and easy. Check out our screenshots of the online experience for more info!
According to Madden NFL producer Jeremy Strauser, both broadband and dial-up connections work very well for online play.
"Both broadband and a telephone line connection play great," Strauser said. "Broadband will, of course, be a little smoother experience, but there is very little noticeable dropoff when you move to a telephone connection. Gamers will be surpised at how seamless the play is."
Other titles in the EA SPORTS 2003 lineup will also include online capabilities. Best of all, online play for the PlayStation 2 EA SPORTS games requires no separate subscription fee. Gary Lam, producer of the upcoming NBA Live 2003, is excited about the possibilities presented by online play.
"We're really stoked about being able to deliver on an online experience," Lam said. "We want it to be a fun experience... and we want people to want to do it. We think the experience that we are going to deliver is going to do exactly that.
"The one big feature that is going to be available only to online users are the roster updates," Lam continued. "Between trades, free agent signings, and if some of the rookies haven't signed contracts at the time of the game launch, we're going to be able to update your rosters throughout the season."
"The coolest thing about online play is the new depth that you have to Madden," Strauser added. "Beyond the tremendous depth off-line we offer, the ability to logon and compete head-to-head against thousands of possible choices gives you an almost infinite number of challenges to play."
Go out and get some extra phone cord so you can plug in your PlayStation 2, because beginning with Madden NFL 2003, online play is going to open up a whole new world for EA SPORTS gamers!
