The Madden Challenge Begins Anew
Same Challenge, new year.
Published: August 16, 2006
Oh, hey, is it that time again already? Time for EA's masterful marketing department to spin into action, the millions of people that wait with bated breath for the release of the annual pigskin outing fueled by the promise of $100,000 and a chance to show off their Madden NFL 07 skillz. Aha, but there's a catch, y'see. This year, the Madden Challenge has gone multi-national, adding Hong Kong, Germany the UK and our neighbors to the north and south to the competition.
Canada (along with the other international locations) will serve as a single stop -- a far cry from the 26 city tour here in the States, but hey, it's certainly a start, right? Increasing the pool of entrants beyond our shores will help widen the cross-section of players, though we wonder if throwing a football competition at a bunch of countries that usually associate the word with a completely different sport will yield results. But hey, at least Mexico City is on there.
Clearly EA thinks so, and they're willing to pony up plenty of cash to prove it. Though the entrants will all have to provide their own transportation to the pre-selected spots, the winners of each region will pocket $1,000, though obviously whomever captures the winning slot at the final in Honolulu will walk away with the lion's share.
And where, pray tell, will you be headed this year? Behold, the list:
DATE | CITY | VENUE
9/1/2006 | Denver | Invesco Field
9/3/2006 | Minneapolis | MetroDome
9/9/2006 | Indianapolis | RCA Dome
9/10/2006 | Chicago | Solider Field
9/16/2006 | Green Bay | Lambeau Atrium
9/17/2006 | Detroit | Ford Field
9/23/2006 | Atlanta | Lenox Mall
9/24/2006 | New Orleans | Superdome
9/25/2006 | New Orleans - MNF | Superdome
9/30/2006 | Cincinnati | Newport on the Levee
10/1/2006 | Pittsburgh | Heinz Field
10/7/2006 | Boston | Gillette Stadium
10/8/2006 | Philadelphia | King of Prussia Mall
10/14/2006 | New Jersey | Jersey Garden Mall
10/15/2006 | New York | Grand Central Station
10/21/2006 | Baltimore | M & T Bank Stadium
10/22/2006 | Washington DC | Fed Ex Field
10/28/2006 | Charlotte | Concord Mills
10/29/2006 | Tampa | Raymond James Stadium
11/4/2006 | Houston | Reliant Stadium Park
11/5/2006 | Dallas | Texas Stadium
11/11/2006 | Phoenix | Cardinal Stadium
11/12/2006 | San Diego | Qualcomm Stadium
11/18/2006 | Los Angeles | Hollywood & Highland
11/19/2006 | Oakland | McAfee Coliseum
11/24/2006 | Seattle | Qwest Field
11/26/2006 | San Francisco | Metreon
1/13/2007 | Toronto, Canada | TBD
1/20/2007 | Hong Kong, China | EA Experience
1/27/2007 | Mexico City, Mexico | TBD
2/4/200 | London, England | Superbash
2/4/2007 | Frankfurt, Germany | Commerce Stadium
2/8/2007 | Honolulu (Finals) | Pro Bowl
Once again, PlayStation fans have gotten the shaft, though. The Madden Challenge will continue to be played on Xboxes, though there is a next-gen division that let's players game on... yeah, Xbox 360s. This has been the case for a while now, and it remains to be seen if the release of the PlayStation 3 between this Challenge and the next will change anything, but we're guessing there was a bit o' filthy lucre exchanged between EA and The Big M to keep things as they are.
Still, it's not like you can't practice with the PS2 version, which hits next Tuesday on every platform imaginable. Just make sure you log at least a few hours before you head out to the competition so the Xbox controller doesn't throw you.
Good luck!
Canada (along with the other international locations) will serve as a single stop -- a far cry from the 26 city tour here in the States, but hey, it's certainly a start, right? Increasing the pool of entrants beyond our shores will help widen the cross-section of players, though we wonder if throwing a football competition at a bunch of countries that usually associate the word with a completely different sport will yield results. But hey, at least Mexico City is on there.
Clearly EA thinks so, and they're willing to pony up plenty of cash to prove it. Though the entrants will all have to provide their own transportation to the pre-selected spots, the winners of each region will pocket $1,000, though obviously whomever captures the winning slot at the final in Honolulu will walk away with the lion's share.
And where, pray tell, will you be headed this year? Behold, the list:
DATE | CITY | VENUE
9/1/2006 | Denver | Invesco Field
9/3/2006 | Minneapolis | MetroDome
9/9/2006 | Indianapolis | RCA Dome
9/10/2006 | Chicago | Solider Field
9/16/2006 | Green Bay | Lambeau Atrium
9/17/2006 | Detroit | Ford Field
9/23/2006 | Atlanta | Lenox Mall
9/24/2006 | New Orleans | Superdome
9/25/2006 | New Orleans - MNF | Superdome
9/30/2006 | Cincinnati | Newport on the Levee
10/1/2006 | Pittsburgh | Heinz Field
10/7/2006 | Boston | Gillette Stadium
10/8/2006 | Philadelphia | King of Prussia Mall
10/14/2006 | New Jersey | Jersey Garden Mall
10/15/2006 | New York | Grand Central Station
10/21/2006 | Baltimore | M & T Bank Stadium
10/22/2006 | Washington DC | Fed Ex Field
10/28/2006 | Charlotte | Concord Mills
10/29/2006 | Tampa | Raymond James Stadium
11/4/2006 | Houston | Reliant Stadium Park
11/5/2006 | Dallas | Texas Stadium
11/11/2006 | Phoenix | Cardinal Stadium
11/12/2006 | San Diego | Qualcomm Stadium
11/18/2006 | Los Angeles | Hollywood & Highland
11/19/2006 | Oakland | McAfee Coliseum
11/24/2006 | Seattle | Qwest Field
11/26/2006 | San Francisco | Metreon
1/13/2007 | Toronto, Canada | TBD
1/20/2007 | Hong Kong, China | EA Experience
1/27/2007 | Mexico City, Mexico | TBD
2/4/200 | London, England | Superbash
2/4/2007 | Frankfurt, Germany | Commerce Stadium
2/8/2007 | Honolulu (Finals) | Pro Bowl
Once again, PlayStation fans have gotten the shaft, though. The Madden Challenge will continue to be played on Xboxes, though there is a next-gen division that let's players game on... yeah, Xbox 360s. This has been the case for a while now, and it remains to be seen if the release of the PlayStation 3 between this Challenge and the next will change anything, but we're guessing there was a bit o' filthy lucre exchanged between EA and The Big M to keep things as they are.
Still, it's not like you can't practice with the PS2 version, which hits next Tuesday on every platform imaginable. Just make sure you log at least a few hours before you head out to the competition so the Xbox controller doesn't throw you.
Good luck!
