Madden NFL 10 was the best-selling console game in North America over the month of August, though sales of this year's title were down when compared to NFL 09.

EA Sports' title sold nearly 1.9 million units across various platforms, while NFL 09 did better than 2.1 million in its opening month last year. The drop reflects a slow season for video game buying, with the industry seeing another year-over-year drop in sales in August--this time to the tune of 14%, according to NPD.

Rounding out the top five, Nintendo's Wii Sports Resort pushed 754,000 units, while Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum sold nearly 600,000 units across both PS3 and Xbox 360.

August console software sales:

1. Madden NFL 10 (360, EA Sports) - 928,000 units
2. Wii Sports Resort (Wii, Nintendo) - 754,000 units
3. Madden NFL 10 (PS3, EA Sports) - 665,000 units... Read more

Just in time for the start of the new season, EA has brought its popular football franchise to the iPhone and iPod Touch with today's App Store release of Madden NFL 10.

The 102MB download packs "32 unique fields" and "nearly 2,000 players from all 32 NFL teams," according to Electronic Arts. A multiplayer mode plus the "ability to get roster updates" and "authentic throwback jerseys" are listed as upcoming features.

While the game will typically sell for $9.99, a "special launch price" of $7.99 will be in effect until the new season officially begins tomorrow, September 10, at 8:30PM EST.

The headline says it all here: Sports Illustrated is giving away free copies of Madden NFL 10 with a $50 subscription to the magazine--though some may like to think of it as a $10 discount on the game and some free rags.

The deal includes 28 weekly issues of SI, a Madden documentary DVD, and a copy of Madden NFL 10 on your platform of choice. Check out the details on the magazine's site.

New to the Xbox Live Marketplace today is a downloadable demo for EA Tiburon's annual football effort Madden NFL 10, with the demo for Eurocom's gerbil-centric movie tie-in G-Force just about to become available to all Xbox Live folk, not just Gold members.

Both demos are only available to Gold accounts, a restriction that usually passes within a week. The G-Force demo, which hit on July 17, should open up to everyone tomorrow, July 24. Meanwhile, Silver members and PS3 owners will have to wait until July 30 for the Madden demo, which samples a Giants vs. Cowboys game in 1-minute quarters.

The full version of Madden NFL 10 arrives at retailers on August 14, with G-Force having shipped off to stores this week to coincide with the release of the feature film.

EA Sports has announced that the annual instalment of its Madden NFL series has gone gold, and given the dates for its two tiers of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 demos.

Available July 30 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, Madden NFL 10's public demo will offer a Giants vs. Cowboys game in 1-minute quarters. The GameStop pre-order exclusive demo with 5-minute quarters will be available one week earlier, from July 23.

Madden NFL10 is released August 14 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, Wii and PSP.

EA Sports today released another huge batch of Madden NFL 10 screenshots from both the 360/PS3 and Wii versions of the title.

Buried in the first 360/PS3 pile are several shots of the title's many recreations of NFL stadiums. If you're into stadium accuracy, this is your screenshot batch.

We've also got several new shots of the Wii version, which is going for a less realistic take on NFL characters. I think it simply looks less good, but you be the judge.

With all the football teams packed into Madden NFL 10, it wouldn't be fair for Electronic Arts to highlight just one That's (probably) why the publisher has released a whopping 36 screenshots from the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, starring the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

The stylized Wii edition also got some love, with a few new upscaled renders meant to illustrate just how Madden NFL 10 "epitomizes what fun looks like on the Wii."

Developed by EA Tiburon, Madden NFL 10 arrives on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PSP come August 14. Among this year's various additions are online fantasy franchise leagues, complete with ability to edit them from the web, and online co-op.

Two demos for the football game are in the works--one for the general public, one for those that pre-order from GameStop--with both due to hit PSN and Xbox Live in late July.

Update: The general Madden NFL 10 demo is slated for "late July," EA has clarified. We're also told that the public Giants vs. Cowboys demo will sport 1 minute quarters, not the previously reported 2 minute quarters, with the company apologizing for the confusion.

Original: Though GameStop yesterday announced that it was offering an "exclusive demo" of Madden NFL 10 as a pre-order incentive, publisher Electronic Arts has informed Shacknews that a downloadable demo will be available to the public as well.

"We will also be issuing a demo via Xbox LIVE and PSN that features the Giants vs. Cowboys with 2 minute quarters," the company told us. "The GameStop demo is exclusive in terms of content. For example, the GameStop exclusive demo features a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII featuring the Steelers vs. Cardinals with 5 minute quarters."

We're checking in to see when the public demo will be released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The GameStop exclusive demo is expected "by the end of July."

The full version of the football game--in development for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PSP--arrives in North American retailers on Friday, August 14.

Continuing the increasingly popular trend, Electronic Arts today announced that it has partnered with GameStop to provide those that pre-order Madden NFL 10 from the retailer with an "exclusive demo" of EA Tiburon's August 14-due game.

Pre-ordering either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 edition of the football game from GameStop should net you a download code, with the demo due "by the end of July."

Recreating the Super Bowl XLIII match between the the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers, the demo will offer gamers the chance to play four, 5-minute quarters.

No word yet as to if or when a downloadable Madden NFL 10 demo will be available to the general public, but we're checking in with Electronic Arts.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Madden NFL 10 will feature online cooperative play "for the first time in franchise history," EA announced today.

"Team up with a friend online to work on game strategy, practice plays, and see the field from a unique point-of-view, thanks to position-specific camera angles," boasted EA.

All versions of Madden NFL 10--PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and PSP--are due out on August 14, with "another major announcement regarding a new online feature" promised to arrive during EA's E3 press conference next Monday, June 1.

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Much like the tackles in an HBO recap of the Super Bowl, these screenshots for EA's Madden NFL 10 slow it down to the extreme, turning football into a graceful ballet of men in tights hugging eachother until it hurts. At least the collision detection looks solid. Madden NFL 10 hits the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on August 14. A Wii version with an exaggerated art style is also in the works, in addition to PSP and PS2 titles.

EA Sports today announced the cover athletes for Madden NFL 10, while also releasing the first footage of the game that arrives on August 14. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will both have their careers simultaneously ruined by appearing on the infamous cover of the football title.

Click through for the footage, including a glimpse of the new Wii art style... Read more

Electronic Arts has released a few new screenshots from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of EA Tiburon's latest Madden football title, which hits August 14.

"We already are working on the Dolphins helmet logo being too large," lead designer Ian Cummings wrote in a post over on the Inside EA blog, where the shots debuted.

EA has revealed that the latest annual entry in its famed Madden NFL football game franchise will arrive this year on Friday, August 14.

Handled once again by EA Tiburon in Florida, Madden NFL 10 will appear in PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PSP varieties.

This year's iteration promises "more control over the outcome of the play" and "all-new animation technology," with the Wii edition said to be "completely redesigned" and sporting a "genre-defining art style" so that it "epitomizes what fun looks like on the Wii."

Other buzzwords and bullet points in today's release included "online innovation that will connect Madden fans together like never before" and "an immersive broadcast presentation that captures the suspense and emotion of the NFL."

As for the game's cover, EA will reveal the lucky (or unlucky, if you buy into the whole Madden curse thing) cover athlete in a presentation on Friday, April 24.

EA Sports chief Peter Moore today revealed the first screenshot of Madden NFL 10, the next iteration of the long-running football franchise.

"While we have a number of announcements and updates to come over the next several weeks leading up to next month's NFL Draft, I'm excited to debut the first screenshot from this year's game right here this week," wrote Moore on his blog.

"We're hitting the real sweet spot of development for this generation of consoles as the team is really hitting its stride in squeezing every ounce of power and capability from the hardware," he continued. "In fact, the Madden team is taking such dramatic strides this year that we're in the position to go deep on features and details earlier than we've ever done before."