Ea Sports

COLLEGE PARK - The Maryland Terrapins got a little more comfortable in their new house last night, at the expense of an opponent that was equally sloppy and tired. And after the Terps worked through some slipshod moments of their own, their fresh legs, depth and large bodies took over at Comcast Center, where an announced crowd of 17,357 watched Maryland destroy the EA Sports All-Stars, 95-60, in its exhibition finale. The Terps now will look to their long-awaited regular-season opener against visiting Miami (Ohio)

"Madden NFL 13" EA Sports Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 Score: 3 stars out of 4 The "Madden" series hasn't quite lived up to expectations since eliminating competing NFL franchises in 2005. Still, it is taken for granted how much EA Sports maximizes its exclusive license with the NFL to produce video games that allow fans to come as close as most ever will to an NFL field. The knock on “Madden” is that it's the same year-in and year-out. “Madden NFL 13” absolutely disproves that notion, though “different” doesn't automatically mean “better.” Like it's little brother, “NCAA Football,” this year's edition of “Madden” has fine-tuned its passing game to mirror the throw-happy offenses in the real NFL. Receivers run their routes in a less robotic fashion than previous editions, and as a quarterback, the player has a real opportunity to put the ball where they want.

COLLEGE PARK -- The Maryland Terrapins unveiled their new, youthful face with predictably mixed results last night at Comcast Center, but a victory tastes sweet even during the exhibition season. Before an announced crowd of 17,146, Maryland led off by leaning on its veterans, who delivered nicely to carry the Terps to an 84-70 victory over the EA Sports All-Stars. Sophomore forward Nik Caner-Medley, the most experienced returning player for Maryland, played like it while scoring a game-high 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds and adding four assists and four blocked shots in 30 excellent minutes.

Et cetera Damion Rashford , a 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard from Pickering, Ontario, who played his senior year of high school at Westwind Prep in Phoenix, has joined the Loyola men's basketball program for the 2012-13 season. Rashford averaged 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 2011-12. He played Amateur Athletic Union ball in the Toronto area for Shane James , a 2007 Loyola graduate. More men's college basketball: Coppin State is one of 12 teams selected to participate in the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

Remember the days when Mike Tyson would climb into the ring and knock out some scrub in the first round? Well, you'll wish you had Tyson's power when you go up against the pugilistic superstars in EA Sports' Knockout Kings 2002 ($50). This console boxing game for the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2 is fast and furious enough to be a solid simulation of sport's most violent contest (Pro wrestling's not a sport, folks.) Yet, it suffers from a few minor flaws that keep it from being the greatest.

The hiss of the skates, and the thwack of the sticks. The glare off the ice and the din of the crowd. If you long for the sights, sounds and action of hockey in a big-league arena, why wait for the next home game? It's possible to experience the same prolonged adrenalin rush that builds over three periods of fast-paced hockey by loading a game into your PlayStation 2. The big contenders this year are EA Sports' "NHL 2001" and 989 Sports' "NHL FaceOff 2001." Each sells for $50. The games' developers have brought their old franchises onto a new system, carrying with them a tradition of quality NHL simulation games.

The speculation and apocrypha surrounding "cover curses" in sports go back at least as far as the " Sports Illustrated cover jinx . " In the age of video games, the " Madden Curse " has taken up the mantle as the most hotly-debated superstition in sports marketing. Close behind "Madden" in the curse department is "NHL," which has had rumblings about a curse since the late 1990s. Sports Illustrated themselves even devoted a gallery to it . It's important to note that "curses" are empirically bunk, especially in sports.

film 1 The Rocker 20th Century Fox 2 Tropic Thunder Paramount/DreamWorks 3 The House Bunny Sony 4 Death Race Universal 5 The Dark Knight Warner Bros. MEDIA BY NUMBERS LLC dvd sales 1 Nim's Island 20th Century Fox 2 Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Warner Home Video 3 21 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 4 Stargate: Continuum 20th Century Fox 5 Starship Troopers 3: Marauder Sony Pictures Home Entertainment BILLBOARD MAGAZINE albums 1 A Little Bit Longer Jonas Brothers 2 Mamma Mia!

"NCAA Football 13" EA Sports Xbox 360/PS3 Score: 3 out of 4 In its 20th year of making college football games, EA Sports enters "NCAA Football 13" as the strongest version of the game in the 360/PS3 era. It's not perfect and it's not revolutionary, but almost every change made from "NCAA Football 12" was meaningful and positive. On the turf, the most noticeable upgrade comes in the form of a re-tuned passing game. The spread and shotgun formations' dominance over college football is now a palpable experience in "NCAA Football 13. " Quarterbacks drop back more realistically, and the player has an enhanced ability to control the touch and direction of the ball like never before.

Hey slugger, ready to hit the digital diamond? This year's crop of computer baseball games features two tailored to players who prefer arcade-style swat-a-thons over pure statistical simulations: "Microsoft Baseball 2001" and EA Sports' "Triple Play 2001." Microsoft is relatively new to the diamond. And "Baseball 2001" is a big improvement over last year's debut: The game is a solid if unflashy effort that offers entertainment at a bargain-bin price. It's hard to find anything terribly negative about "Baseball 2001."

"NCAA Football 13" EA Sports Xbox 360/PS3 Score: 3 out of 4 In its 20th year of making college football games, EA Sports enters "NCAA Football 13" as the strongest version of the game in the 360/PS3 era. It's not perfect and it's not revolutionary, but almost every change made from "NCAA Football 12" was meaningful and positive. On the turf, the most noticeable upgrade comes in the form of a re-tuned passing game. The spread and shotgun formations' dominance over college football is now a palpable experience in "NCAA Football 13. " Quarterbacks drop back more realistically, and the player has an enhanced ability to control the touch and direction of the ball like never before.

The speculation and apocrypha surrounding "cover curses" in sports go back at least as far as the " Sports Illustrated cover jinx . " In the age of video games, the " Madden Curse " has taken up the mantle as the most hotly-debated superstition in sports marketing. Close behind "Madden" in the curse department is "NHL," which has had rumblings about a curse since the late 1990s. Sports Illustrated themselves even devoted a gallery to it . It's important to note that "curses" are empirically bunk, especially in sports.

UPDATE: I just received an email response from Cam Weber, GM of American Football for EA Sports. He writes: “In order to depict the seriousness of concussions, when a player is injured in a Madden NFL game, they will be tended to by the medical staff and then escorted off the field. If the injury is determined to be a possible concussion, the player will not be permitted back into the game. Madden NFL has been used to help teach the sport of football to several generations in regards to the rules and complexities of the sport.

News Roundup •••• It was a busy week down in Bethesda, with the “Skyrim” developers trademarking the game's signature “Fus Ro Dah” shout. Crap, now I owe them $17. More pertient to gamers is the announcement that over 200 voice commands will be added via a free Kinect support download for Xbox 360 users later this month. [ PC Ga mer , PC Mag ] •••• ... but the National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviews says “Minecraft” is better.

News Roundup •••• Holy hell (literally), "Diablo III" finally has a release date! May 15, kids. [ Blizzard ] •••• EA Sports' football titles are both in the crowd-sourcing spirit this year. Cam Newton is leading the pack for the "Madden NFL 13" vote, and eight Heisman-winning legends are vying to share the cover of "NCAA Football 13" with RG3. It is at this juncture Game Cache would like to officially endorse Ben Roethlisberger ("Madden" curse, ya'll)

film 1 The Rocker 20th Century Fox 2 Tropic Thunder Paramount/DreamWorks 3 The House Bunny Sony 4 Death Race Universal 5 The Dark Knight Warner Bros. MEDIA BY NUMBERS LLC dvd sales 1 Nim's Island 20th Century Fox 2 Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Warner Home Video 3 21 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 4 Stargate: Continuum 20th Century Fox 5 Starship Troopers 3: Marauder Sony Pictures Home Entertainment BILLBOARD MAGAZINE albums 1 A Little Bit Longer Jonas Brothers 2 Mamma Mia!

UPDATE: I just received an email response from Cam Weber, GM of American Football for EA Sports. He writes: “In order to depict the seriousness of concussions, when a player is injured in a Madden NFL game, they will be tended to by the medical staff and then escorted off the field. If the injury is determined to be a possible concussion, the player will not be permitted back into the game. Madden NFL has been used to help teach the sport of football to several generations in regards to the rules and complexities of the sport.

Several Baltimore Ravens players tried out the new video game Madden NFL 2005 this week to test what is billed as a loosely based version of the team's own defense. Electronic Arts Sports, the game's California-based publisher, holds "Madden Day" every year at the training camp of the player featured on the cover. All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis is the cover boy for this year's edition, which officially goes on sale today. With nearly 37 million copies sold, the "Madden" franchise is the No. 1-selling series of football video games in North America.

Several Baltimore Ravens players tried out the new video game Madden NFL 2005 this week to test what is billed as a loosely based version of the team's own defense. Electronic Arts Sports, the game's California-based publisher, holds "Madden Day" every year at the training camp of the player featured on the cover. All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis is the cover boy for this year's edition, which officially goes on sale today. With nearly 37 million copies sold, the "Madden" franchise is the No. 1-selling series of football video games in North America.

COLLEGE PARK - The Maryland Terrapins passed their first test against an under-manned, undersized exhibition opponent. Tonight, the Terps get to confront something closer to a real team. In their final tuneup at Comcast Center before opening the season Saturday against visiting American University, the Terps will deal with size, quickness and numbers. The Roanoke Dazzle is a member of the National Basketball Development League, the NBA's minor league. Roanoke, which is preparing for its NBDL season opener next week, carries 12 players on its roster and features five who stand at least 6 feet 10 and a pair of guards who toiled at Virginia in 6-3 Curtis Staples (Class of '98)