One thing that has started to become more common is the comparison being displayed of the upcoming release to the previous one. In many cases the initial reaction to seeing screenshots and videos is that the changes are minimal. This was the case with the first player model screenshots for NCAA Football 09, that was until they were compared directly with 08’s.

The first screenshots from Tiger Woods 09 weren’t really all that exciting. They practically looked identical to what was seen in 08. And it could very well be the case that not much has been done with what they specifically showed. However EA has now released a comparison video displaying the drastic enhancement to the courses with the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes at Sawgrass as the focus. The lighting in particular is much better, something that seems to be the case with all of the upcoming releases. Continue on to view the video or check it out in larger form at the Tiger Woods 09 website which launched today.

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Though it was known to be in development, EA Sports has made official that Fight Night Round 4 will be coming to the 360 and PS3 in 2009. They’ve also revealed the first details on what to expect. This is the first time in nearly a decade that Mike Tyson will be featured in a boxing game. You can check out the full press release here. The important info from it can be found below.

Featuring a re-written gameplay engine, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will add a variety of fighting styles and boxer differentiation to authentically emulate the greatest fighters of all time. Pressure your opponent with the brawling inside style of young Mike Tyson, bobbing and weaving to set up powerful hooks and uppercuts. Capitalize on Muhammad Ali’s reach, hand speed and fleetness of foot to bewilder your opponent with lightning fast jabs and straights from the outside. For the first time in history, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 gives you the opportunity to pit these legendary heavyweights against one another and name a true champ.

No fight will be the same with an all-new physics-based animation system that recreates the full spectrum of true-to-life punch impacts, giving boxers a devastating arsenal of punches, blocks and ring movement. The new physics system allows for missed punches, glancing punches, knockout blows and for the first time ever, rough and tumble inside fighting. Fatigue, adrenaline, footwork and timing all come into play as you hammer away at your opponents.

The EA Sports Fantasy Football website now contains a trailer that details some of what to expect from their league system. It will officially be launching on June 11th.

• Leagues/teams are free
• Manage league drafts through the 360 and PS3
• Live scoring on the 360 and PS3
• Import your fantasy team into Madden 09
• Advanced commissioner scoring and setup

Back at the end of February EA was actively looking for suggestions on how to integrate fantasy football into the Madden experience. It looks like they’ve taken some of those ideas and implemented them such as the importing of your fantasy team into the game along with also offering the live drafts and live scoring via the PS3 or 360. For the importing of teams I’ll be interested to find out how they are filled at positions that aren’t being utilized in the fantasy league.

I’d still like to see something along the lines of fantasy football “achievements” on the website and a ticker in the game that would display league stats, scores, and news (such as transactions) throughout the week.

Hopefully you’ll be able to play with your fantasy teams in unranked online games. You basically could do that last year but it was a lengthy (and at first confusing) process to put together a custom team and play online with them.