It seems Australia (and PAL regions) miss out again
By Dimorphic
Earlier this week we brought you the news that EA Sports Madden NFL 09/NFL Head Coach 09 limited edition bundle was rumoured only to be an NTSC release, and that PAL reigons will again miss out on a limited edition game (Mass Effect, Devil May Cry 4 (stripped down version) to name a few).
I sent an email off to EA Australia and asked about a release in PAL regions and if not would the game be region locked and thus prevent us from importing, and got this relpy:
To my knowledge there’s no plans to bring it here at this time. That may change at a later date. The Xbox 360’s region locking would make it difficult to import a copy from the US.
So there is the response to our queries. Though they do say that it may change at a later date, experience tells us that it 99% won’t. Considering that NFL Head Coach 09 is only avaliable through the limited edition and that we are not only missing out on the LE but also then a game its a hard pill to swallow. What could possibly be the reason for not releasing it over here? They release Madden, why not the extras?
EDIT: It seems that after hearing the cries of the fans NFL Head Coach 09 is getting a stand alone release on September 2nd, the opening week of the 2008/09 NFL season. No word yet on whether we’ll see this over here, but it’s something at least.
Wat do you get in the SE version? Do you really miss out on that much?
The standard edition is just the game. In the limited edition you get a copy of NFL Head Coch 09, a making of DVD and other goodies.
The Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will be the ultimate interactive NFL experience - featuring full versions of both Madden NFL 09 and the all-new NFL Head Coach 09, exclusive classic Madden NFL gameplay, and an extensive library of exclusive bonus video content.
What about NCAA Football 09?
We’ve never gotten NCAA Football in Australia.
Nor here in the UK, but I have been in touch with EA and they seem to think that the US release of NCAA 09 WILL play on a UK Xbox. Do I fully believe/trust them enough to shell out the cash to buy one from Gamestop in Texas? Not yet.
No not yet. US games are NTSC coded, UK is like Australia and are PAL coded. Regardless of what EA told you an NTSC game will not work on a PAL console.
If Play-Asia (www.play-asia.com) are selling region free copies however…….
I downloaded the Madden 08 demo and was completely baffled. Needless to say I kept losing the ball through interceptions. I think I need a tutorial before I start caring about the series.