Electronic Arts is looking to make a big change in the upcoming Madden game; John Madden won’t be the announcer for the game. Instead, Tom Hammond of NBC Sports and Cris Collinsworth of NFL Network and NBC Sports will be taking his place in Madden ‘09. We all knew that it would happen sooner or later, as the football legend is in his seventies.

Keep in mind that this is the 20th installment of the series, so it just wouldn’t be complete without the main man himself. The game is titled after him, so why not include him? Maybe at least a cameo would do justice.

Read (AOL Sports)

The United States PlayStation Store has received a pretty nice update today, including games R-Types, some Guitar Hero stuff, and an echochrome Demo are some noteworthy mentions.

PS3:

• R-Types [PS1] ($5.99)
• echochrome Demo
• Iron Man Demo
• THE EYE OF JUDGEMENT: Biolith Rebellion 2 (Expansion Set Two) ($14.99)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack ($9.99)
• Weekly Rock Band DLC
• Guitar Hero III Def Leppard Track Pack ($6.25)
• Army of Two SSC Challenge Map Pack ($7.49)
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore Downloadable songs ($1.49 each)

PSP:

• R-Types [PS1] ($5.99)
• LocoRoco ($21.99)
• Kingdom of Paradise ($10.99)
• echochrome Demo
• LocoRoco Nightmare Track [Music] (Free)

Konami has kindly released the final trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4. Be warned though, as it includes major spoilers. In addition to that, it is in Japanese, and includes zero subtitles. Snake will slithering on to the PS3 on June 12th.

GRID, a TOCA Touring Car series video game developed by Codemasters, will be seeing in-game advertising by eBay Motors. In order to receive part upgrades for your car, you’ll have to revisit the eBay Motors storefront.

It does get kinda annoying seeing constant brand names pop up in your face when you’re playing a title that you already purchased. Isn’t enough that you shelled out the money to buy the game in the first place? But then again, it’s always nice to see that investors are lined up for ad opportunities in video games, which will only make the production value of the game greater and further fuels the industry.

Read (Next-Gen)

The Chicago Transit Authority has decided to pull down all Grand Theft Auto IV advertisements. A local Fox News affiliate reported on the subject, leading to a response by the president of the CTA, Ron Huberman that agreed to take down the ads. The question was triggered by the recent major school shootings occurring in the Windy City. Illinois is notorious for being especially critical of violent video games.

But then again, isn’t it the parent’s responsibility to make sure what your child is allowed and not allowed to do in the world? There are plenty of violent movies that are running ads in the CTA, and I’m sure a lot of them contain more adult themes than Rockstar’s creation. Movies can be sneaked into, and can usually be watched without parents even knowing. But video games are played at home most of the time, and it’s unlikely that a kid will be able to purchase a full-priced retail game without a help of an adult.