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Monday, July 4, 2016
UFC 2 Gets One Week Free Trial
UFC 2 is getting a free trial for a week starting on July 6. The trial will offer 5 hours of gameplay from the full game, and be available for the PS4 and Xbox One until July 11. You can check out how to get started below.
Xbox One
- From Xbox Home (dashboard)
- Tab over to Store page
- Select “Search games store”
- Search for “EA SPORTS UFC 2”
- Select “EA SPORTS™ UFC® 2” from the results
- Select the “Get it FREE” option
PlayStation 4
- From PlayStation Dynamic menu (dashboard)
- Select PlayStation Store
- Search for “EA SPORTS UFC 2”
- Select “EA SPORTS™ UFC® 2” from the results
- Scroll down to the Demo category
- Select the Trial
- Select “Get Free Demo”
As you can see from the timetable and the amount of game time available, this move from EA seems to be a similar approach to what PlayStation has been offering with PlayStation Plus. With that program, Sony offers a limited trial of full games to PlayStation Plus subscribers, letting them decide whether or not they want to purchase.
Steam also has a similar program with free weekends, where they allow anyone to download and play games for up to 48 hours before deciding whether or not they want to buy them.
If you’re not sure about UFC 2 after your trial, or if you’d like to know now, we enjoyed the game. The final score came out to 8/10, or very good. If you’re a fan of UFC and mixed martial arts, we’d recommend giving it a shot.
UFC 2 Gets One Week Free Trial
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Saturday, July 2, 2016
NBA 2K17 MyTeam Wishlist
Since the dawn of MyTeam, I think it’s fair to say that the game mode has
progressively gotten better and better; although, most MyTeam fans would rather look
at what the mode doesn’t have rather than how much it has improved in it’s short
lifespan. Not to say that the mode couldn’t do with (a lot) more content, but at the very
least look at how far it’s come. And while the developers have made their biggest effort
of any 2K updating the mode this year, they still haven’t even scratched the surface of
how much potential MyTeam has.
Road To The Playoffs
Let’s be real, this quickly became the most repetitive and bland form of online play in
MyTeam. It’s disappointing to say that the main way to play the mode has been the
exact same since it was created. What’s more disappointing is that extensions and
suggestions to prolong the life of RTTP have been on countless 2K wishlists every year –
but to no avail. The ideas that people have had for this sub-mode range from more
player rewards, equalized team matchmaking, even actually making the playoffs and
playing for rings for your franchise. But instead of asking for all that, the simplest and
most effective request that could be made is for MT rewards. The new big thing in 2K
this year was the buying and selling of MT, popular topic in the FIFA and Madden
communities as well. But if there were ways to make more of it by actually playing the
game, maybe it would discourage people from having to buy in-game currency.
Repeatable seeds with MT rewards, simple and clean. Because if you’re a MyTeam
player, what’s the biggest knock on RTTP? What to do after you finish. Maybe a sizeable
amount of MT each time you beat a seed would entice people to embrace the challenge
of beating that cheese multiple times to build the team of their dreams rather than
buying it. A win/loss leaderboard and some more pack/player rewards for beating each
seed don’t sound too bad either.
Challenges
I don’t think many MyTeam players did more than just the Diamond Kareem challenges
this year. This year, almost all challenges were pointless. In 2K15, they at least had some
worth to finish for a few good player rewards to improve your team, or sell and buy
someone you actually want to use. Why they deviated from that for the entirety of 2K16,
we may never know. Other than the almost as bad as Andre Roberson player rewards in
the Road To Kareem challenge series, the only worthwhile player you could have earned
was Kareem himself. And even that took almost until the end of the 2K year. What would
be so wrong with weekly challenges releasing popular players as the year goes on? It
took up until 2 weeks ago for the best version of Jason ‘White Chocolate’ Williams to be
released. If he was a challenge reward at some point this year, he may have been the
best one not named Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). We’re not asking to be able to
make a super team with weekly challenges, but at least give us some incentive to
actually want to finish them. After all, one of the biggest knocks on MyTeam earlier this
year was the release rate of content; this could help remedy that.
Tournaments
This isn’t actually a mode of play in MyTeam, but I’m sure fans wish it was; yet another
thing that was being done right in previous 2Ks but only to be discontinued. Does
anyone who played MyTeam in 2K14 remember the cheese pizza, sapphire Scottie
Pippen online tournament? Possibly one of the most stressful and fun things ever to
happen to the mode. At the same time, it brought a whole new level of competition to
playing with your ultimate team. When you saw someone with the player reward of that
tournament, you prepared yourself for the rage you were about to go through.
Tournaments in MyTeam wouldn’t just give the community more ways to play, but it
would give them a greater sense of competition to beat out everyone else for that rare
player card that everyone wants. This could also be another way to earn more MT and
who doesn’t want that?
Be sure to stay tuned to SGO for the latest NBA 2K17 news!
NBA 2K17 MyTeam Wishlist
Thursday, June 30, 2016
FIFA Community Shows That Ultimate Team May Be Broken
This week, the EA FIFA community has been in an uproar over a potential glitch with a player affecting stat called Chemistry.
The glitch specifically affects Ultimate Team. A Youtuber, RighteousOnix, first showcased the glitch in a video he posted on June 25.
In his video, above, Onix shows how this potential glitch might be artificially raising and lowering player stats with no rhyme or reason. He uses the dribbling stat has his example. Once a player reaches 86 Dribbling he can perform a stepover sprint with the ball.
Over on Reddit, the FIFA subreddit has exploded over the issue.
What we’ve found:
Just to give a really quick run-down of what has been discovered, in lay-mans terms:
1) In FIFA Ultimate team you open packs to gain access to cards which represent players in the game. You can also buy these cards from other users.
2) When you build your team, by playing cards in particular positions, and with particular set-ups, you can increase their chemistry attribute. Having a high chemistry attribute on a player will give them boosted stats, having a low chemistry will nerf their stats. These chemistry stats boosts are huge for how your team plays.
3) It turns out that for a large chunk of the most expensive cards in the game, FIFA has not been attributing the stats boost to the cards afforded by their chemistry. Meaning that they feel sluggish, slow and clumsy in comparison to other, cheaper cards in the game which have been given the chemistry stats boost.
4) This means that users have been spending vast amounts of in-game and real life money, sometimes hundreds even thousands of dollars/pounds, to obtain player cards which are NOT what they seem and are in fact heavily nerfed.
The official FIFA forums at EA Sports are no different with some players seeking refunds:
“If they want to refund all my FIFA points ever spent in time for FIFA 17 coming out then that’s cool with me.”
So far, EA has not commented on the issue. Their Twitter feed is full on promoting Ultimate Team and FIFA 17 at this point. Neither the forums nor the subreddit feature any EA moderators jumping in.
It’s been mum from EA. If this Ultimate Team glitch is truly affecting the game, we’re surprised EA wouldn’t say something and try to fix it. EA makes nearly half a billion dollars per year on Ultimate Team alone. Driving players away with such a glitch certainly feels bad for business.
FIFA Community Shows That Ultimate Team May Be Broken
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Equipment Gets an Upgrade in Madden 17
EA has posted another blog post detailing the presentation improvements with Madden 17, and this time they’re talking about how equipment is being updated. Not only is there a lot of new gear, but lots of equipment will be seeing updates as well.
You can check out a list of the equipment changes coming to Madden 17 below.
New Helmets:
- Riddell Speed Flex
- Schutt Vengeance
- Rawlings Tachyon
Updated Helmets:
- Air XP
- Rawlings NRG
- Riddell RevoSpeed
- Xenith
FACEMASKS
New Facemasks:
- Speed Flex 2 Bar
- Speed Flex Robot
- Speed Flex Robot RB
- Speed Flex 3 Bar RB
- Speed Flex 3 Bar LB
- Speed Flex Fullcage
- Vengeance 2 Bar
- Vengeance Robot
- Vengeance Robot RB
- Vengeance 3 Bar RB
- Vengeance Fullcage
- Revospeed Cage
- Revospeed Grid
- Riddell 360 Robot
- Riddell 360 Robot 2
- Riddell 360 3 Bar LB
- Riddell 360 Fullcage
- Standard Halfcage 2
Updated Facemasks:
- Standard 3 Bar RB
- Standard 3 Bar RB Single
- Standard 3 Bar RB Jagged
- Standard Bull RB
- Standard Fullcage
- Standard Fullcage 2
- Revo 3 Bar
- Revo 3 Bar RB
- Revo Robot
- Revo Robot 2
- Revo Fullcage
- Revo Fullcage 2
- Revospeed Fullcage 2
- Xenith 2 Bar
- Xenith Robot
- Xenith Robot RB
- Xenith 3 Bar RB
- Xenith Fullcage
GLOVES
New Gloves:
- Nike HyperBeast
- Nike Vapor Jet
- Nike Vapor Jet Knit
- Nike SuperBad
- Under Armour Swarm
- Under Armour F5
- Adidas 5 Star 5.0
CLEATS
New Cleats:
- Nike Vapor Untouchable
- Nike Vapor Untouchable 2
- Nike Lunar Beast
- Nike Zoom Code Elite
- Nike Alpha Pro 2 ¾ TD
- Nike Vapor Carbon Elite TD
- Under Armour Spotlight
- Under Armour Brawler
- Under Armour Highlight
- Under Armour Player Exclusive
- Player Exclusive Retro
- Adidas Freak X Kevlar
- Adidas AdiZero 5 Star
In addition to new helmets, facemasks, gloves and cleats, there are also some new accessories to help separate players and make them look more like the real thing.
- One-Arm Sleeves – These will be set on each player that wears this style via the default roster so the players in Madden will match their real-world counterparts; these sleeves can also be customized when editing and creating players.
- Updated Wrist-Tape Options – Black, Team Primary Color and Team Secondary Colored Wrist-Tape
- Updated the Ankle-Tape options and re-named them to ‘Half-Spat’ and ‘Full-Spat’
- All the new sleeves, gloves and shoes are set-up for color-swapping to match each team’s primary and secondary colors, as well as black and white.
But it’s not just player gear that’s getting an update, with the improved focus on coaches this year, Madden 17 will also add a number of new pieces of gear for your coaches.
- Nike Drifit Touch Fleece Full-Zip
- Nike Elite Coach HZ Sweatshirt
- Nike Elite Coach Polo
- Nike Elite Coach HZ Full-Zip Hoodie
- Nike Elite Hybrid Jacket
- Nike Lockdown Jacket
- Nike NFL ‘Property Of’ Circuit Crew
- Nike NFL ‘Property Of’ Circuit Pant
- Nike Performance Practice Hoodie
- Nike Modern Crew
- Nike Hooded Sweatshirt
- Nike Free Trainer 5V6 Shoe
What do you think about the new equipment? Let us know in the comments below or on social media, and as always, stay tuned to SGO for more Madden 17 news.
Equipment Gets an Upgrade in Madden 17
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
EA Pays Jim Brown $600,000 to Settle Madden Lawsuit
In 2008, former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown filed a lawsuit alleging that EA used his likeness in their successful Madden franchise without his permission. That lawsuit is finally wrapping up, and Jim Brown is going to see a big payday as a result.
EA and Hagens Berman, the firm representing Brown, have finally reached a settlement. As part of the settlement, Jim Brown will take home $600,000, which ESPN says is a significant amount. As it turns out, your average Madden cover athlete allegedly only gets paid $500,000 for that gig.
The lawsuit came after EA asked to use Brown in Madden as part of a feature which would allow users to play with historical teams, including Brown’s team which won the title all the way back in 1964.
Brown alleged that EA created a character in the game that was similar to Brown in every aspect in order to get around the likeness issue. The goal for Brown seems to be to set a precedent rather than to seek compensation, as he said in a statement.
“I took a stand for all athletes and laid a framework for future plaintiffs with my great legal team,” Brown said in the statement. “Hopefully, this is a step forward in getting companies like Electronic Arts to recognize the value that athletes have in selling their products.”
Interestingly, Hagens Berman was also part of the team of lawyers that represented NCAA players in another likeness lawsuit that wrapped up earlier this year. It seems that 2016 has been a big year for likeness lawsuits in video games.
EA Pays Jim Brown $600,000 to Settle Madden Lawsuit
MLB The Show 16 Players Banned for Abusing Exploits
Ramone Russel recently took to twitter to field questions about why some users were recently banned from PlayStation Network as a result of playing MLB The Show 16. As it turns out, these players were banned for abusing exploits in the game, specifically exploits related to community market transactions.
The lesson here? Don’t abuse exploits, because you will get banned from PlayStation Network if you’re caught.
Russel further expanded upon the issue on the Show Nation forums last Friday, detailing a number of reasons as to why a user can find their PlayStation Network account banned from playing MLB The Show 16. The list is actually pretty long:
- Harassment
- Trolling
- Insulting
- Spamming
- Cheating
- Abusing exploits
- “Hostage” situations or “Griefing”
- Manipulating marketplace transactions
- Selling of in-game currency for real world currency
If the offense is serious enough, or perhaps if you continue the behavior after the suspension, you can even find your console banned from the network.
“If a player is found cheating, exploiting, harassing other players, or breaking the rules in game or here on The Show Nation forums, we will suspend the account for a limited time or even permanently ban the ID and console.”
As Russel points out, flipping cards in MLB The Show 16 will not get you banned. Exploiting the community market will, however.
https://twitter.com/Ramone_Russell/status/747527341455380480
https://twitter.com/Ramone_Russell/status/747554201425707008
Unless you’re blatantly abusing exploits, you should be fine. For most people, this will probably make the game better. For some, it’s a little upsetting.
I used to spend a lot of time glitching in video games, which has included a number of exploits. But there’s a code among those who glitch; we never use these exploits to gain an advantage in a competitive environment or to take advantage of other players.
Considering that this exploit involved the community market, I’m guessing it affected other players. If not, and players somehow discovered a way to make money without affecting other players, should they really be banned? I don’t think so.
It’s more likely to assume that this exploit did affect other players, but without confirmation it’s hard to say. Either way, Sony does rely on Stubs to generate income from the franchise, so it seems like a good move on their part.
What do you think about this move? Is keeping cheaters out of MLB The Show 16 a good thing? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
MLB The Show 16 Players Banned for Abusing Exploits
Monday, June 27, 2016
WWE 2K17 Cover Athlete Revealed as Brock Lesner With October Launch
Today 2K Games announced the WWE 2K17 cover athlete would be none other than The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesner. The game also received a release date of October 11 on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.
If you’re unfamiliar with the superstar, Brock Lesner has quite the history. He’s been an NCAA wrestling champion, a UFC world heavyweight champion, IWGP champion, and WWE world champion. The man is clearly a monster, and has earned his spot as the WWE 2K17 cover athlete.
Speaking of Brock Lesner, he’s actually got a pretty busy schedule these days. He’ll be fighting Mark Hunt at UFC 200, with WWE SummerSlam to follow on August 21.
Those who pre-order the game will unlock two playable characters along with two arenas. The playable characters will both appear in the form of different versions of Bill Goldberg, while WCW Monday Nitro and Halloween Havoc will serve as the arenas you can unlock by pre-ordering.
You can check out the reveal trailer up top, and the covers for the game down below. Are you happy with the Brock Lesner as the pick for WWE 2K17 cover athlete? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for more WWE 2K news.
WWE 2K17 Cover Athlete Revealed as Brock Lesner With October Launch
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Friday, June 24, 2016
PS4 Update 3.55 Live Now With Minor Changes
PS4 update 3.55 is officially live, but there’s not a whole lot changing this time around. The update, which comes in at 300 MB, allegedly “improves the quality of the system performance”. How the performance is improved specifically isn’t revealed.
Unlike the last update, which added a number of notable features such as Remote Play support for the PC and offline mode back in April, PS4 update 3.55 seems to be rather minor.
Have you noticed any performance improvements with the latest update? If so, let us know in the comments.
PS4 Update 3.55 Live Now With Minor Changes
Thursday, June 23, 2016
NHL 17 Cover Athlete Revealed as Vladimir Tarasenko, Beta Coming Soon
The vote for NHL 17 cover athlete has been going on for a while, but now EA has announced the winner of the cover spot at the 2016 NHL awards as promised. The cover athlete for NHL 17 will be none other than St. Louis Blues Forward Vladimir Tarasenko.
According to the press release from EA, over six million votes were cast on Twitter and the NHL website before Tarasenko was selected as a winner. “It’s an incredible honor to represent my teammates and all the Blues fans around the world on the cover this year,” Tarasenko said of the experience. “As a player, it’s a big deal to be fan selected for something like the Cover Vote, and I’m excited to be involved in the game this year.”
During the event, EA also announced that an open beta would be coming to PS4 and Xbox One starting on July 28, but you can register now. The beta will feature a total of 3 playable modes, with players who sign up to become an NHL 17 Insider receiving early access to the beta. No word on how early those insiders will be getting in.
If you’re curious as to what modes you’ll be seeing in the beta, Online Versus, EA Sports Hockey League, and Hockey Ultimate Team will all be playable in the beta when it launches next month. The beta will also offer players access to the Creation Zone.
The beta will run from July 28 to August 4, so you’ve got a few days to get in and do some testing. The full game, meanwhile, will see a release on September 13 later this year. This news also comes with a new trailer for the game, which you can check out up top.
NHL 17 Cover Athlete Revealed as Vladimir Tarasenko, Beta Coming Soon
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Criterion Games Extreme Sports Title Canceled, Developer to Pursue Star Wars License
Criterion Games, known for their Burnout franchise, was working on an extreme sports game that would allow for open world gameplay and a variety of extreme sports. The game was first shown at E3 2014 in the prototype phase with no title, and has since gone MIA.
Now, the game is back in the news, thanks to a comment from EA confirming that the game is no longer in development. A representative for EA told GameSpot earlier today that Criterion was no longer working on the game, and that the studio would shift their focus to the Star Wars franchise.
“While they’ve moved on from the previous project they’ve spoken about and aren’t pursuing it, they are continuing to build new ideas and experiment with new IP for EA, in addition to continuing to collaborate with other EA studios,” the representative said when speaking to GameSpot.
Criterion had previously worked on the speeder bikes in Star Wars Battlefront, and will also be contributing to the development of EA’s Star Wars Battlefront VR game.
If you’re looking to get your open world extreme sporting fix, no need to fret. While the development on Criterion’s untitled project has ceased, Ubisoft has stepped up to the plate with Steep, a game with a similar premise that was announced at E3 this year.
We’re mourning the loss of what could have been a great new IP, but we’re excited to see what Ubisoft can do with Steep. You can watch the trailer for the game released at E3 below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do5d4PAz4rA
Criterion Games Extreme Sports Title Canceled, Developer to Pursue Star Wars License
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Madden 17 Creative Director Rex Dickson Talks Balance, CFM, Aggressive Catch
During E3 this year, EA held their own event called EA Play, where they showcased a number of their own titles including sports games and core games. Madden 17 had a huge presence, and we were able to grab an interview with Madden 17 Creative Director Rex Dickson.
The interview was broken down into a total of 3 videos, each with a different topic. To start, we asked about some of the challenges the team faced when redesigning some of the mechanics going from Madden 16 to Madden 17. That led to a discussion on balance, where Dickson spoke about how they’re improving the game this year to allow for more realistic and fair gameplay.
“We’ve known we wanted to get to gaps, zones, and special teams for quite some time. The implementation is a bit of a different story … What took the most time was getting the feel right and balancing it. As you know from last year, even one feature like the aggressive catch can become slightly unbalanced and become the narrative of the whole year, so we want to avoid that.”
Speaking on the aggressive catch, Dickson admits that the aggressive catch was not balanced as well as it could have been. This year, he says that there will be a lot more focus on making sure everything is balanced.
“I’ll own my own mistakes when I make them, and I think the way that was tuned was a bit too offensive, and you saw the impact of that. So this year, a lot more focus [is] on making sure that everything is balanced and one thing isn’t overtuned or too powerful.”
For the second part of the interview which you can see below, we asked Dickson about CFM and the new commentary, an aspect which he says is his favorite improvement in Madden 17.
When asked what additions to CFM fans of the franchise will be happy to see in Madden 17, Dickson says a lot has changed, and that’s something fans will be excited about.
“It feels like when you go in there, almost everything [has been] touched … for me, not one big thing jumps out as being changed, everywhere you go in [CFM] things are easier, they flow better, it’s easier to manage, it’s not [as much of a grind], there’s a lot of new content.”
Interestingly, the new commentary will also be noticeable in CFM. Dickson explains, “We have this concept called presentation that focuses on you, so if you’re playing as a coach or a player you’re going to hear more lines that are referenced, decisions you made, stories about your character and the stats you have.” CFM will also receive commentary updates post-launch.
Lastly, for the final piece of the interview, we asked Dickson about the impact on eSports now that Madden has become a big player in that scene.
“I’d love it if next year we saw that people couldn’t run the same concepts over and over. That people couldn’t rely on the aggressive catch mechanic to win in desperation situations. That stuff isn’t on the competitors, they’re playing for $50,000, they’ll use whatever tools are available to them. Those outcomes are kind of on the dev team.”
That clearly plays into the idea of balance, and it’s part of the reason why the team wanted to focus on balance with Madden 17. Madden is never perfect, but the developers behind the franchise are always working to ensure that it’s as good as it can be.
Of course, this article doesn’t include all of the talking points in the videos. If you want to check out the full interview, I recommend watching the videos above. It’s definitely worth it if you want to know more about Madden 17. For more Madden videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for more Madden news.
Madden 17 Creative Director Rex Dickson Talks Balance, CFM, Aggressive Catch
Madden 17 Hands-On Gameplay Impressions
Welcome back Sports Gamers, it’s The Natural! With a ton of Madden 17 live gameplay out today, I wanted to give you my first hand impression of the game from EA Play! Not really going to touch on things that I’ve already addressed in previous videos, so check out the Madden 17 playlist for those.
OFFENSE
- The Pressure is coming! The defensive ends really get up the field this year and force your QB to step up into the pocket. On all madden with the rams I had a several sacks in the game. Aaron donald is a BEAST!
- Speedy WRs are still dangerous as ever. I caught a few deep balls on PA shot plays to fast WRs like Tavon Austin and Jeremy Maclin vs slower Corners.
- When scrambling pocket passing QBs seem SUPER slow. I really like this as I’ve seen immoblie guys break of 20yds runs in the past
- The pass lead is better. I felt like I was able to lead the ball on bullet passes into spots I wasn’t able to previously. But QB makes a difference as I wasn’t able to lead the ball as effectively with Jared Goff as I was with Alex Smith.
- The quality of WR matters even more, as many of the passes by lesser WRs were dropped in tight or double coverage or when hit right after the reception.
You have to relearn how to run with the new ball carrier moves and LAY OFF the turbo. So many running plays I messed up on by smashing the turbo as soon as I got the ball. The ball carrier moves are nice, but you really need to master them because “the window” you have to do each one varies, so you have to know which is the best move to use in that situation.
Blocking is improved, but it depends on matchups, top DE’s and DTs wreck havoc in the running game. Open field blocking is really good as pulling guards and WR’s downfield find their men and make really great blocks. Although the oline blocking was nice, the blitzes really work well this year, I ran a few zone and man blitzes the blitzes came in how they were supposed to. I can definitely see myself being more aggressive with blitzing this year as the major threat of the aggressive catch is gone.
Playaction is more realistic and looks just like a running play. The camera zooms in on the backfield, so it’s much easier to fake the defensive out especially if you are using a secondary player.
DEFENSE
Aggressive catch is still in the game for top WRs, if the defender does not click on and swat a good WR can still go up over him, also remember for guys who click on the defender on defense get a user bonus that plays in your favor.
- QB sneak is no longer a gimme! Had a big stop of QB dive on 4th and 1 from the 1 yard line to win the game.
- Pass rushers really get up the field and Force QB’s to step up. But top DTs like Aaron Donald push the pocket and break through the line as well.
- Feels like there is More momentum when controlling linebackers and seconddary players. It was tougher to dart around when controller the Middle linebacker but it felt more realistic.
- Ton of fumbles on sacks. With the new ball physics you need to get rid of the ball because if you get hit and your arm isn’t coming forward it will be a fumble.
- New ball physics are great and look realistic, you can never tell exactly where the ball is going or who is going to pick it up on a fumble recovery. There were a coulple of times I was sure my guy would pick it up but the ball squirted out and someone else recovered.
- As you have probably seen already you can now skip all cutscenes which is cool as it gives people the options to watch the replays or cutscenes or quickly get on to the next play.
SPECIAL TEAMS
There are various different blocks you can go for on special teams. You can block left or right. The kick meter stays there the entire time, but you have to hold the direction you want it to go and there is vibration feedback to this.
I missed a few extra points as I got used to the new meter. Normal kick, high kick or backspin kick which all have different effects on the ball. With the new kicking meter, blocks and fakes special teams play in madden should have much bigger impact on the game.
What do you think of Madden 17 now that you’ve seen and heard about the gameplay? Let us know in the comments, and as always, stay tuned to SGO for the latest Madden 17 news.
Madden 17 Hands-On Gameplay Impressions
PES 2017 Hands-On Gameplay Impressions
PES 2017 has a lot to live up to after last year’s 2016 iteration revitalized the soccer series. The 22-year-old franchise was losing the battle to EA’s FIFA series in the last few years.
However, 2016 brought a renewed focus and much improved gameplay. Some of it came from the Konami developers finally figuring out the Fox Engine and getting it to work for them. The game had its problem, but it was several giant steps forward from where it had been and performed much better than its competitor.
At a hands-on preview during E3, it appears that Konami isn’t resting on its laurels. A number of new features have been announced for 2017. Some of them are cosmetic, like the revamped UI in Master League and MyClub. However, our focus here is just on the new features that directly affect gameplay.
Gameplay
One thing we noticed right away was the new Real Touch addition. Global Product & Brand Manager Adam Bhatti describes Real Touch as slowing the game down to a more real-life speed. In practice this means that players actually have a first touch when they corral the ball via trapping or picking up a teammate’s pass.
We noticed that Real Touch added a physicality and weight to the game. Players actually felt like they were pausing or catching the ball in stride based on their first touches. And it does slow the game down in the sense that it gives user’s the opportunity to take a half-second to consider their next move.
PES 2017 is introducing a couple of new ways to control the entire team before and during the game.
The new Gameplan allows players to set how conservatively or aggressively the offense or defense plays. You can set the defense line as far back as the top of the box or nearly to the half line.
We liked seeing players actually play aggressively on offense and push into the opponents half every time they had the ball. On defense, the aggressive defense didn’t feel as noticeable but when we switched to more of a turtling defense in the final 45, the lockdown was obvious and immediate.
In game, you can set Total Team Controls to the D-pad and change how your team is playing overall. If you want the ability to quickly switch between aggressive offensive to a more conservative playstyle, it’s easy just tapping whatever directional button you set before the game.
We didn’t notice much appreciable difference, but a few other players with us said that they could immediately see their team style change. We used the Germans, so we’ll blame them.
One of the new bits that Konami is pushing is the Adaptive AI. The computer is supposed to respond to how the player actually controls their team. For example, if you’re playing with Barca and the AI notices that you keep pushing the ball to Messi, the defense is supposed to start collapsing on Messi.
With the Germans we played with a tight passing game while feeling out the Real Touch, and did notice that as the game went on the AI started to stay closer to the German players and played a much tighter man-to-man defense. This allowed us to open it up a little bit more and let our speedier wingers bomb down the pitch. Still. we’ll have to spend more time with the game to see how adaptive the computer truly is.
Other Features
Outside of the gameplay, the other big adds are focused around MyClub. We didn’t get a chance to dive into this during our hands-on time, but it sounds like Konami is adding a lot of little changes.
First, the team is adding an auction house to help players actually get players that they want instead of waiting to see what the game assigns them.
One of the more interesting features that we’re curious to see in action is the inclusion of data tracking. PES 2017 is supposed track performance data on both upcoming opponents and the player. We were told that the goal is to allow players a rudimentary way to scout out upcoming opponents.
We know that Konami isn’t bringing out an Xbox One version of PES 2017 to Japan, so we’re not surprised that they’re only including the next feature on PS4. Sony users will be able to upload, share and create various items, including kits, and share them online. We didn’t see this in action so we can’t comment on how it will actually look in game.
Otherwise, Konami is overhauling the UI, the in-game HUD, replay mode and adding a new lighting system to the game.
Coming Soon?
Currently, PES 2017 doesn’t have a release date, cover star or even an official trailer. We saw some unfinished film that showed incomplete graphics, so we know that the game is still deep in development.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the game gets closer to release. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned for more news on PES 2017.
PES 2017 Hands-On Gameplay Impressions
Monday, June 20, 2016
Moto Racer 4 To Launch On PSVR This Fall
While we were at E3, we got a chance to take an early look at Microid’s new entry to the dormant Moto Racer franchise, Moto Racer 4. We weren’t able to get hands-on time with the game as it’s still in development.
The last Moto Racer game came nearly eight years ago for the Nintendo DS, but Moto Racer 4 is slated to hit both current consoles and PCs. We knew that going in, what we didn’t know was that Microids is also developing a version of the game for PlayStation VR, potentially as a launch title for Sony’s VR system.
We saw a little bit of that during our demo. The PSVR version of the game would have players in a first-person view with the motorcycle helmet acting as a HUD. We have to say, it looked pretty cool.
As for the game itself, Moto Racer 4 will be split between speed racing and motocross. We were told it would have 18 different tracks spread across three environments.
With series creator Peter Cuillen supervising, the game is coming with some fun features. We’re excited for the local split-screen play. For other multiplayer modes, up to 10 racers can compete against one another online.
Like many games, especially racers, Microids is allowing players to customize their drivers and bikes. Users can unlock new bikes, costumes, and color schemes for their avatars.
It will feature 15 modes including modes like last man standing, a race where the last player to reach a checkpoint loses until one racer is left.
The game is supposed to release this Fall for $30 on PC and $40 for the consoles. The PSVR version is scheduled to release on October 13.
Moto Racer 4 To Launch On PSVR This Fall
PDP Announces NFL Face-Off Controllers At E3 2016
A fun accessory we saw at E3 2016 was PDP’s upcoming NFL Face-Off Xbox One controllers. These are pretty cool as they come with faceplates that sit flush with the controller, but can be removed.
The Face-Off series is based around a potential NFL partnership and will feature team colors and multiple different faceplates.
The main plate will feature a leather covering similar to that used in actual NFL footballs. We spent a little of time playing with the different faceplates and the football version feels good in your hands. We’ll be curious to see how it performs longterm.
The team colors faceplates come in three different versions. The first is a simple one with the team name, like Broncos or Panthers, across the plate and the team logo on the lower right hand side. The plastic feels similar to current Xbox models.
The second version takes the team logo and spreads it out across the whole controller. It also features the standard plastic.
The last one is possibly the coolest. Similar to the second version, the team logo is spread across the plate but instead of plastic, it features a cloth material that feels like a football jersey. This one felt and looked cool but we’re not sure how it will hold up longterm.
For those of you like wireless, unfortunately, PDP has to make their Xbox One peripheral controllers wired due to Microsoft rules. If you don’t mind the wires though, keep an eye out for these.
Also, we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the product during our meeting because PDP and the NFL hadn’t officially agreed to a partnership. Trust us though, these looked cool.
PDP Announces NFL Face-Off Controllers At E3 2016
NBA 2K16 Top 5 Missing Historic Teams
One of the most appreciated things that NBA 2K has been consistent with in recent years is new player and team content. Since NBA 2K13 (coincidentally the dawn of My Team), 2K has made a concerted effort to add more and more legends as well as their respective teams to the game. Before this became a priority for them, it almost felt as if every year you were buying the same game with the same team’s players, a few updated ratings and boom – that was it. In NBA 2K16 the largest pool of new legends was added, as well as several new teams, many of which were actually requested by the fans. This is one of the major keys 2K should stick with going forward or else they’ll be playing themselves. So here’s our top 5 missing historic teams in NBA 2k
#5 2000-2001 Sacramento Kings
Ironically we’re starting this list with a team that was already in 2K, just a different version. In 2K13 the 01-02 Kings were a part of the normal rosters, even though they didn’t have Chris Webber (which is kind of a big deal). This era of Kings Basketball embodied the word “swag” From CWebb, Mike Bibby, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, and Peja Stojakovic. Problem with 2K was that they only had the rights to 2 of those players – so the 2 guys needed to complete this team Jason Williams (who just made his debut this year, and Chris Webber who was only a part of the unlockable kings for NBA 2k12 were missing. 2k is meant to be a fun game, well, this was one of the most fun teams to watch in NBA history. Imagine faking someone out with J-Will’s behind the back elbow pass leading to a CWebb dunk. If somebody pulls that off on me in a rank game, we fighting.
#4 2008-2009 Portland Trailblazers
If there was a vote for the most wanted player to be in MyTeam next year, I’d put anything on Brandon Roy winning it. Aka the assassin of RIP city before Damian Lillard took over; Roy was hitting’ 0.8 buzzer beaters on the Rockets before it was cool. A Shooting Guard in every essence of the word: catching bodies at the rim, defensively sound, three point marksmen, could create his own shot and even had a little post game to him. When people mention combo guards he was one of the gold standards. Roy could easily be one of those cards that you mess around and drop 40 with on somebody online. Couple that with the Blazers having a young Lamarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and rookies Jared Bayless, Nic Batum and Rudy Fernadez leaving the Blazers plenty of firepower. Thinking about it, maybe this team would be too good to bring back…
#3 2007-2008 Denver Nuggets
The nuggets consisted of Iveson, JR Smith (in his dunk contest days), Marcus Camby patrolling the paint and a young Melo (with the braids). Forgetting the first 3 players for a sec, I’d want this team just for cornrows Melo. For those of you who don’t know the story, he actually cut the braids off after losing a bet in a game of NBA Live. So it’s only fitting that the braids make a comeback in 2K17. There was actually a 08′ Melo card in MyTEAM this year, but the player model let us down by him sporting the hair cut he has now. For those who don’t know what a young Melo was like, imagine him now but with the speed to blow by guards and yam on people. YouTube search “Melo dunk on Millsap” if you want to see what I mean. This team won’t be talked about much as time passes, but imagine facing a lineup of Iverson – JR – Melo –Kevin Martin and Marcus Camby ……I know right!
#2 2009-2010 Los Angeles Lakers
While I could go with fewer Laker team in 2k, this one may be one of the most warranted . I mean the Bulls have over 5 historic teams in 2K thanks to MJ, and he only won a title on 3 of them. While many other teams deserve to be added in 2K17, this was the final year that Kobe won a championship and considering he’s going to be NBA 2K17’s special edition cover athlete, it’s only right. This would be the only Laker team in 2K that belongs to him alone; also, this would be the only championship team with him at the peak of his years as The Black Mamba (and he didn’t need to run somewhere else to win it *cough* ) Not to mention a squad of prime Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andre Bynum, and Adam Morrison .I’m just saying we need a historic Kobe team without the fro its only right
#1 2012-2013 New York Knicks
Also known as the last time Knicks fans had true hope….Tyson Chandler was defensive player of the year, JR Smith was the 6th man of the year, and Carmelo Anthony had one of the best seasons of his career. It’s a shame that they never even made the conference finals during that 3 year run. Still, this team would be the definition of STACKED in 2K. During those years , the Knicks were one of the most popular teams to use online because of their extensive personnel. And 3pt shooting ( I mean I would get scared when dudes would bring in Steve Novak). So why not revive the team and give Knicks fans more to look forward to in 2K17 than launching up 30 shots with Porzingis
Special Shoutouts to the 1993 Phoenix Suns & 1995 Indiana Pacers
These are probably the two most requested teams to be added to 2K in recent years. Now although they are the most wanted, this one may be out of 2K’s power at the current moment. Charles Barkley has said publicly that he isn’t signing on to be in the game because of a monetary issue. Whether or not that’s the same case with Reggie and Webber also, we don’t know. And let’s be real, what would be the point of having the teams without having the stars. But believe it or not, just 6 years ago Jordan wasn’t in the game either. It took until 2K14 to get Pippen, and Kareem took everyone by surprise when he made his return to 2K this year. So in the wise words of my man KG – ANYTHING’S POSSIBIIIIIIIIIIIIILEEEEEEE.
NBA 2K16 Top 5 Missing Historic Teams
Everything We Saw at E3 2016
E3 is finally over, and there’s a lot to talk about. Okay, so it’s technically been over since Thursday evening, but we’ve finally had a chance to catch our breath and are ready to get back to our regular programming!
This might have been our second year attending the trade show, but we’re still learning about the whole process. So if you’ve noticed that we’ve been posting a bit less than usual, sorry about that! Two years in and we’re still nailing down the process for getting everything published from the event.
Still, we’ve got a lot of stuff coming for you, both on the website and on YouTube. We’ve actually been hard at working posting videos from EA Play this year, so if you’d like to see that content before it hits the website, I’d recommend heading over to our YouTube channel and subscribing.
That said, we’ve still got a lot coming, so expect to see more content from E3 on the website within the next week. For now, we’d like to break it down and talk about some of the things we saw at the convention center this year, as well as some of what we saw at EA Play!
EA’s press conference
Unfortunately, we sat this press conference out like everyone at home, but there were a surprising number of details revealed for Madden 17 and FIFA 17. For Madden, we got a new trailer, as well as details on EA’s plans to bring Madden eSports to a new level with $1 million in prizes.
FIFA 17 got much the same treatment, with the introduction of a story mode and an accompanying trailer showcasing Alex Hunter as the game’s protagonist.
Speaking of Madden eSports, EA also took the time to introduce the 8 players that would be competing for the title of Madden 16 Champion during EA Play.
Microsoft’s press conference
We did a few posts about what Microsoft revealed during their press conference, but there’s a lot that just didn’t make the cut. If there’s one thing to say about E3 as someone who just attended for their first year, it’s that it’s incredibly busy. There isn’t always time for everything.
Microsoft opened up their press conference by announcing that a new, sleeker version of the Xbox One would be available for purchase during this holiday season. As you’ve probably already heard, this information had already leaked prior to the press conference, but it still ended up being one of the biggest pieces of news.
Interestingly, Microsoft also announced their plans for a new piece of hardware called Project Scorpio. You’ve probably heard plenty about that as well, since it was also leaked well before the press conference. That will debut in time for the holiday season next year in 2017.
Meanwhile, on the games front, Microsoft unveiled Forza Horizon 3 with a beautiful new trailer. Further in the sports department, they revealed a new eSports platform, Arena on Xbox Live, which will feature EA and their FIFA franchise as a partner in addition to other games like Smite.
Sony’s press conference
There’s a reason why you didn’t see much news from us on the Sony front, they just didn’t have enough sports coverage. Sure, they had Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare — a game which we mentioned in our article talking about what core games we’d be excited to see this year — but ultimately, sports was pretty scarce at the Sony conference.
With that said, they did a hell of a job in the core games department, and we were all equally excited with what they showed. It’s clear, however, that they’re more focused on the core gaming crowd and not the sports one. As long as they do it well, that’s okay in my book. It’s not like we won’t see FIFA 17 make an appearance on the system.
One thing that I did find odd was the omission of Gran Turismo Sport, a longstanding franchise that has often served to demonstrate the technology of PlayStation systems. Does that mean they’re abandoning Gran Turismo as one of their flagship franchises? Probably not.
Perhaps one of the most impressive things was PlayStation VR. Sony isn’t playing around when it comes to virtual reality, they’re fully backing this new medium, and they had plenty to show for it this year.
EA Play
Something new to E3 this year was the addition of EA Play, which EA held in the neighboring LA Live at The Novo. It was interesting to see a publisher open up their doors to the public outside of E3, and after walking around the venue and seeing some of the lines, I imagine it paid off for EA and we’ll be seeing it again next year.
EA Play held an interesting mix of core games and sports games, but it seemed that EA Sports ultimately had a stronger presence. Madden, FIFA, and NHL all made an appearance, in addition to Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2. I didn’t get a chance to play Battlefield 1, but I did check out Titanfall 2 and NHL 17.
They performed about as you’d expect. The builds they had on display were pretty damn smooth, and from the games that I played, didn’t seem to have too many technical hiccups. It’s entirely possible that’s because EA Play is more forward facing, with the goal of attracting their fans, but either way, it was nice to check out the games.
You can check out our videos from the event on YouTube, including an interview with Madden 17 Creative Director Rex Dickson.
PES 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qgFj4roRRY
We had a chance to check out PES 2017 as well, so you can expect to see an article on that coming soon. The game itself is looking beautiful, but you can find out more about how it plays when we release our article next week.
Moto Racer 4
We scheduled a meeting with Microids, the developers behind the latest iteration of the Moto Racer franchise, and they gave us the rundown on what to expect with the game. Unfortunately we didn’t get hands-on with the game yet, but we got to take a look at how the game will look on the PS4 with virtual reality support.
We’ve got a full article on that coming soon, so you can expect to hear more next week.
Infinite Air
Mark McMorris has partnered with HB Studios to become the namesake of their new snowboarding title, Infinite Air, and I think it will make a lot of snowboarding fans happy. There are a lot of interesting things going on with this game, including a large emphasis on creativity and sandbox gameplay.
You can expect a full article on the game coming soon, including an interview with Mark McMorris and the producer of the game, Andrew Nguyen.
F1 2016
I had the chance to check out F1 2016 during E3, and there’s a lot to look forward to with the latest installment in Codemasters’ F1 franchise. Career mode will be getting a huge improvement, along with some additions to actually make practice worthwhile.
Crowds
E3 might be off limits to the public, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t packed. Every year the trade show seems to grow, and this year was no exception. This year’s show hit a record number of just over 70,000, according to the ESA. Interestingly, they’re also counting 20,000 who only made it to E3 Live, but since that’s an ESA sanctioned event, I guess it makes sense.
To give you an idea as to how packed it was at E3 2016, the wait to play Final Fantasy XV was 2-3 hours. Yeah, that’s a long time. It’s worth noting that not all lines were that long, however. Square Enix had one of the biggest lines outside of Nintendo and Sony from what I saw. The difference? The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Sony’s VR demos required people to jump through hoops in order to play. Square Enix let everyone line up.
Is there anything that you’re excited about from E3 that wasn’t on this list? Let us know in the comments or on social media, and be sure to stay tuned for more content from E3 2016!
Everything We Saw at E3 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
NBA 2K17 to Feature Face Scan App, Signature Animations, Timed Locker Codes
The season finale of NBA 2KTV has arrived, along with a number of small tidbits of information regarding what we’re going to see leading into the next installment of NBA 2K. As you’d probably expect, there isn’t a lot of big news, but they did reveal some cool additions to NBA 2K17.
There are a lot of jokes in there, but some of the news we got includes yeezys, timed locker codes, a face scan app, and some signature animations. In fact, signature animations might be one of the biggest things talked about in the video aside from the often requested face scanning app, as they seem to be adding a substantial number of them this time around.
Well, that’s about it. You can check out the video up top if you haven’t seen it in-game yet. Are you excited for some of these new features? Let us know in the comments and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for more NBA 2K news!
NBA 2K17 to Feature Face Scan App, Signature Animations, Timed Locker Codes
Frank "Stiff" Sardoni Jr. Claims Madden 16 Championship Title
At EA Play during E3 this year, EA held the finals for their Madden 16 tournament, and on Tuesday, June 14, it all came to a close as Frank “Stiff” Sardoni Jr. claimed the victory, earning him the title of Madden 16 champion.
Stiff’s hard work along with his fast-paced, risky style ultimately paid off, as he defeated current Madden Challenge champion Zack “Serious Moe” Lane, who is well-known for his defense in the quarterfinals before going on to defeat two-time Madden Challenge champion Eric “Problem” Wright in the final.
As a massive fan of the Chicago Bears, Sardoni Jr. utilized his favorite team with a unique fantasy lineup to dethrone Wright’s San Francisco 49ers 37-21 and win the championship belt created by EA Sports for the event.
In an interview with ESPN, Sardoni Jr. spoke about his love for the game. “[Football] is passion,” he’s quoted as saying while draping the belt across his shoulder. It’s clear that he not only admires the sport, but his newly found prize.
The Madden competitive scene has been around for some time now, though it’s only recently starting to gain attraction as an official eSport. “Stiff” is surprisingly new, with just 3 years of experience under his belt, making him quite the underdog. That didn’t stop him, as he eventually came out on top.
As for support from his family? Luckily, he’s received plenty. “My family supports me … [m]y soon-to-be fiancee supports me 1000 percent. That’s why I’m out here. She told me to come down here and have fun, and that’s what I did. My parents couldn’t be more proud.”
It’s good to see a relatively new player on the scene achieve such success, but even better to see that Sardoni Jr. has the support of his family. Of course, with the Madden 17 championship on the way with a prize pool of $1 million, he’ll also be partaking next year.
“I’m going to be playing Madden NFL 17,” he said. “Getting my game up just like I did this year and hopefully become victorious.”
If you haven’t seen the championship final yet, you can check out the video up top. Keep in mind that the video runs for just over an hour and a half.
What did you think of the Madden 16 championship? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for more Madden news and tips. Check out our YouTube for some great Madden 17 videos, including an interview with Madden 17 Creative Director Rex Dickson!
Frank "Stiff" Sardoni Jr. Claims Madden 16 Championship Title
Thursday, June 16, 2016
F1 2016 First Impressions
Yesterday at E3, I had the pleasure of dropping by Codemasters’ E3 headquarters to check out the latest installment of their F1 franchise, F1 2016. The series has been going strong for a few years now, with F1 2016 marking the 8th iteration. Like most franchises that see a yearly release, the biggest questions are how they’re iterating the game this time around.
The demo I played was strictly limited to practice runs, with only four tracks. With F1 2016, the team behind the game has put a lot of effort into the practice section of the game, and it shows.
Some of the tests in practice mode are inspired by real tests performed in Formula One racing, including things like track acclamation, qualification performance, and tire and fuel management. One of the things you’ll be able to do with your practice runs is create strategies with practice data, presented using a number of graphs. Through that practice data, you can be given a set of strategies to choose from.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to experience that aspect of practice, but it’s nice to know that your practice runs actually count for something and aren’t necessarily there exclusively to improve your time on the track.
Outside of that, another big focus with F1 2016 is to improve the immersion of the game. To that end, they’ve made a number of changes that add up to deliver a more realistic experience for the Formula One enthusiast. The safety car will make a return, but new to this year’s game is the addition of the virtual safety car.
As a result, the AI has also been improved, and you’ll now see AI vehicles retire. Pit wall boards will give players the info they need on the race.
F1 2016 will also introduce a more realistic penalty system, and car damage sensitivity systems have been reworked based upon fan feedback from last year’s iteration. Kerbs and surface properties have also been remodeled.
With the new time of day editor, you’ll be able to switch between times, letting you race tracks from sunrise to sunset at day or night. This doesn’t apply to the career mode, which is also receiving a significant upgrade.
For career mode, you’ll choose a career path of 10 years and create your own driver, including your number, helmet design, and nationality. As part of career mode, you’ll have access to team members. You’ll have an agent and team engineer. The agent will help you manage your team by recommending different strategies to help you succeed.
I had a good time with the demo at E3 this year, and I look forward to checking the game out when it launches. During the demo, they weren’t talking about the release date, but this morning they announced that F1 2016 would release on August 19 later this year. That announcement comes along with a trailer, which you can check out up top.
F1 2016 First Impressions