NBA 2K16 Perimeter Man Defense

Do you want to play perimeter man defense, but are scared you might get put on roller skates? Well, today I’m going to help you out. In part 1 of our three part defensive tutorial series, I will go over how to improve your on ball defense and not become a turnstile on the perimeter.

Playing perimeter defense is a challenge outside of the obvious, since there are such a wide variety of perimeter players in the league, you can’t really play them all the same. Sagging off might help neutralize Russell Westbrook, but playing that way against Steph Curry? No way.

What I’m going to do first is go over what you have as a defender at your disposable to take away the shots they want and the

ways to go about it

To begin, I will go over how you can move with your player. While there are a couple ways to do so, in my opinion, you only need two of them. The first is the fast shuffle, which keeps your body squared to your match up, while moving laterally.

Second is the quick step cutoff, which can only be used when you’re in a standstill position. Its purpose is to cut off the angle your opponent is trying to take. This means you can get from Point A to Point B a lot faster than using fast shuffle, but don’t expect to chase somebody around the perimeter using it exclusively.

Both tie into one of the most important ratings for your defender, which is lateral quickness. This gauges how fast your defender can move from side to side. Guys with lower lateral quickness ratings shuffle their feet at a much slower pace than say a Tony Allen (96 lateral quickness).

Up next is understanding angles and how the offensive player uses them to attack you.

Driving to the hoop is all about the offensive player getting a good angle on his match up. It’s important, as a defender, to have a consistent depth while mirroring his opponent’s movements across the court.

Pretend there’s a horizontal line behind your defensive player and you move across it wherever your opponent goes so your positioning is always consistent, because if it’s not you run the risk of giving up a drive to the hoop.

If done right you should collide with the player once he gets close enough and when that happens, stop moving your player and wait for his next move or else you will fly right by him once the animation is over.

Being so close, you take away the cross over back the other way because your body’s positioning has taken away the space he would have to do it, so the ball will hit off your body.

Your opponent only has two options now: drive to the same side the ball already is on or behind his back, which is when you can attempt to go for a steal.

Lets go back to Russell Westbrook, since he’s known for attacking the paint and not so much shooting, by sagging off of him we give our defender better angles to defend him should he drive towards the hoop (even if your defender has poor lateral quickness). Now if you’re in his face the margin for error is a lot smaller if you make a mistake.

Only guys like Tony Allen or Kawhi Leonard could get away with playing up close consistently against the Russell Westbrooks of the world and live to tell about it.

Your opponent won’t always be clear in their intentions and will attempt to size you up first to get you off balance. When guys attempt to do this it’s very easy to react to every little movement they make. Once that happens you’re theirs before they even take a step.

It’s key to stay patient and remain in your stance despite the show he’s putting on-he hasn’t gone anywhere yet. However, when he does commit you want to utilize the fast shuffle or quick step to mirror him, but be aware of the potential for an attempted crossover; that’s where the defenders lateral quickness is key.

When your opponent goes for the cross you quick step cutoff or fast shuffle to realign with your opponent. Depending on how high your lateral quickness rating and how close you were to your opponent determines how successful you are at it.

If you do get beat, your opponent now has the angle on you. You still have options to turn this into a successful play for the defense.

You can sprint to the spot you assume he’s going to and meet him there to force a jump shot when he thought he had an easy layup/dunk or get a steal.

Also, be sure to check if your help defense picks up your defender for you which gives you the opportunity to get an easy interception by simply switching to the next open man or close out on an otherwise open jumper.

Most of all playing on ball man defense is about concentration and being alert. It’s a no better feeling than completely suffocating your opponent and forcing him into a bad shot, because it wasn’t the computer it was you that made him do that and that’s why we play video games right?

Stay tuned for part 2 of our defensive tutorials where I go over low post defense.

NBA 2K16 Perimeter Man Defense

Rocket League Partners With ESL, AVGL And Rocket League Central For Competitive Events

Psyonix, the developer behind Rocket League, recently announced that they are joining in a number of partnerships centered around eSports at all levels.

The company is teaming up with the Electronic Sports League, Rocket League Central, and the American Video Game League starting this month.

In a statement, Luke Thompson, Competition & Events Manager for Psyonix, said, “We’re incredibly pleased to officially fund ESL, Rocket League Central, and the AVGL. With more than $30,000 in prize pools and scholarships, Rocket League players will now have a place to compete and develop their talent, regardless of their experience or skills.”

The ESL partnership is geared toward amateurs competitions with the League’s Rocket League Go4 Cups. Prize pools are expected to increase in the upcoming season.

AVGL will be responsible for promoting and managing the Rocket League Collegiate Spring Showdown, with scholarship money available for winners. They’ll also be broadcasting the showdown on their Twitch stream.

Finally, Psyonix is teaming up Rocket League Central, a community-driven group run by Rocket League players. RLC runs events and tournaments for their community including the Rocket Royale, competitive community events at the pro level that also helps semi-pros make the leap.

Rocket League Partners With ESL, AVGL And Rocket League Central For Competitive Events

Madden NFL 17 NEW Features Wishlist - Part 1

As part of our continuous coverage of what we think would be the best content possible in a game that could use a few ideas, we wanted to cover more things on our Madden 17 wishlist. This time around, we’re dedicating time to completely new features such as an opponent scouting system and a possible practice still feature, among other things.

Scouting an Opponent

What would be nice would be to open Madden and receive an immediate on-screen “Scouting Report,” if you will, of your upcoming opponent. This report should include that opponent’s play styles, common situational play calls, possible personnel mismatches or exploits, and overviews of their behavior in key plays. There are a variety of tidbits the game could tell you right off the bat, such as if they prefer to run or pass the ball or if they have a more aggressive, blitz-happy defensive style. This information would be determined through their plays. Therefore, your plays and practice would have to adapt to different styles.

Right now, many of these pieces of information can be uncovered or inferred by digging around the game’s menus. Sure, I could look at my opponent’s depth chart to see if their QB is mobile or if they have any particularly dangerous star players. In previous versions of the game, I could even look up the play-calling strategy for any given CPU team; though, I think this feature isn’t available anymore since the

play-calling strategy for 16 is cloud-based and not locally accessible.

I could dig through game and season stats and box scores to see who their preferred receivers and sack leaders are. But I shouldn’t have to. It could be streamlined and more intuitive because that’s what should be on my mind. Tabulating little but important information is a great place to start.

CFM Online Resume

In Madden’s offline mode you have the ability to resume an unfinished game. While I”m sure there are technical reasons why this exact feature is not available for online play I don’t see why something similar could not be implemented in the future. After each quarter locally or on the servers the time remaining, down, distance and score should be saved. So if a game is ever disconnected you would be presented with a RESUME option that would simply take this automatically saved data, recreate the scenario and reconnect both players. This would avoid players having to start every disconnected game completely over.

Film study

An intriguing (and under-utilized) feature of the play-calling screen is a small widget in the corner that shows the previous play including both the offensive and defensive play calls. The outcome and average success rate of that play are displayed based on global user stats. This is actually a really useful piece of information to have, and it’s available on every play! The game’s “Highlights” menu in the pause screen also includes a list of every play that’s been run, including replays for some of those plays. The downside is that none of this gets saved or recorded for your review later. Every play of a game is logged, so why not save this log for review in the next week’s “Game Prep”?​

These elements could be expanded. This information could be saved and recorded to a log. During the game prep for the following week, you could then review your plays from the previous game. Madden could even combine the results of repeated play calls to show you the average, best and worst outcomes alongside the respective play calls by the opponent. This would be an effective simulation of watching “game film”. You can look at your plays that went well; examine why they were successful; and you could look at your plays that went poorly and examine why they failed. Then, it would be a matter of if those plays are worth keeping in your playbook.

If saving every play isn’t feasible for technical reasons or whatever, then EA could alternatively provide an option for the user to tag a specific play for film review. This could include reviewing an interception to find out what mistake you made while reading the defense, or a failed blitz that left a huge hole for the opposing running back. You can review what play you called, what play the opponent called, how you were so open and be better able to recognize a similar opportunity in the future.

Practice Drills

Previous versions of Madden actually had drills and workouts that improved only

specific sets of skills, but this could be improved. An alternative could be for such drills to provide temporary boosts to the relevant skills.

Using the tackling drill, for example, would provide general experience that can be used for any attribute, but would also provide +1 to the player’s tackling skill for some duration. This duration could be as short as one day or it could last for several weeks. Getting a higher rank in the drill could perhaps increase that boost or lengthen the amount of weeks that the bonus applies, and more drills would provide different bonuses. You could also drill to level up certain attributes faster through experience boosts.

Conclusion

These are just a few ideas was to what we could expect to see in an ever-evolving franchise that is still filled with potential. Advancements such as these could make the game great even if it does take a few development cycles to implement.  Be sure to stay tuned for part 2 of our Madden 17 New Features Wish List here at SGO.

Madden NFL 17 NEW Features Wishlist - Part 1

NHL 16 Now Available On EA Access for Xbox One

Starting today, EA Access subscribers on Xbox One can start playing NHL 16.

NHL 16 brings new features like the On-Ice Visual Trainer and smarter Coach Feedback, designed to teach new players the fundamentals and give returning players a refresher course.

From new levels of depth across single player and team modes, combined with improved gameplay balance and control at every position as well as an unrivaled game day atmosphere, NHL 16 puts you into the heart of a team, where you’ll play together and win together.

EA Access allows members to try upcoming EA games prior to release. It also offers 10% discounts on EA digital purchases. One of the things players can access is The Vault, which contains a library of games that subscribers can play as much as they want. Currently, The Vault contains games like Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, Madden 16, FIFA 16 and Battlefield 4.

Subscribe to EA Access for $4.99 per month, or $29.99 for a full year.

NHL 16 Now Available On EA Access for Xbox One

MLB The Show 16 Review: An In-Depth Look at the Biggest Show in Baseball

Evolution. A curious thing. When examined through a narrow lens, it’s nearly imperceptible. But pull that lens back, take a look at the broader picture, and evolution becomes visible. It’s a magnificent process. A process that undoubtedly exists in SCEA’s MLB The Show Franchise. So, aware of the existence of evolution within their own series, the team at Sony attempts to gradually evolve their legacy with MLB The Show 16; a process made increasingly more difficult as the game pulls ever closer towards authentic replication of the game of baseball. But as we’ll soon discover, MLB 16 continues to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. How does Sony do this? Well, let’s play ball.

Gameplay

The same can be said every year, but MLB 16 is not a big leap forward over MLB 15, which, incidentally, played similarly to its previous entry, and even the one before it. Right off the bat, MLB 16 introduces a wealth of minor gameplay additions that serve to inject greater authenticity to the series, including but not limited to hundreds of new fielding and batting animations, more realistic routes taken by outfielders for fly balls, the reintroduction of the stride component to analog hitting, a new batting camera that provides greater depth and perspective, more realistic and more varied hit dispersions, more realistic bunting outcomes, and much, much, more. Of course, these are relatively minor changes, but taken together, the improvements yield a more refined baseball simulation.

There are, however, more significant alterations to gameplay. This year, the game places greater importance on user ability over player ratings; a transition in design philosophy that poses drastic implications for the series going forward. Ultimately though, Sony’s attempt to provide the user with increased control over the outcome of the play is met with fantastic results. Most importantly, the increase in user control never overpowers the game’s numerous RNG elements that are fashioned to generate realistic outcomes. Rather, the outcome of a play simply assigns greater weight to player inputs than in previous years. Perhaps more than any other year, SCEA strikes a near perfect balance between player ratings, precise controls, and realistic outcomes. It’s a delicate balancing act that has been the downfall of lesser sports games, but The Show 16 knocks it out of the park.

Moreover, MLB 16 simply moves better than last year’s edition. Not only does the game benefit from the abundance of new animations, but the engine has been further refined to allow for increased branch points necessary for more fluid animation blending. Over the course of a play, many independent animations blend seamlessly into one another, sculpting the illusion that a single canned animation is being triggered. Rarely does an animation sequence unveil this façade; almost always, MLB 16 is poetry in motion, a series of independent animations that dance in harmony to form a well coordinated symphony of player movement.

Ok. So MLB 16 The Show’s gameplay is fantastic. But it’s not all a grand slam. Upon release, there are balancing issues that hamper the game’s realism. Currently, home runs constitute far too great a percentage of balls put in play, ultimately transforming the game into a bit of a home run fest. Likewise, fielders are too prone to wildly inaccurate throws, resulting in games with unrealistic amounts of errors. And finally, outfielders are far too quick in the field, covering vast seas of grass with little regard for the limits of human nature. Granted, while post-game support will more than likely mitigate particular balancing issues, use of the extensive customization options via sliders can neutralize these gameplay deficiencies immediately. However, at its core – minor quibbles aside – MLB 16 feels like baseball. And that’s the greatest compliment it can receive.

Presentation

The Show’s third year on Playstation 4 hardware yields spectacular results, bringing in a plethora of graphical refinements and upgrades, along with substantial improvements to the commentary engine. Graphically, the introduction of physical based rendering allows light to more realistically reflect off of various surfaces, and general improvements to the lighting engine permits the night lighting model to flex its beautiful muscles. Beautiful in still image, but even better in motion. MLB 16 is the best looking sports game on the market. Period.

As good as it looks, The Show might even sound better. The commentary engine has finally been modified to allow for greater amounts of branching dialogue, group dialogue, and interruptible commentary, rendering the Matt Vasgersian-led broadcast as a dynamic trio that reacts dynamically to the events that unfold both during the course of a game and during the course of a season. Even the commentary, a long considered soft-spot for the series, is beginning to blur the distinction between game and reality.

However, the franchise mode radio show -“Inside the Show” – doesn’t fare nearly as well. The commentary provides box score updates around your league but lacks the proper audio stitching to keep from feeling robotic. Perhaps another announcer would prove more effective.

Finally, The Show 16 is fraught with thousands of new player personality animations, all of which are triggered at appropriate times. Individual and team personality animations lend greater context to the events that unfold throughout the course of a play and inject some much-needed emotion into the game. Most importantly, these animations perfectly accentuate the gameplay animations such that they flow smoothly into one another without transitional hiccups. In general, animations play off one another beautifully and are further bolstered by the game’s refusal to drop below its buttery smooth 60 frames per second. The Show 16 is unrivaled in its presentation; a near perfect package of quality graphics, animation, and audio neatly tied under a large bow.

Game Modes

Numerous improvements and additions abound in the game’s core modes. SCEA has incorporated more RPG elements to both Road to the Show and Franchise Mode, including a new perk system that provides enhancements to your created player or team. For example, a new ShowTime perk allows users to slow down time in critical moments to maximize control over pitching, hitting, and throwing. Stay tuned for guides on how to use this feature at a later date. Likewise, a new player morale system serves to modify the stats of your teammates based on a multitude of relevant factors, including individual playing time, team success, financial security, etc. So keep everyone happy. You don’t want an Adam LaRoche situation on your hands. Additionally, scouting has been revamped and now includes an authentic 20/80 player rating scale, complete with new player skills to scout. While the game mode improvements are noted, the simulation engines that govern these new systems have not been extensively tested to prove their authenticity.

There are two new modes, “Battle Royale” and “Conquest”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wx0cfvR_SE

In Battle Royal you compete versus other players in Diamond Dynasty after drafting a team. Winning will you a chance at some awesome rewards. The first time you enter is on the house, but after that it will cost you 1,500 stubs each time you wish to enter. Win or lose you get a standard pack, so you get something out of it regardless of how you do. Here is a breakdown of prize milestones. Once your team is drafted you face off against someone else who drafted their team in a three inning contest. Exclusive flashback and legend cards are available through this mode as prizes for getting certain amounts of wins.

The second of the new modes they added into MLB The Show 16. Conquest is an online single player mode where take your diamond dynasty team versus 30 MLB CPU teams. You compete with other teams for fans, which will determine which difficulties you can play on. Conquest is a turn based strategy game where you need to obtain fans and conquer new territories using your fans. Conquest games are also three innings. Depending on how many fans you have in an area, you can chose to sim a game and it will tell you if you have a low, medium or high chance of winning the game. Check back here for additional coverage on those modes, as well as Diamond Dynasty, very soon.

Conclusion

Sony has once again expanded upon the best playing sports game on the market without compromising its best qualities, instead furthering its artistic vision in a way that seems to be approaching its limits. Still, MLB 16 is not much different than its predecessor. For veterans of the series, such familiarity – fused with the balancing issues at launch – may breed feelings of apathy. But don’t let its familiarity fool you. Now more than ever, the new focus on player determinism truly enables you to become the player you’re controlling. You become the bat. You become the glove. You wear the jersey. What happens on the field? It’s all up to you. So pick up the controller, head out onto the virtual field, and play ball. It’s never felt better.

 MLB 16 The Show gets a 9.5 out of 10.

MLB The Show 16 Review: An In-Depth Look at the Biggest Show in Baseball

MLB The Show Reveals Week 1 Challenge of the Week Prizes

Today, fans of MLB The Show 16 got to see Week 1 for the Challenge of the Week.

The 2016 Season starts with Blue Jays pitcher Josh Donaldson going up against NY Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom.

Only the top 5 players on the leader board will get a prize depending on position.

Here’s the breakdown:

• First: Josh Donaldson autographed Authentic Blue Jays hat, Rawlings Official MLB Baseball, and a PS4 System cover plate.


• Second: Jacob deGrom autographed Rawlings official MLB baseball.


• Third: 10,000 Stubs and one Opening Week Card Pack.


• Fourth: 5,000 Stubs and one Opening Week Card Pack.


• Fifth: Three Opening Week Card Packs.

The competition started on Monday, March 28 and lasts until next Monday, April 4 at 4:30 am PDT.

To get involved, select the Challenge of the Week option in mini modes from the main menu.

Winners will be notified by a “PSN” XMB message on the PS3 System or via private message on the PS4 System. The “PSN” Username that will be contacting all winners will be TheShowBaseball.

You can find leader boards, rules and winners at TheShowNation.com.

MLB The Show Reveals Week 1 Challenge of the Week Prizes

Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO Review

Milestone has a long and storied history with motorsports. For the past two decades, they’ve spent a long time developing racing games for everything from the MotoGP to the World Rally Championship. With five games based on the World Rally Championship under their belt, it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about rallying.

Their latest take on rallying is Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO, which breaks off from their previous work on the World Rally Championship series, and it finally made the jump to consoles earlier this month.

GAMEPLAY

Throughout Sebastian Loebe EVO, you’ll find yourself tasked with completing a number of races. It’s about what you’d expect from a Rally game, with a variety of different environments to race through. You’ll find yourself racing around mountains through dirt, snow and gravel and tuning your car accordingly.

I’m not particularly well-versed on rallying, and I’m equally as spotty when it comes to driving. Because of the nature of sport, rally tracks can be quite difficult. In most games, you’ll spend a lot of time racing on asphalt. Sebastian Loebe EVO is a bit different, however, thanks to the courses you drive on. This game isn’t full of tracks, though there are a few.

Driving in the snow is hard. Driving in the snow at night is even harder.

It’s about beating the environment, and at times that can be a bit difficult if you’re not used to rallying. Whereas most tracks have a few turns every now and then, Sebastian Loebe EVO will pit you against a number of difficult turns. Your driver is there to help with that by calling out the upcoming turns and hazards, but it will take some getting used to if you’re new to the sport.

The game does have a series of tutorials, as well as an option to lower the difficulty and change some settings to make it easier on you, but it seemed to me as if the tutorials were sparse and not very helpful. Thankfully, chances are that most of the people picking up the game will be into the sport anyway.

This is one example of the tutorials you’ll find in Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO.

GAME MODES

Sebasian Loebe EVO has a number of game modes that are likely to keep the most dedicated rally fan busy for quite some time. In career mode, you drive your way to the number one spot in the world while working your way up to joining Sebastian Loebe’s team by completing Loebe events. It’s here where you’ll probably spend the bulk of your time winning races to earn credits for new vehicles.

Career mode is divided between a number of different race types. There’s single stage, elimination, rallycross race, sector battle, rally championships, and a whole lot more. I didn’t try much of the game online thanks to awful wait times between lobbies and a limited number of lobbies in addition, so I can’t say whether or not those modes can be played online.

There’s enough content to keep people busy for a while.

What I can say, however, is that the game does not have offline multiplayer, which is kind of a bummer. One of the best things about racing games is seeing if you or your friends will come out on top, but couch multiplayer is a dying thing nowadays, and it seems like Sebastian Loebe EVO decided to sit this one out.

There’s plenty to do outside of multiplayer, though. If you don’t feel like playing career mode, you can also check out the Sebastian Loebe experience, which allows you to play through Loebe’s career as a rally driver from 1998 up to 2013. It also serves as a documentary of sorts, which is kind of neat. You don’t even need to complete the segments to unlock the rest of the videos, which I thought was pretty cool.

The only problem with Sebastian Loebe experience is that the videos in between career segments can be pretty long. I didn’t find that to be a big deal since I was interested in the documentary experience anyway, but I would have liked to see the clips cut up and displayed in between events rather than shown in blocks. It just would have made more sense from a narrative perspective, because the Sebastian Loebe experience is broken down by career years and includes multiple races, but each video discusses the whole category in one go. For example, 1998-2000.

Sebastian Loebe discussing his career as part of the Sebastian Loebe experience.

In the grand scheme of things, that’s only a minor complaint. The rest of the game functions very well, and while emulating Loebe’s success seems to be more difficult than working your way through career mode, it proves to be rewarding in the end. Every chapter of Loebe’s career that you complete grants you access to a new car, and you don’t have to buy it after unlocking it, which is cool. If I had known that before starting career mode, I would have completed that part of the game first.

PRESENTATION

Compared to previous rally games that Milestone has worked on, Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO does a much better job of presenting everything from the menus to the mechanics. The HUD looks much smoother than it did in WRC, and contains a number of improvements. Much of the design is the same, but it just looks so much better visually, and that goes for other aspects of the game too.

The tracks, for example, look great. As do the cars. I wouldn’t say that it’s bordering on full-out realistic, but again, much improved over the previous games that Milestone has worked on. It feels like Milestone put a lot more thought and effort into this game, perhaps thanks to being free of the WRC license.

This is the practice course where you may or may not be spending your time while the game actually finishes installing.

The only problem that I had with the presentation was an issue when I was downloading the game. Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO was supposed to be done installing, but once I finished the tutorial I arrived at the main menu with majority of the options grayed out. That was because the game was still downloading, even though it had allegedly finished.

Some games have a way to let you know this, but not Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO. I had to go on an internet search to find out what was wrong with the game. I thought I hadn’t finished the tutorial, but that wasn’t the problem. I found that to be frustrating, but it shouldn’t be a problem unless you pick up the game digitally. If you’re buying the game on disc, you probably won’t run into that issue.

FINAL SCORE

Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO makes a number of solid improvements over previous rally games that Milestone has worked on. The gameplay, graphics, and presentation are much better this time around. It might not be the best game out there, but it does a good enough job to make it worth recommending to rally fans. If nothing else, there’s plenty of content to keep them busy.

Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO: 8/10 (VERY GOOD)

Sebastian Loebe Rally EVO Review

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 4: Battle Royale & Conquest

Today we are bringing you an inside look at MLB The Show 16‘s new game modes: Battle Royal and Conquest. We will go through both modes to give you a better sense of what they are all about.

Battle Royale:

In Battle Royal you compete versus other players in Diamond Dynasty after drafting a team. Winning will you a chance at some awesome rewards. The first time you enter is on the hous, but after that it will cost you 1,500 stubs each time you wish to enter. Win or lose you get a standard pack, so you get something out of it regardless of how you do. Here is a breakdown of prize milestones.

Once your team is drafted you face off against someone else who drafted their team in a three inning contest. Exclusive flashback and legend cards are available through this mode as prizes for getting certain amounts of wins.

 

Conquest: 

The second of the new modes they added into MLB The Show 16. Conquest is an online single player mode where take your diamond dynasty team versus 30 MLB CPU teams. You compete with other teams for fans, which will determine which difficulties you can play on. Conquest is a turn based strategy game where you need to obtain fans and conquor new territories using your fans. Conquest games are also three innings. Depending on how many fans you have in an area, you can chose to sim a game and it will tell you if you have a low, medium or high chance of winning the game.

Both of these game modes seem very different, and each seem to be appealing to different people. Although, I can’t wait to get my hands on both of these modes.

As always follow us on Twitter and YouTube to stay up to date on MLB The Show 16 news.

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 4: Battle Royale & Conquest

Madden 17 Top 5 Most Needed Fixes

There’s never a game that is without its flaws. And Madden is no exception to such. Without much delay here is the top 5 worst aspects we want to see improved upon for Madden 17:

1. Defender Reaction to QB Rollout

In Madden defenders are often lost when a QB begins to scramble. Defenders either break from their assignments or stand in the middle with no clue what to do, often either leaving a wide-open lane for the QB to run through or a receiver streaking up the field with no one to cover. The truth is there is no telling what happens or what will happen when a QB breaks to scramble. I have seen guys in deeper zones start progressing forward towards the QB while guys in closer zones with no one even near them just continue to stand there and watch it all happen. There needs to be some sort of logic to this. A defender with no one in his zone or a linebacker covering a HB who stays in to block should start to pursue the QB and not let them break free for a huge run.

2. Realistic Pocket Formation

A few years ago Madden took some huge strides in Offensive Line AI, and thus resulted in a pretty fluent and well-developed pocket. Now I really can’t say the same. Rather than forming the upside down “U” shape that the pocket should be, it is more of a line created by the offensive line. In my opinion this leads to several problems. The main problem is that the QB containment is almost non-existent unless you call “QB contain” which results in your ends not rushing the QB. A realistic pocket should have the defensive ends crashing the outside as both the tackles aim to push them towards the outside. Without this, just the basic line that is now a “pocket” it makes it far easier for a QB to simply break that line and scramble without much opposition.

3. Play Action 

Sometimes it works just a little too well when it shouldn’t. 3^rd and 20, let’s be honest no defender is going to fall for a play action here. Even if they do run it you have 20 yards on the defensive side to stop them from getting a first down. But in Madden, this could work. Without making any adjustments such as play pass the defenders will sometimes fall for this leaving some guys wide open. And this shouldn’t be the case. Defenders need to have some sort of logic to understand the situation.

4. Nano Blitz Blocking

It’s unfortunate that this is still an issue in Madden today, but it really is attributed to broken Offensive Line, and more specifically the inability to properly block from inside to outside. The lack of inside-outside blocking results in open blitzers running free right up the middle, and interior offensive linemen either double team blocking someone with a free runner, or just blocking no one at all. This is a huge broken part of the game that really needs to be addressed.

5. FB Dive

It’s 3^rd and 1, who you gonna call? FULLBACK DIVE! Almost a 100% certainty in Madden, but in NFL it really is almost a useless position that continues to be faded out, especially as carrying the ball. You hear of John Kuhn every once and awhile and maybe another here or there, but not on every 3^rd and short or 4^th and short. But it truly is a give me in Madden, it’s almost impossible not to pick up. Short yardage in NFL is truly tough; there are a lot of 3^rd and shorts not picked up from just pounding it up the gut. The community all know of the ease of a FB Dive, and is definitely something that is broken and needs to be fixed.

Let us know what you think below in the comments. As always follow us on Twitter and YouTube to stay up to date on the latest Madden NFL news.

Madden 17 Top 5 Most Needed Fixes

PS4K is Official and It Is the Future

There is a lot of talk this week about a possible upgrade for the PS4 being named PS4K for the time. What is it and why is there so much mixed buzz about it? Let’s get the rundown below.

At first, Kotaku outlined the possibility of a next evolution for the PS4 that would have upgrades allowing an upgraded 4K output, only to be verified by Eurogamer that there are indeed prototypes.

If we can believe all the rumors, they say that Sony intends to release towards the end of 2016 to 2017, but that upgrade isn’t going to mean the great leap everyone is thinking it may be. The discs would still be the same. With technology as it currently is, all this means is that there will be incorporated 4K support. We may see improvements such as better picture quality and and upgraded colors, but games and such will still have 1080p resolution. Speculators also say that a possible reason for this upgrade is to get the upper hand on VR competitors. Running VR in 4K is a deal breaker for many looking to purchase.

Technological advances and limitations have been a hot issue in the videogaming community lately, and Sony isn’t the first to receive buzz in this department. Earlier this month, Phil Spencer said, “I believe we will see more hardware innovation in the console space than we’ve ever seen. You’ll actually see us come out with new hardware capability during a generation allowing the same games to run backward and forward compatible.”

This may just become the norm. With technological advances slowing down, we may be seeing smaller upgrades in consoles in the middle of a generation. Before, when they would re-release a console, we expected the same console with slightly different features, such as is the case with the slimmer versions of the PS3. Now, we may expect to see upgrades released slowly, maybe even over longer periods of time between console overhauls.

Welcome to the future.

PS4K is Official and It Is the Future

Sports Gamers Online is Looking for Contributors!

Are you a talented writer or YouTube content creator with a passion for sports and video games looking to have your work seen by millions? Sports Gamers Online is looking for dedicated and driven individuals to join the team.

Founded in 2014, Sports Gamers Online has quickly risen to become a leading destination for sports gamers around the globe. We offer news, previews, reviews, and everything in between, but it doesn’t stop there.

If you’re a writer, we want to hear from you. If you make YouTube videos, we want to hear from you too! Whether you’re great at writing opinion pieces or conducting interviews, we want you to join us.

If you feel like you have what it takes to be a part of the team, send an e-mail to admin@sportsgamersonline and let us know why. We’d love to hear from you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Aw3H9rhPGg

Sports Gamers Online is Looking for Contributors!

NBA 2K16 Offensive Tips: Top Money Plays for Easy Points - Cutter Plays

Today I’m going to start a series where I go over the different play types in NBA 2K16 and my favorite plays out of each one.  I’m going to begin with Cutter plays, which are designed to get easy looks at the hoop primary through alley oop passes. The first 2 plays I’m going to go over are 98 Cut 3 Swing and 87 Cut 42 Motion. Checkout the video above for a detailed walkthrough.

PLAY: 98 CUT 3 SWING

Before you start the play, Make sure whoever your calling the play for does not already have the ball.

EXECUTION: The ball handler starts on the same side as the guy you called it for, and then you begin to work the ball around the perimeter. What begins to happen down low is the other guy will set a screen for his teammate running across the paint for a shot at point blank range. Your first opportunity to pass it to him will be at the top of the 3pt line, and secondly from the other wing spot.

COUNTERS

1. If the pass to the cutter from the top of the 3pt line is taken away,

Passing it back to the initial ball handler, then to the big man down low can get him an easy look for him at the basket. Because due to his man leaving his assignment to prevent the guy an easy look at the rim, he opens up space for our big man to have momentum driving to the hoop once he catches the ball.

2. If your opponent begins to cheat off you anticipating the pass from the top of the 3pt line

Passing it to the wing player first, changes the angle and the user should be out of position to deflect it. Pass as soon as the guy starts to cut to the basket, which gives your opponent something else to look at (basically a decoy)  before you pass to the main target .

Also, because of the positioning of the players, 98 Cut 3 Swing  gives the big man down low plenty of space to attack 1 on 1 before the play even starts

VS 2-3 ZONE

You will outnumber their 2 perimeter defenders with your 3 perimeter players, so cycle the ball around to the open man.

VS 3-2 ZONE

The player in the corner (the guy the play was called for) will have nobody on him.

AGAINST ZONE DOUBLE TEAMS

I’m sure you have come across guys who will zone and also double team you to force you into wild passes. Well having a structured plan on what to do can make them think twice about doing it again and that starts with your outlet passes and 2^nd reads incase the user looks like he’s about to pick it off. If your double teamed the guy at the top of the key and the guy in the corner will be your 2 outlets and knowing where to look depends on where the double tem is coming from.

If they double from the side, the guy in the corner will be your outlet, and if it looks like your opponent is wise to this you move to your 2^nd read the big down low that should have an easy look near the hoop.

If they double from the middle, you have the guy at the top of the key, with the guy on the opposite wing as the secondary option.

 

PLAY:  87 Cut 42 Motion

EXECUTION: You start the play off at the top of the key and the guy you called the play for will receive a down screen as he runs out towards the 3pt line

COUNTERS:

If the defender closes out on him in time, another off ball screen will occur on the opposite side of the court (usually with your power forward) for another 3 point attempt

If the defense also closes out in him, the guy you originally called the play for will then cut to the rim. You can throw an alley oop to him  from the 3 point line if your guy can pass, but what I like to do is pass it down low to the big on the high post first then pass it to the cutter to get a better angle and have a higher chance of him catching it

VS 2-3 ZONE

the first guy receiving the screen towards the 3pt line can outflank the 2-3  on the edge and if he’s somehow covered ,because the initial ball handler cuts down the middle of the lane he brings the defenses attention with opening up the 2^nd screen at the top of the 3 point line. Lastly you pass it down low to the big where you now have the option to pass to the initial ball handler who runs to the corner or the guy cutting to the hoop

VS 3-2 ZONE

the first 2 screens will be covered simply because 3-2 zone is designed to cover where this play is attacking initially, but once you pass to the big man on the high post  is where you can break down the defense with the options to pass to the corner or the cutter and expose them for only having 2 guys down low.

AGAINST ZONE DOUBLE TEAMS

Your outlets will be the guy you called the play for coming off the screen with the big on his side as the secondary options and the big man on the high post with the guy next to him as his.

Teams like the Thunder, Warriors or anybody who has  both a great perimeter scorer and a  power forward who can shoot 3’s can run this play to its full potential.

NBA 2K16 Offensive Tips: Top Money Plays for Easy Points - Cutter Plays

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 3: Player Morale, Classic Stadiums and Player Accessories!

In our third edition of MLB The Show 16 new features we will be covering stat-tracking, player morale, classic stadium and player accessories.

Full stat tracking is now implemented. Every basic and real life statistic throughout a player’s career is now tracked. Advanced stats like wins above replacement (WAR), and field independent pitching (FIP). You can go back and check any players’ entire career stats in any game mode.

Player morale is a huge addition to MLB The Show 16. As a general manager you now have to consider your players’ happiness as another thing to balance. This can also effect a player’s attributes. A player unhappy with his salary is one that may be under-performing as well due to his discomfort. It works both ways though, as a happy player can have higher than normal attributes. When picking up players for your team you do not just have to think about if they are a good value and needed on your team, but you also have to think about if they would be a good fit and what kind of morale they may have. Contract negotiations have been fine tuned as well to update immediately as you alter the deal.

Open and closed roofs are now available for chase field, Minute Maid Park, Safeco Field, Miller Park, Roger Center and Marlins Park. We now have classic stadiums available on PlayStation 4 only. Shibe Park, Crosley Field, Forbes Field, Sportsman’s Park, Polo Grounds, and Griffith Stadium are all available to play as these new classic stadiums.

You can now edit player and accessories in the game this year. Create-a-player has been improved to be much more user friendly. Three unique broadcast modes have also been designed to keep things fresh.

Let us know what you thought, and check out our other MLB The Show 16 articles here.

As always follow us on Twitter and YouTube to stay up to date on MLB The Show 16 news.

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 3: Player Morale, Classic Stadiums and Player Accessories!

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 2: Diamond Dynasty, Flashbacks, Missions & Graphics Improvements!

Our second breakdown of MLB The Show 16 new features will be focusing on Diamond Dynasty, flashbacks, missions, and graphics improvements.

Diamond Dynasty now allows you to play versus friends, which was not available in previous years. Inside Edge partnership will change player attributes and matchup ratings each day which makes MLB The Show 16 that much more realistic.

Flashback cards are a new addition that will see current players flashback to a different point in their career. Within this, there will be rookie, prime and postseason flashbacks. So you could find a David Ortiz prime card, or a Manny Machado rookie card. Flashbacks are all about bringing fans and players nostalgia of some of their favorite players.

Missions are another way to acquire cards, XP, stubs, and items when you play diamond dynasty. This year you can trigger missions by collecting cards, accumulating stats, or logging in during certain events. Playing any mode will earn you XP and tickets that you can spend in your “captains” store. Each captain has unique levels, items and missions.

Graphic improvements are huge in MLB The Show 16. Physical rendering is the technical term, but here’s what it does: this is how light reacts to metallic and non-metallic surfaces to a name a few. This new rendering engine makes the show look as realistic as ever before. There are no longer “flat” reflections. Every surface has its own qualities that light react differently with.

Let us know what you thought, and check out our other MLB The Show 16 articles here.

As always follow us on Twitter and YouTube to stay up to date on MLB The Show 16 news.

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 2: Diamond Dynasty, Flashbacks, Missions & Graphics Improvements!

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 1: Bowman Scout Day, RTTS Perks, New Animations!

Today we are detailing all of the new improvements, additions and features in MLB The Show 16 in three parts. Here we will cover Bowman Scout Day, RTTS Perks, and new Animations.

Bowman Scout Day is a new addition to Road to the Show this year which allows you to give scouts a first look at you to either increase or decrease your draft meter- or which round you are drafted in. Full series loads is a another improvement that allows you to play a whole series of games without ever loading back to the main menu.

Road to the Show unlock-able perks have been added to the game. Perks are bonuses you get by training your bonus attributes. There are two types of perks- passive and consumable perks. Passive perks are never activated and remain in use until the duration expires, whereas consumable can only be used once a game. Routes to balls in the outfield have made for more realistic routes and more over the top catches.

On field personality is a huge addition to MLB The Show 16. New home run sequences, and pitcher reactions to those home runs. On base animations, player specific post game celebrations, and 50 new home run swings. 400 new fielding and catching animations, 4 new swing types, and 3 new running animations are also huge additions to the game.

Let us know what you thought, and check out our other MLB The Show 16 articles here.

As always follow us on Twitter and YouTube to stay up to date on MLB The Show 16 news.

MLB The Show 16 New Features Part 1: Bowman Scout Day, RTTS Perks, New Animations!

MLB The Show 16 Trophies List Revealed

The Trophy List for MLB The Show 16 was released today, check it out, there are some repeats from last year but some new ones added as well!

Complete Game

Earn all of The Show™ 16 Trophies.

ULTRA RARE

Platinum

Free Swings

In Home Run Derby™, get awarded bonus time in any round.

COMMON

Bronze

Home Run Advantage

In Home Run Derby™, win a tiebreaker round. Must play all your selected player’s at-bats without fast-forwarding.

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

Collect ‘Em All

In any game mode, hit for the cycle. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).

ULTRA RARE

Gold

Firing Darts

Strike out 3 batters on exactly 9 pitches. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).

ULTRA RARE

Gold

Clutch Punches

Record a strike out for the last out of each inning, in a full 9-inning game. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).

ULTRA RARE

Gold

Strategic

Throw out a runner stealing after using a Slide Step delivery. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).

ULTRA RARE

Silver

All Me

Turn an unassisted double play. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

Ready, Set, Go

Successfully perform a hit and run. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

Twice As Nice

Hit 2 HR’s in one inning. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).

ULTRA RARE

Silver

Hot Bats

In a single inning, bat around the entire lineup. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS)

ULTRA RARE

Gold

Getting The Hang Of It

Reach a total XP level of 10.

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

I’m A Show Vet

Reach a total XP level of 15.

ULTRA RARE

Silver

The Show™ Master

Reach a total XP level of 20.

ULTRA RARE

Gold

Legendary

Reach Legend difficulty in Challenge of the Week.

ULTRA RARE

Gold

It’s ShowTime

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while fielding, record a throwing assist with the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

ShowTiming

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while fielding, make a diving catch using the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).

ULTRA RARE

Gold

ShowTime Knock

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while batting, get a base hit using the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

ShowTime Punch!

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while pitching, throw a pitch for the 3rd strike using the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).

COMMON

Silver

Branching Out

Play a game of Diamond Dynasty Conquest mode.

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

Taking Risks

Win a game of Diamond Dynasty Conquest mode.

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

Building Steam

Capture a stronghold in Diamond Dynasty Conquest mode.

ULTRA RARE

Silver

Arm Yourself

Successfully complete a Diamond Dynasty Battle Royale draft.

ULTRA RARE

Bronze

Victorious!

With a single draft class, win 20 games in Diamond Dynasty Battle Royale.

ULTRA RARE

Gold

MLB The Show 16 Trophies List Revealed

Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO Available

For anyone waiting to get your hands on the latest rally action consoles can provide, Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO is now available on PS4 and Xbox One.

Italian developer Milestone has been providing accurate racing games and tracks for years, and Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO boasts the same. With at least 16 manufacturers and over 58 cars, players can go head-to-head on over 180 miles of racing tracks that have been reproduced from famous racing tracks around the world. There are eight different rallies with five Rallycross circuits with 64 special stages to choose from. 

In addition, the game contains a variety of modes from career to online and features a variety of weather conditions to put gamers’ skill to the test.

Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO is available at your favorite game retailer.

Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO Available

Sony Shutters Driveclub Developer Evolution Studios

Sony is shutting down Evolution Studios, the team behind PlayStation exclusives Driveclub and MotorStorm. As of today, the studio will be no more, as confirmed by Jamie Bradshaw, the Sr. Community Manager at the company on twitter.

https://twitter.com/PhenomEvolution/status/712302746825842688

Driveclub wasn’t exactly a smashing success, but it was a decent game and an interesting idea. It’s unfortunate to see Sony closing down shop for the studio behind the game, but it’s another in a long line of closures in the industry. We’re wishing the best to all of the people at Evolution Studios, and we hope they land new work soon.

Meanwhile, the move has left everyone wondering whether or not Driveclub VR will see a release. It would be interesting if not, as the game was just shown off at GDC last week.

Sony Shutters Driveclub Developer Evolution Studios

MLB The Show 16 Stream Pits Anthony Rizzo Against Eric Hosmer

The MLB The Show 16 streams keep coming, and this time IGN is showing off another round of the game with Anthony Rizzo and Eric Hosmer. The stream runs for about two hours, which leaves two hours of gameplay footage to check out. To check it out, you can watch the archive below.

MLB The Show 16 will be available for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 starting next week on March 29.

MLB The Show 16 Stream Pits Anthony Rizzo Against Eric Hosmer

The Developers Behind Rocket League Figured Out Cross-Network Play

There’s been lots of talk surrounding PlayStation and Xbox players connecting for online play recently, with Rocket League developers Psyonix stating that cross-network play is one of the most requested features for the game, and Microsoft inviting Sony to join them. It’s a hot topic. Xbox and PC users have been able to play together since the Xbox 360, and the same goes for Sony with games dating back to the PlayStation 2.

But never before have Microsoft and Sony cooperated to allow cross-network play between Xbox and PlayStation. That might soon change, provided Sony agrees to Microsoft’s offer to let it happen. Rocket League has long offered cross-platform support between PC and console players, but now they’re pushing to including cross-platform support between consoles.

Judging by the latest news from Psyonix, it might soon come to fruition. That is, if Microsoft and Sony allow it. In an interview with GameSpot published yesterday, Psyonix discussed the reality of bridging the consoles. As it turns out, they’ve figured it out and well on track. The only thing stopping them is Microsoft and Sony.

It’s just a matter of waiting now. If you’d asked anyone whether or not they thought PlayStation and Xbox gamers would be able to play with each other at the end of last year, nobody would have thought the idea stood a chance. But thanks to Microsoft and Rocket League, it just might. Still, probably best not to get our hopes up.

Would you like to see cross-network play? Let us know in the comments.

The Developers Behind Rocket League Figured Out Cross-Network Play

MLB The Show 16 Mondays: GameStop Shows off Showtime

MLB The Show 16 is one week away, which means we’re in the final stretches of the media push to show off the game. For this week’s MLB Monday via GameStop, San Diego Studio are once again demonstrating the new showtime feature.

You’ve probably heard plenty about it by now, as it’s been discussed since last month, but this week’s video offers yet another look along with some of MLB pros featured in the game.

MLB The Show 16 Mondays: GameStop Shows off Showtime

Madden 17 Gameplay Wishlist – Part 2

Last week we gave you a gameplay wishlist for madden. Truth be told, we can all go on for al long time for gameplay improvements. But for this week, we are going to expand that list into gameplay improvements part 2. Without further ado, here is the second part of the gameplay improvements:

Route Running

Route running is a fundamental part of NFL, and it is also a big part of madden. But really, all it is in madden is the separation you gain. I’ve seen in NFL players like Antonio Brown run an out route and he barely changes speed. In madden though, no matter the player they really run the routes pretty similarly. It’s more determined by the way that the CB or DB reacts to the ball, and this should not be how it is.

Let me get further into what I’m talking about with a route that I think is a pretty important NFL route, but is 100% obsolete in Madden: sluggos. Now we all know what the sluggo route is. More than likely it is the route you hot route if you ever have a play with that route on it. It looks like a slant off the line of scrimmage and then the receiver cuts back upfield for a streak. Watching actual NFL games you almost never see a guy run just a straight fly route. They almost always utilize some form of this sluggo. Off the snap you take a quick cut in to make the defender think you are going across the middle and then cut it back upfield for the fly route. This is not utilized in madden at all. This is what route running should be used for. Why wouldn’t the receivers try to fake out the defenders while running the route, and have success with it with high route running? We’ve all seen NFL. Remember the plays where someone like Dez is just sitting uncovered 40-50 yards downfield? That’s usually because of a situation like this where he fakes the defender out and just has no one to cover him.

Team Play

Team play was a pretty popular and fun mode. It never really got the love it deserved though. Personally I loved it, and I know a lot of others did as well. But the main downfall of it was the lag. The connection never was really as flawless as a normal head to head game. This is a mode I would like to see be brought back. Even make if a part of franchise for those that wish to do so. Instead of having a 32 man CFM, make it a 64. Allow 2 players to control a team and play in the game. It’s not something for everybody, but it’s a cool feature that a lot of people would enjoy and have fun with. Playing on someone’s team in Madden is fun, but playing on someone’s team and also progressing through an actual season is even better.

Challenge System

This was briefly mentioned before but I really want to put some time into this time. The challenge system really needs an overhaul. In NFL it is big, it can completely change the momentum of the game. In madden it really isn’t the same. I might challenge one play for an entire length of a season in madden. For starters, simply make more controversial calls. We know this is a video game so it IS PERFECT as far as being able to make calls, but put slight error into the game. Allow there to be opportunities where you can really challenge the spot of the ball or if it was a catch. Also, scrap the “LT or L2” that pops up to challenge plays occasionally, because those are always wrong.

Next, the system itself needs some love. I want to be able to choose exactly what I am challenging. Even if it is irrelevant to the play, the option should be there. I don’t want the game to tell me what I am challenging. I want to specifically challenge the spot of the ball or specifically challenge if it was a catch or not.

Vision Cone

This is of course not something that appeals to everyone. But a lot of people who play sim franchises would like this option. Make it optional. It was in the game before, why is it not now? It can be defaulted to off for online games, but allow CFMs the ability to turn it on and make for a more realistic experience.

Catching System

The catching system received HUGE changes for Madden 16 and there really is only a few tweaks that need to be done to it mostly with the aggressive catch. Playing with Odell specifically, I notice way too many times, almost once a game that he is trying to catch passes one handed. And this is fine, but it consistently happens when there is no reason he can’t put two hands on the ball. I know this happens to other receivers as well. There is no reason why someone should try and have this amazing spectacular catch when they can easily use two hands.

Coin Toss

Bring it back. It’s cool not having to wait the 5 seconds or whatever it is that is skipped, but I think most people prefer this to come back for CFM. I like to see who actually wins and if they pick to receive or kick. Picking which side of the field to defend with wind is important too, it’s strategy. You want to have the wind at your back in the 4th quarter when you need to make that field goal.

Broadcast Presentation

Madden has had the same broadcast style for quite a long time. But the truth is that NFL games are broadcasted through several different channels. Make good use of the exclusive NFL rights and have games broadcasted from ESPN on Monday nights as well as the other stations that have games. It makes it feel more immersive.

Please leave comments on what you think should or shouldn’t be in the game, and any additional gameplay improvements you think should be in Madden 17.

Follow us at www.twitter.com/BomberLeague

Our website at www.maddenbomberleague.com

League history at 365.maddenbomberleague.com

 

Madden 17 Gameplay Wishlist – Part 2

EA Sports UFC 2 Review

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it has been almost two years since the release of EA Sports’ initiatory UFC title, but how does EA Sports UFC 2 measure up?

UFC games can be all over the place. The THQ titles could feel more like WWE in aesthetic at times, after all. So when EA got their hands on UFC, it felt like a complete overhaul. This game feels like the next evolution in many ways. While UFC expands and improves many of their systems, though, there is still a little left to be desired. This review applies to the PS4 version and uses PS4 control references that still apply to their Xbox One counterpart (X=A, Square=X, etc).

GAMEPLAY

Gameplay is simple and refined and I do feel that it is safe to say that these are the best controls a UFC title has seen. However, that isn’t to say there aren’t problems.

Gamers familiar with UFC titles will feel comfortable with the controls for the most part. The primary four buttons kick and punch with alternate versions when pressing the L buttons. This is very dynamic, as L2 tends to change the height of your attack and L1 dishes more knees and elbows into the mix. You can also move the left stick forwards and backwards to switch up attacks as well, and all this allows for different strikes or heavier moves that are actually very easy to pick up.

Blocking is different now as well, as your R buttons guard higher or lower depending on which button is pressed, something which is a welcome change for me. UFC’s original blocking system could get stale when your enemy would spam the block button. With two heights, it encourages more depth and skill to work around your opponent’s defense. The parrying system works the same, where you tap R2 and an attack button to deflect an incoming attack and is effective for the most part. You can even bob and weave, which really tricks people out. Risks pay off.

The real star here is the submissions and mounts, though. Instead of opting for the same circular motions the first game adopted, UFC 2 just has you hold the right stick in different directions that lead to different outcomes you can see in clear, floating text. It’s very different when you’re used to the controls of the first title, but it is rewarding to master, especially since the opponent can still guard against these transitions. Timing is still of the essence, after all.

Having a visual aid to guide you through different moves on the ground and in the clinch, you can decide where to go to land exact submissions. Depending on your actions, other options will visibly open up for your opponent, much like happens in a real match. I have turned a match around going from having my opponent on top of me to landing a rear naked choke swiftly by selecting the right prompts. If you are familiar with the moves and techniques, you’ll immediately recognize the sequences and feel at home because things make technical sense.

This is the best addition in my opinion. Learning and using the proper names for UFC- and MMA-specific moves is refreshingly interactive. It’s cool to choose then watch the fighter perform an omoplata technically correct. These mechanics really show off what EA can provide with UFC titles.

This all lends to the immersion of the game. At times, I had to catch myself from getting too excited from all the action, something that doesn’t happen too often. Things could actually get suspenseful and I admit that I did actually yell at the TV quite a bit.

Submissions function the same as the first game as well. When you do manage to pin someone down, the defender can push the right stick in any of four directions to make attempts to escape. The offender has to push in the same direction to block and also follow left stick prompts to submit their opponent. Once again, this all boils down to timing, as the left stick prompts can only be caught by quick reflexes. This can all be very difficult when you’re going against someone with skill, but you do feel like a champion when you do manage to land an armbar or triangle choke.

Stamina can be an unanticipated game changer, whether that be good or bad. I found that stamina still could lead to uneven matches where I could take out the opponent if I landed enough punches to the head within the first round. I even defeated one of my friends by accident in the first round by hitting their torso region a bit too much, making them keel over. It felt a bit hollow, especially when some fighters can use little stamina-consuming punches to KO quickly but other moves seem to consume too much stamina for almost no reason, like lunging.

GAME MODES

When I originally opened up this title, I immediately found the wonky “Knockout Mode.”

I don’t have many local friends who play sports games, but when I began playing UFC 2 in anticipation of this review, I immediately called all of my close friends over. Knockout Mode was what they wanted to do most. It is reminiscent of a traditional fighting game, complete with a health bar with a number of markers. When you land a hard hit, the opponent loses one of their markers. It’s simple, but kinda fun and different and not quite as daunting to players who may not want to learn all the mechanics for a full fight.

While “Knockout Mode” is fun, it can also get dry quite fast, as different fighters don’t change the amount of damage being done. The result is what feels like a party mini-game that is a good concept that can still deliver more.

The career mode is the same as the first game, so if you enjoyed that, you’ll get something out of it. It’s still fun to progress and train and any noob will find that training has a good learning curve. UFC 2 also ditched UFC’s live-action video montages in exchange for voiceovers between rounds and trainings. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on preference, but I personally like the new style.

As we’ve explained before, Ultimate Team brings in a lot for EA, and they’ve added a lot of variety to keep players engaged. You can create a team of fighters that you create from scratch and level up and advance online. It’s a good system where you can earn cards that give your fighter different attributes. I must say that I find that the fighter look customization leaves a lot to be desired, though.

You can also create your own events again or predict the real results of upcoming real-world fights and try to simulate them yourself in the octagon. If you manage to play things out right as you predict, you earn a bonus. This is a nice touch where the real UFC world merges with the sim world with a format that is welcome and engaging.

PRESENTATION AND AESTHETICS

This game looks great. Fabric and hair moves and flows better than any previous UFC title, and it really is noticeable. Tattoos and skin look detailed and clean and it’s nice to look at. I found the facial expressions to be particularly improved, although the static and duplicated fans in the stadium are bland.

That said, I noticed quite a few hangups in graphic detail. Feet would stick through fighters, lighting would be odd and drab at times and characters would walk through walls, just to name a few. Something that happened is that during some transitions in scenes, animation would lag. Before the first patch, the game originally had colors flickering on the fighter menus. All these errors stuck out.

Menus are simple and intuitive once you explore and the soundtrack is explosive and dynamic. The licensed tracks have a lot of variety and I never had any complaints about what I was listening to, even if it wasn’t a type of song I’d normally enjoy. In the ring, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg’s commentary adds some good noise to the fight and blends with the background.

It is also worth mentioning that there is a lot to go through. With female fighters taking the spotlight with the men, there are so many fighters to choose from that you’ll never find yourself getting bored of playing with fan favorites.

FINAL SCORE 

EA Sports UFC 2 is a much-needed step in the right direction, but it does have its disappointments and problems if you look too close.

In all honesty, when talking this game out with my friends, there was a general consensus that the the game was great enough to make us laugh, panic and yell at each other. I can’t possibly reinforce that enough. However, there was also the consensus that things could be marked for improvement.

Unless you’re a hardcore fan of the series or UFC in general, you may not want to spend the many hours the game wants you to spend training and fine-tuning your characters. However, if you enjoy UFC or MMA (and have a soul), EA Sports UFC 2 is worth the investment and time.

EA SPORTS UFC 2: 8/10 (VERY GOOD)

EA Sports UFC 2 Review

EA Sports Reaches $60 Million NCAA Settlement

The results are in, and we now know exactly how the $60 million settlement from the Ed O’Bannon case will be split up. Over 24,000 athletes that have appeared in the NCAA franchises between 2003 and 2014 will be receiving a chunk of the settlement, with the average reward being somewhere in the ballpark of $1,600, according to ESPN.

The number of claims was revealed earlier this week when lawyers for the athletes whose likeness was used without permission filed a letter with the court. The players will be paid based on what year they appeared in the franchise, and how their image was used. The later the year, the higher the payout. That goes double for athletes with photographs and avatars.

The players that stand to make the biggest chunk of money from the settlement are Ed O’Bannon, Ryan Hart, and Sam Keller, who are estimated to make about $15,000 each. Another 21 players will receive $5,000 as class-action representatives, including former wide receiver for Alabama, Tyrone Prothro.

According to paperwork, as many as 200,000 athletes could be part of the class action suit, leaving a payout between $259 and $2,703 per year, per game at a 10% claim rate. The lawsuit put a halt to EA’s NCAA Football franchise, leaving fans like Todd Howard of Bethesda Game Studios fame without a football video game.

Like most fans out there, we’d love to see NCAA Football make a return. Unfortunately, it still looks like it’ll be a while yet before that happens. Regardless, at least the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit is finally starting to wrap up. If you ask me, the settlement is well deserved for the athletes.

What do you think about the news? Are you happy to hear that athletes are getting the compensation they deserve? Let us know in the comments or on social media. As always, we’ll keep you posted on the latest NCAA Football news.

EA Sports Reaches $60 Million NCAA Settlement

EA SPORTS UFC 2 Content Update #1

The first content update for EA SPORTS UFC 2 is now available for download worldwide on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This content update is all about the fighters and includes three new additions to the roster. The new fighters now available for play include Sage Northcutt and Jessica Aguilar. Northcutt is rated 87 Overall with 91 Striking, 83 Clinch, and 81 Ground.  Jessica Aguilar comes in at 87 Overall and she has 85 Striking, 85 Clinch, and 86 Ground.

SAGE NORTHCUTT – WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION

JESSICA AGUILAR – WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT DIVISION

EA SPORTS UFC 2 Content Update #1