Gran Turismo Sport Will Not Include Dynamic Time or Weather

Gran Turismo Sport will be shipping in November this year, but it won’t include a feature that fans of the series have come to expect. Dynamic time and dynamic weather will not be featured in this iteration of Gran Turismo, according to Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi in an interview with GT Planet.

In an excerpt from the interview, Kazunori explains that Gran Turismo Sport will omit “transitions” from the game, and instead allow players to pick racing conditions prior to starting the race. While fans might expect to see these features after Polyphony debuted them on the PS3, it apparently created inconsistencies in the quality between tracks, which is why this feature will no longer appear in Polyphony Digital’s games.

You’ll still be able to see different conditions for various tracks, but they won’t change during the race as they had previously. As Kazunori explains, “We opted to not have the transitions in the race this time in order to raise the framerate and the quality of the image *during* the race. So the user will be able to set that before they enter the race. So you’ll still be able to have night races, morning, races at dawn, dusk, and so on.”

It’s something! If the quality was jeopardized as much as Kazunori says, then it’s probably for the best that the feature be discontinued. I’m sure a lot of players will miss it, but at least they’ll still have the option of changing the conditions beforehand.

Are you sad to see the feature go? Let us know in the comments!

Gran Turismo Sport Will Not Include Dynamic Time or Weather

The Road to the Finals Championship Round Begins This Wednesday

If you haven’t been paying attention, 2K has brought their NBA 2K franchise into the realm of eSports with their own tournament called Road to the Finals. It’s been underway for about four months now, and on Wednesday, it will all culminate with the championship final.

The tournament and the finals took place earlier this month on May 21, with 3 rounds deciding who will make it to the finals. Later that day, those teams competed for a chance to win it all on June 1st, for a chance at a whopping $250,000 reward and the opportunity to attend the NBA Finals. There’s a lot at stake!

The top two teams, HLZ and GFG, will be competing for the prize while 2K streams the event in its entirety on twitch and facebook. We’ll also have someone out there to cover the event, so you can look forward to that soon as well!

If you haven’t been watching, the guys over at 2K Sports have put together another great episode of NBA 2KTV. I’d recommend giving it a watch even if you’ve already watched the previous games, as it does a great job offering a recap, and also includes some interviews with players from the brackets. You can find that video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0f-JcobABc

Will you be watching the Road to the Finals championship this week? Let us know in the comments or on social media, and as always, stay tuned to SGO for the latest news and info on NBA 2K16.

The Road to the Finals Championship Round Begins This Wednesday

Madden 17 Aggressive Catch & Ball Physics Breakdown

The #1 thing on the mind on many MADDEN BALLERS for Madden NFL 17…the aggressive catch. Is it still in the game? Is it still effective? After patches and tuners were released to address it in Madden 16, people STILL didn’t feel the developers got it right!

So to answer your main question, is aggressive catch still in the game? Yes. It’s still in the game, along with all of the catch types introduced into the game last year, possession and RAC Catch. But it has been GREATLY toned down and only the top WRs with high jump, spectacular catch, and catch in traffic ratings like OBJ, Julio, Hopkins and Dez would be able to go up and make those spectacular catches consistently. So, no more cases Darren Sproles going up in a crowd and snatching the ball down like a rebound. Going up for an aggressive catch now has some risk to it because if you go up in coverage and get rocked you can get your receiver injured.

There are people who believe EA has taken some skill out of the game with the one button catching, but just for you guys they have added a user bonus on the defensive side when you click on the defender and use the defensive ball in air mechanics. So all those ballers out there who click on and control there guys, rejoice as you will now be rewarded. They have also added a ton of more animations so that the DB and WR battle looks more realistic and the defender actually performs according to you input.

So not only is spectacular aggressives catch limited to top WRs, they improved the swat mechanic, aka the aggressive catch killer. This year using the swat will give you no chance for the interception but will basically shut down aggressive catch attempts. The only downside being you lose the chance of intercepting the ball.

The new ball physics system is a game changer. It impacts so many facets of the game from knockout when catching the ball, the kicking game, loose ball recovery, even QBs taking hits when passing. Those plays where the WR would catch the ball through the defender are gone. When a defender swats the ball or breaks up a play it’s not longer a “canned animation”, the ball realistically reacts how it would in real life. So the frequent high popups of Madden 16 are gone, but now they give defenders a better chance to catch it when there is a realistically tipped pass.

Individual physics on the ball now allows for randomness in the outcome of QB hits and the addition of strip sacks. In Madden 16 when a QB was hit most of the time it resulted in an incomplete pass into the ground. In Madden 17, the ball will organically go where it should. The new ball mechanics make recovering a loose ball look so much more organic as players dive and fight for a fumble it has a randomness to it the same way a fumble recovery does in real life.

That’s it for today guys, hope you enjoyed another breakdown. If you have any questions leave them in the comments below and I will answer the ones that I am allowed to speak about. Don’t forget subscribe to our YouTube Channel and check the site so you don’t miss any of our Madden 17 content as we release content daily!

Madden 17 Aggressive Catch & Ball Physics Breakdown

Madden 17 Gameplay Improvements: Competitive Changes

EA is continuing to dole out information on Madden 17, and today on the blog they’ve detailed how they’re making the game better for competitive players.

For starters, Madden 17 is changing up man coverage. In last year’s iteration, man press made defensive backs would stick to receivers effortlessly, forcing players to result to the same type of motion routes in order to beat it.

That’s changing this year with an enhanced win/loss system, created to ensure that any route can get open against the coverage. The new man coverage should make the game more balanced and allow for a game more true to the ratings.

Similarly, on the defensive side, the changes to the zone coverage system should also make for a much more realistic game. The new zone coverage system was designed around thwarting some of the same old plays from the previous game, and if you’d like to learn more about that, you can check out our post on the subject.

It should also be much easier to deal with a QB scramble thanks to the new mechanics, which had previously been much harder to stop than it should have been. A number of formations have also been recreated to be more authentic to how they would work in real life. Quarter is one of the examples given in the blog post.

Offense is changing as well. In Madden 16, the double juke was too effective. It was so effective that it wasn’t very difficult to predict, making running straight forward a viable strategy. Head to head should be a lot more engaging now, thanks to a number of fake moves having been made more viable, allowing for much less predictable gameplay. If you want to get a more detailed look at that, you can check out our post on special moves.

When it comes to the playbook, audibles have been changed this time around. Run heavy sets will now have two audibles, one that attacks the inside, and one that pushes the ball outside. A number of changes have also been made to the pass blocking to account for some of the strategies that were more effective than they should have been. Turbo blitzes and looping blitzes are two things that have been addressed.

Perhaps most importantly, and one of the best things for competitive players who end up online the most, online play has been improved to allow for less lag. We’ll find out whether or not that holds up when the game launches, but for now, a reduction in lag sounds like a good thing.

Do you think these improvements will be good for competitive play? Let us know in the comments or on social media, and as always, stay tuned to SGO for the latest news on Madden 17.

Madden 17 Gameplay Improvements: Competitive Changes

NBA 2K17 Gameplay Wishlist

On a year by year basis, the NBA 2K franchise has reached a level of popularity that extends further than just the original diehard basketball fans of suburbs and hoods across the country. With that being said, one would assume that as the game’s community grows and improves, so would the product itself. Not to say that their most recent game (NBA 2K16) was bad, but one would hope that every year a new game is released, it would be undoubtedly better than its predecessor. The amount of times I personally cursed this game for being fake, asking myself why I still play the damn thing, and swearing up and down I was going to retire… *shiver* never mind, the wounds still haven’t healed. Simply put, NBA 2K16 was the first game of the 2K series in recent years where one could argue that the previous game was more enjoyable; in reality, only a few things are make or break factors that held this year’s game back from being truly great.

General Gameplay

1. Starting with the simplest of all requests, MORE HISTORIC TEAMS. The transition from 2K15 to 2K16 introduced a number of new historic teams that gave a refreshing feeling to quick match and team up players alike, who were tired of using the same teams with a new year slapped on the front cover. So this was actually something that was handled WELL in this year’s game, therefore, DO NOT deviate from the path. 2K has been known over the years to either fix what isn’t broken, or fix something only to watch it break again because of a lack of maintenance. The new teams that were added this year were great, and just as many (if possible) should be added to next year’s game as well, just so we don’t feel as if we’re paying for a “new game” with the same content. This would also help towards a MAJOR need for new player content in the MyTeam mode.


2. This one may seem trivial to some, but as a Youtube content creator, it could make a world of difference. From what I’ve been told of other sports games (specifically Madden), the in-game commentary is, for lack of a better word, Kwame Brown. NBA analysts are responsible for some of the most memorable, spine tingling, goose bump forming calls that inspire people to pick up a ball. I guess what I’m getting to is… WHY ISN’T THIS IN THE GAME? 2K currently has Kevin Harlan, one of the most prominent voices of the NBA, signed to the brand as an in-game commentator (for the youngins, that’s the “WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE” guy). However, the calls of him and all his in-game contemporaries are so bland and lifeless, as if they were truly just reading right from a script in front of them. LET THEM LIVE, BRUH. If game commentary was more lively, it wouldn’t just make the game more enjoyable, it could alleviate content creators such as myself and I wouldn’t feel the need to add voice clips of real life occurrences to make a video a bit more exciting. After all, how much of a buzz kill is it to hit a buzzer beater and just hear “ohhhhh, he puts it dowwwwwwwn.” C’mon, man. Your 10 year old cousins in the room probably topped that reaction easy.


3. Now as far as gameplay goes, things were fairly solid this year. However, the biggest killer to me was the constant patches to fix what wasn’t broken. I can’t count how many times 3 point percentages were touched this year; at multiple points I took breaks from the game just because they unrealistically started going in too much, or didn’t go in at all. In my opinion, the game was perfect on day one release. If you had a problem with the game, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you – but you sucked. If it was a good shot, it went in. If it wasn’t a good shot, it usually missed. Green releases felt rewarding and weren’t rare to the point of wondering if you were just bad at someone’s shot form. Furthermore, the defense was LOCK. DOWN. If you were an adept player that knew tendencies of how people played the game, you could guess which way someone was going and clamp them up without being unable to slide laterally quick enough or get a “blown by” animation. Yet still, the first gameplay patch came within a month’s time and the game hasn’t been the same since.


4. Now finally, we’ve reached the miscellaneous section of gameplay. Firstly, the stat distribution (especially in MyTEAM) is abysmal. I still don’t understand how Stephen Curry is as fast as Russell Westbrook or as good a defender as Paul George. Or an even better example, how playoff moment cards like Ian Mahinmi are better rebounders than Hakeem Olajuwon. There seems to be little to no logic in some players’ stats and there needs to be more clear and linear reasoning behind players having certain ratings. Secondly, new stats could be introduced to improve gameplay. Two that I have had in mind since last year – Explosiveness and First Step. A popular exploit of this year’s game was called Speed Boosting; when certain dribble animations allowed you to burst at full speed by your defender with no resistance and before they could react. Although it has now been patched, some players REALLY are about that life (ex: Kyrie coming off a dribble or slow as molasses Paul Pierce with his deceptive first step of doom). I believe an explosiveness stat could dictate how fast players go from 0 to 100 and the First Step could allow the non-athletic, great players to still be as effective in real life as they are in 2K. Either that or make the quickness stat more prominent in regards to the original point. Also, a small note to be made should be this “equalizer” or “momentum” that was incorporated into this year’s game. There is a reason all diamond teams in MyTEAM are no longer necessary – once the game shifts, you could start making C quality shots while your opponent starts missing wide open, A- shots. There should be no reason to baby people who are bad at the game with this feature. Whenever I shoot a shot these days, I’m not even surprised to see a D+ go in. To an extent, this game can be simplified into: whoever survives the other person’s scripted run, wins. Something is wrong with that. Deny it as they may, we play the game the most. We know how it works. Finally, on-ball defense. C’mon man. We shouldn’t even still have to be asking for this. If 2K really wants to be taken seriously as a possible Esports game, on-ball defense needs to be MANDATORY. No more hiding behind the CPU. Just like real life, you need to be able to show that you’re good offensively AND defensively, or the better all around player will abuse your weaknesses and win. Simply put, if you bout it, show it. Or get exposed.

 

NBA 2K17 Gameplay Wishlist

Madden 17 Gameplay Improvements: New Special Teams, Catch and Ball Physics

EA Sports continued their series of Madden 17 gameplay breakdowns on their blog today. This time the focus is on Special Teams improvements, Catch Outcomes and ball physics.

Kicks

There are a number of changes, but the two that caught our eye the most is the new kick meter. Check it out below.

It’s a bit goofy looking, but a number of new options were added to it including the option to squib quick or add backspin. We’re interested in seeing how it feels once we get our hands on the game.

The other big special teams change is the increased likelihood of blocking kicks without using exploits.

A ‘kick blocker’ is designated at the start of the play and players use the jump the snap mechanic to determine whether or not the player breaks through the line. Once through users then have to steer the blocker to the appropriate place to block the kick.

Catches

The Madden team is reducing the efficacy of the aggressive catch. It appears they’re actually making ball in air receivers like OBJ, Julio Jones, and Dez Bryant more likely to aggressive catch while running backs and slot receivers will trigger a catch more suited to their style.

The big catching change is on the defensive side of the ball with the SWAT Mechanic. Similar to the three catch options for offense, defenders will now have three catch options: Play Ball, Play Receiver or Swat.

Swat acts as a way to counteract aggressive catch.

Ball Physics

There are a bunch of new ball physics features to note but we’ll highlight two here.

The big one is that the ability to aim onside kicks has been restored to the game. This should hopefully make it easier to place the ball where you need it to go.

The other feature of note is loose ball recovery. The Madden team introduced what they’re calling ball physics and organic behaviors to the ball itself. With that in mind, loose ball situations have players reacting faster with a number of new animations in both in air and on ground scenarios.

You can get a much more in-depth look over at the Madden website, where they go through each and every change made to the game in order to bring it closer to real life. Check it out if you’re curious as to how these changes will affect the game.

Are you excited about these new improvements? Let us know in the comments and on social media, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for the latest Madden 17 news.

Madden 17 Gameplay Improvements: New Special Teams, Catch and Ball Physics

Madden 17 Gameplay Improvements: Zone Coverage

Continuing their series of Madden 17 gameplay details, EA released a new post covering improvements to Zone Coverage.

The biggest addition is something EA is calling the “Behavior Coordinator”.

Designer Anthony White says, “Prior to Madden NFL 17, our zone coverage logic was written independent of the play. Simply put, our zone assignments didn’t work together and therefore had no concept of a global scheme. It was a priority based system that evaluated the coverage level of each receiver in order to determine who to pick up.”

They also only had three underneath zone coverage assignments (flat, curl flat, and hook). The new AI architecture in Behavior Coordinator is design to solve that problem.

With the new BC, EA added 10 new underneath zone coverage assignments. The Coach Cam diagrams have been changed as well to better showcase the types of coverage being run.

For a more in-depth look, check out the Madden 17 blog for breakdowns of all 10 coverages and more AI changes to how defenders read the offense.

Are you excited to see a better AI? Let us know in the comments and on social media, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for the latest Madden 17 news.

Madden 17 Gameplay Improvements: Zone Coverage

Xbox One Adds SSX To Backward Compatibility List

With Microsoft adding SSX to the Xbox One backward compatibility list today, snowboard fans have a momentary way to wet their thirst for the next great snowboarding game.

SSX added a number of new features to the SSX model, and helped reboot the series for the last generation, adding a little bit more realism to the series after colorful tiles like SSX Tricky focused more on the cartoon-y aspects of the series.

If you didn’t know, an Xbox Live Gold membership is required in order to access the backwards compatible games.

Have you been enjoying the backwards compatibility added to the Xbox One? Let us know in the comments if you plan on giving this one a spin.

Xbox One Adds SSX To Backward Compatibility List

Madden 17 Gameplay Trailer Analysis: Ball Carrier Moves - JUKE!

Madden 17 Gameplay Trailer Analysis: Ball Carrier Moves - JUKE!

PES 2017 Details Emerge, Promises Better AI and Improved Passing

PES 2017 is officially on the way, and Konami has started to detail some of the changes that we’ll be seeing in the newest iteration of the game. This time around, PES 2017 will feature better AI and improved passing, with a slew of other updates to improve the flow of gameplay.

Below are some of the updates promised for PES 2017, taken from the newly launched website for the game.

Real Touch

See how different players control the ball in unique and different ways based on where and how you control them, dictating the flow of the game based on how they react to the unpredictable movement of the ball.

Precise Pass

Combining Real Touch and real ball physics, passing is an art form in PES 2017. Many factors determine the speed and accuracy of the ball. The pass that is made on the best situation and timing will generate a perfect trajectory, creating a great satisfaction when a killer pass is made.

Goal Keeping

Keepers see a great jump in quality through added motions and animations, creating the most agile keepers in PES history. Attacking moments will be more dramatic than ever, bringing the best feeling of achievement when that goal is scored.

Total Team Control

Users can instantly change the attacking and defending mentality of the team, which can be tweaked and carefully controlled with simple controls, being able to immediately react to the unpredictability of the sport.

Advanced Instructions

Strategies that are quite individually defined such as Tiki-taka and Tight Marking which is strongly based on team ideology can be set in Advanced Instructions, which adds a huge variety in how you plan to win.

Corner Kick Strategies

Control the defensive strategies on a set piece, such as marking zonal or Man to Man. Offensive options also included such as specific player movement.

Adaptive AI

For the first time in a football game, the AI will learn how you play! Player and team behaviour has always been a staple of the PES series, and for PES 2017 Adaptive AI will change sports games forever.

Authentic Visuals

For PES 2017 the visuals have seen a major upgrade, offering Authentic Visuals thanks to the further incorporation of Fox Engine. Nothing has been left untouched, from player models, lighting, crowds, pitch and stadiums totally revamped. Never has a game looked so real.

Natural Player Movement

Hundreds of new animations have been added to bring the players and goalkeepers to life – but it doesn’t stop there. New features such as Real Touch and Precise Pass see huge benefit, giving a vast array of movements when trapping and passing the ball.

Konami will also continue their support for the previous generation of consoles, with PES 2017 to launch for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One and PC. No release date yet, but it’s safe to say that it’ll probably launch some time this Fall.

More details on the game will be revealed next month at E3, and Konami also plans on bringing the game to the 2016 PES League World Finals in Milan later this weekend, where they’ll showcase the game for the first time.

What do you think so far? Let us know in the comments.

PES 2017 Details Emerge, Promises Better AI and Improved Passing

E3 Live Offers a Small Slice of E3 to the Public

There was a time where E3 was accessible to the public. That time has, sadly, long passed. Nowadays the only way to gain entry into E3 is to be press or industry, which is a bummer for fans who want to take an early look at the latest installments of their favorite franchises.

That’s still the case, although this year the ESA is bringing the public a little slice of the E3 excitement with E3 Live, where the ESA plans to open up L.A. Live to bring fans a small look at some of the festivities that E3 has to offer. It’s not the full E3 experience, but it’s probably as close as you’re going to get outside of the show itself.

Interestingly, this move comes as a number of companies are pulling out of E3 in favor of more public events around E3 that they have more control over. EA, for example, will be replacing their dominant presence at the trade show with EA Play. That event will take place in Los Angeles alongside E3, and it will be open to the public.

Nintendo has long replaced their press conference at E3 with Nintendo Direct streams taking place during the show, but Activision will also be opting out of their booth at E3 this year. Regardless, E3 Live should be reason for gaming enthusiasts to celebrate. While it might not be full-on access to the trade show, it’s another step in the right direction, allowing fans to be a part of E3 even if only on a small scale.

By the time you read this, however, the tickets will probably already be gone. As you’d expect from an E3 event sanctioned by the ESA and open to the public, the tickets went incredibly fast. Of course, if you can’t manage to score a ticket, it’ll also be streamed live. If you’re curious, here’s a list of the exhibitors:

• Alienware


• Facebook/Oculus


• Frito-Lay


• HTC Vive


• Loot Crate


• Monster


• Twitch


• Ubisoft


• Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment

Not much has been revealed about what games we’ll see there, but there you have it. It’s nice to know that the ESA is open to the idea of bringing part of E3 back to the public, even if it’s not the show itself. I look forward to seeing how it goes.

Did you manage to score a ticket? Let us know in the comments.

E3 Live Offers a Small Slice of E3 to the Public

New Rocket League Update Introduces Cross-Network Play

There’s been a lot of talk about Psyonix introducing cross-network play to their indie hit Rocket League, but now the time has finally come, and the feature is actually about to become a reality — if you’re playing on the Xbox One or PC.

Sadly, the PS4 has yet to join in on the cross-network shenanigans, but this is still a major milestone for the game, and for the Xbox One. With the update, Rocket League will become the first Xbox One game to support cross-network play with a PC game on Steam.

If you’re not interested in linking up with players on other platforms, Rocket League conveniently offers the option to disable cross-network play. All you have to do is check a box in the options menu.

The update will be released later today at 3 p.m. Pacific, and 6 p.m. Eastern. Will you be trying it out? Let us know in the comments below.

New Rocket League Update Introduces Cross-Network Play

MLB The Show 16 Challenge of the Week 9 (5/23/16)

As of this morning, Week 9 of MLB The Show 16‘s Challenge of the Week is available to compete in. This week features Bryce Harper going up against Noah Syndergaard.

The week started on Monday, May 23, at 5:30 a.m. and will run through Monday, May 30th, at 4:30 a.m. Pacific. To get started, you can select the Challenge of the Week option under mini modes on the main menu. Leaderboards, rules, and winners will be posted at The Show‘s official website as usual.

Here’s what you can win, if you manage to come out on top:

First Place: Anthony Rizzo autographed Chicago Cubs jersey.
Second Place: Two (2) 20 Standard Pack +3 silver cards bundle.
Third Place: Two (2) 10 Standard Pack +1 silver card bundle.
Fourth Place: 15,000 Stubs.
Fifth Place: 10,000 Stubs.
Sixth through Fourteenth Place: 5,000 stubs.

Will you be competing for a prize? Let us know in the comments or on social media, and as always, stay tuned for more tips and updates on MLB The Show 16. 

MLB The Show 16 Challenge of the Week 9 (5/23/16)

2016 League Crawler Tribute Tournament: Free Entry With a Chance to Win Prizes!

League Crawler is hosting their second annual Madden tournament, and we’re teaming up with them to sponsor the event. The 2016 League Crawler Tribute Tournament will feature 32 players from 16 leagues battling it out for bragging rights, and a chance to win some cool prizes.

What’s up for grabs this year? I’m glad you asked. Entrants will be competing to win an SGO t-shirt and a $50 Xbox Live or PSN card. That’s right, this tournament is open to players on both consoles, Xbox One and PS4.

Want to join up? To register all you have to do is have your commissioner pick two players from your league to represent the league in the tournament and then sign up for Xbox One or PS4, depending on what platform you’ll be using to participate. There are only two players per league allowed, and the competing leagues will be on a first come first serve basis. Make sure you get in there and get your entry submitted as soon as possible!

Oh, and don’t forget to submit the following, which you’ll need to sign up:

• League Name & Website


• League Commissioner & email address


• Player 1 Name, email address and Madden team to use in the tournament


• Player 2 Name, email address and Madden team to use in the tournament

No entry fee is required, with all of the prizes being provided by us, but you can still donate to us or the guys at League Crawler if you’d like to support what we’re doing. With that said, here are the rules for the 2016 League Crawler Tribute Tournament.

Rules

Our set of rules are as SIM as possible without being too heavy handed or leaning toward one set of “SIM” guidelines than others. SIM means different things to different people, but generally speaking, this will not be lobby ball and will have rules. That said – with no entry fees, we expect fair gameplay and good sportsmanship all around. This tournament is intended to help promote your league, your players, your brand and have fun in the process. So in short – don’t be a jerk or get pissed or nit-picky if you lose.

To review, this is a SIM Tournament Play it like you would see on Sunday. General rules.

• No cheesing! (Excessive tosses, drags, money plays, etc)


• 4th and 1 on the opponent side of the 50 is acceptable anytime.


• Going for it on 4th down is unacceptable in your own territory unless the situation calls for it (down multiple scores in the 4th. You guys watch the NFL, you get it).


• Chew clock only allowed if up 21+ or leading with less than 4 mins in game.


• No roll out passes exploiting CPU’s AI. Be sim – mix up runs and passes.


• You have 24 hrs to get in contact with opponent, failure to communicate is subject to disqualifications.


• No Nano Blitzes

Advance Times and Start of the Tournament 

TBD but no later than the first week of June. The date will depend on how quickly the brackets fill up.

Teams

Leagues can pick their best players to play and those players can pick their favorite team to use.

System

Again, there will be two tournament brackets. One for PS4, one for Xbox One. Each league will have 32 players from 16 leagues, with a maximum of 2 players per league.

Difficulty

Base All Madden. More details to come.

That’s everything! If you want to get a slot in the tournament, don’t forget to round up your players and register as soon as possible. If you’d like, you can check out the post over at League Crawler for more information. We’ll keep you posted as we get closer to the tournament.

2016 League Crawler Tribute Tournament: Free Entry With a Chance to Win Prizes!

MLB The Show 16 Roster Update (5/20)

The latest MLB The Show 16 Roster Update is here, and with it comes a number of changes. There are some major ratings adjustments this week with 34 player movements and 12 new players. You can find a list of the biggest changes below. For the full list of ratings changes this week, check out the post at The Show‘s website.

OVERALL CHANGES

NAME	TEAM	POS	OLD	NEW	DIFF
Bryce Harper	WAS	RF	99	98	-1
Joey Votto	CIN	1B	94	90	-4
David Ortiz	BOS	1B	85	87	2
Ben Zobrist	CHC	2B	84	87	3
Carlos Gonzalez	COL	RF	89	87	-2
Ian Kinsler	DET	2B	85	87	2
Nelson Cruz	SEA	RF	89	87	-2
Odubel Herrera	PHI	CF	80	83	3
Justin Upton	DET	LF	85	82	-3
Jackie Bradley Jr	BOS	CF	78	81	3

 

Matt Purke, Tony Kemp, Colin Moran, Jarlin Garcia, Matt Reynolds, Chad Green, Tommy Joseph, Alen Hanson, Tayron Guerrero, Clayton Blackburn, Dean Keikhefer, and Taylor Motter are all being added to the game this week.

What do you think of this week’s roster update? Let us know in the comments or on social media and be sure to stay tuned to Sports Gamers Online for the MLB The Show 16 roster updates and tips.

MLB The Show 16 Roster Update (5/20)

Gran Turismo Sport Confirmed for November Release

As part of an event in London today, Sony has announced that Gran Turismo Sport is headed for the PS4 on November 15th.

According to the PlayStation Blog, Gran Turismo Sport will be the first game to feature global, online competitions sanctioned by the FIA, or Federation International Automobile. Throughout the game, you’ll be working to create a legacy and compete for your home town or favorite manufacturer through a number of different race classes, including GT3, Prototype, Rally, and more.

Also announced are the pre-order bonuses up for grabs. You knew it was coming, and yes, each individual retailer will offer different incentives. Pre-ordering at any outlet will give you early access to a 3-car pack, which includes the following:

• Ford Mustang Group B Rally Car


• Toyota FT-1 Vision GT Group 3


• Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1

Here’s what you’ll get from your favorite retailers:

• GameStop – 2x Early Access Bonus Cars
  
  • Chevrolet Corvette Group 3
  
  
  • Nissan NISMO GT-R GT3 N24
  
  

• PlayStation Store
  
  • GT Themed PS4 Avatars
  
  
  • GT Sport Dynamic Theme
  
  
  • $500,000 In-Game Credit
  
  

• Amazon
  
  • $500,000 In-Game Credit
  
  

GameStop seems to be the best of the bunch, if you’re interested in receiving access to vehicles. Otherwise, the PlayStation Store and Amazon offerings seem decent enough, although I don’t imagine $500,000 will stretch very far.

Since Gran Turismo Sport marks the first time Gran Turismo will be hitting the PS4, you’ll also be able to pick up a commemorative Limited Edition. The Limited Edition will retail for $69.99 or $89.99 CAD, and allegedly contains more than $129 worth of content. You can find a list below if you’re curious as to what that $69.99 will buy you.

• GT Sport Starter Pack (8x Cars) – Gain immediate access to cars within various race class, including GT4, Rally, and more


• $1MM In-Game Credit – Build and customize your personalized garage


• Livery Sticker Pack – Bonus livery of numerous brands and logos


• 30x PS4 GT Sport Themed Avatars – Based on selected GT Sport featured vehicles


• Racing Helmet – For your customized driver profile


• Limited Edition Steel Book and Packaging

Well, 30 avatars certainly seems like a lot. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the avatars will be sold individually, or are exclusive to the Limited Edition. I’m guessing it’s the former, but we’ll find out eventually.

Will you be picking the game up? Let us know in the comments.

Gran Turismo Sport Confirmed for November Release

How Madden 17 is Addressing Player Concerns

In a post on Game Informer’s website today, they’ve detailed some of the ways that Madden 17 is making improvements over its predecessor, and from the sound of things they’re addressing a lot of player feedback with the latest iteration of the franchise in order to please fans and ultimately craft a more satisfying experience.

According to Madden 17 creative director Rex Dickson, one of the goals with this installment is to reduce the viability of money plays, so named because they typically have a high success rate despite their frequent use. Some people will probably take issue with that, but it seems like the goal is ultimately for EA to create a much fairer game.

There are a number of improvements to that end listed in the article from Game Informer with bullet points. Firstly, a new section of the playcalling menu called run/pass counter which will let you pick areas of the field where you’re getting beat up. If you move players around though, you’ll have less focusing on another area. That means you’ll still have to pay attention to what your opponent is doing as well.

Rather than having four spot drops for defenders, you’ll have eight new zones, and defenders should cover better in them. There are a number of examples in the article, but if you’ve already read about the changes to the AI with Madden 17, then you already know that AI should be much improved this time around, allowing for better defense.

Ratings will also play a more important part in the game with Madden 17, with the article offering more insight as to how that will work. Again, if you read the blog posts today, you should already have an idea.

Game Informer notes that the developers have been looking at player ratings and tweaking them to fix certain mismatches that have occurred over the years. As an example, cornerbacks seem to have been making too many tackles on power backs. That’s changed. This time around, the development team is looking at the cornerback’s tackle rating and compare it to the other player’s break tackle rating.

They also describe the new kicking meter, which they say will function like the traditional 3-click golf swing. This new kicking meter was designed to better account for the ratings of kickers and punters.

Block kicks will also be a potential outcome, but the team behind the game is looking closely at the game to make sure that you wouldn’t be able to block more kicks than statistically possible. This is just one of the many ways that EA Tiburon aims to bring Madden closer to the NFL with Madden 17.

There are some pretty important physics changes, too. While Madden 16’s physics made the game more realistic, the physics didn’t always apply to the ball. That’s also changing this year. No longer will the ball snap to a player’s hand during a catch, even though the ball might get pulled through a defender.

With the improvements to the ball, there will also be more drops for receivers in traffic. The ball will also bounce differently after tips thanks to a lack of scripting. There will be a number of new animations to accompany that, and player models should track the ball a lot more realistically.

Of course, the running game will also be improved, but you should already have an understanding as to how if you’ve been keeping up with the gameplay blog posts. Outside of that, EA is redoing cleats and gloves, as well as offering new sleeve options.

It sounds like EA has been listening to player feedback for Madden 17, but is it enough to sell you on the game? Let us know in the comments or on social media.

 

How Madden 17 is Addressing Player Concerns

Madden 17 Details - Defensive Gaps and Run Fits

EA has released another post detailing the gameplay in Madden 17 today. This time they’re focusing on defensive gaps and run fits.

It seems like defensive AI is getting a “complete reboot”, for run defense and pass defense. For the first time in Madden history, however, the defense will have a defensive gap control system that should make running closer to the real sport.

According to the blog, the run fits system is installed the same way that defensive coordinators install their defenses in the NFL with alignment, assignment, and technique. Each defender should now have a specific job for each play.

You can get a much more in-depth look over at the Madden website, where they go through each and every change made to the game in order to bring it closer to real life. Check it out if you’re curious as to how these changes will affect the game.

Are you excited to see a better AI? Let us know in the comments and on social media, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for the latest Madden 17 news.

Madden 17 Details - Defensive Gaps and Run Fits

Madden 17 Details - Ball Carrier Special Moves

EA is continuing to update the Madden website with tidbits on Madden 17, and with their latest gameplay blog post they’re talking about ball carrier special moves. Let’s get into it.

Since running the ball can be one of the most rewarding aspects of Madden gameplay, EA says they’ve set out to new creative controls for all levels of play. The first thing on their list is special moves.

Ball Carrier Special Moves

In Madden 17, every on-field player will perform special moves tailored to their playing style and ratings. Special moves will now be spread out across different player-types in the NFL. Bruising backs will have better trucks and stiff arms, while smaller backs have better jukes and spins. These animations will all be brand new, according to the blog.

Ball carriers will use different animations depending on their special-moves rating, which can range from elite to lumbering. Elite moves are the higher tier, available only to players with ratings to match. The example given is for athletes with a move rating in the 90’s.

For players with move ratings in the 70’s and 80’s, there will be alternate versions of the moves that aren’t as powerful, but can still be used effectively with good timing. The higher ranking the moves, the more effective and highlight-worthy they become.

Lumbering moves, which are by far the slowest and lowest impact carry very little reward. They’ll be used by players who come in at over 300 pounds without a ball carrier rating of 65. Fatigue will also have an effect on the moves, making moves less effective when the ball carrier is out of stamina. How much less effective? One rank.

An elite player with a rating in the 90’s will perform moves as if he’s rated in the 80’s, so you’ll want to manage your stamina usage accordingly.

Fakeout Interaction System

The fakeout system is also receiving an update to accompany the new special moves. If you time the special moves correctly, you should be able to feel the power of the new multi-player fakeout animations, which EA says can have almost a thousand possible outcomes.

The multi-player fakeout is a dynamic animation that includes multiple players all at once, based on their location. These can range from 2-6 player animations, depending on the type of move used, the ball carrier’s skill level, and the user’s skill.

To successfully fakeout defenders will require more than the perfect timing, however. To be successful, you’ll have to know your ball carrier and his best moves. Knowing where the defender you’re trying to evade is also crucial, thanks to the ideal zone of each move that will increase the chance of success.

The ball carrier will have more success eluding the defender when he’s directly in front of the runner, rather than from the side.

Ball Carrier Mechanics

Madden 17 will feature an array of new ball carrier mechanics to keep Madden players of varying skill levels engaged. Modifiers will allow for four unique tactics to customize the running game, all carrying their own risks and rewards in combination with the fakeout interactions.

You can find a detailed list of the new mechanics and their functions at the blog post, but there are standard moves, speed modifier, precision modifier, steerable modifier, and utility moves.

There will also be a number of new tools available to help users become better ball carriers, with recommended special moves, a projected path indicator, special move feedback text, and a ball carrier threat cone which will be specific to your settings.

As you can see, EA is making a number of improvements with Madden 17. Whether or not they’ll be enough is up to you. What do you think of these improvements? Let us know in the comments or on social media and be sure to keep your eyes on SGO for the latest Madden 17 news.

 

Madden 17 Details - Ball Carrier Special Moves

EA Details New Season for Madden Mobile

If you’re playing Madden Mobile, get ready to transition into the new season. EA has posted a blog post detailing the upcoming season for their mobile take on the Madden franchise.

With the new season, teams will be reset to create a level playing field. There will be new features, updated players, and “additional new content,” in addition to the return of the Season Score.

Starting on May 17th, you’ll be able to get a head start for the next season of Madden Mobile which is set to begin on August 16th. Through the Season Score menus, you’ll be able to tally scores based on 8 categories: Team Overall, Player Level, Season Competitions, Head to Head Rank, League Participation, Sets Completed, Achievements and Objectives.

Every category will have an individual score, with the score increasing for every milestone that you hit in that category. New daily objectives will also be added to the game throughout the rest of the season to allow players to score some nice bonuses.

At the start of the new season, players who have been working on their Season Score will be awarded packs, giving their squads an immediate boost. The more you play, the more you earn.

Legacy Teams will also make a return. Come August 12th, any players you have on your Madden Mobile starting roster will become locked in for your Legacy Team. This team will be used for special events and challenges once the new season starts.

Here are a few things that EA wants you to know about the new season:

• Madden Cash rolls over to the new season


• Season Score Reward Packs roll over to the New Season


• Coins, Items, Head to Head rank, Season completed, Level and Achievements will all be reset for a fresh new season

Are you excited for the new Madden Mobile season? Let us know in the comments.

EA Details New Season for Madden Mobile

MLB The Show 16 Challenge of the Week 8 (5/16/16)

As of yesterday morning, Week 8 of MLB The Show 16‘s Challenge of the Week is available to compete in. This week features two time All Star Matt Kemp and the 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.

The week started on Monday, May 16, and will run through Monday, May 23rd, at 4:30 a.m. Pacific. To get started, you can select the Challenge of the Week option under mini modes on the main menu. Leaderboards, rules, and winners will be posted at The Show‘s official website as usual.

Here’s what you can win, if you manage to come out on top:

First Place: Josh Donaldson autographed baseball bat
Second Place: Two (2) 20 Standard Pack +3 silver cards bundle.
Third Place: Two (2) 10 Standard Pack +1 silver card bundle.
Fourth Place: 15,000 Stubs.
Fifth Place: 10,000 Stubs.
Sixth through fourteenth Place: 5,000 stubs.

Will you be competing for a prize? Let us know in the comments or on social media, and as always, stay tuned for more tips and updates on MLB The Show 16. 

MLB The Show 16 Challenge of the Week 8 (5/16/16)

NBA 2K16 Adds Spectating With 2K StreamCast

NBA 2K16 is giving you the ability to spectate, and they’re calling it 2K StreamCast. The new feature will allow you to spectate NBA 2K16 games on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One while they’re in-progress, but you can also watch them after they wrap up.

2K StreamCast will become available this weekend on Saturday, May 21. That’s just in time for the finals of NBA 2K‘s first Road to the Finals tournament. As of May 21, you’ll be able to watch all of the games live, directly from your console. The games will also become available on-demand to watch afterwards.

If you haven’t been paying attention, the Road to the Finals tournament will pit 16 teams against one another for a shot at being one of the two finalists to compete for the championship on June 1. Games will take place between 10 AM and 6 PM Pacific, with a full day of streaming featuring Chris Manning, Ronnie2K, along with some of the developers behind NBA 2K.

Unfortunately for the moment, 2K StreamCast seems to be limited to games in the Road to the Finals tournament, but hopefully it’ll become more open in the future to allow for spectating your friends. Well, I know one feature I’d like to see in NBA 2K17.

Will you be checking out the tournament through 2K StreamCast? Let us know in the comments or on social media.

NBA 2K16 Adds Spectating With 2K StreamCast

Shaq Partners With TBS to Promote ELEAGUE

Last year in December, action star Danny Trejo promoted a collection of Counter-Strike gear as a favor for his friend Chris Le who happens to be a director on top of creating weapon skins. Now, another star is entering the fray, and it’s one you should instantly recognize; Shaq himself.

Shaq isn’t promoting weapon skins, though. Instead, he’s promoting ELEAGUE, Turner Broadcasting’s attempt to bring eSports and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to televisions everywhere.

https://twitter.com/EL/status/732374086580461568

As you can see from the video above, which was posted to twitter yesterday, Shaq seems to be having a lot of fun with it. This isn’t his first time getting involved with eSports, though. Earlier this year it was announced that Shaquille O’Neal would be financing an eSports team called NRG along with Alex Rodriguez and Jimmy Rollins.

That team participates in competitive League of Legends and Counter-Strike, and as it happens, they’ll be competing on ELEAGUE which will begin next Tuesday on the 24th. That explains Shaq’s involvement

It should be an interesting event, with most of the major teams participating. Will you be checking it out?

Shaq Partners With TBS to Promote ELEAGUE

NBA 2K16 Money Plays For Easy Points!! NBA 2K16 Offensive Tips Part 2

E3 2016 Press Conference Schedule

E3 is fast approaching, with just under a month left before the world’s largest video game trade show takes over Los Angeles again. We’ve got the rundown on when press conferences will take place below. As with last year, we’ll be on the ground in LA to bring you news and updates on your favorite franchises, but you can join in on the action by watching the press conferences from home too.

Sunday June 12

EA

1 PM Pacific, 4 PM Eastern

Watch

Bethesda

7 PM Pacific, 10 PM Eastern

Watch

Monday June 13

Microsoft

9:30 AM Pacific, 12:30 PM Eastern

Watch

You can also watch Micrsoft’s press conference on Xbox One, or through the Xbox website.

PC Gaming Show

11:30 AM Pacific, 2:30 PM Eastern

Watch

Ubisoft

1 PM Pacific, 4 PM Eastern

Watch

Sony

6:00 PM Pacific, 9:00 PM Eastern

Watch

Nintendo will not be holding a press conference or presenting Nintendo Direct this year, but will instead be streaming all week long with an emphasis on their upcoming Legend of Zelda game for the Wii U.

That’s about it for your E3 2016 press conference schedule. If anything changes we’ll be sure to update this post. Be sure to keep your eye on SGO as we bring you E3 coverage next month.

E3 2016 Press Conference Schedule

FIFA 16 Update 6 Available for PC, Consoles to Come

EA released the latest FIFA 16 update for PC today. Consoles are set to receive the update at a later date, but EA didn’t provide an ETA. We’ll update this post when it becomes available for console players.

The update makes several changes to FIFA 16 Ultimate Team:

• Enhanced ability to message players about issues and updates.


• Matchmaking improvements to help players find each other quicker.


• Matchmaking rematch issues in FUT Online Draft.

The update also fixes the compare feature on leaderboards, and an issue where Player Career Mode accomplishments was affecting Pro Clubs.

What do you think of this FIFA 16 update? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to keep an eye out for more FIFA 16 news and updates.

 

FIFA 16 Update 6 Available for PC, Consoles to Come

NBA 2K16 Offensive Tips: Money Plays For Easy Points Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our favorite plays in NBA 2K16 and the goal with each video is to help you understand how and why each play works. By the end of the series you should be equipped with a full arsenal of plays to use on your opponents.

The first play we will go over is Quick 1 Flex Hip. Its’s purpose is to get whoever you call the play for three separate chances to score. You bring the ball to the top of the key with the guy you called the play for and the first action is the big will set a screen for the other big man running across the free throw line. If he’s open by the time he reaches the 3pt line you can pass to him for an open drive or 3.

But if he’s covered you wait until the big who originally set the screen for him to come towards you before you pass the ball. If your opponent is user defending you, it makes it harder for them to jump the pass if they think you have a screen going the other way lined up. What happens is instead of running the pick n roll the initial ball handler will receive an off ball screen from the big man. You can sometimes catch user defenders ball watching when you pass it for a split second and that’s sometimes all it takes to get an open look.

If the defender fights through the screen, our guy will cut to the hoop looking for a layup. And if he’s still not open he will set a screen towards the basket for the guy in the corner. If he doesn’t pop open down low he will still get some of the attention of your opponent on him instead of the real threat…the initial ball handler receiving another screen popping out to the 3pt line. Quick 1 flex hip works best if the guy you called it for can shoot as it gets him two separate chances at an open shot but can work as a catch and drive off the open looks for those who are better at driving.

The next play we will go over is Fist 25 Give 12 Horns. What I like about this play is it makes faster guys seem faster and gives guys who struggle to beat their man off the dribble better opportune to attack. Its set up the same way as Quick 1 Flex Hip, except the guy you called the play for is off the ball now. The play starts with one of the bigmen (usually the power forward) setting a screen for the ball handler where he can then drive or shoot an open shot, but if the defense defends the screen well, the guy you called the play for runs around the ball handler. Where then he can drive or stretch the play to the other side of the court, where he receives a screen himself if the defender is still attached to the ball handler.

It’s guaranteed to leave one guy open, whether its from the ball handler out running his man, receiving a screen on the other side, or the help defender picking him up and having a guy open in the corner. It’s perfect for when you need a go to play at the end of games.

Stay tuned to more NBA 2K16 Offensive Tips like these and be sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel for the latest tips and news from 2K and your favorite sports games!

NBA 2K16 Offensive Tips: Money Plays For Easy Points Part 2

NBA 2K16 Patch 6 Analysis

Unless you’ve been under a rock or just don’t play NBA 2K16, you have probably heard about

patch 6 coming out last week. The patch updated several parts of gameplay such as the changes to deep 3-pointers success rate (meaning Steph Curry actually plays like Steph Curry now) and toned down the ability for big men with break starter to pass like Aaron Rodgers. The change to the 3-point penalty range is a big deal across all modes of NBA 2K.

The ability to take much better advantage of some of the more skilled shooters in the game will change the way defense is played by many. Now telling your back court to go under those screens can actually have some major consequences.

Before this patch, Steph Curry was considered by the majority to have a broken jumper and was almost impossible to consistently have a good game shooting from the 3-point line with. Now his value is going to skyrocket in MyTeam and the Warriors will be even more deadly in play now games. If you were thinking about getting rid of that Curry card you got in MyTeam, I suggest you hit freestyle and reconsider.

As mentioned above, the Break Starter Badge was also tuned to be less effective across all game modes. Anyone who has played 2K‘s ProAm mode enough is probably all too familiar with big men with the badge on gold snatching rebounds and literally throwing picture perfect dimes from paint to paint to a cherry picking teammate with 100% success rate for entire game.

Meanwhile, your pg wouldn’t be able to make a pass from the 3-point line to the paint without someone nearly falling in the crowd to catch it. It was a very unrealistic feature, especially when you consider big men’s playmaking can only really get up to about 80 and that’s if they decide to slack off on other skills such as defense, rebounding, or shooting.

This issue also was a problem in MyTeam, since you can give any big man the break starter badge and upgrade it to gold. This fix was needed long ago considering it has been a problem since the game came out. It may be long overdue, but it’s still greatly appreciated. Another strong step in adding realism to the game and putting more focus on actual basketball.

The patch also notably removed the #1 exploit being abused in online MyPark games. That

exploit was often referred to as “Speed Boosting” by many online. Now, if you aren’t aware, “Speed Boosting” gave players incredibly unnatural bursts of speed when they do certain animations in the game such as the Kobe Bryant escape size-up ISO motion.

This has caused many of the more hardcore MyPark players (usually well over 2,000 games played) to rage and threaten to stop playing the game in favor of going back to NBA 2K15 to get some of their crossover speed back. The main complaint from these hardcore players is that without the “Speed Boost”, the game feels far too slow-paced and a lot harder to score on ISO plays due to how strong the defense is this year.

On the other side of that argument, you have people like me who are extremely pleased with the removal of the speed boost to make the game more focused on basketball knowledge and less so on exploits. Now when you get in the park you see less hero ball and more teamwork and ball movement to get wins.

That’s the way it should have been to begin with, and I’m glad 2K seem to be shifting more towards actual basketball and less so towards “cheese” and exploits. If they plan to continue with that creative direction in NBA 2K17 is currently unknown but we are all hoping they don’t disappoint us yet again with day 1 game-breaking exploits that can be fully taken advantage of. I still have nightmares about that whole “demi-god” situation.

Be sure to let me know in the comments which side of the argument you’re on, and whether you want this game style to continue to go this route of realism in NBA 2K17, or you’re hoping the arcade like animations and gameplay make a strong return. Feel free to tweet me any opinions, and be sure to subscribe to get more real opinions on all things gaming.

NBA 2K16 Patch 6 Analysis

MLB The Show 16 Patch 1.05 Released - Detailed Patch Notes

The latest MLB The Show 16 Patch 1.05 has been released, we have the detailed patch notes below. Let us know what you think of the all of the fixes and improvements!

The Show 16 Patch 1.03 Fixes and Change List

• Addressed issues with Cloud saves introduced in patch 1.04. All Cloud Saves should now work properly.


• Fixed classic base running, affected by patch 1.04.


• Online Action shot/card downloading now fixed.


• Weather in RTTS now updates correctly with Advance Day.


• Addressed an issue with lead off runners in online game-play. The batting team should now see their base runners leading off when they press L1.


• Fixed some issues with “L2 + base icon” to control the runner in RTTS.


• Off season free agent logic was not estimating budget room correctly because it was not accounting for staff salary. This caused teams to inaccurately set the max salary they could offer. This should now be fixed.


• Fixed issue where the xp earned in game was showing instead of the amount of stubs earned in game when returning to the front-end menu. This created a lot of confusion with users assuming they weren’t earning stubs. Stubs earned are now being shown instead of XP.


• Fixed game settings not getting reset when exiting conquest and playing Extra Innings games. Extra Innings games should now be 9 innings in all cases, as intended.


• The calendar start times in Show Live should now display accurately.


• Challenge friends in online games should now apply all correct settings.


• Fixed a Sounds of the Show crash when attempting to delete music files after trying to import 520+ files.


• Various other bug fixes.

That’s it for this MLB The Show 16 patch, what do you think of the update? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for the latest MLB The Show 16 news and tips.

MLB The Show 16 Patch 1.05 Released - Detailed Patch Notes

NBA 2K16 Defensive Tips: Defensive Settings

Today I’ll be going over defensive settings, the ones I like to use, and more importantly, what they mean. We’ll begin start with the matchup screen. I’ll make this part quick since it’s pretty cut and dry. This is how you get a certain defender on an opposing player.

Preferably you only want to swap your point guard, shooting guard and small forward with each other and powerforward and center between the 2 so you don’t create a huge mismatch. Don’t worry if you, for example, want Kawai Leonard on Westbrook, Tony Parker won’t end up defending Durant (the PG and SG will just slide down a position).

Now we move on to the meat of the video, the defensive settings. On ball pressure is only necessary if you want the computer to guard a player, guys who can’t shoot you want to leave it on gap so they’re not closing out as aggressively when he catches the ball, and for the knockdown shooters you want tight or smother to force him to drive

Off ball I like to play tight or deny on the JJ Redick Kyle Korner types, because they’re not as much of a threat to cut to the basket. I used to deny pass on every star player I faced, but I quickly learned that wasn’t going fly as they could easily beat you if your opponent made them cut

Force direction is another CPU related setting, and you always want to force every guy you’re not using defending baseline. The idea is you want to limit the options the guy with the ball has and forcing middle lets them attack you in a lot more ways. On ball screen defense, you want to go over the screen on guys who can shoot so you don’t give them any space and under on those more likely to drive. My philosophy is that I like to go under every screen and only change it to over on the few exceptions like Steph, KD and the Klay Thompson types.

When you ice the screen, the on ball defender goes out of his way to block the ball handler from using the screen, so you end up telling him where he can and can’t go, which is straight toward the defender on the guy who is setting the screen.

On ball screen defense with the center you will rarely be faced with because nobody runs pick and rolls with their centers, but I leave it on under just in case.

Hedging is the 2nd part of the pick and roll defense, this is how you want to defend the pick and roll with the defender of the guy who is screening. You hedge to affect how quick the guy can get around the screen for an open look by forcing him to also go around you, in effect giving the on ball defender more time to recover.

It’s then just a matter of how long you want him bothering the guy with the ball. Soft hedge, which I prefer, forces the defender to peak out for a second in an attempt to delay the ball handler before he bails to cover his man and hard hedge stays outside a little longer and forces the ball handler to go around him. Doing so leaves yourself vulnerable to the screen man rolling to the hoop or an open three, but can be negated if your hedge defender is smart and more so athletic enough to run back to his man. No hedge makes the screen man’s defender sink down into the pain in preparation for a drive, so you only do this when you’re really not afraid of an outside shot.

Which leads us to hedge center; most centers aren’t really mobile so you want to have their setting set to no hedge. Hedging in any way with a slow footed center puts them in no man’s land when it’s time to recover. Only guys like Nerlens Noel and Anthony Davis could get away with playing any kind of hedge defense from the center position consistently.

When facing off ball screens, I like to go over because usually off ball screens are set up for an outside shot first and a drive 2nd. Post-defense I just play behind because the others don’t work as they should. For instance, if you front the post man it’s too easy to just lob it over your head and the held defender that’s supposed to rotate to help doesn’t, so I just keep it basic.

Any double teaming I leave on manual. Switch rules if you like to get your Golden State Warriors on. You want to switch all guards on the pick and roll.

For more NBA 2K16 defensive tips, keep your eyes on SGO and be sure to follow us on YouTube and Twitter to get the latest NBA 2K16 news.

NBA 2K16 Defensive Tips: Defensive Settings

Announcing the MLB The Show 16 All-Star Tournament

SGO is sponsoring their first ever MLB The Show 16 All-Star Tournament, including some of the best players online. It will be a 32 team single elimination tourney and seedings are done by Diamond Dynasty Rating. Games will be played on Legend difficulty. Top 3 finishers will receive a PSN Card or gift card of their choosing.

Rules: Each team has to have an 82 overall or lower team after IE boosts and no created players are allowed with no restrictions on card tiers or types. A maximum number of bunts are set to 2 per game for position players.

When: May 26th to May 29th throughout the days. Individual time will be posted later once

everyone finds a time they can play their games.

Who: We hand picked 32 of the best players and streamers/youtubers to participate. If you’d

like to participate in future tournaments please contact @Cardinalbird5 on Twitter.

Where: All games will be livestreamed on twitch.tv/cardinalbird5 with commentary, guest

appearances, and call-ins.

The MLB The Show 16 All-Star Tournament is sponsored by Sports Gamers Online, Daddyleagues, and ScoreSpace. Make sure to check out all three websites for sports gaming info and more!

We may also be doing random giveaways to viewers, so make sure to stop by Memorial Day

weekend and watch some of the best players on twitch and talk baseball!

Bracket: http://challonge.com/CB5_

Announcing the MLB The Show 16 All-Star Tournament

NPD Sales Results for April 2016: MLB The Show 16 Knocks It Out of the Park

We’re almost halfway into May, and the NPD sales results for April 2016 are here. The results are actually pretty surprising, with Dark Souls III taking the #1 spot for software sales, followed by Ratchet & Clank, and MLB The Show 16 which seems to have made quite the climb, moving up from #6 last month.

Once again Sony tops the charts for hardware sales with their PS4, though hardware sales continue to decline, with a 21% drop from this time last year. You’d think that two PlayStation exclusive titles in the top three software slots would make for better console sales, but perhaps that’s just a testament to the market penetration that Sony has managed to achieve with this hardware cycle. Of course, it’s hard to say, since we don’t have the exact number of consoles sold.

Interestingly though, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One seem to be doing much better than their predecessors, with a 40% higher trend in cumulative sales compared to the same 30-month period for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

And now, here are the actual software rankings:

1. Dark Souls III (PS4, Xbox One)


2. Ratchet & Clank (PS4)


3. MLB 16: The Show (PS4, PS3)


4. Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4, Xbox One, PC)


5. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)


6. Minecraft (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3)


7. Quantum Break (Xbox One)


8. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)


9. NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)


10. Star Fox: Zero (Wii U)

What games did you pick up in April? Let us know in the comments.

NPD Sales Results for April 2016: MLB The Show 16 Knocks It Out of the Park

EA Offers Head Start on Madden Ultimate Team 17

If you’re big into Madden Ultimate Team, EA is offering everyone the opportunity to get a head start on Madden Ultimate Team 17 by allowing players to earn vouchers for the newest iteration of the franchise by playing Madden 16.

Starting today, you’ll be able to unlock vouchers for Madden Ultimate Team 17 by playing MUT16. To secure the vouchers, you can play MUT16 and earn MUT16 loyalty vouchers by playing solo challenges, Draft Champions Ranked, and Salary Cap Ranked. For every set of 10 loyalty vouches you collect, you’ll earn a MUT17 voucher.

You’ll only be able to unlock a total of 10 vouchers this way, but EA will also offer up MUT17 vouchers through other means such as major milestones for solo challenge wins, major milestones for set completions, or pro, all-pro, and legendary tier members of MUT Rewards.

For the first time in Ultimate Team history, players will have a number of year-over-year rewards to choose from using MUT17 vouchers. The rewards you’ll be able to unlock include the following:

• Contract Pack


• Silver Offense Pack and Silver Defense Pack


• Gold Offense Pack and Gold Defense Pack


• Elite Offense Pack and Elite Defense Pack


• Event Tickets


• Pro Pack


• All-Pro Pack


• Legends Pack

Rewards will be doled out when players try out Madden Ultimate Team 17 for the first time this fall. Players who have completed MUT Master, Road Master, or MUT Ultimate Master sets will receive exclusive rewards as well in the form of player items that have master chemistry in MUT17.

• MUT Master – 85 ovr. Odell Beckham, Jr.


• Road Master – 85 ovr. Tom Brady


• Ultimate Master – 87 ovr. Marcus Allen

Additionally, MUT17 players will also be rewarded with loyalty vouchers based on the number of Head to Head Seasons games played, Draft Champions Ranked games played, Salary Cap Ranked games played, solo challenges won, and sets completed in MUT16.

More sets and challenges will be added to MUT16 leading into August when Madden 17 launches, so you’ll have plenty of time to start working on earning vouchers to get a head start in MUT17.

Looks like it’s time to start working toward MUT17 vouchers! Will you be working on your head start for MUT17? Let us know in the comments or on social media.

EA Offers Head Start on Madden Ultimate Team 17

Madden 17 In-Depth Feature and Trailer Analysis

Madden season is officially upon us! Rob Gronkowski was announced as the cover athlete, and EA Tiburon released the first trailer of the game, along with a blog detailing what to expect come August. So naturally, it’s time to dust off the old analysis machine and do what I do best: analyze any snippet of gameplay down to the last pixel. So check the video out for a more detailed examination or read below for my general findings.

Too Long Didn’t Watch:

• Lineman still engage in overly long scripted animation sequences, where a player’s upper body and lower body DO NOT work independently from one another


• Special Teams play can not be improved solely through new trick plays, a new kick meter, or “icing the kicker”. Special teams is predicated on line interaction, and if that remains essentially the same, special teams will remain….not very special


• A tiered system of special moves will surely differentiate between backs, BUT will these moves prove effective? Special moves in Madden 17 must allow the player to more easily maneuver past defenders. This remains to be seen, but the evidence here is very encouraging

Check back on my channel for more meticulous Madden coverage and analysis.

Madden 17 In-Depth Feature and Trailer Analysis

MLB The Show 16 Tips: Stopping The Run Game

In MLB The Show 16, SDS has made a few changes to stealing bases.  Compared to

previous iterations, The Show 16 has decreased the default lead off for all baserunners

by one step.  This actually plays a big role for holding runners and prevent base stealers.

Watch my tutorial from last year on the slide step:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdLKkzLblS4

This year MLB The Show 16 has given us a few new tools in our arsenal to prevent

base stealers.  You can deke runners by holding L2 and tapping R2, while a runner is on

second base and being held on.  This will make users take a step back towards the bag

and can actually allow you to not even make pick off attempts to keep runners close.

Keeping users close to the bag at 2nd can also give your outfielders a higher chance to

throw out runners at the plate on singles to the outfield.

Watch my Deking tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aBbbyEcQ2A

Lastly, snapback throws are implemented better this year.  They were there in year’s

past, but your catchers would throw lolly gags to the base.  This year the catcher does

throw a lot harder, pending on their arm strength.  You can also do a pitch out and/or

slidestep to better utilize the snapback throws.  If your opponent likes to take a lead off

and you cannot pick them off from your pitcher or if they like to steal and send the

runners back then the snap back throw will be a huge asset for you.  To use the snap

back throw, simply just hold the button of the bag (or use analog if your using analog

fielding) and the catcher will make a snapback throw to whatever bag you desired.

Watch my Snapback tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbBXMXIHmBU

Also, users can mix up their pace to the plate to confuse runners.  This means you quick

pitch one pitch then you come set and hold the ball the next time.  Some users will try to

manual steal on you and this is a great way to throw them off.  You can also step off the

mound by using the L1 button and you do not even have to throw over to force the

runner back.

Overall, we have the ability to slide step, pitch out, deke, make snapback throws, and

control the pace of your delivery to keep baserunners in check.  Make sure to use all

tools to your advantage!

Follow me on twitter @Cardinalbird for more MLB The Show 16 Tips and check out my livestreams at www.twitch.tv/cardinalbird5.

MLB The Show 16 Tips: Stopping The Run Game

New Madden 17 Features Detailed

With the announcement of Rob Gronkowski as the Madden 17 cover player, EA sports also unveiled some of the key features in this year’s installment in the franchise. The first change EA noted was the new tiered system for a player’s skill. Their ability to perform certain moves is dictated by the corresponding attributes. One of the biggest criticisms in all sports games is big players being able to make quick, agile cuts with precision, while smaller players have the ability to power through defenders head on. This new system will correct that so big players bring the power while small players bring the speed. The next change on the list adds a new UI which helps novice players with the ball learn the skill moves available to them. EA has also added a feature which will perform skill moves for you; however, this is only activated on lower difficulty levels.

EA Sports is also working on making the defense more authentic. Rather than the repetitive, “one-dimensional” defense, players will have to build up a strategy when both facing and controlling the defense. Your AI teammates will adapt to whatever strategy you’re using. For example, when running gap defense, your players will put themselves in a position that allows them to defend the run better. AI players in zone coverage have also gotten a fix. They are now more aware and more likely to counter any audacious plays from the offense. This goes along with the addition of 8 new zone concepts.

Special teams also has a few changes, particularly on the kicking side of things. The kicking meter is supposed to add realism and authenticity to special teams. The defense will also benefit from icing the kicker as well as a new mechanic for blocking.

A new trailer offering a first look at the game has also debuted today, which you can take a look at up top.

This year, Madden 17 has promised a lot of changes to make this game feel like a real NFL game. Do you think EA Sports will deliver? Let us know in the comments.

New Madden 17 Features Detailed

SportsCenter Reveals Madden 17 Cover Athlete

It’s that time of the year again, when EA Sports announces the cover athlete for Madden 17. This time they’re doing things a bit differently, and have opted to select the cover athlete themselves rather than submitting it to a vote for the fans to decide.

Earlier today we got a leak through the Xbox Store that suggested Rob Gronkowski would be gracing the cover this year, and it turns out that the Madden 17 cover athlete is indeed Rob Gronkowski.

GRONK. SPIKE.

Introducing the cover of #Madden17! pic.twitter.com/iCZUwIAuYO

— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) May 12, 2016

Well, that’s anti-climactic. However, I’m sure that most football fans will agree that Gronkowski is a worth pick for the Madden 17 cover athlete, especially since it’s something he’s been a contender for several times over now. Most recently he lost out to Odell Beckham Jr., but now it appears that the cover spot is finally his.

Well, better late than never. I was personally rooting for Cam Newton after his hopes were dashed with his loss at the Superbowl earlier this year, but perhaps this is for the better. Sports games are known for the legend of their cover curses, after all. Just ask Conor Mcgregor and Ronda Rousey!

Either way, we’re excited to get our hands on Madden 17 when it launches, and we know you are too. What did you think of the Madden 17 cover athlete pick? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.

SportsCenter Reveals Madden 17 Cover Athlete

MLB The Show 16 Roster Update (5-12)

The latest MLB The Show 16 roster update is here, and with it comes a number of changes. There are some major ratings adjustments this week. You can find a list of the biggest changes below. For the full list of ratings changes this week, check out DaddyLeagues.

Name	Team	Pos	Sell	Buy	New OVR	Old OVR
Paul Goldschmidt	ARI	1B	44940	39105	95 -1	96
Miguel Cabrera	DET	1B	42997	36501	94 -2	96
Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	29999	27500	93 +1	92
Robinson Cano	SEA	2B	17950	16500	91 +3	88
Yoenis Cespedes	NYM	CF	13749	11500	89 +1	88
Hector Rondon	CHC	CP	1325	1184	86 +3	83
Dexter Fowler	CHC	CF	1850	1527	85 +4	81
Jose Quintana	CWS	SP	1519	1350	85 +4	81
Rougned Odor	TEX	2B	1650	1375	85 +3	82
J.D. Martinez	DET	RF	4425	3691	85 -1	86
Christian Yelich	MIA	LF	875	602	84 +5	79
Cody Allen	CLE	CP	1038	861	84 -2	86
Brian Dozier	MIN	2B	5200	3950	84 -1	85
Evan Longoria	TB	3B	2440	1753	83 -2	85

 

What do you think of this week’s roster update? Let us know in the comments or on social media and be sure to stay tuned to Sports Gamers Online for the latest tips and updates for MLB The Show 16.

MLB The Show 16 Roster Update (5-12)