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Press Row Podcast: Four years since NCAA Football’s cancellation
This last Tuesday marked what would have been the release of NCAA Football 18 had the series not been cancelled in 2013. There also hasn’t been a college basketball game since 2009. How did we get to where we are now that college sports is barely represented in gaming? What is the potential for college sports to make any sort of comeback in the future? It’s a subject that was covered in a piece written earlier this week for Sporting News.
Everything from the lawsuits that began eight years ago to why no developer would take on such a project right now given the circumstances, alternative development ideas, favorite memories of the games, and why there is still so much passion and emotion over the subject is discussed on this episode of the Press Row Podcast.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The show can also now be found on the recently launched Google Play Music for podcasts. Subscribe and review to help support the show! You can also listen with the streaming player below.
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MLB The Show 17 roster update details for July 14
After taking off last week and only relatively minor adjustments made in the last few roster updates the anticipated sweeping changes to be made during the All-Star Break for the entire league didn’t materialize with this week’s update in MLB The Show 17. There is some significant movement made however including a fair number of players actually dropping this time around.
Carlos Correa is a newly crowned Diamond. He went +1 to 90 Overall. Francisco Lindor lost Diamond status by dropping 2 to 89 as did Johnny Cueto who plummeted 4 points to 86. New Gold players are Felipe Rivero (+5 to 87), Michael Fulmer (+3 to 87), Andrew McCutchen (+3 to 86), and Andrelton Simmons (+2 to 85).
Other notables on the move include Jose Ramirez (+2 to 88), George Springer (+2 to 88), Ian Kinsler (-1 to 88), Felix Hernandez (-4 to 85), Brian Dozier (-3 to 84), Kyle Seager (-2 to 84), Willson Contreras (+4 to 83), Brad Peacock (+4 to 82), Josh Reddick (+4 to 82), Anthony Swarzak (+5 to 82), Jameson Taillon (+6 to 81), Logan Morrison (+4 to 80), Matt Bush (-4 to 79), Chad Green (+18 to 77), Chris Rusin (+12 to 77), and John Lackey (-4 to 77).
Also taken care of in the update are the All-Star teams. The AL and NL rosters are now (mostly) accurate for use in exhibition games. They include players who missed the game due to injury but do not have their replacements. Because of that among players missing from the roster is the game’s MVP Robinson Cano.
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Trailer for NHL 18 goes through the biggest gameplay improvements
Three weeks ago EA Sports began promotion for NHL 18 by announcing the cover, confirming new features, and revealing details on the online beta that will take place later this month. Today the spotlight has been put specifically on the gameplay improvements that earlier were only referred to, with a display of the new Defensive Skill Stick, Creative Attack Dekes, Creative AI, and 3-on-3 EA Sports Hockey League. Read more
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Four years later and NCAA Football is no closer to a return
Shortly after release of NCAA Football 14 publisher EA Sports declared that the NCAA would be pulling their license (which only would have affected the name and official marks from appearing) and that the series would continue into the PS4 and Xbox One generation. That of course never materialized as the O’Bannon vs NCAA case had begun to scare away other partners as well, including conferences and individual schools which proved to be the tipping point.
Less than two months from that initial assurance that the series was not going away NCAA Football was cancelled for good. Sadly four years later, and on the very day that NCAA Football 18 would have released, we’re not much closer to seeing it return.
The ruling in the O’Bannon case actually provided hope that a system would be put into place that would allow for collegiate athletes to be paid for their likenesses. Judge Claudia Wilken’s original ruling stated that the NCAA violated antitrust laws and that athletes should receive compensation beyond just educational-related expenses. That amount would be capped at no less than $5,000 a year and would be put into a trust that would be received after completing eligibility. When the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals partially reversed Judge Wilken’s decision however, doing so meant there was still no way to compensate players.
The case was then turned down for a hearing by the Supreme Court meaning the 9th’s reversal on the compensation aspect would stand. Athletes still have no way to collect pay for their likenesses in video games, merchandising, and so on. The necessary resolution that could have brought everyone but maybe the NCAA back on board was not achieved.
While waiting for other lawsuits to potentially move through the court system that could change the landscape of college sports, the best gamers can look for is pro games that attempt to integrate college such as NBA 2K the last two years using them in the story mode. Any return of dedicated licensed college sports video games remains years off in the future.
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Two months later NBA Playgrounds on Switch finally has its online play
It has been a difficult process for developer Saber Interactive with NBA Playgrounds on Nintendo Switch since releasing on May 9. The game shipped without online functionality and consumers were promised that would be patched in within a few days. Due to technical conflicts with Nintendo over patch size it ended up taking two months with that update now finally here.
This is simply the first patch that was submitted for the game way back in May. Besides online it also includes new players (Dennis Rodman, Isaiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Giannis Antetokoumnpo, Kenny Smith, Gary Payton, Klay Thompson, Devin Booker, Tony Parker, Kemba Walker, Seth Curry, Tiny Archibald, John Starks, Tracy McGrady, Pete Maravich), the addition of a shot meter, and a reduction to the wait time inbounding the ball after a made basket.
The Switch version is still missing out on the patch that went out in mid-June which added 35 more players, the Seattle Sonics as a team, and four new tournament locations.
NBA Playgrounds owners on Switch will be getting the Shaq Fu sequel for free when it comes out this fall. After this incident there’s reason to be concerned over restrictive patch requirements that could affect other third party games and make the post-release support provided inferior to that found on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Still the blame here should fall largely at the feet of Saber Interactive who released an unfinished game to begin with.
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Full NHL 18 online beta details
There are two online betas taking place later this month. PES 2018 kicks off first featuring its new online co-op mode and then NHL 18’s will begin on July 25. To take part in NHL’s beta make sure to sign up here before then.
EA Sports has now laid out a complete description of all that will be available with the beta. It will include EA Sports Hockey League with both standard and the new 3-on-3 OT style, regular online versus games, and the new arcade mode NHL Threes. Read more
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The Line Drive for July 9
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Amazon Prime Day begins on Monday night and will offer tons of deals.
♦Those without Prime can sign up for a free 30-day trial to take advantage.
♦The fourth event in The Golf Club 2 pastapadre society is live on PS4.
♦DeMar DeRozan will appear on the Canadian cover of NBA 2K18.
♦An update has added an outdoor court program to NBA Live Mobile.
♦SI put together an oral history of NBA Jam by talking with those involved.
♦The features and improvements coming for WWE 2K18 have been revealed.
♦Full details on everything with the Anniversary Update for Rocket League.
♦Rocket League is currently on sale for $10 on PS4 and $12 on Xbox One.
♦Make sure to get signed up for NHL 18 online beta which starts July 26.
♦The first new character will be added to ARMS for free on Wednesday.
♦Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 will be added to EA Access Vault this summer.
♦Blu-ray releases are headlined by Fate of the Furious for this week. -
Press Row Podcast: Reflecting on the first half of 2017
This episode of the Press Row Podcast looks back at the games that released and biggest stories to have developed through the mid-point of the year. MLB The Show 17, NBA Playgrounds, The Golf Club 2, ARMS, Rocket League and more are reassessed and news on eSports, digital subscription services, story modes, and new consoles are revisited.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The show can also now be found on the recently launched Google Play Music for podcasts. Subscribe and review to help support the show! You can also listen with the streaming player below.
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