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The Line Drive for June 12
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The Press Row Podcast episode on all the news out of EA Play is now also on Youtube.
♦Madden NFL 18 will let you match up corners on receivers by overall ratings.
♦Check out the WR/DB mechanics that will be utilized in Madden NFL 18 MUT Squads.
♦Madden NFL 18’s new story mode “Long Shot” features colleges and big name actors.
♦Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the global cover athlete for FIFA 18.
♦The Xbox One X will use this page at Amazon for pre-orders but is not yet available.
♦Microsoft revealed Forza Motorsport 7 with a 4K trailer at their press briefing.
♦Forza 7 can now be preordered for $48 through Amazon with a Prime membership.
♦Forza Horizon 3 and Rocket League will be getting free 4K updates for Xbox One X.
♦Get a free Gold All-Star Flashback Tyler Clipper for MLB The Show 17 Diamond Dynasty.
♦New patch for NBA Playgrounds means games won’t end while a shot is in the air.
♦The patch for the Switch version of NBA Playgrounds to add online is still not out.
♦The Start Today MyLeague feature in NBA 2K17 remains broken since NBA Finals began.
♦Camping World Truck Series and XFINITY Series will be introduced in NASCAR Heat 2.
♦PlayStation Store has MLB The Show 17 $40, PES 2017 $20, FIFA 17 $16, NHL 17 $10.
♦Blu-ray releases this week include Lego Batman Movie and John Wick 2. -
Press Row Podcast: EA Play 2017 News
Sports games always take center stage at Electronic Arts’ annual mid-June press briefing. Those previously linked with E3 instead now represent the kickoff to their own event EA Play. Given the leading soccer, football, and basketball titles are always among the top selling games in both North America and worldwide their high-profile presence should come as no surprise.
Madden NFL 18, FIFA 18, and NBA Live 18 all were prominently featured in this weekend’s EA Play press briefing. Madden had the full reveal of its new story mode to be known as “Long Shot” which has some colleges and big actors involved, FIFA had a look at its sequel to “The Journey” story mode along with some gameplay improvements, and NBA Live introduced a Career Mode called “The One” through its dual trailers.
In this episode of the Press Row Podcast host Bryan Wiedey is joined by Rich Grisham and T.J. Lauerman to go through the news and discuss what it all means for the respective franchises.
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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Gameplay improvements and second year of The Journey shown off for FIFA 18
The first news reveal for the biggest video game franchise in the world came out of EA Play today. FIFA 18 will be working to add player personality and overhaul dribbling, while The Journey goes into year two for star Alex Hunter.
Ronaldo’s signature sprint, Sterling’s unique turns, and Griezmann’s technique are all immediately recognizable in FIFA 18. For the first time ever, real-world movements, size and attributes inform how a player moves, allowing you to feel the life-like tendencies of the world’s best. New dribbling mechanics allow the best players to inject more creativity into 1v1 situations. Take more defined touches, make tighter turns, and explode into attack more dynamically than ever before.
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Madden NFL 18 “Long Shot” Trailer
While several features for Madden NFL 18 were detailed earlier the introduction of the Story Mode had only been teased. Today out of EA Play it received a proper reveal. Going with the title of “Long Shot” the mode will include time both in high school and college. Some licensed universities will even be featured* with the trailer showing both Texas and Oregon. Dan Marino appears as a character, and other actors involved include Scott Porter and Mahershala Ali.
After three years away from the game, play as former five-star high school quarterback, Devin Wade as he takes one last shot to hear his name called on NFL Draft day. Your decisions guide Devin beyond his hometown of Mathis, TX on his quest to football superstardom.
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*It appears the colleges may only appear in cinematic flashbacks and won’t have playable elements to them. Games Radar’s interview mentions the mode takes place between the Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. -
New Career Mode “The One” and Gameplay Details for NBA Live 18
After taking a year off – the fourth time in the last seven years that a game has failed to release – EA Sports is looking to earn some credibility back with NBA Live 18 this fall. At EA Play today the company revealed its big feature as a Career Mode called “The One” along with some gameplay details and the announcement of a free demo. Read more
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MLB The Show 17 roster update details and Diamond Dynasty content for June 9
Along with the latest patch out this morning new content in the form of additions to Diamond Dynasty and the weekly roster update have gone live in MLB The Show 17. The updates are significant as the new roster includes some major changes to ratings moving players up or down a tier while the Players of the Month for May have been introduced to Diamond Dynasty.
Dallas Keuchel and Zack Greinke are the biggest winners of the update up 2 points to go from Gold to Diamond status. Surrendering their place as Diamonds are Cubs pitchers Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester who have both fallen 3 points into the Gold tier at 87 Overall.
Other notable changes include Carlos Correa (+2 to 89), Anthony Rendon (+3 to 87 and new Gold), Ryan Zimmerman (+4 to 86 and new Gold), Chris Devenski (+2 to 86 and new Gold), Will Harris (+2 to 86 and new Gold), George Springer (+2 to 86 and new Gold), Yasmani Grandal (+2 to 85 and new Gold), Mike Moustakas (+4 to 84), Justin Bour (+3 to 84), Elvis Andrus (+3 to 84) Kyle Hendricks (-3 to 84 dropping to Silver), Gerrit Cole (-2 to 84 dropping to Silver), Yonder Alonso (+5 to 83), Tommy Kahnle (+5 to 83), Zack Cosart (+3 to 83), Kelvin Herrera (-2 to 83 dropping to Silver), Matt Carpenter (-4 to 81), and Matt Harvey (-8 to 74).
The May Players of the Month are out in Diamond Dynasty mode. Found in packs or the marketplace are Alex Wood (94 Overall), Justin Bour (90 Overall), Zack Cosart (89 Overall), Devon Travis (88 Overall), and Koda Glover (86 Overall). Lance McCullers (93 Overall) is available in the Ticket Counter for 3,000. Those who collect all six can advance in the Mission to receive 94 Overall Carlos Correa.
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Details on MLB The Show 17’s sixth patch
Work continues to try and fix various issues with MLB The Show 17 besides its continued server struggles. Earlier updates to MLB 17 delivered adjustments to AI manager decision-making, fixes for gameplay and presentation, the initial improvements made to gameplay, miscellaneous changes, plus a few early online and uniform fixes.
The sixth post-release patch went out today and includes the removal of the broken PCI indicator from the pitching side of the equation and a resolution so Challenge of the Week mode can make a return after its recent hiatus. Read more
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E3/EA Play 2017 Preview
Though its relevance on the ground has been fading E3 still represents a massive yearly event for the gaming industry. The press briefings that take place prior to E3 are main draw for observers while Electronic Arts has left E3 to hold their own overlapping event known as EA Play and other companies have begun to take similar approaches.
E3 and now also EA Play have traditionally delivered new insight into the upcoming crop of sports games slated for late summer and fall. Here’s the lineup for when everything is taking place, what to expect, and where to watch. Read more
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