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Player ratings movement for early March in NBA 2K17
NBA 2K17 has had two major updates affecting player ratings since last checking in on the rosters in late January. Back then Nikola Jokic was in the midst of a meteoric rise and that has since continued as he is up another 2 points now to 87 Overall.
A couple new players have reached the 90 Overall threshold replacing those who dropped out. Kyrie Irving and John Wall have moved up to 90 while DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler are down to 89. Recently acquired DeMarcus Cousins, who has had some ups and downs in his brief time in New Orelans, has been downgraded a point to 92 Overall.
Other players on the rise include Steph Curry (+1 to 93), Isaiah Thomas (+1 to 92), Karl-Anthony Towns (+1 to 89), Blake Griffin (+1 to 88), Gordon Hayward (+1 to 88), Mike Conley (+1 to 87), Carmelo Anthony (+2 to 86), Bradley Beal (+2 to 86), Andrew Wiggins (+4 to 85), Goran Dragic (+3 to 85), Lou Williams (+3 to 82), Dion Waiters (+5 to 79), and Frank Kaminsky (+4 to 78).
Among the names of those headed the wrong direction lately are Paul George (-1 to 87), Draymond Green (-1 to 86), Kemba Walker (-1 to 86), Paul Millsap (-1 to 85), Andre Drummond (-1 to 85), C.J. McCollum (-1 to 85), Kristaps Porzingis (-1 to 84), Dwight Howard (-2 to 83), Al Horford (-2 to 82), and Reggie Jackson (-5 to 77).
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MLB The Show 17 presentation live stream
On Monday the new presentation elements for MLB The Show 17 which include heavy MLB Network integration were revealed through a brief video. Following up on that was the developer live stream archived below, going further into everything from the new commentators and broadcast package, to Showtrack, enhanced visuals, and of course a lot more gameplay.
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Another Madden eSports champion has been sanctioned, this time in cheating scheme
On the heels of one ugly situation that saw the Madden Bowl champion penalized due to conduct on social media now EA Sports has announced findings of an investigation and it involves the winner of the Madden Classic.
‘SpotMePlzzz’ has been disqualified from the Madden Challenge and penalized 125 Madden Championship Series points. Another participant, ‘Mr. Hollywood,’ has lost 125 MCS points and had his future invite status downgraded. All of this is due to account sharing where an individual allows someone else to play online games in their place. Given that the sheer number of games played factors into the scoring that collusion creates a distinct advantage.
The Madden Classic was the first major eSports event to be held with Madden NFL 17 with SpotMePlzzz winning the competition in early December. That was followed by the Madden Bowl and now qualification is being determined for the Madden Challenge which will have its finals in April. All those events and some others award Madden Championship Series points which go towards placement in the final Madden Championship tournament in May.
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Screenshots show off some of the new uniforms found in MLB The Show 17
Last week during a live stream all the uniforms for every team in MLB The Show 17 were briefly displayed. Now developer Sony San Diego has released a number of screenshots which prominently feature some new unis in action on the field as opposed to just the menu screen.
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EA running digital game sale on PS4
While unfortunately the PlayStation 4 still doesn’t offer the EA Access subscription program its existence has resulted in one benefit for those on the Sony side of console gaming. Titles that have reached the EA Access Vault, or are expected to soon, have more often had their digital versions offered at considerable discount. The sale now live includes several sports games.
FIFA 17 – through PlayStation Store for $19.79
FIFA 17 Deluxe – through PlayStation Store for $26.39
NHL 17 – through PlayStation Store or Amazon for $19.79
NHL 17 Deluxe – through PlayStation Store for $26.39
Madden NFL 17 – through PlayStation Store for $19.79
Madden NFL 17 Deluxe – through PlayStation Store for $23.09
Need for Speed Deluxe Bundle – through PlayStation Store for $14.99
EA Sports UFC 2 – through PlayStation Store or Amazon for $15.99Other games on sale include Titanfall 2, Battlefield 1, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, and Star Wars Battlefront. The deals will be avaialable through next Tuesday to PS+ subscribers.
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Disc Jam is one of the free PlayStation Plus games for March
On the heels of fantastic consumer response from the open beta the game drawing natural comparisons to Rocket League looks to be utilizing its playbook for success as well. A leaked promotional image showed Disc Jam as one of the free games that will be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers in March to download and keep as long as the sub is active and now it’s confirmed. That PS Store update would be scheduled for Tuesday, March 7.
Rocket League was propelled to huge popularity due in part to the strategy of launching for free to PS+ subscribers. Consumers are risk-averse these days and new unproven IPs from independent developers have an uphill battle to climb. By getting a great game in the hands of more people the result was positive word-of-mouth and eventual purchases on PS4 once out of that first month and on PC and Xbox One. Nearly two years later there are still hundreds of thousands of active players on a daily basis and a strong presence in eSports.
As with that game the enjoyment had with Disc Jam will largely rely upon the online user base. If it’s a healthy one, games are easy to find, and playing with and against random users is a positive experience, it could really thrive in much the same way.
Disc Jam has demonstrated the potential to generate word-of-mouth from its beta period and it has the formula to build itself into an eSport. The question, as discussed some during a lengthy segment on the recent Press Row Podcast, is whether it’ll have sustainable success over the long term as that’ll likely necessitate extensive post-release support.
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3on3 Freestyle officially launched on PS4
After nearly three months of an open beta the free-to-play arcade-style basketball game 3on3 Freestyle officially launched today as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. 3on3 Freestyle can be queued for download through its PlayStation Store page here. Read more
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Microsoft to offer its own game subscription service on Xbox One
EA Access has proven to be a success on Xbox One providing it an advantage over the PS4 and now Microsoft is about to double-down on the concept with a subscription service of their own. Xbox Game Pass will launch this spring at a cost of $10 a month and include unlimited access to over 100 XB1 and backwards compatible Xbox 360 titles.
NBA 2K16 is one of the games being promoted for the service and will be there for its launch. Though 2K16 is one season outdated it’s understandable why it was chosen. All the other big sports games are already handled by EA Access, and it’s far too early for NBA 2K17 to be added given that the series continues to sell well all the way through June. Maybe 2K17 will be added in July or August to try and capture some new MyTeam players who’ll spend money digitally and to generate more hype for September’s 2K18 release.
Other games already identified as coming to Xbox Game Pass include Halo 5: Guardians, Lego Batman, Saints Row IV, Payday 2, and Mad Max. New games will be added to the service every month but unlike EA Access, where all the games in the Vault are there permanently, some in Xbox Game Pass will be removed to make room for them or on a contractual basis.
Combined with the phenomenal value found with EA Access it’s fair to look at the Xbox One as the most inviting new console to purchase, as a huge library of games can be played instantly through the monthly subscription fees. For what amounts to a combined $12.50 a month, about a fifth of the cost of a single new game, consumers will have instant access to a huge library of content which is far better than having to spend a bunch of money on games the same day several hundred have already been spent on the console and online subscriptions.
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