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Deals on several sports games available through limited time digital holiday sales
The final week of the PlayStation Holiday Sale has delivered some new deals to consider on a handful of recent sports games. This could be a good opportunity to pick up any that were missed out on from Black Friday promotions or those that were hoped to have been received as gifts. The prices of the games are solid for this point in their respective life cycles, and considering there’s no EA Access on PS4 (possibly preferred alternative to buying them outright now or at a later date) it’ll be some time before the cost is lower for the EA Sports titles.
FIFA 17 for $30
Madden NFL 17 for $30
EA Sports UFC 2 for $15
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour for $9.89 ($18 w/o PS+)
MLB The Show 16 for $12
F1 2016 for $30 ($36 w/o PS+)Similar deals continue to be available for those with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions on Xbox One with the exception of UFC 2 and (of course) MLB The Show. UFC and Rory McIlroy are already included in the EA Access Vault. Madden could be added as early as around time of the Super Bowl while FIFA will likely require waiting until April or May.
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End of Year Community Awards: Best Online Play of 2016
The next category to open in the annual Community Awards is for Best Online Play. This one has naturally been dominated by EA Sports due to struggles online from the other major sports game publishers. NCAA Football took it once and Madden is on a streak of five straight wins.
The number of ways to play online has continued to expand with Madden NFL 17 which just as importantly features one of the most consistent experiences in terms of online performance. There’s regular Head-to-Head, Draft Champions, Ultimate Team, Salary Cap Ranked, and Online Events. Madden also features by far the best Online Franchise experience in the genre.
The FIFA series has always been great online, an impressive feat considering its huge user base which is spread across the globe. Add in online modes that can involve up to 22 players connected in and it’s remarkable to consider how well the games run. Like Madden, FIFA 17 features a number of different ways to play online within its Ultimate Team mode.
As an online-based game Rocket League had to be great to be successful and it has been all the way into its second year. The games almost always run perfectly and the variety in matches – with additions like basketball, power-ups, and unique arenas – has kept the game fresh and immensely popular well beyond the expiration date of most games these days.
Other categories now open for votes
Best Gameplay
Best Mobile Game
Best Career/Story Mode
Best Presentation
Best Team-Building Mode -
End of Year Community Awards: Best Team-Building Mode of 2016
The next category to open up in the Community Awards is for the mode that has become one of the most popular ways to play sports video games and it’s the manner in which revenue is being made by companies to keep them afloat. Ultimate Team was introduced in 2009 by EA Sports and has continued to evolve from its original form through nearly all their titles, with other developers copying and putting their own spin on the model.
Last year MLB The Show won the award for its reinvention of what had been a dead-in-the-water Diamond Dynasty. With MLB The Show 16 the mode grew even more compelling with the addition of a “draft mode” in Battle Royale, the single-player Conquest mode, the daily Inside Edge ratings adjustments, and new types of cards and Missions.
Madden NFL 17 has continued to provide an immense amount of content in its Ultimate Team mode, with new programs rolling out regularly that make it possible to build a competitive roster without being forced to spend money. Improvements were made to allow quicker completion/restarts of Solo Challenges, Chemistry was reworked, and the Trade Block returned.
The most widely-played of the modes resides in the FIFA series. This year with Ultimate Team in FIFA 17 there was the introduction of Squad Building Challenges, which provided a new challenge and an additional use for lower-rated cards in collections, and FUT Champions to act as essentially a weekly league competition with monthly leaderboards.
Other categories now open for votes
Best Gameplay
Best Mobile Game
Best Career/Story Mode
Best Presentation -
The Line Drive for December 24
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The first four of this year’s Community Awards categories are open for voting!
♦For last-minute ideas check out the Holiday Gift Guide for buy Amazon Gift Cards.
♦MLB The Show 16 was named Sports Game of the Year by the Press Row Podcast.
♦Review of the new Blizzard Mountain expansion now available in Forza Horizon 3.
♦Details on the return of Brett Favre to Madden with new Ultimate Team content.
♦Football Manager Touch 2017 is taken a look at with a review of the mobile/PC game.
♦Over 100K copies of Out of the Park Baseball 17 have sold – the most in its 17 year history.
♦Out of the Park Baseball 17 is on sale again for $10 through the holidays.
♦Sony San Diego detailed the improvements seen in the first trailer for MLB The Show 17.
♦EA Sports had Ray Hudson narrate some of the best goals of the year made in FIFA 17.
♦The latest roster update for NHL 17 boosted Connor McDavid among others.
♦Details on the improvements and fixes in the latest patch to have released for Steep.
♦Log in to Steep to receive a free Santa costume this weekend.
♦Microsoft’s holiday stretch of deals in the Xbox Store is underway and ends January 9.
♦Blu-ray releases are headlined by Snowden for this coming week.
♦Rent any movie for just 99 cents (one-time use) through Amazon Video. -
Christmas uniforms added to NBA 2K17
Today NBA 2K17 received an update that delivered the Christmas Day uniforms. Though they are labeled as “2015-16” on the team selection screen they are the versions that will be worn on Sunday by the 10 teams in action. Additionally all teams that wear the Christmas jerseys have the special Stance socks for the occasion which features a brand new design this year.
The updated Christmas jerseys are actually available for all 30 teams but here’s a look at the 10 that will be playing on the holiday. Read more
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Review of the Blizzard Mountain Expansion for Forza Horizon 3
Forza Horizon 3 is one of the best games of 2016 and the recently released Blizzard Mountain expansion is a must-buy for fans of the game. The challenging conditions, beautiful visuals, and new vehicles really deliver a unique experience. There are a few caveats to consider however, such as the necessity of having advanced far enough in the regular game in order to actually be able and play the DLC. Those interested in it will want to grab the Expansion Pass while it’s on sale through the end of the year. Check out the full review over at Sporting News!
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Madden NFL 17 roster update details out of week 15 of the season
The roster update for Madden NFL 17 following week 15 of the season is now available to download. Khalil Mack continues his rise as he now stands only a point away from reaching the exclusive club of 99 Overall rated players in the game. He began at 94 and rose to 97 for week one, and after falling to 93 after week six has been climbing ever since.
Notable players on the move in the update include Eric Weddle (+1 to 96), Eric Berry (+1 to 94), Aaron Rodgers (-1 to 94), Jimmy Graham (+1 to 93), Tyron Smith (-3 to 93), Aqib Talib (-1 to 93), Bobby Wagner (+2 to 92), Greg Olsen (-2 to 92), Gerald McCoy (-2 to 91), Michael Bennett (+1 to 90), Janoris Jenkins (+1 to 90), Sean Lee (+1 to 90), Larry Fitzgerald (-2 to 90), Adrian Peterson (-1 to 89), Brandon Marshall (-3 to 85), Tyrann Mathieu (-3 to 85), Mike Adams (+3 to 83), Keith Smith (+10 to 78), Jalston Fowler (+6 to 78), Keith Tandy (+4 to 78), and Ty Montgomery (+2 to 78). View all the ratings changes made throughout the league with the new form here.
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First look at Super Mega Baseball 2
Metalhead Software today unveiled the first official video featuring gameplay from Super Mega Baseball 2. The game appeared at the PlayStation Experience event earlier this month and was announced in late September for release in mid-2017.
SMB2 is the sequel to one of the biggest surprises of 2014, with the original finishing near the top of numerous Sports Game of the Year lists. The follow-up will add online play, enhance the character models, and provide greater customization features.
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