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The Line Drive for October 16
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Review: Is an amusing story enough to make 100ft Robot Golf purchase worthy?
♦Pre-orders for all upcoming games are 20% off for Amazon Prime members.
♦OOTP 17 picks the Blue Jays to win the American League Championship Series.
♦OOTP 17 picks the Dodgers to win the National League Championship Series.
♦The latest Press Row Podcast features discussion on all the recent major sports games.
♦Some adjustments to gameplay will be made for NBA 2K17 in the coming days.
♦Another change for 2K17 will be making shot timing more difficult following the patch.
♦The most recent patch for NBA 2K17 has now also reached Xbox One and PC.
♦NBA 2K17 is one of the games that will be enhanced with the new PS4 Pro.
♦The first developer blog for Steep takes a look at how to explore the mountains.
♦EA Sports has partnered with the CFL to bring some players to Madden Mobile.
♦Details on changes with the latest patch that is on the way for F1 2016.
♦Details on the downloadable content coming to Nascar Heat Evolution this month.
♦Official release of Franchise Hockey Manager 3 has been pushed back two weeks.
♦Psyonix has adjusted how ranked tiers are determined in Rocket League.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by Independence Day Resurgence. -
The offensive series in Madden NFL 17’s Ultimate Team BCA program has opened
There are currently a number of great Solo Challenge routes to take in Madden NFL 17 Ultimate Team thanks in large part to the recent introductions of the October Gauntlet and NFL Journey. The Breast Cancer Awareness program that was introduced last week for the defensive side of the ball has now switched to the offense and will be available until next Friday.
Those who complete the 16 challenges will have earned over 21K Coins, 6 packs, and an 85 rated Aaron Rodgers. BCA cards for players on offense include their own Chemistry. When four players are in the starting lineup they’ll receive ratings boosts of +2 to Strength, Awareness, and Stamina. Sets can be completed to turn 10 Silver players into a Gold or 10 Gold players into an Elite. A collection of all 23 BCA players can be swapped for a 92 Overall Aaron Rodgers.
BCA packs can be purchased from the store for 1000 Points (the equivalent of $10) and provide 4 Gold or better BCA players on offense. Some BCA packs can also be earned through the process of completing other Solo Challenges.
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Details on the first patch for FIFA 17
The first post-release patch for FIFA 17 is nearing release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and is already available on PC. EA Sports provided details on what to expect out of the update. It includes numerous gameplay fixes and improvements plus updated broadcast elements for the Premier League this season. Read more
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First deal on FIFA 17
It hasn’t even been three weeks since FIFA 17 released but the game can already be had at a significant discount. Amazon has it as the “Deal of the Day” for $40 on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This will likely be the lowest price found on FIFA 17 until Black Friday in late November so those who are interested should consider taking advantage of the deal.
FIFA 17 is the highest rated edition in the series since 2013 and features “The Journey” which is a new story mode, the introduction of the Frostbite Engine, and gameplay with increased physicality and redesigned set pieces. Check out the full review over at Sporting News.
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Madden NFL 17 roster update details out of week five of the season
The roster update following week five of the season is now available in Madden NFL 17. The highest rated player to change is Julio Jones, who just last week rose to 98 following a 300 yard receiving game. He’s back down to 97 with that game having been bracketed by 1 catch for 16 yards against the Saints and having been held to 2 receptions and 29 yards in Denver.
Other notable movers include Aaron Rodgers (-1 to 95), Ben Roethlisberger (+1 to 94), Jamie Collins (+1 to 94), Khalil Mack (-2 to 94), Joe Thomas (-2 to 93), A.J. Green (-1 to 93), Aqib Talib (+1 to 92), Desmond Trufant (-1 to 92), Odell Beckham Jr. (-1 to 91), Martellus Bennett (+2 to 90), Darius Slay (+1 to 90), Olivier Vernon (-2 to 89), Matt Ryan (+1 to 88), Janoris Jenkins (+2 to 87), Golden Tate (-2 to 87), Cameron Wake (-3 to 86), Vontaze Burfict (-4 to 85), Xavier Rhodes (+2 to 85), Zach Brown (+3 to 84), Ezekiel Elliott (+2 to 83), and Morris Claiborne (+3 to 80). You can view all the ratings changes throughout the league with this new form.
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Massive Solo Challenge Journey introduced in Madden NFL 17 Ultimate Team
EA Sports continues to churn out intriguing additions to Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 17 that make it possible to upgrade teams through the accumulation of Coins or pack and player rewards without having to spend money buying packs. The October Gauntlet is a fantastic way to do just that and the Breast Cancer Awareness program is also worthwhile. Today another big Solo Challenge campaign was introduced to the mode.
The NFL Journey Solo Challenge encompasses 160 scenarios so it’ll take considerable time to complete. Those who get through all of them will have received 160K Coins, 6 Elite players, 32 packs, and a 90 rated Earl Thomas with Seattle Chemistry.
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Madden NFL 17 has its commentary update from the fifth week of the regular season
The ninth commentary update for Madden NFL 17 has gone out with the broadcast team of Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis reflecting on the events that took place and storylines that emerged from week five of the season. Madden will be receiving these real-world commentary updates regularly throughout the year which apply to Play Now and Online games. The duo will also be recording additional audio for modes like Franchise and Ultimate Team.
Another commentary update is out in Madden NFL 17. Here's just a sampling of what's new coming out of week 5. pic.twitter.com/efs0PH3m9l
— Bryan Wiedey (@pastapadre) October 11, 2016
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Details on the second patch for NBA 2K17
The second post-release patch for NBA 2K17 has just gone live on PlayStation 4 and is expected to reach Xbox One in the near future. It’s another massive update at 7.1 GB – the same as the first which went out in late September on PS4 and just last week on XB1. [Update 10/14] The patch is now also available on Xbox One and PC.
This latest patch intends to fix the shot meter which has been improperly registering release timing. Recent gameplay tuning updates have been used to try and compensate for the flaw in shooting as best as possible until the release of the patch. Full details on what the update has affected with gameplay and various modes now follows:Â Read more
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