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New tuning update makes some adjustments to gameplay in Madden NFL 17
A tuning update released today for Madden NFL 17 on Xbox One and PS4. Tuners allow EA Sports to make gameplay-related tweaks without necessitating a patch which takes far longer to complete and clear for release. They are downloaded while loading up the game similar to commentary and roster updates and are required for any online play.
Changes made with the latest tuner include making the kick meter penalty more forgiving in bad weather conditions and a reduction in broken tackles and QB fumbles. Read more
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Press Row Podcast: Review Roundup
An unprecedented number of sports game releases within a compressed window of just a few weeks has left both consumers and reviewers struggling to find the time and/or money for all of them. The panel in this episode discusses at length four of the latest games to arrive on the market – NHL 17, NBA 2K17, Pro Evolution Soccer 2017, and Forza Horizon 3.
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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Madden NFL 17 roster update details out of week two of the season
The roster update following week two is now available to download in Madden NFL 17. It was a rough one for running backs with Adrian Peterson, Ameer Abdullah, and Danny Woodhead lost for the season while Doug Martin, Arian Foster, and Jonathan Stewart are expected to miss at least a few weeks. At QB Jacoby Brissett takes over for Jimmy Garoppolo in New England and Patriots receiver Julian Edelman has been made eligible to play QB with the update.
Notable ratings movement includes Julio Jones (+1 to 97), Khalil Mack (-1 to 96), Aaron Rodgers (-2 to 95), DeAndre Hopkins (+1 to 94), Greg Olsen (+1 to 93), Eric Berry (-1 to 92), Muhammad Wilkerson (+2 to 91), Russell Wilson (-2 to 89), Jadeveon Clowney (+4 to 88), Derrick Johnson (-2 to 88), Stefon Diggs (+1 to 81), Sam Bradford (+2 to 80), and Dak Prescott (+1 to 75). You can view all the ratings changes throughout the league with this new form.
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Review of NBA 2K17
NBA 2K17 faced the difficult task of following up an all-time great basketball game and adjusting to the changing landscape of the NBA. The influence of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors is undeniable with 2K17. That includes new ratings categories, higher shooting percentages, and a ‘dynamic duo’ theme. Additional ways to start and play through the franchise modes are welcome and the story mode thankfully incorporates career elements with the rookie season instead being locked away until the conclusion of a movie.
There are areas of 2K17 however that have changed very little or even regressed, a number of issues and irritants can be quickly identified, and the game remains exceedingly difficult to learn and improve at despite the introduction of “2KU” which is poorly designed and ineffective.
NBA 2K17 is still a fantastic game packed with content but not quite the standout that was last year’s edition. Check out the complete review over at Sporting News.
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10 hour trial for FIFA 17 now available through EA Access on Xbox One
FIFA 17 is out now to download as a timed trial with EA Access on Xbox One. Subscribers to the service will get 10 hours of playtime after which the trial will expire. The timer is ticking down whenever the game is loaded regardless of whether it is being played, menus are being navigated through, or if there is any activity taking place at all. Because of that make sure to exit out and close the application from the Xbox One home screen when not in use.
The 10 hours are there to play whether or not all are used by Tuesday. Saves are stored on the hard drive so progress in any of the modes and online records and stats carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period.
EA Access launched July 2014 and is only available on Xbox One (though there’s now also Origin Access found on PC). This is the case because Sony has declined to offer the service through PlayStation 4 saying it doesn’t offer enough value – despite being arguably the best value in all of gaming. EA Access includes the “Vault” which offers unlimited play with nearly every game from the company’s catalog this generation, 10% off all digital purchases, and the ability to play games up to five days before they release with a limited timed trial. EA Access is priced at $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month.
Features for FIFA 17 include the introduction of the Frostbite Engine, a story mode which will be the first ever for the series, and improvements in gameplay to physicality, AI, and set pieces. The game is still available for Amazon Prime members to pre-order for $48 standard edition or $64 Deluxe Edition infused with extra Ultimate Team content.
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Madden NFL 17 has its commentary update from the second week of the regular season
The sixth commentary update for Madden NFL 17 went out today with the broadcast team of Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis reflecting on the events that took place and storylines that emerged from week two 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.
This week's commentary update is out in Madden NFL 17. Here's just a sampling of the new audio added to the game. pic.twitter.com/z694laLbeu
— Bryan Wiedey (@pastapadre) September 21, 2016
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Review of Forza Horizon 3
Those who’ve played the Forza Horizon series before will find familiarity with the new edition that releases later this month. Those who haven’t will get to discover one of the best racing games ever made. Check out the Forza Horizon 3 review that went up today on Sporting News.
Forza Horizon 3 introduces some compelling new features to the franchise like online campaign co-op, the ability to create Festivals as well as various events and challenges, and Drone Mode to follow and capture action as it takes place. The new setting of Australia is brilliant not just in terms of visuals but is critically important to the variety of racing it provides.
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NBA 2K17’s all-time college rosters and why you probably don’t want to buy
2K Sports released the rosters with all-time greats from the 10 licensed universities in NBA 2K17 over the weekend. For $15 as a bundle, which is nearly 1/3 of the price buying the game through Amazon or Best Buy with their membership programs or a quarter of the full price, expectations would naturally be pretty high for what the downloadable content provides. Unfortunately it’s something that even big fans of these programs are likely to find inadequate.
Full rosters of the 10 colleges can be found on Sporting News. Besides the absence of some notable names there are teams that have only 10 players on the roster and not every position is even filled. More blatant is how the majority of the legends have been copied over from the classic teams. The majority are not newly created young college-aged versions of the players. Just one example is Allen Iverson who sports cornrows!
Despite all that if there were a purpose to these teams the flaws could probably be overlooked. Sadly there is none. The teams can only be used in Play Now games. Want to take them into MyLeague like any of the classic teams? Sorry it’s not possible. They can’t be used online and there’s no team editing or player exporting possible. The teams also played with NBA rules even when matched up against each other and the college crowds aren’t present.
There would of course be excitement about anything college video game related, given that there haven’t been any for years now and there’s no return for them in sight just yet. Bringing some universities into story mode in 2K16 and 2K17 was a brilliant move and as predicted last year just a first step – charging for additional college-related content would be completely fair as there’s no reasonable expectation for any of that to be in an NBA game. However just throwing uniforms on already created players and giving you nothing to do with the teams but exhibition games hardly justifies the steep cost being charged here.
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