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MLB The Show 16 roster update details for week seven
Some big name starting pitchers have taken a hit to their ratings with the latest roster update for MLB The Show 16. Matt Harvey, Sonny Gray, and Dallas Keuchel have struggled mightily early this season and their attributes are now beginning to reflect that.
Harvey is one of the players that has disappointed the most this year. He’s 3-7 with a 6.08 ERA and 1.69 WHIP. After opening MLB 16 with a rating of 94 he has now dropped to 88.
Gray is now down 5 points from where he began the season and recently went to the DL. He’s 3-5 with a 6.19 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. This week he lost 6 points to BB/9 and 5 to K/9.
Keuchel, the reigning AL Cy Young, is now down 4 points from where he began the season.  He’s 2-6 with a 5.92 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. This week he dropped 7 points in the HR/9 category.
Other notable players affected this week include Daniel Murphy (+3 to 86), Jonathan Lucroy (+3 to 85), Ryan Madson (-2 to 84), Vince Velasquez (+2 to 82), Jay Bruce (+3 to 81), Yangervis Solarte (+2 to 81), Steve Pearce (+2 to 81), Russell Martin (-3 to 81), Matt Holliday (-4 to 80), Alexei Ramirez (-5 to 78), and Howie Kendrick (-5 to 77).
New rookies include Jared Hoying (Rangers OF, 70 Overall, B Potential), Whit Merrifield (Royals 2B, 69 Overall, B Potential), and Cesar Vargas (Padres SP, 65 Overall, B Potential).
Additionally some new cards have been added to the player pool. Robin Yount (93), Ian Desmond (88), Asdrubal Cabrera (86), Andrelton Simmons (85), and Matt Carpenter (82).
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Details on the improvements to zone defense in Madden NFL 17
EA Sports has released a new Madden NFL 17 developer blog and this one goes over in great detail the work that has been done to zone defense. The zones which had been independent of one another will now operate in sync within a global scheme and new types of zones and coverage logic have been added. Read more
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Quick look at the new juke and hurdle moves in Madden NFL 17
One of the main areas of gameplay improvement for Madden NFL 17 has been identified by EA Sports as the new ball-carrier moves. The company has posted two examples of that already – besides what was seen in the cover announcement trailer – to better define what to expect starting with jukes and hurdles.
On the surface they don’t really look unlike those seen in past Madden games, but in comparing side-by-side differences can be spotted. Besides the poor running animations it’s worth noticing how both the juke and the hurdle are assisted by new defensive fakeout animations.
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SSX now backwards compatible on Xbox One
While games like Fight Night Round 4 and Skate 2 are expected to be made backwards compatible for Xbox One in June, one new Xbox 360 title has been added today. 2012’s reboot of the SSX series will now be playable on Xbox One.
SSX excelled with its technical achievements, exhilarating gameplay, and social-based online but also grew excessively frustrating to play at times. A post-release patch added in two head-to-head online modes while DLC was released featuring additional characters.
The game was free in December 2014 to those with Xbox Live Gold and was frequently on sale for less than $20 those years ago. It’s currently $20 digital through the Xbox Marketplace while used copies through Amazon can be had for about $9.
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New Star Soccer spin-off released on mobile
Considered by some to be the best sports game ever released on mobile, New Star Soccer now has a follow-up out on iOS and soon Android being sold for $4.
New Star Soccer G-Story combines game challenges with a narrative that’s credited to a partnership with a book publisher and children’s authors. That makes it a somewhat interactive story that’s targeted more at a young audience. Read more
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Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 announced and first gameplay features revealed
Though it has failed to gain traction with consumers in North America – due to a combination of the entrenched nature of the FIFA series and absence of some licenses – Pro Evolution Soccer has become recognized as the better of the two franchises by reviewers and many fans. Today Konami officially announced Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 and revealed some of the new gameplay features to expect this September. Read more
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NBA Live 16 added to the EA Access Vault
With today’s addition of NBA Live 16 to the EA Access Vault all the EA Sports games from 2015 are now included with the subscription service. While there won’t be another NBA Live until maybe sometime next year – whether that even materializes will remain to be seen – those on Xbox One can now play Live 16 in unlimited fashion as long as a subscription is active.
This is the fifth and final EA Sports game from 2015 to reach the Vault in EA Access. It follows Madden NFL 16 which was added in February, NHL 16 in March, FIFA 16 in April, and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour from earlier this month.
EA Access is currently exclusive to Xbox One with Sony declining to offer the service on PS4. For $30 a year or $5 month-to-month, members get unlimited access to the back library of EA games on the console which in addition to all the sports titles include the likes of Battlefield Hardline, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Titanfall. There’s also the 10 hour trials with every EA game that begin five days before release and 10% savings on all digital purchases whether it be the actual games or microtransactions within them.
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Press Row Podcast: Madden NFL 17’s first details
With EA Play and E3 nearing the promotional cycle for the next Madden has gotten underway. There’s a lot to be excited about already for Madden NFL 17 including long-overdue work to Special Teams, a new defensive AI system, special moves for ball-carriers, and a “renewed focus on Franchise mode.”
In this episode of the Press Row Podcast presented by Hit The Pass, Bryan Wiedey, Rich Grisham, and Kat Bailey discuss all the news, the concern over “Tackle Battles”, and what is being hoped for with Franchise mode.
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 just 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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