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The first round rookies have been added to Madden NFL 16 Ultimate Team
Ever since 2012 EA Sports has been adding incoming rookies early to Madden, several months before they make their official debut with the edition that represents their first actual season in the league. They’ve been able to do this by introducing them into Madden Ultimate Team and that has continued now for a sixth straight year with Madden NFL 16.
All 31 first rounders taken in the 2016 NFL Draft can now be found in Madden 16’s Ultimate Team mode. There are two different types of cards: one with ratings that reflect how they are perceived as they enter the league (though maybe more favorably than they will be rated next fall in Madden NFL 17) and the other being fantasy-type “Elite” ratings that set them up as future superstars. Given that players with ratings in the mid-70s to mid-80s are likely useless to most who have been playing Ultimate Team for some time now, those future superstar cards are the ones that will be considered particularly relevant.
Unlike past years this time around the Overall Ratings for the players were determined solely based on where they were chosen in the draft and the separation between the two card variants is always 11 points. The individual attribute ratings however are unique to each player.
For a full look at all the rookies that can now be found in Madden NFL 16 Ultimate Team and their key ratings check out today’s piece over at Sporting News.
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Inside Edge helping to make Diamond Dynasty a mode for everyone
One of the biggest complaints about team-building modes in sports games is that they’re built around pressuring consumers into spending money in order to complete. MLB The Show 16’s Diamond Dynasty mode however has introduced a new feature that is arguably the most consumer-friendly in the genre and has made it far more inviting for those who don’t necessarily want to invest in it the same way that others chose to do so.
Inside Edge is delivering ratings changes on a daily basis that makes it possible to put together elite-caliber lineups, or at least ones that are very competitive, without having to actually own all the top cards that are available. Read more
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False starts have become an issue with the latest update for Madden NFL 16
Yesterday a patch went out for Madden NFL 16 to add in the new Salary Cap Ranked mode to Ultimate Team. Soon after the update was applied reports started coming in from the community that false starts were occurring at an alarming rate.
In a test run today on All-Pro with default settings there were a total of 10 false starts committed in just the first half of the game with 6 of them coming from the CPU. That’s in line with what others have been seeing. Users can adjust and avoid doing a fake snap of course, which is the culprit as it seems to result in a false start about half the time, but the CPU doesn’t know to do that so they’re looking at double-digit fouls per game.
EA Sports has since commented that they are investigating the issue and expect a fix to be out “very shortly.” While it’s unclear if that will need to come via another patch, which would require a fairly lengthy process of approval from Microsoft and Sony, the wording seems to suggest a gameplay tuner may be able to address it more immediately.
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New features in NHL 17 to include relocation and World Cup of Hockey
EA Sports today announced a cover vote for NHL 17 but more importantly released a trailer that revealed a few big features for the upcoming game. NHL 17 will include franchise relocation in Be a GM mode and along with it appears to be the ability to create an arena, plus the eight team World Cup of Hockey tournament taking place in September will have its own mode.
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Salary Cap Ranked now available in Madden NFL 16 Ultimate Team
In an update that went out today the brand new mode Salary Cap Ranked has been added to Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 16. Not affecting any of the other ways to play, Salary Cap Ranked places a value on players who are selected from Item Binders, with 34 of them being chosen for the team while being fit under the assigned 1,000 point cap.
There is an entry fee of one “Event Ticket” and once the teams are formed the challenge is to win six games before losing two, which is just like Draft Champions Ranked.
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Basketball has made it to Rocket League
Rocket League began as a very successful combination of racing and soccer. Late last year though developer Psyonix added in a hockey mode which proved to be very well received. It was more than just changing the ball to the puck, but the different physics meant the game had to be approached in a completely different manner. The air-game was de-emphasized in favor of playing the boards to a greater degree.
In a free update that went out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC today basketball has now joined soccer and hockey in Rocket League. The new Hoops mode includes a special arena, and the style of play will require more of a display of skill in the air than ever before, as well as using more deflections to land the ball inside the rim and away from opponents hoping to block it away.
While the Hoops mode is free there is also some paid DLC that has been released. In a partnership with the NBA there is now a pack of team flags for $2 that includes all 30 logos.
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MLB The Show 16 week three roster update
The third in-season roster update went out today for MLB The Show 16. While there were a number of ratings changes, very few of them affected upper-tier players. Only one name previously rated above an 84 moved up.
After throwing his second no-hitter, Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Jake Arrieta was bumped a point to 96, though it would seem justifiable for him and Bryce Harper to be all the way up at 99 now rather than a few points away still. Read more
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The Line Drive for April 24
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦This year’s Madden Mock Draft looks at the best picks for each team in the first round.
♦Archived video stream of the first Diamond Dynasty showdown between PP and TSG.
♦Examining the first of the new cards added to Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 16.
♦80 minutes of Diamond Dynasty discussion in the new episode of the Press Row Podcast.
♦The Press Row Podcast can now also be found through Google Play Music.
♦First look at Madden NFL 17 presentation was posted/later deleted by Damarious Randle.
♦The new Salary Cap Ranked mode for Madden 16 Ultimate Team will be out Tuesday.
♦Good chance that some incoming rookies will again make debut in MUT late this week.
♦Serious conflict of interest has arisen as EA now redirects their UFC forum to Operation Sports.
♦Through Monday morning logging into FIFA 16 will get a free token for FUT Draft.
♦The first news on NHL 17 probably just related to the cover is coming on Tuesday.
♦NHL 16 now has “HUT Advantage” a way to buy packs distributed weekly at discount.
♦Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson isn’t a big fan of EA Sports UFC 2.
♦EA Sports UFC 2 can still be purchased for XB1 or PS4 at the sale price of $40.
♦The PC version of Rocket League is currently on sale for just $12.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by Krampus and Ride Along 2.
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