-
The Line Drive for April 17
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Unearthing the biggest sleeper (over)performers in MLB 16 Diamond Dynasty.
♦A closer look at the first batch of rookies that were added to MLB The Show 16.
♦NBA 2K17 special edition will celebrate the career of Kobe Bryant.
♦Both Legend and Standard NBA 2K17 can be pre-ordered for 20% off w/Amazon Prime.
♦EA Sports UFC 2 can still be purchased on XB1 or PS4 for $40 at Amazon.
♦NHL 16 is on sale for $20 as a digital download on PlayStation 4.
♦Help by nominating Press Row Podcast in The Podcast Awards Games & Hobbies category!
♦March NPD sales had EA Sports UFC 2 #5, MLB The Show 16 #6, and NBA 2K16 #8.
♦Details on a gameplay tuner update that has gone out for EA Sports UFC 2.
♦Details on the latest patch to have gone out for Rocket League.
♦The Kobe XI Elite 4.13 shoes have been added to NBA 2K16.
♦Franchise Hockey Manager 2 is currently 35% off down to $20 available on Steam.
♦Details on the latest update that has gone out for Franchise Hockey Manager 2.
♦NBA jersey ads start in 2017 and could create an interesting situation in video games.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by The Revenant. -
Details on the second patch for MLB The Show 16 which attempts to fix more problems
Sony San Diego had to rush out a patch for MLB The Show 16 earlier this month, and now they’ve quickly pushed through a second urgent update for the game to address the critical issues it has been facing.
The new patch includes attempts to fix “Challenge Failed” errors plus other crashes and bugs. The developer is also warning not to use Perks in Road to the Show as a pitcher as it’ll cause the game to crash until they can get another patch out at a later date. Read more
-
New salary cap mode coming to Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 16
It’s April, the NFL Draft is right around the corner, and promotion of Madden NFL 17 will be getting underway soon. Despite that a new mode is about to roll out in Madden NFL 16. A patch is coming in a few weeks that will deliver “Salary Cap Ranked Beta” to Ultimate Team.
Salary Cap Ranked Beta is not just a new game mode, it’s a fundamental change that is felt throughout the entire Madden Ultimate Team experience by assigning a Cap Value to every player and redefining how to assemble a lineup. This is being referred to as a “Beta” because of the size of the feature and the timing of when we’re releasing it.
Salary Cap Ranked will be in addition to all the other ways to play Ultimate Team and not a replacement for any of them. Every player will be assigned a cap value that won’t necessarily be based on their Overall Ratings. Teams will be formed through assigning 34 already owned MUT players the total of which must stay under the 1,000 point cap.  Read more
-
How to do the Stockton Slap with the Diaz brothers in EA Sports UFC 2
The latest patch for EA Sports UFC 2 included a number of gameplay-related improvements, but it also featured the addition of a move exclusive to just two fighters. The “Stockton Slap” is a signature of Nate and Nick Diaz and now it can be done in the video game, by pushing towards the opponent and hitting the Triangle/Y during a taunt.
-
Both the standard and special editions of NBA 2K17 are now available for pre-order
Yesterday 2K Sports announced the Kobe Bryant Legend Edition of NBA 2K17, and given the way he went out in his final game they couldn’t have written a story better for promotion of the upcoming product.
It’s not just the special edition that has gone up for pre-order however. The standard edition of the game is also available, and both are 20% off for Amazon Prime members. That makes the Legend Edition $64 and the standard edition $48. While the Legend Edition will also be made available digitally, that will be the full $80 and not include the physical items, so it won’t be nearly as appealing as buying a copy traditionally.
Retail listings for the game currently display a placeholder date since the official release date has not yet been announced. It is expected to once again happen at the end of September or beginning of October. It’s unclear whether there will be an “early tip-off” like last year in which the game went out even four days earlier to those who pre-ordered.
It’s unusual for there to be news on the upcoming NBA 2K in April, especially considering that 2K16 is still selling well and generating digital revenue, but Bryant’s retirement called for it to happen now. Even things outside their control just seem to fall into place for 2K these days.
-
First in-season roster update is out for MLB The Show 16 adding many rookies
Today the first roster update for MLB The Show 16 went out and it includes many of the rookies that have made their debut early in the season. There are no ratings changes – no need to overreact to a handful of games’ worth of data – with the update focusing instead on the new players and any other transactions that have taken place.
This roster update is highly anticipated for the addition of players like Trevor Story, Byung Ho Park, Kenta Maeda, and Ross Stripling. Story set the record for the most home runs in history through six games of a season with seven, and Stripling went 7.1 innings of no hit ball before having to be pulled from the game due to his pitch count. Dae-Ho Lee and some others are missing from the update however. Read more
-
NBA 2K17 special edition features Kobe Bryant and lots of bonus content
2K Sports today announced the NBA 2K17 Legend Edition featuring Kobe Bryant on the cover. The game will retail for $80 but is available for pre-order already on PS4 and Xbox One with Amazon Prime members getting it for just $64.
The package includes physical items of a limited edition poster, Black Mamba controller skin, and two Panini trading cards. In-game digital content will be 30,000 in Virtual Currency (that’s close to $10 worth), MyTeam Bundle with three card packs and guaranteed Kobe “free agent” card, 2K Kobe XI shoes, Kobe #8 Mitchell & Ness jersey, and Kobe hoodie.
The standard edition of NBA 2K17 will feature a different NBA star on the cover with the news on that coming in June. The game will release this fall.
-
Online issues remain a pressing concern for MLB The Show 16
Despite multiple server-side updates and a patch, MLB The Show 16 has continued to suffer from online-related issues. Whether it be menu slowdown due to the servers, or an inability to get online games started or completed, the situation has seemingly not improved and in some ways only worsened. Sony San Diego released a statement this evening that work on another emergency patch is ongoing and could release in the “coming days.”
We are aware of and continue to track and investigate issues related to server stability and online play, including a “Challenge Failed” message many users have encountered. There are also reports of inconsistent head-to-head matchmaking and some minor offline issues we’re exploring as well.
In addition to the “Challenge Failed” errors there have been many instances where matchmaking simply didn’t locate an opponent. When games have successfully started some are freezing up at various points for unknown reasons. As more people are completing Conquest mode in Diamond Dynasty, greater numbers are turning to head-to-head competition in the team-building mode and the frustration is growing as whatever patience consumers have with issues that follow release has dissipated after two full weeks.
by