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MLB The Show 16 stream focused on Road to the Show and ShowTime
Just over a week ago a number of improvements and additions were detailed for Road to the Show mode in MLB The Show 16. Among them were gameplay perks and ShowTime, both of which weren’t very warmly received as concerns have arisen about the mode getting too gimmicky. More attractive to RTTS veterans is no longer having to go back to the menus after every game and enhancements to scouting and the Topps Prospect Showcase.
MLB The Show 16 developers dove in deeper to RTTS with the first of eight scheduled live streams. In addition to looking at more perks and ShowTime, the stream showed off some new touches like an on-screen indicator for Directional Hitting, on-screen info like home run distances and hit speed, while noting there will be three new brands of equipment, sounds will come out of the PS4 controller, and there will be no tattoos or face scanning functionality. Read more
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The All-Star update is here for NBA 2K16
The uniforms and court for this year’s NBA All-Star Game which takes place in Toronto on February 14 made it into NBA 2K16 earlier today. The full rosters for the game were updated following the reserve selections being announced last week.
The jerseys include, for the first time ever, an advertisement on front with the sponsorship by Kia. Strangely though the 2016 All-Star Game in NBA 2K16 is being played in Madison Square Garden rather than Air Canada Centre. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see that issue fixed in the next day or two with another update.
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EA Sports UFC 2 highlight reel
With the EA Sports UFC 2 beta about to come to a close I put together a highlight reel of some of the best moments from my online fights completed throughout the beta period.
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$20 digital Madden NFL 16 Super Bowl Edition available for one week; includes $20 worth of Madden Points for Ultimate Team
Madden NFL 16 was added to the EA Access Vault on Xbox One today, but for those on PlayStation 4, or who would rather not subscribe to the service on XB1, there’s a new deal of interest to consider.
EA Sports has once again released a “Super Bowl Edition” of the game to the digital stores on PS4 and XB1. For PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold members it can be purchased for $19.80. This special edition of the game is only available starting today through February 9.
The Super Bowl Edition includes 2,200 “Madden Points” which can be spent on Ultimate Team packs. If one were to buy 2,200 points, that purchase alone would cost $20, and makes this a no-brainer of a deal for anyone who plans to invest significant time in the mode.
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Madden NFL 16 added to the EA Access Vault
The first of last year’s sports games has reached the Vault in EA Access. Madden NFL 16 has just been added, making it available in full to all subscribers.
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 Madden 16 now includes 2014’s sports titles plus Battlefield Hardline, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Titanfall, and others. 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.
The arrival of Madden to the Vault comes a month earlier than it did last year. That allows for a quick promotional push for the service in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. In addition to potential new subs, those introduced to the game for the first time may be more inclined to try out and invest in the game’s Ultimate Team mode. Expect to see Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, NBA Live 16, NHL 16, and FIFA 16 follow over the next four months.
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Take Two/2K Sports being sued over player tattoos in NBA 2K16
Many have lamented the lack of player tattoos in certain sports video games, most prominently the Madden NFL series. EA Sports made a big deal out of Colin Kaepernick getting his tattoos in Madden NFL 15 but he was the only player in the game with them.
The publisher no longer includes potentially copyright infringing art without those who own the rights having signed off on them. There are now a few more players including cover athlete Odell Beckham Jr. with them in Madden NFL 16. Even in EA Sports UFC 2 it’s been noticed that designs have been altered on fighters such as CM Punk and removed completely from Carlos Condit to avoid potential litigation.
Tattoos have remained in other games sports game franchises though – most notably the NBA 2K series, seemingly without having been challenged. That may need to change with Take Two, owner of 2K Sports and developer Visual Concepts, now being sued over certain designs on the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Solid Oak Sketches has filed suit over the specific art on five players and are seeking over $800,000 in damages. They’ve also offered a perpetual licensing fee of $1.1 million for 2K to use the art in future games.
Take Two has not provided comment on the suit which was filed today in federal court. It’s possible the tattoos on the players could be edited in the meantime, but more likely they’ll go unchanged and end up settling the matter. Because of the lengthy process a determination may not happen until 2K16 is long gone, only affecting 2K17 and beyond.
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Serious questions surround the $250K NBA 2K16 Pro-Am competition
With the rise of eSports it was only a matter of time before sports game publishers made their moves into the space. EA Sports with Madden NFL 16 was the first to hold their own event, offering up a relatively small prize but in a tightly defined and controlled competition that has proven to be successful in what it sought out to do. The semi-finals and finals of the event, which uses the game’s Draft Champions mode, will be taking place tomorrow.
On the flip side of things it seems as though 2K Sports threw something together on a whim for NBA 2K16 and did not do near enough planning beforehand. The competition with the game’s Pro-Am mode, which offers up a big $250,000 prize, thus far has been a mess. Read more
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The Line Drive for January 31
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Check out the Pastapadre Twitter feed for some EA UFC 2 gameplay highlight gifs.
♦EA’s stock has fallen about 8% after reporting disappointing third quarter revenues.
♦The NBA 2K16 Pro-Am competition apparently has started with little on rules/parameters.
♦NBA 2K16 decided to break the hands of Blake Griffin in the latest roster update.
♦Fill out a quick survey for a chance to win a copy of Out of the Park Baseball 17.
♦Put together a review of Pro Basketball Manager 2016 which is a new PC management sim.
♦Development of Beyond the Sideline Football continues now with a new lead developer.
♦The Team of the Year content has released into Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 16.
♦Here’s the schedule for the Madden Challenge and Madden Bowl taking place Tuesday.
♦Operation Sports has a detailed developer breakdown of grappling in EA Sports UFC 2.
♦WWE and 2K Sports have extended their licensing agreement for multiple years.
♦The new WWE 2K16 downloadable content pack has broken the game’s Universe Mode.
♦While waiting on the fix the Future Stars Pack has been pulled from the marketplace.
♦Details on the latest roster update to go out for NBA Live 16.
♦The Alpinestars Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 6 released this last week.
♦There’s already a simulation out of the Super Bowl with Tecmo Super Bowl.
♦Yet another huge blow to daily fantasy sports as a major payment processor is bowing out.
♦ABC’s Saturday night NBA games have the three-point line light up on long range attempts.
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