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Press Row Podcast: The Top Stories of 2015
Before getting to the handing out of awards, its important to review the year by revisiting the biggest stories. There are numerous that have wide-ranging effects – influencing the direction of franchises and even the genre as a whole.
That’s what the panel digs into with the latest episode of the Press Row Podcast. From the detrimental release schedule, to the success of Rocket League, the rise of EA Access, and online stabilizing in major franchises, there were quite a few major developments in 2015.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. Subscribe and review to help support the show! You can also listen with the streaming player below.
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Rocket League coming to Xbox One in February
One of the best games of the year, sports or otherwise, has been Rocket League. Storming onto the scene due in part to being offered for free to PlayStation Plus subscribers its first month, the game has only been available on PS4 and PC. Post-release support has been fantastic, with some really great free content and some DLC that has been purely cosmetic in nature.
Now Xbox One owners can look forward to having the game on their systems. Developer Psyonix announced that Rocket League will be releasing on Xbox One in February and at the regular $20 price. Though it hasn’t been specified, the timing suggests an exclusivity window with Sony which will be coming to a close allowing for it to go out on Xbox. Recent deals have allowed those on PS4 and PC to grab it for $12-14 but even at $20 it’s well worth a purchase.
The release of Rocket League on XB1 will be accompanied by two exclusive vehicles associated with the Xbox brand: one based on the Armadillo from Gears of War and the other the Warthog from Halo. What it won’t have however is cross-platform play. Xbox One owners will only be able to play with and against others on Xbox One, while those on PS4 and PC find themselves combined in the pool of online players.
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Madden NFL 16 Roster Update – Week 12
The roster update following week 12 of the season is now available for Madden NFL 16. Check out all the changes in this week’s update with the spreadsheet here.
Notable players on the rise include Mike Daniels (+1 to 98), Ndamukong Suh (+1 to 98), Zack Martin (+1 to 97), Carson Palmer (+1 to 97), Fletcher Cox (+1 to 97), Cam Newton (+1 to 95), Richard Sherman (+1 to 95), A.J. Green (+1 to 95), Cameron Jordan (+1 to 95), Adrian Peterson (+2 to 94), Odell Beckham Jr. (+1 to 94), Geno Atkins (+1 to 94), Cameron Heyward (+1 to 94), Delanie Walker (+1 to 93), Josh Norman (+1 to 93), Russell Wilson (+1 to 92), Emmanuel Sanders (+1 to 92), Sammy Watkins (+2 to 89), Logan Mankins (+2 to 89), Doug Baldwin (+1 to 88), Darius Slay (+1 to 88), Matthew Stafford (+2 to 85), and Matt Hasselbeck (+2 to 79).
Among the players to drop this week are Aaron Rodgers (-1 to 97), Gerald McCoy (-1 to 95), Cliff Avril (-1 to 95), Marshawn Lynch (-2 to 94), Earl Thomas (-1 to 94), Eric Weddle (-1 to 94), Drew Brees (-1 to 93), Demaryius Thomas (-1 to 92), Malcolm Jenkins (-1 to 91), Tony Romo (-1 to 90), Matt Ryan (-1 to 90), and DeMarco Murray (-2 to 85).
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Second EA Sports UFC 2 cover spot will go to winner of Aldo vs McGregor
EA Sports has ensured that the cover of the UFC sequel won’t feature two fighters coming off losses. After the disruption to the marketing plan for EA Sports UFC 2 that came with Ronda Rousey getting demolished – and she won’t be back to fight before the game comes out – the person joining her will be the winner of the upcoming main event at UFC 194.
Jose Aldo, returning from an absence of over a year, takes on Conor McGregor with the winner leaving as the undisputed featherweight champion. Whether it be Aldo or McGregor, they’ll also get the honor of being featured on the cover of UFC 2 alongside Rousey.
EA Sports UFC 2 will release spring 2016 and among the new features are Ultimate Team and a “Knockout Physics System”.
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New update for PES 2016 delivers updated rosters, faces, kits and another stadium
The second post-release patch for Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 arrived today and brings with it the long-awaited updated rosters and some new content.
Though its accuracy is yet to be determined, if it turns out to be sufficient it will have been an absurd 11 weeks for the game to get a simple roster update, something that Konami had to publicly apologize for. Though the game initially got fantastic reviews the roster situation has damaged perception of it significantly in the time since.
The patch also includes new player likenesses for 51 players, new international kits for Germany, Italy and Spain, and the addition of the Brazilian Estadio do Maracana stadium with a unique pre-match intro sequence.
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Free-to-play model on consoles for sports games getting closer to reality
While Ultimate Team modes have saved sports games in some regards, what they have also done is bought publishers some time to evaluate the best course of action when it comes to future distribution methods. Whether that be a subscription plan, something that could be done with EA Sports and they’ve already started down that road with EA Access, or the free-to-play model, smaller franchises and those which have been struggling have to consider a way in which they will be able to survive and potentially thrive.
Pro Evolution Soccer will be the first series to dip its toe into the free-to-play waters, going beyond the way in which it has begun to creep in with EA Access as games are added to the Vault while they still hold relevance. A limited version of PES 2016, with far lesser content but full myClub (Ultimate Team equivalent) capabilities, will be made available on PS4 and PS3 next week. I got together with Rich Grisham to discuss what it all means, as PES 2016 has made lots of news recently from the inexcusable inability to update rosters in a timely manner to the announcement that UEFA Euro content will be added for free next year.
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Rocket League Chaos Run DLC available now plus first free unusual arena debuts
The latest update adding content to the fantastic Rocket League arrived today. For free to everyone is a new unique arena called Wasteland. For $4 the Chaos Run DLC pack includes:
♦2 New Battle-Cars, Ripper and Grog
♦12 New Decals (six for each new Battle-Car)
♦2 New Paint Types (Camo and Sun-Damaged)
♦2 New Wheels (Ripper and Grog)
♦2 New Rocket Trails (Sandstorm, Nuts and Bolts)
♦3 New Toppers (Boombox, Cow Skull, Mohawk)
♦3 New Antennas (Bomb Pole, Radioactive, Retro Ball – Wasteland)
♦5 New TrophiesHow is Wasteland different? It’s physically-wider than all other stadiums and has a completely-dissimilar Boost placement. The biggest difference, though, is that the ground itself is sloped around the entire perimeter of the arena, making for matches that feel much different than typical Rocket League contests. It’s the first of many “unusual” arena designs that we plan to introduce in the future, and they’re only going to get more interesting from here.
Next up is the big winter event that begins on December 14. That will introduce the mutator transforming the game from “soccer” to “hockey” and add in special holiday themed items.
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First alternate court makes it into NBA 2K16
2K Sports has done an admirable job of updating NBA 2K16, with not just the expected consistent roster updates and patches but also content additions that include new uniforms. A few are still missing, with many more including the Christmas jerseys anticipated sometime soon, but the majority of those that have debuted this season are in the game. Today the post-release support extended even beyond that with the addition of an alternate court.
The Golden State Warriors alternate court will now appear when the Hardwood Classics uniforms are selected for home games. The Milwaukee Bucks also have an alternate court this season so there’s hope now that’ll make it in at some point as well. Unlike the uniform additions the new court is not attached to a roster, which means it can be utilized within previously started modes.
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