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The Line Drive for September 15
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The first patch for NBA 2K20 addressed some of the early issues with the game.
♦Review of NBA 2K20 which will be a very good game at some point in the future.
♦The reasons behind NBA 2K20’s unprecedented Trending at #1 on Twitter last week.
♦NBA 2K20 is currently the second worst reviewed game of all-time on Steam.
♦NBA 2K20 also stands as worst-reviewed 2K on Metacritic in its 20-year history.
♦New patch for Madden NFL 20 includes new superstar abilities and an important fix.
♦Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lead the list of top 100 rated players in FIFA 20.
♦EA Sports revealed the two full soundtracks that are featured in FIFA 20.
♦Amazon has FIFA 20 pre-orders with price guarantee listed for just $50.94.
♦Long way to go but California bill could be catalyst for college football game return.
♦Details on new Diamond Dynasty content and roster update for MLB The Show 19.
♦Details on a very minor patch that released last week for MLB The Show 19.
♦Roster update applying summer transfer window movement is live in PES 2020.
♦Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football has a release date of Sept. 27 digitally for $30.
♦Blu-ray release of X-Men: Dark Phoenix and digital Spider-Man: Far from Home. -
Press Row Podcast: NBA 2K20’s Rocky Launch
NBA 2K20 arrived with its usual high expectations from its huge number of fans only to be met by frustrated consumers who campaigned to get their voices heard through social media. The result was the unprecedented achievement of getting the hashtag #fix2k20 to become the top trending topic on Twitter due to hundreds of thousands of tweets attached. In this episode of the Press Row Podcast we discuss the various issues that led to the uprising and what such a movement means for the NBA 2K franchise now and for the future.
Check out the podcast through Apple Podcasts for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The show can now also be found on Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the streaming player found below.
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Details on the first in-season roster update for Madden NFL 20
The first roster update for Madden NFL 20 that includes ratings changes based on actual regular season game performance. Typically there isn’t much movement after just a single game but this update surprisingly includes some significant ratings adjustments. Davante Adams is the biggest winner of the week gaining 2 points to 94 Overall.
Antonio Brown has moved from the Raiders to the Patriots but also seen his ratings decline in the process. He’s down a point to 97 Overall which appears due to his recent actions which have (seemingly as a joke) resulted in a drop in his Awareness but an increase in his Release. He also has been lowered in both Short and Medium Route Running. Current holdout Melvin Gordon has been dropped from 92 to 90 Overall but the other player holding out, Trent Williams, did not see his ratings touched as he holds steady at 95 Overall.
Notables on the move include J.J. Watt (-1 to 96), Drew Brees (+1 to 93), Christian McCaffrey (+1 to 93), Alvin Kamara (+1 to 91), Dalvin Cook (+2 to 87), Marlon Mack (+2 to 84), Ben Roethlisberger (-1 to 84), Deshaun Watson (+1 to 82), Baker Mayfield (-1 to 82), Jared Goff (-2 to 81), Darren Waller (+3 to 71) and Gardner Minshew (+3 to 62). Check out the full sortable ratings form at the official website for all the changes.
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Demo now available for FIFA 20
The demo for FIFA 20 has released offering an opportunity to play exhibition matches with six different teams or try out the new arcade-mode Volta Football. Download it now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Origin for PC.
The clubs featured in the demo are Chelsea, Dortmund, Liverpool, PSG, Real Madrid, and Tottenham with matches locked to four minute halves played at Santiago Bernabéu, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, or Stamford Bridge. The other option is to head to Amsterdam underpass as Vinicus Jr’s Crew to take on Street Kings in a 3v3 Rush match in Volta Football.
FIFA 20 will officially release Tues. Sept. 24 with the more expensive Champions and Ultimate Editions. The standard edition out Fri. Sept. 27 can be had for just $50.94 through Amazon for XB1, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
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Review of NBA 2K20
Going into NBA 2K20 expectations were high that the improvements being made to gameplay, the revamping of MyGM mode and a new story mode with high the usual high production values would lead to one of the more compelling iterations in the series. There certainly was already more content in place than any other sports gaming franchise to roll over along with gameplay and presentation already considered to be the best in the genre and no other sports game having one completely impressive franchise mode let alone two.
Unfortunately NBA 2K20 failed to reach the high bar it has set for itself over recent years. While the gameplay is arguably the best it has ever been the modes and features surrounding it didn’t advance in notable ways. Worse than that is what was done to MyGM has effectively killed the mode off. At the moment the game looks to be stronger from a singleplayer standpoint than multiplayer with numerous issues harming enjoyment across a number of modes.
It’s fair still to look at NBA 2K20 is the complete package (when working) but this year’s edition will have more appeal to those that don’t play the series yearly than those who do. Check out the full review of NBA 2K20 here.
Meanwhile there has been an uprising on social media with fans expressing immense frustration about the new game. On Sunday the hashtag #fixNBA2K20 trended #1 on Twitter with well over 100,000 tweets and it even still has considerable momentum. That coordinated effort to project discontent with this year’s product is unprecedented. Having investigated the specifics here are many of the reasons which include server problems, misleading marketing statements, and unpopular changes being made to gameplay in this piece also on Sporting News.
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The Line Drive for September 8
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Expanded details on what changed with the first post-release patch for Madden NFL 20.
♦First roster update for Madden NFL 20 set the 53s but had few ratings changes.
♦Look for the review of NBA 2K20 to go up Monday on Sporting News.
♦A new mode called MyPlayer Nation will debut in NBA 2K20 on October 22nd.
♦Cross-play has been added for PS4 joining other platforms with Super Mega Baseball 2.
♦The player ratings for FIFA 20 are set to be revealed on Monday.
♦Konami laid out the schedule updates to expect release week for PES 2020.
♦Details on everything new with Hockey Ultimate Team in NHL 20.
♦Pack odds are being highlighted even more with HUT in NHL 20.
♦EA Sports revealed the artists that are featured on the soundtrack for NHL 20.
♦Amazon has FIFA 20 pre-orders with price guarantee listed for just $50.94.
♦Amazon has NHL 20 pre-orders with price guarantee listed for just $50.94.
♦Details on this week’s content added to Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 19.
♦Details on this week’s roster update with ratings changes in MLB The Show 19.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. -
10 hour trial for NHL 20 now available through EA Access
NHL 20 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Access on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Subscribers to the base service will get 10 hours of playtime after which it will expire requiring the purchased game to continue or a second EA Access account for 10 more hours. The timer is ticking down whenever the game is loaded regardless of whether it is being played, menus are being navigated through, or if there is any activity taking place at all. Because of that make sure to exit out and close the application from the respective home screens when not in use.
The 10 hours are there to play immediately but can continue to be used even beyond release. Any progress made in the various modes and online results will carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period.
EA Access launched July 2014 on Xbox One and last year was joined by Origin Access on PC. After being prevented by Sony from releasing the service on PS4 it was finally cleared to launch on the system last month. EA Access includes the “Vault” which offers unlimited play with nearly every game from the company’s catalog this generation, 10% off all digital purchases, and the ability to play games up to five days before they release with a limited timed trial. EA Access is $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month.
NHL 20 officially releases Fri. Sept. 13 for the standard edition which Amazon has for just $50.94. The pricier Deluxe and Ultimate Editions with bonus content come out three days earlier.
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New mode Superstar KO has been added to Madden NFL 20
Just in time for kickoff week EA Sports has introduced a whole new mode to Madden NFL 20. Superstar KO combines X-Factors, custom rules, unique teams, stadium and commentary style for a brand-new and abbreviated play experience. Read more
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