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Deal on Madden NFL 16 today only
With Black Friday right around the corner there typically wouldn’t be deals worth jumping on but one has emerged for Madden NFL 16 today. Amazon is offering the game on Xbox One and PS4 as its “Deal of the Day” for just $25. It won’t be found for cheaper than that next week, so there’s no reason to hold off on getting it now.
[Update] It appears Amazon has run through all the stock they had for the game at the low price. Hopefully most of those interested were able to grab it when available earlier! Another option is Walmart, which has the game for $28 today in-store, stock permitting.
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Taking a Look at the new XP Sliders in Madden NFL 16 Online Franchise
Franchise mode in Madden NFL 16 suffers from some questionable design decisions that stretch beyond the awful Drive Goals implemented this year, with others related to Game Prep, Confidence, and the XP system. With the latest patch for Madden 16 new XP Sliders have been added that finally provide some flexibility to one of those aspects of the mode.
Only available in “online” franchises started after today, the new slider allows for the commissioner to increase or decrease the amount of XP earned position-by-position. It affects how much XP is distributed in all areas, whether that be earned through in-game performance, reaching yearly goals, or in Game Prep.
The slider moves on a scale of 0-300, with 100 being the default rate of XP, and 300 providing three times as much XP as the default.
This is an important option to have because at the default it wasn’t possible to progress any players in-season at a satisfying rate – certainly the potential to improve a player at the default XP setting isn’t anywhere equal to how fast real players tend to move up in Madden’s weekly roster updates. Any additional customization for Franchise is a step in the right direction.
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Chaos Run DLC and a new arena coming to Rocket League next month
Whether it be free new arenas, mutators changing up the way the game can play, or DLC for new vehicles, Rocket League has been on a roll with terrific post-release support. In addition to a mutator that will transform the soccer into something more like hockey next month, another new arena and a DLC pack are on the way. Read more
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Deluxe Edition of EA Sports UFC 2 targeting fans of Ultimate Team
Last week the sequel to EA Sports UFC was made official, with Ronda Rousey being announced for the cover – prior to the defeat that has thrown a wrench into marketing plans – and the major features for the game detailed. Now various retailers have revealed there to be a “Deluxe Edition” for $10 more than the standard edition, and like other games from the publisher it has been designed to entice those planning to play Ultimate Team into paying a little more upfront to save in the long run.
The $70 Deluxe Edition of EA Sports UFC 2 will include 30 Ultimate Team Premium Packs – said to be a $60 value – which will be distributed over a period of 15 weeks. Amazon has the listings up now for pre-order.
The new Ultimate Team will be different in structure compared the mode in other sports games, featuring up to five fighters in a stable, that are improved upon with boosts from packs affecting moves and attributes.
It remains to be seen whether Ultimate Team will prove as compelling in an individual sport as it has for team sports. The mode alone being added probably isn’t going to draw new consumers to the series, but if enough who do get the game try it out, and a decent percentage of those end up paying money into the system, it will be a critical component to the future of the series.
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Massive patch for Madden NFL 16 adds new features along with other improvements
The feedback-based patch that typically goes out in late November or early December every year for Madden has arrived and this time goes beyond just fixes and improvements to gameplay. New features have made it in with the third patch for Madden NFL 16.
Draft Champions, which was popular at release but lost significant steam due to a lack of stakes or incentive to continue playing, now has a ranked mode which could reignite interest. Similar to FUT Draft in FIFA 16 there is an entry fee to play it however. There is also a valuable new addition to Franchise mode – an XP slider. Unfortunately that will only apply to franchises which are started after having received the patch. Read more
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Final roster update for MLB 15: The Show
We’re now in the midst of baseball’s award season and there are only a matter of weeks until the first news hits for MLB 16: The Show. Post-release support for MLB 15 has come to a close with the final roster update which adjusts the ratings of 61 position players and 52 pitchers.
Notables among them include Corey Seager (+1o to 83), David Price (+2 to 93), Jason Heyward (+3 to 87), Tyson Ross (+3 to 86), Francisco Lindor (+3 to 84), Mark Buehrle (-2 to 82), Matt Kemp (-1 to 81), Kevin Kiermaier (+6 to 79), and Kris Medlen (-4 to 79). Additionally SCEA adjusted the player potential rating for many players across the league.
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More players keep reaching the top of the Madden ratings scale, but change may be coming next year
While games like NBA 2K and FIFA present rosters with only a handful of players rated above 90, Madden has been trending the opposite direction. With last week’s roster update for Madden NFL 16 the game became more top heavy than ever. There are now eight 99 rated players, eight 98 rated players, and 126 of them at 90 and above. Read more
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The Line Drive for November 15
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 latest content created for Sporting News and Hit The Pass:
   •Ronda Rousey’s defeat is also one for EA Sports’ UFC franchise
   •Even without in-season sports games EA Access is proving its worth
   •Three tips videos with Da Czar on basics to improve your play in NBA 2K16
   •What people are hoping for out of MLB 16: The Show (video)
   •How should publishers react to the misdeeds of players (video)
   •Hit The Pass Radio is now on iTunes and Stitcher on Android
   •More great video content coming – subscribe to HTP Youtube channel!♦EA Sports detailed the Road to the Playoffs content in Madden NFL 16 Ultimate Team.
♦The second patch for FIFA 16 which was detailed earlier is now out on PS4/XB1/PC.
♦Sales in North America for October finished NBA 2K16 (#2) and Madden NFL 16 (#4).
♦The WWE 2K16 face scan mobile app has been delayed for at least a few more weeks.
♦Stumbled across Costco selling Rory McIlroy PGA Tour for just $10.
♦A Kickstarter launched for the spiritual successor to Sensible Soccer on PS4/XB1/PC.
♦Details were released on a new gameplay tuner update to recently go out for NHL 16.
♦New roster released for NHL 16 updates rookie portraits and presentation elements.
♦Details were released on the first patch that will be coming to the new Need for Speed.
♦Vijah Singh was paid $75,000 per year to appear in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series.
♦Nominations were announced for The Game Awards which will take place next month.
♦Current deals: FIFA 16 $40, NBA 2K16 $46, Live 16 $36, PES 2016 $45, Forza 6 $48
♦Daily Fantasy took another huge blow by being deemed illegal in New York.
♦Star Wars: Battlefront can still be ordered from Amazon with $5 off for Prime members.
♦Blu-ray releases this week include The Man From U.N.C.L.E and The Hobbit Trilogy.
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