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The FIFA 16 demo is out now
The demo for FIFA 16 is now available to download on Xbox One and 360, and later today will go live on PlayStation 4, PS3, and PC. It features exhibition matches with four minute halves and the first opportunity to try out the new FIFA Ultimate Team Draft mode. The matches in FUT Draft have six minute halves.
12 clubs are included: United States and Germany women’s national teams, Chelsea, Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, River Plate, and Seattle Sounders. There are three stadiums to play in, two of which are new for FIFA 16. Borussia-Park and CenturyLink Field debut in the series alongside Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
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9 Innings Manager has launched on mobile
One of the most popular sports games on mobile, 9 Innings Pro Baseball, has now been joined by a management simulator. Com2us just released 9 Innings Manager for iOS devices and Android devices. It’s free-to-play but of course relies on in-app purchases. Read more
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MLB 15: The Show week 22 roster update
The latest roster update for MLB 15: The Show was expected to carry some significance, not for the ratings changes this time around but rather the new players that would be added. With September call-ups many players would become eligible to make their debut in The Show following their appearances in a Major League game. Surprisingly however, zero new players have been added to the game’s roster this week. Read more
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The Line Drive for September 6
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Check out articles written and videos recorded for Sporting News and Hit The Pass:
   •The top 50 rated players in FIFA 16
   •The top rated players by position in NHL 16Â
   •HTP contributors compete to draft the best team for Madden
   •Making an independent sports game, Super Mega Baseball, part two
   •Make sure to follow the Hit The Pass Twitter account!
   •With the launch of Youtube gaming subscribe to the Hit The Pass account!Â♦Amazon Prime deals still available: $5 off FIFA 16 and NHL 16 and $7 off Forza 6.
♦EA Sports is hopeful that the patch for Madden NFL 16 will go out this week.
♦Two new extensive gameplay blogs (FIRST – SECOND) went out for NBA 2K16.
♦EA Sports released details on the soundtrack for NBA Live 16.
♦The complete list of achievements is out now for NBA Live 16.
♦The ratings have been revealed for the 10 new Ultimate Team legends in Xbox FIFA 16.
♦Vote is being held for which MLS player should be included on a custom FIFA 16 cover.
♦New video takes a look at improvements to myClub mode in Pro Evolution Soccer 2016.
♦PES 2016 will exclusively feature Brazil’s Sport Club Corinthians Paulista.
♦Release date of September 28 has been announced for Franchise Hockey Manager 2.
♦Some big new features are coming to the PlayStation 4 in the next software update. -
Press Row Podcast: NBA 2K16 Preview
This week’s Press Row Podcast presented by Hit the Pass features a look ahead to the highly-anticipated NBA 2K16. Scott O’Gallagher and Nino “Da Czar” Samuel from 2K Sports are the featured guests for a lengthy show that goes into great detail on the upcoming game.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS and the Stitcher app for Android– subscribe and review to help support the show! You can also listen with the streaming player below.
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Only two new classic teams left to be revealed for NBA 2K16
Next week 2K Sports will announce two final classic teams to round out the 12 that make their debut in NBA 2K16. The latest ones to be unveiled are a popular Phoenix Suns team (sorry, not one with Charles Barkley) and two Miami Heat teams from the last decade.
The 2004-05 Suns were knocked out of the Western Conference Finals in five games by the Spurs. The roster features Steve Nash (in his first season back with the team after a long stint in Dallas), Amar’e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson, Jim Jackson, Joe Johnson, and Leandro Barbosa.
The 2005-06 Heat won the NBA Finals over the Mavericks in six games. The roster features Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Udonis Haslem, and Alonzo Mourning.
The 2012-13 Heat become by far the most recent team to be considered “classic” as they could be played in NBA 2K13. This is the team that beat the Spurs in a dramatic seven game series to win their second straight NBA Finals. The roster features LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, and Shane Battier.
These three join the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons and 2007-2008 Houston Rockets, the 1999-00 Portland Trail Blazers and 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks. and the 1999-00 Toronto Raptors, 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers, and 2007-08 Boston Celtics.
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Tuning update for Madden NFL 16 addresses aggressive catch success rates
A tuning update for Madden NFL 16 went out today, the primary purpose of which appears to be adjusting the risk/reward aspect of deep passes. Tuners allow EA to push out tweaks to the way the game plays without going through the lengthy patch process.
While some have felt the balance proved close to fair between pass-catchers and defenders, there have definitely been some head-shaking situations where catches were pulled in that probably shouldn’t have been – and those not being limited to the high Spectacular Catch guys. The way people play online has been affected by that, with Draft Champions in particular turning into games of just throwing it deep on a majority of plays.
Additionally, creative director Rex Dickson today said that the patch is coming “very soon”. Next week now looks like a reasonable expectation for that, which would put it about two weeks post-release. That patch is highly anticipated as it will address the many bugs that have impacted the game including the encroachment bug and those that led EA to suggest waiting on starting with Franchise Mode.
The video below was put together post-tuner and, though a small sample size, suggests that receivers won’t be making plays at the same rate against good coverage.
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Madden NFL 16 stands alone as the highest rated sports game since 2013
As many Madden NFL 16 owners continue wait on starting their Franchise (on the advice of many including EA themselves) and the fixing of other detrimental bugs, the game has cruised to a very good score of 84 on Metacritic. Reviewers as a whole are rewarding the game with a score that has jumped significantly from Madden 15 (81) and Madden 25 (74). In fact, Madden 16 now rates out as the highest rated traditional sports game since 2013.
The community seems more vocal about this year’s edition than others in recent memory. On one hand people seem to really like the gameplay and the new Draft Champions mode. Many others may even have been in that same camp if it weren’t for the bugs (not just in Franchise but the encroachment bug impacts every game) though disappointment in regards to Franchise features, and deficient presentation and commentary are noted by many as well. The improvement is being recognized but naturally that makes the faults all the more frustrating.
In this recent video Rich Grisham and I discuss the reception to Madden NFL 16, why it’s done well with reviewers, and how it’s being received by general consumers.
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