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Details on Ultimate Team improvements in Madden NFL 16
In terms of structure, Ultimate Team is going largely unaltered with Madden NFL 16. The new features for the mode are somewhat minor, though the hope is they’ll improve the experience as a whole for those who play it extensively. Rewards for Ultimate Team will also be earned through playing the new Draft Champions mode. Read more
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Rocket League patch out now – adds new arena and Spectator Mode
A free content update for Rocket League is now available to download! The new patch, which follows one from late last month that barred ranked quitters from games for a period of time along with other improvements, adds in the new Utopia Coliseum map and Spectator Mode.
The latter is especially intriguing as it allows match viewers to watch live from any angle in the arenas. Additionally the update includes 70 more country flags, updated goal explosions and updated vehicle demolitions.
On Thursday the first DLC pack will go out. For $4 that will provide two new cars, two new Rocket Boosts, two new Wheel sets, five new Paint Types, and a handful of new Trophies.
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FIFA 16 may be getting a demo next month (update)
(Update) EA Sports is saying the image above, which has been circulating today is not from them, and they have yet to announce anything official but details will be coming soon.
With a demo for Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 going out Thursday, giving it a chance to cement a first impression on a marketplace with two games for consumers to decide between, EA Sports made sure to get some news out on a FIFA 16 demo before that takes place.
Unlike many other games from the company, which haven’t been getting demos due in large part to the emergence of EA Access, FIFA 16 will be getting a traditional demo and it’ll go out on September 8-9 depending on platform.
12 clubs will be included in the demo: 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.
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Tap Sports Football now available on mobile
Tap Sports Football is out now for both iOS devices through iTunes and Android devices through Google Play. The new game features the NFLPA license which provides the rights to the pool of real current players. It’s free-to-play though the option is there of course to spend money on upgrading the team faster.
The turn-based game comes from the same team behind Tap Sports Baseball which was one of last year’s best mobile sports games and prior to that Your Turn Football. Read more
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NFC Team Ratings in Madden NFL 16
Once the top rated players for Madden NFL 16 at each position were revealed it was expected that the entire team rosters with ratings would be sent out division-by-division, as that was the typical procedure for the rollouts in past years.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the case this time around and instead EA gave out the Overall Rating for teams, and spotlighted only some key players and their respective Overall Ratings, which hasn’t provided much insight into either for those that are interested. Read more
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MLB 15: The Show week 18 roster update
It appears the massive reevaluation of player ratings for MLB 15: The Show, originally slated to drop around the All-Star break, has finally made it out today. The latest roster update has delivered a ton of ratings changes and many of which have proven to be significant.
Among the group on the rise are Paul Goldschmidt (+1 to 98), Bryce Harper (+1 to 96), Jose Ferneandez (+3 to 95), Buster Posey (+2 to 95), Jose Altuve (+3 to 92), Anthony Rizzo (+2 to 92), Jake McGee (+6 to 91), Koji Uehara (+7 to 90), Alex Rodriguez (+4 to 89), Jose Iglesias (+5 to 87), Carlos Correa (+10 to 87), and Carter Capps (+11 to 82).
Names taking a hit include Max Scherzer (-2 to 95), Andrew McCutchen (-2 to 94), Dustin Pedroia (-3 to 89), Todd Frazier (-3 to 88), Aroldis Chapman (-3 to 88), Greg Holland (-3 to 87), Jason Kipnis (-4 to 85), Albert Pujols (-4 to 85), Freddie Freeman (-4 to 83), Justin Upton (-5 to 81), Stephen Vogt (-6 to 78), and Carlos Santana (-7 to 75). Read more
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The Line Drive for August 9
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:
   •Kicked off the first of many giveaways to come with one for Madden NFL 16
   •A look into the development of an indie sports game with Super Mega Baseball
   •Which console is the best option now for the sports fan (video)Â
   •Impressions of the NHL 16 EASHL beta (video)
   •Vote for your favorite sports gaming highlight and submit your own!
   •AFC team ratings and key player ratings for Madden NFL 16♦Madden NFL 16 is still available for just $50 to Amazon Prime members.
♦FIFA 16 is still available for $55 to Amazon Prime members.
♦The first screenshots have been added to the FB album for NBA 2K16.
♦Stephen Curry will have his mouthguard prominently featured in NBA 2K16.
♦Gamescom came and went without the promised news NBA Live 16’s new online mode.
♦New screenshots have been added to the FB album for NBA Live 16.
♦Pre-order Super Mega Baseball for Xbox One and get 15% off the $20 price.
♦New country flags are coming in the next patch for Rocket League.
♦New car pack is available for free until Tuesday for Forza Horizon 2.
♦The full list of legends for FIFA 16 Ultimate Team (XB1/360) have been revealed.
♦EA Sports detailed improvements made to the user interface for FIFA 16 Ultimate Team.
♦Information on the new version of FIFA for mobile devices out September 22. -
Your thoughts on the short-term draft modes coming to EA Sports games
With the success of the Ultimate Team model in EA Sports games, the company is faced with not just how to evolve and keep that mode fresh, but the challenge of developing new modes that capitalize further on what they’ve learned from it. The first attempt at such a mode is being introduced this year in Madden NFL 16 and FIFA 16.
Draft Champions was announced at E3 while FUT Draft just premiered at Gamescom. Though they borrow conceptually from Ultimate Team they’ve eliminated the long-term commitment. They involve “drafting” – selecting from a random assortment of players over the course of numerous rounds – and then playing with the newly formed teams for only a handful of games. Things then reset and the process begins again.
The strategy appears to have multiple angles, including building towards a place within eSports, and developing potential Ultimate Team replacements should they end up branching off into their own free-to-play model products.
Are you looking forward to these new “draft” modes? What is their appeal to you, if there is any there at all? Vote in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments!
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