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PES 2016 demo coming August 13
While EA Sports appears to be moving away from offering traditional demos, and the likes of 2K Sports and SCEA abandoned them years ago, there is one upcoming sports game that has confirmed a demo is on the way and it’ll be out a full month before the game releases. A demo for Pro Evolution Soccer 2016Â will be made available to download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, 360, and PS3 on Thursday, August 13.
What the demo will offer up remains unclear, though Konami did state that it will include both club and national teams. Last year’s demo featured only a simple exhibition game 7-10 minutes in length, with seven clubs to choose from and the match played in Konami Stadium.
It’s not yet known whether direct competitor FIFA 16 will have a demo go out pre-release (it did last year two weeks in advance) though it will definitely be playable through EA Access on Xbox One five days prior to release for 10 hours. The demo for PES will get to make a first impression on the market however and will reach consumers on all systems.
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Nine new stadiums added for FIFA 16
The E3 trailer for FIFA 16 included a glance at CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Sounders, and that led to some hope that there would be more MLS stadiums represented in the series. Unfortunately that won’t be the case. Nine new stadiums are making their way into the series with the upcoming game but other than CenturyLink none are from MLS.
Still it’s a solid group of stadiums, each of which (other than CenturyLink since it’s been in Madden, and hasn’t even had its north skyline – out the open end – updated) are time-consuming to build. There are three that are being introduced for Premier League teams that have been promoted for the soon-to-begin season.
♦Borussia-Park (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bundesliga)
♦Carrow Road (Norwich City, Barclays Premier League)
♦CenturyLink Field (Seattle Sounders FC, Major League Soccer)
♦El Monumental (Club Atlético River Plate, Argentine Primera División)
♦Fratton Park (Portsmouth FC, England League Two)
♦King Abdullah Sports City (Al-Ittihad & Al-Ahli, Saudi Abdul Latif Jameel League)
♦Stade Vélodrome (Olympique de Marseille, Ligue 1)
♦Vicarage Road (Watford, Barclays Premier League)
♦Vitality Stadium (Bournemouth, Barclays Premier League) -
MLB 15: The Show Week 17 Roster Update
The promised sweeping ratings reevaluation for the entirety of the league is now approaching being a month overdue, but today’s roster update for MLB 15: The Show is still a significant one. This is the post-trade deadline update and features all the movement including Troy Tulowitzki and David Price to the Blue Jays, Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets, Johnny Cueto to the Royals, Carlos Gomez to the Astros, and Cole Hamels to the Rangers.
Among those to see their ratings rise this week are Jacob deGrom (+2 to 89), Robinson Cano (+1 to 89), Carlos Gonzalez (+5 to 86), Scott Kazmir (+2 to 86), Ben Zobrist (+5 to 84), and Lance McCullers (+8 to 81). Some names headed downward include Felix Hernandez (-1 to 96), Anthony Rizzo (-2 to 90), Yasiel Puig (-2 to 88), and James Shields (-2 to 84). Read more
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The Line Drive for August 2
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:
   •Review: Rocket League revolutionizes concept of a sports video game
   •The beauty of Rocket League (video)
   •The best sports gaming highlights of the week
   •Discussing players who outperform their real-life selves in games
   •What if Ronda Rousey had to fight Ronda Rousey?Â
   •The sports game release schedule is broken
   •Top rated players in Madden NFL 16: LB – DL – CB♦Amazon is still offering Madden NFL 16 (PS4/XB1) for $50 to Prime members.
♦Amazon is still offering FIFA 16 (PS4/XB1) for $55 to Prime members.
♦Check out this thrilling Rocket League match that ends in heartbreak.
♦Unfortunately NHL 16 won’t have the new 3-on-3 overtime ready for launch.
♦EA Sports has put out a survey to submit feedback on the NHL 16 EASHL beta.
♦The judge has granted a stay on any payments related to the O’Bannon decision.
♦Super Mega Baseball is coming to Xbox One on August 14 and PC one week later.
♦Metalhead Software has started a blog series on the making of Super Mega Baseball.
♦New screenshots have been added to the FB album for NBA Live 16.
♦Details on what will be the final patch for OOTP 16 have been provided. -
Press Row Podcast: Rocket Summer
This week’s episode of the Press Row Podcast features panel discussion on the summer-hit Rocket League, the currently broken sports game release schedule, and the introduction of a beta for NHL 16’s EA Sports Hockey League.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS and the Stitcher app for Android – subscribe while there to help support the show! You can also listen with the streaming player below.
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Details on the first patch for Rocket League
Yesterday developer Psyonix announced upcoming downloadable content for Rocket League, as well as patches that will be adding features and implementing improvements. The first patch arrived today, and while it hasn’t added the Spectator Mode or new arena that has been promised for the near future, it does bring with it some worthwhile changes.
The one with the biggest impact will affect quitters from ranked matches. Those who quit out will now be banned from matchmaking for 15 minutes. That’s a brilliant way to dissuade people who apparently don’t have the patience to get through the couple minutes and complete a game, as now, if they’re planning to play more, it’s far smarter to stay and finish it off. Read more
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The EASHL beta for NHL 16 is now available on Xbox One and PS4
The beta for NHL 16’s EA Sports Hockey League can now be downloaded on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The mode allows you to create your player and select their equipment, create or join a club, and then play Online Seasons games with each participant selecting one of the player classes and a position.
The beta is available to those with NHL 15 on Xbox One or PS4, which includes EA Access subscribers, and will remain open for one week beginning today. That’s an extension to August 7, after a delay yesterday resulted in it not going live until late in the evening. If you’re playing on Xbox One, join the Hit The Pass club! The video below features a game played yesterday.
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First look at the 2K Pro-Am for NBA 2K16
If it weren’t for the unprecedented leaks regarding the feature set of NBA 2K16, virtually nothing about the upcoming game would have been known even with August quickly approaching. There hasn’t been much of anything official, not even a screenshot. Finally 2K Sports announced something today to do with the game, and its the Pro Am mode which had its description leaked last week, and will act as a replacement for the online Jordan Rec Center mode.
Pro Am will, like the Rec Center, involve 5-on-5 games with every player user-controlled and with NBA rules. The biggest changes from the Rec Center include the elimination of the “Got Next” spots, addition of leaderboards, and the ability to design team uniforms, arenas, and courts.
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