Max Scherzer has been on an incredible tear as of late, which included a no-hitter (hit batsman away from a Perfect Game), and a stretch of 23 1/3 innings where he surrendered just a single hit. That has resulted in a much-deserved ratings boost in the latest roster update for MLB 15: The Show that arrived today. Scherzer has risen 3 points to 97 Overall.
Other players on the rise include Albert Pujols (+3 to 89), Dallas Keuchel (+3 to 89), and Brett Gardner (+3 to 86). Those headed downward include Jonathan Lucroy (-3 to 84), Michael Pineda (-2 to 83), and Michael Cuddyer (-4 to 80).
Among the new crop of rookies is Steven Matz, who made his debut with the Mets yesterday, to memorable results. Not only did he get a win but he went 3– at the plate with 4 RBI. Matz enters The Show rated 70 Overall with “A” Potential”. Read more
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:
   •What do E3 trailer views say about upcoming EA Sports games?
   •Michael Jordan featured on cover of NBA 2K16 special edition
   •The biggest movers in NBA 2K15 player ratings
   •Jordan Speith’s US Open victory also a win for EA Sports
   •Greg Sewart takes a look back at one of the great racing games of the past
   •T.J. Lauerman makes a plea international baseball to be added to The Show
♦MLB 15: The Show on PS4 is still available for just $40.
♦EA Sports detailed two new features to improve midfield play with FIFA 16.
♦This is the actual cover art, believe it or not, for NHL 16.
♦NHL is changing overtime to 3-on-3 which should be fun for NHL 16.
♦USA Today has a video from Stephen Curry’s mo-cap session for NBA 2K16.
♦Developer blog goes into more detail on the online play for Rory McIlroy PGA Tour.
♦The full list of Xbox achievements are out for Rory McIlroy PGA Tour.
♦Details on the July Update for The Golf Club which has gone out on PC.
♦New details regarding online play have been revealed for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5.
♦Eight months later and the PlayStation Plus version of Driveclub is finally available.
♦EA Sports posted a tour of the motion capture studio at EA Canada.
♦The Charlotte Hornets revealed a new alternate jersey for the upcoming season.
♦Check out the new uniforms for the Atlanta Hawks that will debut next season.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by Get Hard.
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour is officially out on July 14 but those with an EA Access subscription on Xbox One will get the opportunity to play it starting July 9.
That’s not anything new, as ever since the service rolled out all EA games have been made available five days prior to their launch for a limited number of hours. What’s interesting is that the number of hours being offered has expanded.
EA Access subscribers will get 10 hours with McIlroy to use over that five day period – or anytime after it releases for those that don’t jump at it right away. EA has not stated whether the 10 hours is a new standard but the last game to go out from the company, Battlefield Hardline, was also for 10 hours. Prior to that every game had only been given 6 hours.
Extending most/all of the games to 10 hours would make the service even more valuable, and it was already one of the best values in gaming particularly for sports fans.
Not only does it mean a lengthier jump-start with the game for those fully planning to buy it, but greater ability to assess whether it’s worth a purchase for everyone else, and the game being exposed to all for what it has to offer rather than what may have been conveniently hidden by the company during the respective marketing campaign.
Earlier this week I took a closer look at some gameplay footage of Madden NFL 16, pulling out relevant clips and attempting to identify what the game has added or improved upon and what might still need some work at this stage of development. There were a number of videos captured from E3 however, and certainly there’s much more to learn from them – so here’s part two which features a breakdown of another original video! Read more
Produced for Hit The Pass, The Film Room returns with T.J. Lauerman and I breaking down some footage and examining the thinking that took place as it was being played. Before moving on to other sports games we tackle another situation in MLB 15: The Show. This time it’s a tense 9th inning with the game on the line and a number of strategical decisions to be made.
The NBA Draft is tonight signalling a quick turn from the Finals to the unofficial start of the next season. Even of more impact is free agency which will open on July 1 though players can’t officially sign until July 10.
With that in mind I put together one more look back on the 2014-15 season in NBA 2K15. What players had their ratings rise the most, and who took the most significant hits? Flip through the full list of players with details on Sporting News.
The biggest winners included the regular season MVP Stephen Curry and the field of MVP candidates, Hassan Whiteside, and Rudy Gobert. Meanwhile Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo went from very good players in the game to below average players, while Kevin Love dropped far out of the elite status he began the season with.
Over the course of E3 week, in addition to trailers and feature news, EA Sports rolled out the pre-order incentives and special editions for FIFA 16, NHL 16, and NBA Live 16.
Similar to Madden NFL 16, which had it’s info go out earlier, the games outside of Live are essentially being offered in different tiers now. That, of course, is related to the amount of up-front Ultimate Team content desired by consumers. Read more
2K Sports today announced a special edition of NBA 2K16 that sees a return to the cover for Michael Jordan. The special edition will go for $80 and is already available for pre-order on Amazon and includes some Jordan items and digital content.
♦Jordan NBA 2K16 Poster
♦Jordan Fathead Wall Cling
♦Digital Jordan shoes for your MyPLAYER
♦Digital Jordan T-shirt for your MyPLAYER
♦Digital Jordan jersey for your MyPLAYER
♦30,000 Virtual Currency (This would cost $10 to buy separately)
♦MyTEAM VIP+: 3 Emerald Packs AND a new Special Edition Exclusive Moments Card.
Jordan of course was on the cover of the brilliant NBA 2K11, and returned for 2K12 which also had Larry Bird and Magic Johnson versions.
This year the standard game will have covers featuring James Harden, Stephen Curry, and Anthony Davis. They’ll go out at random but inside the case is a pack-in with the three versions so the favored player can be swapped to the front.
Whether pre-ordering the special edition, or the standard edition, consumers will get NBA 2K16 four days “early” on September 25. The special edition is available only on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it can be had for both physical copies or digital download.