2K Sports recently revealed three new historic teams for NBA 2K16, and strongly hinted that there are other teams being added as well. It’s been a few years since new teams were introduced into the series so it’s fairly big news.
They are the 99-00Â Toronto Raptors, 00-01 Los Angeles Lakers, and 07-08 Boston Celtics.
In a piece written for Sporting News the three teams are examined in greater detail including the level of success they had, their rosters, and the role classic teams have played in NBA 2K’s success since they debuted in 2K11.
Late last week EA Sports revealed the new features and improvements that have been made for Connected Franchise Mode in Madden NFL 16.
Many of the features hit on requests from those who have played the mode in recent years, including the ability to sim a specific result, Combine information being available without the need to spend scouting points, and the ability to practice freely with the team.
On the flip side the “Goals” system has its merits but also drawbacks and it’s been expanded this year down to individual drives. Displaying goal progress in the “ticker” during the game is a questionable design decision. There was also no mention of enhancements to presentation and world-building which has been an area where progress was desperately needed.
What are your thoughts on the information related to Connected Franchise? Vote in the poll below and leave any additional thoughts in the comments. Results and analysis will follow late in the week or early next week!
The latest roster update for MLB 15: The Show arrived earlier today. While there are only a handful of new rookies added to the game who made their debut in the prior week they’re fairly well-regarded ones. The prospects are led by Eduardo Rodriguez who has a 69 Overall Rating plus ‘A’ Potential for the Boston Red Sox.
Among those moving up this week in ratings are Justin Upton from 88 to 90, Prince Fielder who gets 3 to 87, and Alex Rodriguez surging from 81 to 85. On the other end Robinson Cano free falls from 93 to 88 and Jose Bautista drops 2 to 87. 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 this week’s articles written for Sporting News:
   •The best NBA team ever? 1995-96 Bulls vs 1985-86 Celtics in NBA 2K15 sim
   •Release date set for NBA 2K16: pre-order and get it even earlier
   •For first time in series history, women will be featured in FIFA 16
♦MLB 15: The Show is still available for under $52 with the PS4 version.
♦Owen Good at Polygon explains how EA doesn’t need FIFA for its soccer franchise.
♦Three of the new classic teams being introduced in NBA 2K16 have been revealed.
♦New screenshots from Connected Franchise added to FB album for Madden NFL 16.
♦New screenshots featuring the women have been added to the FB album for FIFA 16.
♦New screenshots have been added to the FB album for Rory McIlroy PGA Tour.
♦The latest golfer announced for the Rory McIlroy PGA Tour roster is Jonas Blixt.
♦The new version of the OSFM 2015 rosters for MLB 15: The Show has gone out.
♦EA Sports announced Premier League Team of the Season for FIFA 15 Ultimate Team.
♦EA Sports stopped answering questions about NHL 16 after only three days.
♦Details on the latest roster update to go out for NBA Live 15.
♦A fifth patch with game updates has gone out for Out of the Park Baseball 16.
♦Tampa Bay Lightning been using a Blades of Steel 3D projection onto their home ice.
♦Sony has announced what will be the free PS Plus games for PS4 and PS3 in June.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by Jupiter Ascending and Focus.
Earlier in the week EA Sports unveiled the improvements that have been made for Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 16. In the latest Press Row Podcast, host Richard Grisham interviews creative director Kolbe Launchbaugh and designer John White about everything to do with the mode including the reworking of “goals” and “confidence”, the addition of open practice, changes to scouting, and new tools for those running Online Franchises.
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.
EA Sports has announced a new “Tour Pro” Career Mode for Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. As with the other features revealed for the game so far, there appears to be a concerted effort made to appeal to both the experienced simulation-minded players and those who desire an easier or more arcade-like experience and one in which requires less of an investment of time. Read more
There’s been little positivity associated with the EA Sports NHL franchise since a few weeks prior to the release of NHL 15. That was when consumers discovered, on their own for the most part because EA was hiding the fact from them, that the game would be missing many expected features and modes.
The company looks to bounce back with NHL 16 and because of the situation they created its almost a make-or-break year for the series. The primary feature set was revealed recently and a poll followed to gauge reaction. Read more
EA Sports today revealed details on what new to expect out of Connected Franchise mode in the upcoming Madden NFL 16. Connected Franchise has been one of the strongest areas for the series in recent years, particularly as it’s the only fully-featured Online Franchise that consistently works in all of sports gaming, but areas such as presentation, practice, player progression, and scouting have still disappointed to various extents.
New features include completely open practice, the ability for the commissioner to assign a win, and the depth chart is now presented visually. There’s reworked goals and scouting – you actually get the publicly available Combine stats without having to spend scouting points! Confidence has received much-needed tuning while Owner Mode finances, which were completely broken in Madden 15, have apparently been fixed as well. Read more