The latest developer live stream for MLB 15: The Show detailed the top rated players in the game – check out the lists by position posted on Sporting News – and was accompanied by more gameplay footage. As always there will be some debate over the ratings, especially since SCEA tends to weigh past (2-3 years ago) performance more heavily than other sports games while the injury-prone nature of a player does not appear to be much of a factor in the formula. Read more
With Madden NFL 15 added to the Vault in EA Access this week the value of the service continues to rise. Bringing in Madden, NBA Live 15, and EA Sports UFC – games that still have significant relevance to them – has greatly boosted the appeal of the subscription particularly for those who are interested in sports games.
To go along with a piece I put together going over EA Access and its draw for sports gamers (check it out at Sporting News), Rich Grisham and T.J. Lauerman joined me to discuss how far the service has come since last August and the impact on the industry and consumers.
With under four weeks until release it seems the most appropriate time to gauge where people stand on buying MLB 15: The Show. Previous polls have been held to determine whether features have swayed decisions on buying, how important the “Legends” are to prospective consumers, and anticipation levels for the announced features.
This poll is meant to wrap everything up, as there has now been plenty of gameplay through live streams and all the features detailed, and get a feel for how interest in the game is trending as its release nears. Results will be discussed in a piece next week. Vote in the poll below and leave any additional thoughts in the comments!
The latest addition to the EA Access “Vault” on Xbox One is Madden NFL 15. Today the game joined NBA Live 15 and EA Sports UFC as the most recent sports titles to be offered as part of the subscription service.
The EA Access service is currently exclusive to Xbox One as Sony opted not to allow it for the PS4 claiming, of all things, “lack of value” for consumers. It’s $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month. Members get unlimited access to the Vault which contains older EA games. Right now that includes 2013’s slate of sports titles, Need for Speed Rivals, PvZ Garden Warfare, Battlefield 4, Peggle 2, EA Sports UFC, and NBA Live 15. Also there’s 10% savings on all digital purchases and five days of limited (six hours) early play before each EA game releases.
It’ll be interesting to see if this becomes the norm with EA Sports games making their way into the Vault shortly after their respective seasons conclude. If that’s the case FIFA 15 could be coming in June with NHL 15Â to follow in July.
In the case of Madden sales plummet after the Super Bowl so sending the game to the Vault is an interesting long-term strategy. Consumers interested in buying it already have, so EA can get others in on the game now not just to play and possibly increase the likelihood of buying the next edition in the series, but find themselves investing into Ultimate Team mode where EA can make digital revenue they would not have otherwise.
Over at Sporting News I put together a piece laying out the most likely candidates for the cover of Madden NFL 16. The eventual selection by EA Sports, or winner if it goes to a vote, will probably come out of the top three. However the list goes 15 deep with the players that could have the best case made for them coming away with the cover honor this year. Outside of the top three every player has something significant that would work against them.
Who do you think should be in the running for the cover of Madden NFL 16? Do you hope it’ll be voted on by fans again or should EA just go back to making the choice themselves?
Joe Montana Football 16 was announced last July simply to make its existence known along with the intent for it to release this coming summer. No information about the game was provided and since then very little has been disseminated. Originally thought to be just a mobile game the developers – or Montana who seems to be running the show – have left the eventual platforms open to speculation.
A post made by a new user, with absolutely no established history, on the Operation Sports forum is creating a bit of a stir. Generally something random like that would be tossed aside as a likely attempt at trolling the readership. However some want to put stock into it because of the effort that evidently went into writing it, and because they’re hopeful for another NFL game, but the details within are sketchy at best. Read more
The fifth live stream held by MLB 15: The Show developers included character artists to detail work done on visuals before turning to extended gameplay with the Nationals at Giants. Some of the specific areas touched on include player likenesses, hairstyles, accessories, equipment, and uniforms. There are also a couple opportunities to listen to the new “Inside the Show” radio broadcast that is featured within Franchise, Season, and Road to the Show. Read more
2K Sports has announced that the servers for NBA 2K14 will be shut down at the end of March. That means there will be no more gaming online (standard, MyTeam, or Team-Up) and will bring a close to Online Association mode.
With NBA 2K14 essentially an “always-online” title the concern has always been there about what it would mean when this day arrived. Fortunately those with ongoing MyCareer or MyGM saves won’t have their progress halted for good. Instead they’ll just become “offline” saves and continue in that manner. Any Virtual Currency that has been earned or bought will be converted to “SP” (Skill Points). VC can no longer be purchased for NBA 2K14 anyway.
The closing of the NBA 2K14 servers comes 18 months after release of the 360 and PS3 version (6-7 weeks under that for PS4/XB1) which is the norm for 2K, while EA Sports generally waits until at least two years have passed.