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The Daily Dish for 9/11/14
Today’s edition of The Daily Dish involves gauging the influence of the demo for FIFA 15, the player ratings that have have been uncovered for NBA 2K15, and the 100th episode of the Press Row Podcast that will be out tomorrow.
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NBA 2K15 Player Ratings Revealed To Date
The overall ratings calculation has changed with NBA 2K15 and only four players will be rated 90+. The floor seems to have risen, and the ceiling lowered somewhat, compressing more players in the middle. As always individual attribute categories and signature skills – and how those translate to performance – is more important than the overall.
2K Sports has started to release the player ratings and in an unorthodox manner having done so by starting with the lowest in the league. Typically companies have avoided spotlighting the bottom of the rosters so as not to embarrass those individuals. In addition a few ratings have come out through Twitter or images captured from the game’s convention appearances.
More ratings will be added to this post as they roll in. LeBron James tops the current players at 98 overall, Kevin Durant follows at 95, and Tim Duncan pulls a 90. Players with more well-rounded skill sets seem to be getting greater credit in the overall ratings this year than in the past as opposed to those that excel in some areas but are weaker in others. Read more
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Your Thoughts on the FIFA 15 Demo
After an unexplained delay in getting out for PS4 the FIFA 15 demo is now available on all platforms. It released Monday night on Xbox One, Tuesday for 360/PS3/PC, and Wednesday on PS4. It features eight clubs with matches set to four minute halves and some pre-set squads to use in feeling out Ultimate Team.
The FIFA 15 demo has left the strongest impression on me since the UFC 2009 demo. So much was seen and felt, in such a condensed period of time, that the game shined in a way that isn’t typically the case with annual sports games. If you haven’t played the demo at least give it a try. You’ll likely learn more about whether the game is for you than just reading feature lists or even watching gameplay videos. That isn’t always the case with demos.
Vote in the poll below and leave any thoughts in the comments. Has the FIFA 15 demo influenced your purchase decision in any way?
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The Daily Dish for 9/10/14
On today’s episode of The Daily Dish the focus turns to the latest updates delivered to online Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 15, the new mode 2K Heroes being announced for NBA 2K15 on 360 and PS3, and more thoughts on the current state of NBA Live 15.
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2K Heroes Mode for 360/PS3 NBA 2K15
2K Sports today announced a new mode exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of NBA 2K15 called “2K Heroes”. The mode involves eight current stars and legends from the past who put together their ideal lineup of five players (including themselves). The squads can be chosen and played with online against the others. Donations will be made to the charity of their choice with the representative’s team that wins the most games by All-Star Weekend getting the largest donation from the company.
The new 2K Heroes mode joins the return of proper Crew mode in the last-gen release. Both are only found there as they won’t be included on Xbox One and PS4. Too often the lower-priority versions of sports titles are left largely untouched and become “roster updates” despite the price remaining at $60. 2K deserves credit for offering new content for this series making them viable products that stand on their own and in unique ways.
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More Updates Made to Connected Franchise Mode in Madden NFL 15
EA Sports continues to work on improving the experience in Madden NFL 15’s Connected Franchise mode through server-side updates. Late last month two were released with the first making some minor adjustments to player progression while the second corrected many glaring issues with the sim stats. A new one has been pushed live that delivers more fixes and balancing adjustments.
♦Fixed the cost of Man and Zone Coverage because it was too low.
♦Made sure that you now earn more for drills in game prep than normal activities.
♦OLB and MLBs can now upgrade power moves.
♦Fixed the owner mode issue with not being able to sign a player with a $0 signing bonus.
♦Fixed the issue where you could earn less than the minimum displayed for game prep activities.
♦Fixed desync issues associated with defensive graphics settings.The most crucial one there relates to the desyncs that were being experienced in head-to-head games. EA had earlier stated that would not be fixable through the server-side updates and instead would have to be included in a patch. There are still some issues with the online games however as we’ve seen some instances of games being disconnected due to “network timeouts” in the Press Row Podcast league.
Remember the server-side updates only apply to franchises that are designated as “online”. They can’t reach any that are “offline”. Those will have to wait for these fixes and improvements to be rolled into a patch.
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Motorsport Manager for iOS Review
by Brendan Wilhide
In Motorsport Manager, a new release for iOS devices, you guide a professional race team to glory in a fictitious open wheel racing league. As both general manager and crew chief you sign drivers and sponsors, set in-race strategy, and manage almost every aspect of a professional race team. The result is an impressive mix of engaging gameplay and challenging strategy.
Starting at the bottom rung of the British Racing Series in the newest open wheel racing circuit in the world (think IndyCar and F1 and not NASCAR) you begin with two inexperienced drivers and a single sponsor and work your way up through the ranks to glory by winning races, satisfying fans and sponsors, and generally taking the racing world by storm. This is a gradual process however and the struggle to improve with each race is very real, both in real life racing and in Motorsport Manager. Read more
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The Daily Dish for 9/9/14
In the second episode of The Daily Dish the topics covered include the poor reviews coming in for NHL 15, impressions from playing the FIFA 15 demo, and the upcoming Madden NFL 15 roster update which will remove Ray Rice from the game.
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