In the final two clips from the most recent Press Row Hangout the panel discusses the details that were released for Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 15 and how companies are now approaching Franchise/Dynasty modes. The first segment is primarily about Madden’s upgrades and what might still be lacking while the second examines how 2K Sports is putting effort into Franchise with MyLeague in NBA 2K15 while EA Sports believes its relevance is slipping and instead is shifting focus to other modes with NBA Live 15. Read more
With timing that will raise even more eyebrows, Electronic Arts has announced that the EA Access program is now rolling out wide to everyone on the Xbox One. It had been in beta for dashboard preview participants since the end of July.
EA Access is a subscription service for $30 a year or $5 a month that offers a library of older games to play, 10% off digital purchases, and the ability to play games in the days leading up to their release for a limited stretch of time. It’s represents a very good value for anyone that has interest in those older titles with the other features making it even better.
The news came less than an hour after confirming there would be no demo for Madden NFL 15 and the only way to play it early will be through EA Access. For those interested in subscribing for that reason alone it would be best to hold out until the company provides specifics on any restrictions tied to Madden. Technically they could limit it to as few as two hours with the game. The company has refused to comment on how Madden’s availability will be handled.
EA Sports today finally addressed the topic of an upcoming demo for Madden NFL 15 by telling Polygon there will be no demo at all. This is another in a line of traditional promotional steps that the company has deviated from with Madden 15 but certainly the one that will stand out above them all. Read more
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The official Madden 15 strategy guide is just $10 and includes $9 in Ultimate Team packs.
♦New blog posted looking at the Item Binder feature for Ultimate Team in Madden NFL 15.
♦EA Sports posted the top 15 base players available in Madden 15’s Ultimate Team.
♦Looks like no demo for Madden NFL 15 this week which is a deviation from the norm.
♦Have an MP3 to download of latest Press Row Hangout for those who prefer as podcast.
♦EA Sports has announced all 18 clubs from the Turkish League will appear in FIFA 15.
♦EA Sports just released a detailed list of the top 50 rated players in NHL 15.
♦Online servers for MLB 13: The Show are being taken down permanently on November 6.
♦Competitive gaming service EA Sports Arena is being shut down due to lack of interest.
♦Sports Illustrated breaks down what the O’Bannon ruling means for the NCAA.
♦Amazon has the WWE 2K15 Hulkamania Collector’s Edition available for pre-order.
♦McDonald’s Happy Meals will have Madden 15 branded NFL figures included as toys.
♦All the cars announced so far for Forza Horizon 2 have been updated on the official site.
♦Twitch will no longer hold archived streams indefinitely and put 2 hour limits on highlights.
♦Twitch is now scanning for unlicensed audio and muting portions of videos that are flagged.
The latest Press Row Hangout was recorded on Friday night and tackled many recent news stories of significance. In one segment from the show the panel raves about the lasting enjoyment of MLB 14: The Show, the next relates to the big ruling yesterday in the Ed O’Bannon v. NCAA case, and the final one runs through a number of topics in a “Lightning Round”. Those include the changes implemented by Twitch, Zynga announcing two mobile sports games, and The Golf Club’s release likely falling on one of the worst potential dates possible.
Other featured discussions were on Madden NFL 15’s Connected Franchise mode, and the overall importance of Franchise/Dynasty in sports games now with NBA 2K15 putting effort in to a new variation but NBA Live 15 choosing to focus elsewhere claiming diminished relevancy, with those expected to go up on Monday. Subscribe to Pastapadre on Youtube to catch the shows when live or check out the clips as posted later at your convenience! Read more
Late in the week EA Sports held a live stream to go over Connected Franchise in Madden NFL 15 which comes on the heels of fairly successful streams focused on gameplay and presentation. This one for Franchise acts more as a summary of all the details that were released than an expansion on them, and important areas like the Draft are curiously skipped by, but there is also opportunity to see more gameplay and Franchise-specific presentation which hasn’t been talked about as much as it probably should have been.
The judge in O’Bannon v. NCAA has ruled that the NCAA violates anti-trust laws by preventing players from being paid for their name and likenesses.
This does not appear to be a ruling however that threatens the core of the NCAA – one in which some surmised a more devastating ruling could bring down the organization entirely. It’s certainly far from the worst case scenario for them. That could be a good thing for the future of college sports video games depending on how the NCAA attempts to proceed. Read more
EA Sports has released the top five rated left wingers, right wingers, and centers for NHL 15. Earlier the company revealed the highest rated goalies and defensemen. Sidney Crosby comes away as the best player in the game by three full points at 96 overall. A handful of players follow behind with 93.
Left Wing
Alexander Ovechkin (93), Henrik Zetterberg (92), Zach Parise + Taylor Hall + Jamie Benn (90)
Right Wing
Corey Perry (92), Marian Hossa (91), Phil Kessel (90), Patrick Kane (89), Martin St. Louis (88)
Center
Sidney Crosby (96), Steven Stamkos + Jonathan Toews + Pavel Datsyuk (93), Ryan Getzlaf (92)