It’s not much, but it comes on the heels of EA Sports promoting Ultimate Team earlier today which had many wondering whether anything was improved upon in Franchise mode with Madden NFL 15. A retailer blurb related to Connected Franchise has appeared and notes a couple new features – the ability to develop players and a system for projecting “Confidence” levels on to players that fluctuates to affect their performance.
Interact and build your team with more control in Game Prep all-new to CFM. Want to develop your backup QB? Between matchups, spend extra time on him each week to earn training points without having to force him into the real games before he is ready. Also new in CFM is the Confidence rating system. Build your teams’ confidence through performance and front office transactions. Balance keeping player’s confidence up, to increase abilities and build player XP.
It’s evident that Connected Franchise will play a big role in potential purchase decisions for many this year and that will be examined in an article soon (Update: Check that out here). There’s likely more to these two features and more improvements that aren’t worthy of being in such a general overview of the mode but would this be enough for those who feel Franchise is the most important part of the game? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
With just four weeks until release EA Sports still has two main modes for Madden NFL 15 to discuss. Connected Franchise which has really slipped this year – typically news on that has come out in May and June – and Ultimate Team which is generally the last thing the company rolls information out on prior to release. Those concerned about Franchise will be even more so now that the company has moved on to talking Ultimate Team.
A short video released today teases Ultimate Team for this year. The mode will include a new feature called “Sets” which were formerly known as “Collections” and a focus on making the mode more understandable for new players. Read more
The latest Press Row Hangout tackled a number of topics and the first two are featured in the clips below. More will be posted throughout the week and the full show audio will be featured on Friday’s Press Row Podcast.
1) Patches have allowed developers to continue working on games right up to and beyond release. But is that resulting in better games or simply ones that are left unfinished while relying on consumers to hope that fixes and improvements are made later?
2) It’s the first year with Xbox One and PS4 games releasing alongside the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Publishers are heavily promoting the games for the former but won’t detail what might be missing from the feature set for the latter despite both being the same $60. How big a problem is this deceptive form of advertising? Read more
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Make sure to get entries in for the giveaway that opened up late last week!
♦Price drops have held for EA Sports UFC and MLB 14: The Show at $40 each.
♦Madden NFL 15 blog released going over War in the Trenches for a second time.
♦Madden NFL 15 blog released going over Player Sense 2.0 for a second time.
♦Madden NFL 15 blog released going over tackling mechanics for a second time.
♦New set of transfers have been completed for FIFA 14 Ultimate Team.
♦MiddleEasy conducted an interview with Brian Hayes about EA Sports UFC’s patch.
♦The judge approved the two video game related settlements involving EA/CLC and NCAA.
♦Some college football players just want an NCAA Football video game to return.
♦Details on the latest build update for the PC version of The Golf Club.
♦HB Studios released a blog on the updates to wind for The Golf Club.
♦Microsoft has started to list the cars that will be included in Forza Horizon 2.
♦The NFL released data on the top selling jerseys in the league.
♦The rumored $1 billion acquisition of Twitch by Youtube is now reportedly complete.
News and content that may have been missed from the last week around the site.
♦Blu-ray/DVD Releases This Week. Headlined by Noah and The Other Woman.
♦First Look at Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Image released at Comic-Con Panel.
♦Trailer for The Walking Dead Season Five. New season starts on October 12.
♦Trailer for Arrow Season Three. New season starts on October 8.
♦Trailer for Hot Tub Time Machine 2. First trailer was released during Comic-Con.
♦Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Gets Release Date. James Gunn returns to write and direct.
EA Sports has continued to roll out ratings for the five highest players at each position in Madden NFL 15. After revealing the best of the rookies, the company followed up with quarterbacks and running backs, and have since moved on to ratings for the best of the wide receivers, tight ends, offensive lineman, and defensive ends.
Wide Receiver
Calvin Johnson (99), Brandon Marshall (96), Andre Johnson (95), A.J. Green (95), Dez Bryant (94)
Tight End
Jimmy Graham (97), Rob Gronkowski (96), Vernon Davis (94), Jason Witten (93), Greg Olsen (88)
Offensive Line
Joe Thomas (98), Evan Mathis (97), Josh Sitton (97), Trent Williams (95), Joe Staley (94)
Defensive End
J.J. Watt (99), Robert Quinn (97), Cameron Wake (96), Calais Campbell (96), Cameron Jordan (93), Muhammad Wilkerson (93)
EA Sports today released a breakdown of the specific improvements to gameplay that will appeal more to the hardcore crowd in Madden NFL 15. A lot of this was discussed in the recent live stream but it’s nice to have it laid out in this manner as well.
At the very least the company is demonstrating that they understand balance, realism, and options matter even if casuals have no idea they are there or ever take advantage of them. How effective it all is remains in question but that’s a good sign. The new features and adjustments attempt to address some of the long-running problems with Madden and offer counters to various tactics opponents might employ. Read more
The latest Press Row Podcast is a one-on-one interview with host Rich Grisham and The Golf Club executive producer Peter Garcin. In a time where the sports gaming landscape has thinned out considerably due to concerns over profitability, how does an independent game come in and compete for consumers? Discussion includes design decisions made along the way, the release on Steam Early access and how feedback played a part in improving the game for it’s official release, and much more.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS, Stitcher app for Android, and subscribe while there to help support the show! You can also listen in the streaming player below.
The semi-regular site giveaways continue with an opportunity to win the choice of Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, and NBA 2K15 for any platform! Additional giveaways for the four games will take place closer to their respective releases.
There are several ways to qualify and each one counts for entries so the more you complete the more chances to win. The giveaway is open now and will run through August 6th when the winner will be randomly selected and contacted for delivery details. Good luck! Read more