EA Sports held a live stream yesterday for Madden NFL 25 to explain and show off the improvements to gameplay that have been the marketing focus since E3. It turned out to be a fairly valuable watch with a lot of information relating to the new features, issues the development team attempted to address, and the thinking behind it all. There’s a difference between reading about all the various gameplay-related features and actually having them shown and discussed in a manner that gets across how people will benefit from them while playing.
There are still plenty of deficient aspects even seen on display in the stream, and the “Tackle Cone” would seem to be a gimmick that doesn’t really justify its presence within the context of actual gameplay, but the nice thing is the issues aren’t being hidden and some are even flat out being admitted to. There’s no attempt being made to mislead consumers and instead the effort is to inform of where the game actually has improved and what that means for addressing other areas in the future. It may not be enough to convince those who are skeptical to get on board, but it’s how the process of regaining lost consumer confidence needs to begin. Read more
The latest Press Row Hangout tackles one of the most controversial topics in gaming today – how microtransactions are being implemented in games, the effect they have on consumers, and even the way they are influencing how games are designed. In regards to sports titles the discussion examines the beginnings of the dedicated pursuit of digital revenue with Ultimate Team, the situation now after the mess created by NBA 2K14 and potentially dangerous decision made for PES 2015, and what the future may bring.
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.
EA Sports has released another in a series of videos meant to show off improvements and additions to Madden NFL 15. The latest is what they call “Player Sense 2.0” and relates to the intelligence of the players in making decisions and reacting to situations. “Player Sense” was introduced in Madden NFL 25 and though limited in scope it did show some promise.
ZONE/MAN COVERAGE IMPROVEMENTS
Zone Coverage ratings now have a bigger impact on how quickly defenders break on throws. Defenders with higher ratings in Zone Coverage will react much quicker to throws.Defenses are now smarter when it comes to going for a swat vs. an interception or a tackle. This improved logic will be broken down by player traits.
Improvements have also been made to zone defenders responsible for the flats. Some things to look out for include smarter principles (no more out route abuse!), improved head tracking on all players, increases in press and chuck interactions between DBs and wide receivers, as well as better pursuit and tackling ability.
Man Coverage ratings have also been tweaked to impact how much separation receivers are able to get on cuts in their routes, resulting in improved behavior of the defender.
New to Madden NFL 15 is the addition of disguised defenses, where opposing secondaries will show you one coverage but give another.
REAL AI 2.0
The Madden development team continues to improve the decision-making of computer-controlled players. Thanks to Real AI 2.0, computer quarterbacks understand different passing concepts, and will read defenders before making correct throws. They’ll also audible and call hot routes based on Real AI, and also have improved logic for handling pressure in the pocket.The computer now makes the same types of decisions that a skilled user would make. One improvement is CPU Fake Snap, which attempts to draw players offside more than in previous versions of Madden NFL.
SCEA today released the first patch for the PlayStation 4 version of MLB 14: The Show with the fixes also being applied to the PS3 version which is now on its second. It’s a significant update that would appear to address many of the issues people have had with the game since its release in early May (PS4) and the beginning of April (PS3).
Areas impacted by the patch include online play (will have to sufficiently evaluate to determine effectiveness), the misaligned strike zone specific to the PS4, and a whole lot more. Read more
It’s only been out a month but EA Sports UFC can already be had for $40. Amazon has the game at that price already for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Gamestop also has it for $40 right now though it’s unclear whether that is just online or also in-store. In some cases retailer deals are only available until a certain supply has run out, so those interested will want to take advantage of the offer quickly. [Update] Best Buy, Walmart, and others have followed as this isn’t just a retailer-specific deal but a full-on price drop.
EA Sports UFC has been a huge disappointment for the company, both in terms of critical reception (an embarrassing 69 on Metacritic) as well failing to reach sales expectations. At $40 though it might be worth some consideration as it partially alleviates one of the biggest issues which is the lack of content offline and how that relates to the value of the product. That it was designed to be more of an arcade representation of the sport, rather than a realistic one, won’t change no matter how much the game costs. Check out the full review here. A significant patch is expected in the coming weeks but EA won’t comment on what to expect from that.
EA Sports today released the latest video for NHL 15 this time focusing on the advancements to physics primarily as it relates to collisions and the puck. These are improvements made specific to the PS4 and Xbox One version of the game and won’t be realized in PS3 and 360.
12 Player NHL Collision Physics utilizes the power of next generation consoles and the critically-acclaimed NHL Collision Physics system, to put every player on the ice into physics at all times. This means that every player on the ice is susceptible to authentic collisions, no matter the situation. All-new Real Puck Physics leads to the unpredictable and authentic puck spins, rolls and bounces seen in a real NHL game.
EA Sports has released another video focusing on one of the new elements being introduced in Madden NFL 15. Tackling has received a lot of attention, going as far as to even add a “Tackle Cone” in order to help those who have struggled with it in the past. Read more
2K Sports today released the official cover for NBA 2K15 featuring Kevin Durant. Check out the full cover here. While some fans are expressing frustration with the lack of info or even screenshots for 2K15 – the cover and a soundtrack-related announcement won’t help in that regard – the game is basically right on schedule considering the typical way 2K Sports markets the series.
For the third straight year a prominent name will be selecting the soundtrack. Pharrell (please don’t put ‘Happy’ on there) Williams has been chosen to do so with 2K15. The full list of songs won’t be revealed until later this summer. Pharrell follows LeBron James who did NBA 2K14’s soundtrack and Jay-Z who was behind 2K13’s.