This week’s roster update for MLB 14: The Show included the players for the All-Star Game which takes place this evening. The participants for the game were selected over a week ago but the starting pitchers and batting order were unveiled just yesterday.
Unfortunately due to the timing that meant SCEA made a lot of guesses and the result are a number of inaccuracies. More disappointing (as the starting pitcher and batting order can be changed) is that players who have been added to the rosters, replacing those who are injured or could not participate because they pitched on Sunday, are not included on The Show’s All-Star roster. Instead the original players selected remain.
That means the likes of Henderson Alvarez, Miguel Montero, Kyle Seager, Fernando Rodney, Ian Kinsler, Tim Hudson, Alfredo Simon, Tyler Clippard, and Huston Street are left out. Even the two players selected by the fans, Chris Sale and Anthony Rizzo, failed to make the cut.
The final two segments from the most recent Press Row Hangout relate to the apparent shift in marketing strategy from EA Sports and various topics sent in by viewers.
The first video gives consideration to why EA is promoting their upcoming titles differently this year compared to how they have traditionally. Less is being talked about early, recording was not permitted at E3, and the information that is actually being distributed has been fairly low key and based in fundamentals. Is it a philosophical change, related to the shorter development cycle, or due to the desire to continue generating revenue in last year’s titles for as long as possible?
The second video involves discussion around viewer submitted questions that include the lack of a patch for the PS4 version of MLB 14: The Show, when to expect Connected Franchise news for Madden NFL 15, whether Madden’s release date should be moved up now that there is no college football game, promised NBA 2K15 news that was never delivered despite people being baited into watching a live stream, and more! Read more
A tweet sent out by Joe Montana has led to speculation that the return of the series named after him could be on the horizon. On Saturday he posted the image above and accompanied that with the hashtags “#youvewaitedlongenough” and “#joemontanafootball16”. Since then more has surfaced revealing what is likely to be a mobile game utilizing the Unreal Engine. Read more
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦MLB 14: The Show on PlayStation 4 is back down to $40 on Amazon.
♦Out for over two months PS4 MLB 14: The Show still hasn’t received a patch.
♦OOTP 15 is available for $20 which is 50% off until Wed plus a patch was released.
♦New small screenshots of four rookies in Madden NFL 15 added to the FB album.
♦Check out the latest screenshots for NHL 15 added to the FB album.
♦New video takes a look at the turn-based online multiplayer in The Golf Club.
♦New video takes a look at how to play in a tournament in The Golf Club.
♦GoodGameBro lists out ten ways EA Sports UFC could be greatly improved.
♦Special Press Row Podcast features impressions and interviews from an EA event.
♦USGamer profiled how concerning microtransactions are to sports game future.
♦The new Chase for the Sprint Cup format will be patched into Nascar 14.
♦UFC is nearing the signing of Gina Carano to take on Ronda Rousey.
♦The NBA unveiled the logo for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game hosted in New York.
♦Renovation of Wrigley Field has been approved to be completed by next season.
♦Rio 2 and Orpahn Black S2 head the Blu-ray/DVD releases for this week.
The latest Press Row Hangout broadcast live on Friday night and tackled early impressions of Madden NFL 15, FIFA 15, and NHL 15 coming out of an event held by EA Sports and all the videos and information that have released to this point. They’ve been broken into segments dedicated to each game with the NHL portion somewhat short as the talk ended up spinning-off more towards how EA’s marketing strategy appears to have shifted this year across their portfolio of sports titles. Clips featuring that particular discussion and responses to numerous viewer-submitted questions will go up on Monday. Read more
The decision has finally been made – LeBron James is going back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James spent four years in Miami after crushing Cleveland’s spirit, getting to the NBA Finals every year and winning two championships. The details of the contract with the Cavs are still unknown.
This single signing will have a monumental affect on the balance of power not just in the NBA but in the video games as well. The Cavs will go from being one of the least used teams to likely the most used, while the ripple effects could see other talent move like Kevin Love possibly joining LeBron via trade, Chris Bosh moving to the Rockets, and Chandler Parsons to the Mavericks if Houston chooses not to match his restricted offer though they are expected to do so.
(Update) The first domino has fallen with Houston trading Jeremy Lin to the Lakers to open up cap space for signing Bosh and Parsons. And now, surprisingly, Chris Bosh is staying in Miami.
Meanwhile the heavily used Heat will no longer be a favorite among gamers. That roster right now looks as though it could end up being the worst in the whole league and potentially dismal in video game terms. The Cavs though will have the somewhat unstoppable force in LeBron, combined with talented young point guard Kyrie Irving, and other young high potential players (some may have to be moved for cap space). They’ll also look to surround LeBron with more players he likes with the talk being Ray Allen and Mike Miller as likely targets.
EA Sports today released a quick video offering glimpses at “The Gauntlet” – a new feature made up of various extreme arcade-style mini-games that end in “boss battles”. One example seen out of a clip from E3 (later pulled down by EA) included kicking a 110 yard FG in hurricane force winds. The video is complete with an annoying voiceover that you’d expect out of an arcade game although the footage makes it look more like a typical tutorial-type skill building mode.
Many have recently expressed frustration with a lack of information on NBA 2K15 whether that be on social media, various forums, or in direct correspondence. The fact is though 2K is right on track with their usual marketing schedule by only having put out official releases on the pre-order bonus and cover athlete by this point in the year. Read more