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How Much Interest Is There In The Ultimate Edition of EA Sports Games?
EA Sports officially announced the Ultimate Editions of Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, and FIFA 15 this week – though the details on them had been posted three weeks earlier by retailers. For $10 over the standard price consumers will receive up to $40 in Ultimate Team content. They’ll only get the full value of that however by sticking through the 10 weeks (Madden), 25 weeks (NHL), and 40 weeks (FIFA) in which the packs will be distributed.
This is the first time the company has attempted to leverage Ultimate Team mode as the sole driver behind special editions of their games. Offering bonus UT content has become a staple for pre-order bonuses but here the idea is to capture $10 at the outset and keep those consumers especially engaged in the mode (where they can spend more) for months following release. ‘ThatSportsGamer’ T.J. Lauerman has even surmised it’s one of the reasons why the EA Season Ticket program no longer exists. That’s either the reasoning or the company pivoted and came up with the idea after that was deemed unsuccessful.
By making it only $10 more EA is hoping to entice Ultimate Team players who will see the obvious benefit in paying up. It shouldn’t be a hard sell to that crowd. The question is whether it can overlap to those who are unsure of any commitment they’ll have to the mode. Will those people be able to justify spending $10 more? At least anyone who doesn’t care about Ultimate Team can pass on buying without hesitation or feeling as though they missed out on content which is refreshing compared to most special editions of games.
Vote in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments. Will you be buying an Ultimate Edition of any upcoming EA Sports game?
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Deal on PS4 MLB 14: The Show
For the first time since release in early May, MLB 14: The Show on PlayStation 4 can be had at a significantly reduced price. Amazon currently has the game for $40 matching an in-store deal currently available from Best Buy. In many cases an offering like this one is for a limited quantity and goes fast however given it’s a price match it may be available for the entire week.
MLB 14: The Show on PS4 has been lauded for its gameplay, visual enhancements, and depth of offline content but struggles mightily with online play and poor loading times. Make sure to check out the full review if trying to decide whether the game is right for you!
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More on FIFA 15 Visual Upgrades
EA Sports today released a new video detailing and displaying more of the improvements made to visuals with FIFA 15. Those include truer-to-life player likenesses, pitch and kit degradation, animated LED boards, and other authentic touches. Aspects such as “emotional intelligence” and other features previously announced aren’t included in this video which is the first in a series that will be sent out in coming weeks. Earlier a series of clips were put together going over the gameplay and presentation feature list in general.
The Next Generation football player is here. Player faces have an incredible level of detail, while character models look and feel powerful and athletic. Kits move realistically and change with the environment, becoming dirty with mud and grass as the match unfolds. In FIFA 15, you’ll see a level of detail in players’ faces which hasn’t been possible before, thanks to an all-new physically-based rendering lighting system.
Stadiums are alive and full of the emotion that only football can create. Playing surfaces wear down as the match progresses, with boot marks, slide tackles, and debris visible on the pitch. Corner flags move, goal frames shake, and animated LED ad boards bring FIFA 15 to life.
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The Line Drive for June 29
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Another extended gameplay video for Madden NFL 15 has made its way out.
♦Online quitters in EA Sports UFC now get losses in addition to DNF penalties.
♦Brendan Schaub says EA Sports UFC “can suck a dick” for leaving him off the roster.
♦EA Sports UFC is now down to 69 on Metacritic nothing short of embarrassing for EA.
♦Check out a screenshot of Ryan Kesler with the Anaheim Ducks from NHL 15.
♦A few other new NHL 15 screenshots can also be found in the FB album.
♦A comedian on Conan joked about FIFA penalizing him for language through Kinect.
♦An NBA Live developer appears to have left EA for a position with 2K Sports.
♦The pre-order bonus for NBA Live 15 is $15 worth of Ultimate Team content.
♦2K Sports promised big NBA 2K15 news for a live stream event last Friday and didn’t deliver.
♦Konami promised a look at gameplay for PES 2015 this last week, released only a brief teaser trailer, then deleted it from their Youtube account after criticism started pouring in.
♦New video takes a look at the dynamic world found in Forza Horizon 2.
♦The O’Bannon trial judge suggested different ways to pay players if they win the case.
♦Check out the new Ben Franklin secondary logo for the Philadelphia 76ers.
♦Check out the new court design for the Charlotte Hornets. -
O’Bannon Case is Over; Resolution and Ramifications Still A Long Ways Away
The case that could change the landscape of college athletics, and was the catalyst that led to the cancellation of the NCAA Football series, has come to a conclusion. The decision in Ed O’Bannon v. NCAA is now fully in the hands of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken who is expected to make the ruling in August.
Throughout the trial observers noted the plaintiffs were dominating the proceedings, and that it seemed as though the NCAA was more concerned with cultivating arguments for appeals than winning this stage. However the final day was by far the strongest for the NCAA and now the judge’s determination seems to be much more in question.
Regardless of what the ruling is the matter likely won’t be settled completely for several more years. The losing party will appeal and continue to do so all the way to the Supreme Court which would choose to hear the case or pass on it. College-based video games won’t be back until at least then and maybe longer depending on the system put into place to pay players and whether publishers would determine profit was still there to be made considering the increased development and licensing costs. Read more
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Players Recording Audio For Roles in NBA 2K15 MyCareer Mode
Real audio was introduced to post-game interviews in NBA 2K14 and that helped establish just how well fans respond to hearing the actual voices of the league’s stars. For NBA 2K15 there will be voiceover work completed by a number of players for MyCareer mode which glaringly lacked them for all but your created player in 2K14. The audio will accompany the roles and storylines that involve the respective players. Operation Sports noted all the various tweets over recent months that featured players in studio to record lines.
The involvement of NBA players in the 2K14 MyCareer storylines were often cringe-inducingly cheesy and coupled with having no voices (just subtitles) the interactions were even more awkward. Having the actual players recording their lines could eliminate the latter issue, but ultimately the writing in the story mode along with having more options will drive how grounded, realistic, and rewarding it may be to play through.
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Press Row Podcast: EA UFC Roundtable
The latest Press Row Podcast is a two-parter focusing on the release of EA Sports UFC. The first segment features the Operation Sports reviewer while the latter is the audio from the UFC Press Row Hangout that was held with the panel discussing the game at great length.
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.
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New Flick Mobile Game for World Cup
The “Flick” games from Full Fat have been some of the most popular sports-themed apps on mobile devices. They’re free, simple, responsive, and fun.
The latest is Flick Soccer Brazil which features five different modes plus an add-on $1 “Bikini Mode”. Download it for iOS here and Android here.
QUICKSHOT: It’s you VS the keeper in a fast paced showdown!
SPECIALIST: Set piece free kicks to sort the men from the boys.
CHALLENGE: Five gold trophies to be won in a test of precision.
CROSSBAR: Crazy stunts for extreme sports fans!
SMASH IT: Shatter huge panes of glass across the goal.Other well regarded games from Full Fat include NFL Quarterback, NFL Kicker, Flick Golf, and Flick Soccer. The company also developed King of the Course, the recently released golf game which was published by EA Mobile.
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