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The Line Drive for June 8
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Only a few days left for entries in the EA Sports UFC giveaway!
♦First special live E3 Press Row Hangout is scheduled for 11ET Monday night.
♦In a rare smart decision in handling the series NBA Live 15 won’t be appearing at E3.
♦EA Sports has confirmed Tournament mode and Guest Play will return in FIFA 15.
♦The PC version of FIFA 15 will run on the next-gen EA Sports Ignite engine.
♦Polygon explains why Colin Kaepernick is the only tattooed player in Madden NFL 15.
♦Screenshots released of Madison Square Garden and Joe Louis Arena from NHL 15.
♦The EA Sports UFC demo is running at 900p despite promises the game would be 1080p.
♦EA is investigating bumping EA Sports UFC’s resolution to 1080p on the PS4.
♦Check out the latest fighter screenshots for EA Sports UFC in the FB album.
♦NBA 2K14 now has a pair of in-game shoes that cost $5 worth of currency to buy.
♦HB Studios has released a new trailer with PS4 footage for The Golf Club.
♦EA will testify in O’Bannon case they would have paid college athletes to appear.
♦Sony blog post includes 51 new details on DriveClub.
♦Forza Horizon 2 has been announced for Xbox One and 360 this fall.
♦The dark days of the NBA are here in the finale of hilarious series NBA Y2K.
♦Sony has released an app for E3 2014 on the PlayStation 4.
♦45 new apps including ones for Twitter and Vine are coming to Xbox One.
♦Blu-ray releases this week include Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Non-Stop. -
Pre-E3 Hangout Now in Podcast Form
The most recent hangout is now available to listen to as a Press Row Podcast! In addition to the two video segments posted on the site earlier (EA Sports UFC demo impressions, E3 2014 preview) the panel discusses impressions of the FIFA 14 World Cup Ultimate Team mode, thoughts on progress in MLB 14: The Show’s Online Franchise, release of the first screenshot from Madden NFL 15, and more!
Check out the 90 minute podcast available through iTunes and with the Stitcher app for Android devices. Support the show by subscribing to the feed while there! Or listen by utilizing the streaming player below.
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Richard Sherman Selected as Madden NFL 15 Cover Athlete
EA Sports today announced that Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has won the tournament to be the cover athlete for Madden NFL 15 by beating Cam Newton in the finals.
Sherman becomes only the second defensive player to grace the cover on his own. Ray Lewis was on Madden 2005 while Troy Polamalu shared the Madden 10 cover with Larry Fitzgerald. Given a focus this year for Madden is on defense, and coming from a team that dominated defensively in winning the Super Bowl, the choice is especially fitting.
The tournament at first glance appeared set up to allow Sherman to win. Marketing wise he certainly made the most sense. And if the terms of the Madden cover vote are the same as the NHL vote, EA Sports would be able to override any results and choose who they wanted anyway.
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Press Row Hangout Clip: EA Sports UFC Demo Impressions
In another clip from the latest Press Row Hangout the panel discusses the EA Sports UFC demo. The two main areas of concern seem to fall on the realism and the complexity of the game. Can UFC draw in consumers with the built-for-next-gen visuals or is the game inherently never going to reach a more casual crowd due to the necessary complicated controls? Make sure to check out my full impressions here and watch the half hour UFC hangout segment below.
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Madden NFL 15 Expanded First Feature Details, Ultimate Edition, and New Trailer
In advance of E3 next week, EA Sports has released some additional details on Madden NFL 15 and a new “gameplay” trailer which includes a brief look at some replay footage.
As suspected earlier based on retailer listings there is a special edition of the game and it’ll be called the “Ultimate Edition”. For $70 it includes what is said to be $40 of Ultimate Team content. Combined with the pre-order bonus of $15 of Ultimate Team content, if that is included with the special edition of the game, consumers who enjoy the mode will really be able to get a strong running start.
Up until now the only info on features was limited to what had been sent to retailers. That included pre-game and halftime shows, dynamic player lock cameras, and a crowd-sourced play calling system. EA expanded a bit in three areas today with mentions of redesigned zone and man coverage logic, NFL Films presentation, six gameplay cameras to choose from, and some kind of skill competition called “The Gauntlet”.
When watching an early trailer for Madden it’s important to keep in mind the game often hasn’t ended up looking as good as the footage presented by EA Sports suggests and some would say they’ve simply been intentionally deceptive with them. At this time last year here is what the company claimed you’d be playing with Madden NFL 25. There’s not a whole lot to analyze in this one but continue on to check it out along with the three main feature descriptions and leave any thoughts in the comments! Read more
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Press Row Hangout Clip: E3 2014 Preview
With E3 just days away now this clip from the latest Press Row Hangout centers discussion on expectations headed into the event. What news will be made for Madden NFL 15, NBA 2K15, FIFA 15, and others? Will there be any surprise announcements? Even the idea of a new football or baseball game are raised and whether hope of that is at all realistic.
Last year EA appeared at the Microsoft press conference due to an exclusive content deal. That deal has since expired so it is unknown whether anything EA Sports related will be presented at either the Microsoft or Sony conference. 2K Sports has a strong relationship with Sony and it’s a good bet that something NBA 2K15 will be on display there as has been the case the past several years. On Monday the Microsoft conference starts at 1230ET and Sony at 9ET.
The EA press conference as always will feature the upcoming sports titles and that one starts at 3ET. Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, and FIFA 15 are sure things. They will all be getting new extended trailers and may have additional features announced. The wild card here is PGA Tour which will no longer involve Tiger Woods in any capacity. It may seem early for anything extensive on the game that will release next March but after taking a year off the company may look to reestablish itself in the market by laying the groundwork early.
Look for multiple live Press Row Hangout broadcasts on Monday, and follow-up shows later in the week. Below is the 38 minute segment related to E3. The entire nearly two hour show can be watched here and it’ll be out in podcast form for the weekend.
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NBA 2K15 Pre-Order Bonus Detailed
2K Sports today laid out the details on the pre-order incentive being offered with NBA 2K15. Last year had the “King James Bonus Pack” and this time around it’s the “Kevin Durant MVP Bonus Pack”. This bonus is expected to be retailer wide rather than differ based on where the game is bought and hopefully will be offered to those who digitally download as well.
To no one’s surprise Virtual Currency is involved, however the presence there doesn’t necessarily mean 2K is continuing on with the harmful implementation found in Xbox One/PS4 NBA 2K14. The company will have to address what changes have been made due to consumer feedback well in advance of release. As has been the case with revenue-generating modes in other sports games 2K is now involving MyTeam in the bonus as well in an attempt to draw in more consumers who could potentially spend more money there.
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First Madden NFL 15 Screenshot Reveals Tattoos Finally Being Added to Players
On the same day the San Francisco 49ers signed Colin Kaepernick to a massive contact extension, EA Sports has released the first screenshot for Madden NFL 15 and it features the QB. The biggest thing of note here is the presence of tattoos.
Until now the NFL has prevented EA from putting tattoos on players and along with various other restrictions have limited the potential authenticity of the series. With the new contract between EA and the NFL, which may or may not include exclusivity, different terms may be in place that will hopefully benefit the game due to greater creative freedom.
[Update] Kaepernick is the ONLY player that will have tattoos in Madden 15. So much for thinking the game would become more authentic.
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