The demo for EA Sports UFC holds a great deal of importance for the new series. The goal with it is to appeal to both the hardcore fight fans and a more casual crowd while also trying to shake off the stigma of the THQ series which lost 70% of its consumer base over the course of three releases. UFC 2009 Undisputed had a demo that was so dynamic and exciting it propelled the launch to heights well beyond what THQ had forecasted. It allowed the game to attract a crowd that wasn’t limited to UFC fans alone. Read more
Though EA Sports seems to be targeting a somewhat casual crowd with the UFC game due out in less than two weeks – the game doesn’t play like a true sim of the sport and leans towards action packed fun factor instead – it’s anything but accessible. Certainly much of that is simply inherent in MMA given the number of options at a fighters disposal and individual styles. Translating that to any control scheme will result in an overwhelming number of abilities to access based on the context of any given moment.
The demo includes a tutorial which has helped in some regard but based on early reception hasn’t done enough to prepare players for the actual fights. To help sink more of the information in EA has provided additional resources to assist in learning the game. Those include a bunch of video tutorials, how to attempt the various submissions, and the control schemes.
While helpful, it’s asking a bit much to expect consumers to take the time to learn in this manner. If the tutorial isn’t sufficient, and the game isn’t natural in advancing skills through time spent playing, it’s going to be difficult to draw new people in. Already the punishing nature of the demo despite being set on “easy” and the manner in which the CPU fights has turned off many who were on the fence. MMA is never going to be a “pick up and play” video game sport but it has to be fun even when learning means failing early on.
The demo for EA Sports UFC has arrived a tad early for the Xbox One. It’s available now by searching for UFC in the Xbox store and has since arrived for the PS4.
The demo comes in at 2.77 GB and features a tutorial of sorts to learn the basics and a three round fight between the two cover athletes Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.
I’ll be live streaming tonight and at various points tomorrow! Make sure to check out the Pastapadre Twitch channel where the streams will also be archived to watch later if you can’t make it during any of the live sessions.
[Update] Here’s the full first stream, from the very start going through the tutorial though many fights, or just check out what was probably the best fight of the bunch.
The free content for FIFA 14 on all platforms arrived late last week and with it some hope that it could be a good compliment, and maybe even a substitute, for the 2014 FIFA World Cup game that released only on 360 and PS3. Obviously the addition to FIFA 14 was never going to provide the same depth as that standalone game but it was also offering something completely different. A free entry point into a unique Ultimate Team mode where money could be spent but didn’t necessarily need to be. Â Read more
EA Sports today released the first screenshot for NHL 15 with the image coming from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 version of the game. Check it out full size here.
The company also took the opportunity to announce the pre-order deals for the game. Unfortunately, as the trend has been lately with various sports games, there seems to be favoritism to one location over the others. Gamestop will be offering 24 Hockey Ultimate Team Gold Packs ($24 value over 24 weeks). All other retailers – and maybe digital download although that wasn’t noted – will give out 15 HUT Gold Packs ($15 value over 15 weeks). Of course for those who don’t play Ultimate Team this won’t sway them to Gamestop. However EA hopes with these bonuses to draw in new players to the mode and get them on the hook going forward.
Though a number of features have already been revealed for NHL 15 expect there to be something new at EA’s press conference next Monday. A full trailer is a good bet but there’s always the possibility they’ll announce a new feature of larger scope during the presentation.
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 EA Sports UFC giveaway!
♦The Madden NFL 15 cover vote is now in the finals with Sherman vs Newton.
♦Today is the final chance to vote for the cover of NHL 15.
♦EA Sports could choose who they want for the NHL 15 cover regardless of results.
♦Good Game Bro posted hands-on impressions of Career mode in EA Sports UFC.
♦GGTV has extended PS4 footage with game designer interview for The Golf Club.
♦EA released the full listing of top 40 players in FIFA 14 World Cup Ultimate Team.
♦Bondurant Car Pack is out now for Forza 5 for $10 and includes 10 new vehicles.
♦Even current players could receive benefits from EA’s NCAA lawsuit settlement.
♦Trials Frontier is out now for free on Android almost two months after iOS release.
♦New soccer management mobile game Fury 90 has released on iOS.
♦Sony offering opportunity to watch their E3 press conference in select movie theaters.
♦Blu-ray releases this week include Lone Survivor, Robocop, and Breaking Bad.
With E3 just over a week away a packed panel discusses the state of sports games going into the event in the latest Press Row Podcast. What games have the most to gain from E3 and which has the most red flags that need to be addressed there or later? What game is positioned to have the strongest year? Will there be any surprise announcements?
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.
After a release delay of just one day, the new World Cup Ultimate Team mode for FIFA 14 is out on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, and PC. The free update adds the Ultimate Team that features offline and online tournaments using World Cup players, kits, and more all acquired through packs. It is separate from the traditional Ultimate Team mode but a “Gold” pack for that one is included with each World Cup pack purchased.
Also included in the World Cup content are single games that can be played with the national teams (though rosters are outdated) and Challenges which will be updated with real-life scenarios during the actual tournament.