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First Significant Patch for NBA Live 14
The end of this week has brought updates to numerous next-gen sports games and NBA Live 14 is included in the bunch. Though patches are unlikely to generate additional interest in the game it is important for EA Sports to establish a level of support for the product and improve it for those who did purchase the unsatisfying reboot of the series.
The company is certain to struggle with credibility in selling next year’s game but showing a dedication to Live 14 could help them in that regard prior to then. The latest patch is just the start of what is promised to be an unprecedented level of post-release support. Read more
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First Next-Gen Madden NFL 25 Patch Out Now
The first post-release patch for Madden NFL 25 arrived yesterday on the Xbox One and PS4. While EA Sports decided not to go into detail on what the patch does – other than to say it includes some stability and bug fixes – they did single out SmartGlass for Xbox One as having been addressed in the update.
As written about last month CoachGlass, which had been hyped up as a huge feature by EA, was not working properly for many people. The SmartGlass app would lose sync after a play or two and a freeze would occur when exiting any game that had been connected to the app.
Based on limited testing the fixes do seem to have worked. The companion app did not lose sync during games and there were no instances of freezing when exiting those games. Feel free to leave any post-patch observations in the comments!
   
  
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Second Next-Gen NBA 2K14 Patch Arrives; Problems Continue for Troubled Game
The highly anticipated patch for NBA 2K14 released today on the Xbox One and is expected within a matter of days on the PS4. The update was meant to address the crashes being experienced by many in MyCareer and other modes while also offering various fixes, improvements, and additions. Given that some consumers have been unable to play 2K14 the crashing was obviously the priority here. Read more
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End of the Year Community Awards: Best Mobile Sports Game
The year-in-review process opened up earlier this week with the start of the Community Awards. Today the category is Best Mobile Sports Game. The number of nominees are being expanded to five in this category given the sheer number of mobile games and the unlikelihood that a majority of voters would have played any or all of what would have been a top three. Read more
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Second Next-Gen Patch for FIFA 14 Out on PS4 and Soon on Xbox One
Another patch has arrived for FIFA 14 on the PS4 today with it expected to go live on the Xbox One also within a matter of days. EA Sports has been supporting both the last-gen and new-gen FIFA exceedingly well as opposed to some other sports gaming franchises in a similar position which have seemed to suffer due to the split. The earlier patch addressed problems for those with Virtual Pro stats and attributes that carried over from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game and various stability issues. The new one addresses some specific online related troubles and makes some other adjustments.
♦Some stability issues when entering Online matches.
♦Some cases where users with large friends lists can’t access certain Online features.
♦Allows the Goalkeeper in Clubs mode to change camera angles.
♦Modifications to a couple camera angles in specific stadiums to improve playability.
♦Ensures Brazuca match ball appears properly in FUT once redeemed in Catalogue.
♦Resolves some Online issues regarding match invites.
♦Improvements to some Kinect Global Speech Commands.
♦Occurrences of mismatched roster names in Seasons matches.
♦Virtual Pro Ball Skills varying from match to match.
♦Random list appearing instead of Friends Clubs list in Pro Clubs. -
NFL Season Ticket Holders Getting Exclusive Madden Ultimate Team Cards
In an email sent out yesterday to NFL season ticket holders (not EA’s Season Ticket program) instructions were provided on how to redeem an exclusive pack of Ultimate Team cards for Madden NFL 25. By sending in an email to the designated address, along with info such as the season ticket holder account number and gamertag, the card pack will then appear in 7-14 days in the “Unopened Packs” section of the mode.
The offering applies to any of the systems – the choice of Xbox One, PS4, 360, and PS3 is made in the email that is submitted – and includes three star players from the team of choice. While this is the only way to obtain the cards initially they may become available in the Auction House later as users post them for sale. It’s unclear how good the cards will be – often promotions such as pre-order incentives are for cards that are not highly rated enough to really matter – but still this is a neat promotion that also led me to the discovery that season ticket holders get free RedZone access on mobile devices and free NFL Game Rewind subscriptions.
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End of the Year Community Awards: Best Gameplay of 2013
The year-in-review process opened up yesterday with the start of the Community Awards. Kicking it off was the Best New Feature and today the category is Best Gameplay.
Since starting the Community Awards the three franchises nominated for the honor of Best Gameplay have remained the same. NBA 2K, MLB: The Show, and FIFA have established themselves as the finest in the sports gaming genre. NBA 2K11, FIFA 12, and NBA 2K13 have taken home the honors. This year it’s NBA 2K14, MLB 13: The Show, and FIFA 14 in what will likely shake out to be one of the most competitive categories of the season.
Winners will be revealed all at once in early January. Continue on to read over the three eligible standout titles in gameplay from the array of sports games this year, vote in the poll, and leave any additional thoughts in the comments! Read more
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Madden NFL 25 Week 15 Upcoming Roster Update Discussion
Defense in the NFL has largely disappeared for two straight weeks now as the record for most points scored in a week was set and then nearly broken just one week later – with no thanks to the New York Giants. It’ll be interesting to see how this will be reflected in the next Madden NFL 25 roster update for the units that have struggled the most.
Players that can be expected to rise include Ryan Tannehill, Jamaal Charles, DeSean Jackson, Kendall Wright, Justin Tucker, Robert Quinn, Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson, Byron Maxwell, Richard Sherman, Darius Butler, and Antoine Cason. Among those that are likely to take a hit are Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Matt McGloin, Case Keenum, Charles Brown, Patrick Peterson, and Dre Kirkpatrick.
As always leave your thoughts in the comments on who deserves a boost or a drop to player ratings based on recent performances!
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