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Great Deals on MLB 13: The Show and NHL 14 for PlayStation Plus Members
Though a relevant time of the year due to the Winter Meetings and free agency period, December is not when baseball video games sell. Events taking place now will only be reflected in the next game out and that wait will stretch until 3/4/14 with the release of MLB 14: The Show.
That makes it an effective time to offer a deal on the PS3 version of MLB 13: The Show and capitalize on some of the interest in the media right now. Sony is offering the game digitally for just $10 to PlayStation Plus members and $20 to those who aren’t.
NHL 14 is also now available for just $15 to PS+ members and $30 for non-members. That is a game that released less than three months ago making it a steal as well.
It’s a shame that there is no backwards compatibility to allow MLB 13 or NHL 14 to be played on the PS4 – with so many new PS+ members on the console they likely would have been hugely popular downloads – but for anyone with interest and a PS3 there are numerous scenarios in which it makes sense to purchase them at the reduced price. Even those with a retail copies already would actually make out well by selling theirs and buying digitally.
Another PS+ benefit for the month is getting Borderlands 2 for free. So while it’ll take a while for the benefits of PS+ to fully be realized on the PS4 (though Resogun is an amazing game to get for free) those with a PS3 can really take advantage right now.
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VC Implementation Threatens The Future Of The NBA 2K Series
It’s somewhat startling to look back just a few weeks and see evaluations of NBA 2K14 that did not mention alarming tactics instituted by 2K Sports that would greatly affect consumers. The game for all intents and purposes requires an online connection and VC has been baked into almost every mode in a way that detracts from the enjoyment of the product. Of course reviews also didn’t bother to check how worthless the Online Leagues were and whether online even ran properly, and they wouldn’t have caught a roster that went nearly two months without an update and crashing problems that began occurring for many a week or two later.
The way VC has been implemented has brought about the most outrage and those feelings are justified. 2K14 is a full retail $60 purchase that is designed in a manner to push consumers to spend additional money on it. In many cases it is not optional, forces gamers to decide on a single mode to fully invest in rather than being able to play in the fashion they so choose, and ultimately appears to determine where 2K directs their development resources. Read more
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Second Next-Gen NBA 2K14 Roster Update Out Now
On the heels of the first roster update for the Xbox One and PS4 versions of NBA 2K14, which dealt with bringing the roster mostly up to date after going nearly two months without any alterations, another has released today that addresses the two biggest stories from Sunday.
Kobe Bryant has been activated following his highly anticipated return. Injured players are unable to be used in next-gen NBA 2K14 as rosters can’t be edited and saved to the hard drive. So ironically Kobe was available to play with up until 12/6 when he was deactivated in the first roster update, and then could not be used in the game for the handful of days surrounding his debut.
The other big change is the trade that took place between the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors. Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray, and Quincy Acy move to the Kings in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes.
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Madden NFL 25 Week 14 Upcoming Roster Update Discussion
Week 14 of the NFL season will largely be remembered for the weather conditions and dramatic conclusions. It was a great Sunday of football that ended in disappointing fashion for Rob Gronkowski and Tyrann Mathieu who will be out for the remainder of this season and possibly well into the next.
Players that will likely rise include Andy Dalton, Josh McCown, Charles Clay, Bobby Rainey, Shane Vereen, Cordarrelle Patterson, Alshon Jeffery, Jordan Cameron, Calais Campbell, John Abraham, Gerald McCoy, and several Jaguars should get recognition. Among those expected to fall are Robert Griffin III (who may even be sat down for the rest of the season) along with many other Redskins, the Cowboys defense, Andrew Luck, Eli Manning, Alterraun Verner, Darius Butler, and Aqib Talib.
As always leave any thoughts in the comments on who deserves positive or negative recognition in the next Madden NFL 25 roster update!
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2K Sports Acknowledges NBA 2K14 Crashing Issue; Fix Coming in Future Patch
The crashing reported on earlier that is being experienced by many in the PS4 and Xbox One versions of NBA 2K14 will hopefully be fixed in the next patch. 2K Sports finally made a statement on the issue two weeks after the troubles started escalating by commenting to Kotaku and stating they are aware of the problem and are working to fix it.
Yesterday, a 2K Sports representative told Kotaku that they are “currently working to address a known issue that has been impacting MyCareer on next gen consoles. We will be certain to keep the community informed as the fix is implemented.”
Asked if there was any idea when this issue would be fixed, 2K Sports replied only that “we are aware of what’s causing the issue and the top priority is to fix that.”
This knowledge won’t immediately help all those who are currently unable to play the game they paid for – whether that be MyCareer (where the majority of crashes are occurring) or in other modes and gameplay where it has happened for some too. At least now the company is no longer simply ignoring the pleas of those being afflicted by this particular issue and a fix, though it could still be a ways off, appears to be on the horizon.
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The Line Drive for December 8
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦$49 deals on NBA 2K14 (Xbox One), Madden NFL 25 (One/PS4), and FIFA 14 (One/PS4).
♦EA Sports released an infographic showing how often and who with FIFA 14 is played.
♦The patch released on PS4 for FIFA 14 earlier is now available on Xbox One.
♦EA Sports released a new trailer on the Pro Instincts feature found in next-gen FIFA 14.
♦The sleeved jerseys for the Minnesota Timberwolves have been added to NBA Live 14.
♦The sleeved jerseys for the Timberwolves have also been added to 360/PS3 NBA 2K14.
♦An update released for the iOS version of the NBA 2K14 app adding next-gen support.
♦The latest roster update for NHL 14 lists out the current hot and cold streak players.
♦Beta access is granted for the upcoming PC game Frozen Endzone for those that pre-order.
♦Here is the ball named Bracuza that will be used in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
♦Here is a look at the full draw of groups for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
♦Here is a look at the schedule for USA in Group G of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.News and content that may have been missed from the last week around the site.
♦DVD/Blu-ray Releases This Week. Headlined by Fast & Furious 6 and Despicable Me 2.
♦Gal Gadot Cast as Wonder Woman. Will debut as the character in Batman vs Superman.
♦Disney Gets Rights for Indiana Jones. Signals a fifth film is a real likelihood.
♦Cast Announced for Warcraft Movie. Includes Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton.
♦Trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The film is headed for release in early May. -
Press Row Podcast: The Year’s Top Sports Gaming Stories
The latest edition of the Press Row Podcast centers discussion on the biggest stories of 2013. Included is the loss of the NCAA Football franchise, Tiger Woods departing EA’s golf series, no more MLB 2K and the Xbox One going without baseball, as well as the arrival of the new generation of consoles and the sports titles that released along with them.
Check out the podcast through iTunes, on Android with the Stitcher app, or in the streaming player below. As always leave any feedback on the show or topics to discuss for future podcasts and hangouts in the comments!
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Madden NFL 25 Roster Update #15 Details
The roster update following week 13 of the season for Madden NFL 25 is available now to download on the Xbox One, PS4, 360, and PS3. Check out complete details of the latest update in spreadsheet form here.
Notables on the rise include Rob Gronkowski (+1 to 99), Tom Brady (+1 to 97), Eric Weddle (+1 to 94), Russell Wilson (+1 to 93), Brian Orakpo (+1 to 93), Patrick Peterson (+1 to 93), Justin Tuck (+3 to 92), Trent Williams (+2 to 92), Josh Gordon (+3 to 91), Luke Kuechly (+1 to 92), Julius Peppers (+1 to 92), Cam Newton (+1 to 91), Eric Decker (+3 to 90), Alshon Jeffery (+3 to 87), Captain Munnerlyn (+3 to 86), Zach Ertz (+3 to 79), and Andre Holmes (+5 to 72).
Among those sliding are Drew Brees (-1 to 97), Evan Mathis (-1 to 97), Darrelle Revis (-1 to 96), Marshawn Lynch (-1 to 95), Joe Haden (-1 to 94), DeMarcus Ware (-1 to 94), Troy Polamalu (-2 to 91), Frank Gore (-1 to 92), Jason Witten (-1 to 92), Champ Bailey (-1 to 91), Brandon Flowers (-1 to 91), Wes Welker (-1 to 91), Lavonte David (-1 to 91), Ahmad Brooks (-1 to 90), Tony Gonzalez (-1 to 90), Cameron Jordan (-1 to 90), Pierre Garcon (-1 to 88), Marques Colston (-1 to 88), Ray Rice (-1 to 84), Fred Davis (-3 to 81), and Dee Milliner (-2 to 77).
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