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NHL 14 Ultimate Team Gets Online Seasons
Like NCAA Football 14 and Madden NFL 25 in recent months Online Seasons will also debut in NHL 14’s Ultimate Team mode. That goes along with Online Seasons also being featured in EASHL. The system involves 10 game “seasons” in which winning a certain number of games will lead into playoffs and moving up to tougher competition. Coming up short means standing put in that division or moving back to an easier one. Other new features for Hockey Ultimate Team include additional information on items up for auction, three tiers of player types and contracts, and the ability to earn “pucks” outside of Ultimate Team in other NHL 14 modes. Read more
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Top Rated Players in FIFA 14
EA Sports today released a listing of the top 50 rated players in FIFA 14 which encompasses those rated 85 and higher. Leading the way to no one’s surprise is cover athlete Lionel Messi at 94 overall. Following closely behind are Cristiano Ronaldo (92), Franck Ribéry (90), Falcao (90), and four tied at 89. Check out the full blog which includes the image breakdowns of some specific attribute ratings for all 50 players and leave any thoughts in the comments!
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Microsoft Announces Xbox One Release Date
Microsoft today revealed the release date for the Xbox One as November 22. That will bring it to market one week after the PS4.
While landing a week later wouldn’t seem to harm the One’s chances competing against the PS4 long term it does mean Sony has one distinct initial advantage. Considering “day one” console supply is pretty much all accounted for it won’t alter sales there. However it just might lead those who are getting both consoles to start with buying third party games on the PS4 and that could carry over beyond just this holiday season.
Where an attempt has been made to sway those on the fence has been with the upgrade deals on games that release on the Xbox 360 first. Gamestop is doing one for select games and Amazon’s includes even more. Microsoft is hoping the $50 being offered towards games consumers already owned on the 360 will give more reason to either buy a One over the PS4 or wait that extra week to get them if picking up both consoles.
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Ronda Rousey Confirmed for EA Sports UFC
There has never really been any question that EA Sports UFC would incorporate the women’s division which debuted back in February. As written about last year it not only made sense in terms of marketing but since then its relevance and legitimacy has become too great to overlook. A game without the division would simply be an incomplete representation of the UFC.
Ronda Rousey has become a huge star and one of the faces of the UFC. Today she confirmed her inclusion in EA Sports UFC in a short video. The division is sure to be a big part of the marketing campaign as it offers further differentiation for the Xbox One/PlayStation 4 game from the last generation’s THQ offerings and helps to reach a female demographic that otherwise might not have any interest in a fighting game.
It also stands to reason that Rousey will be one of the potential cover athletes for the game. A fan vote will determine the eventual cover representative.
[Update] Miesha Tate is now also confirmed for the game.
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Franchise Hockey Manager Now Available
From the makers of the esteemed Out of the Park Baseball series comes Franchise Hockey Manager 14 which launched today for PC and Mac for $39.99. The game features 19 leagues from around the world with real teams and players along with historical NHL play as far back as 1947 and the entire WHA history from 1971 to 1979. Read more
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What the NFL Deal With Microsoft Will Mean for the 360 and Xbox One
One of the selling points made at the original Xbox One reveal was the massive (around $400 million over five years) deal struck between Microsoft and the NFL. Little was discussed outside of Surface tablets being used on the sidelines of games, advertising elsewhere in stadiums, and Fantasy Football integration to be available on the One and 360. Today further details were revealed on what to expect going forward. Read more
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Dynamic Living Rosters Debut With NBA 2K14
Post-release support as a whole has been a weakness of the NBA 2K series – so much so that EA Sports made roster updates coming out within an hour after every game ends one of the first features announced for NBA Live 14. 2K’s updates have been released inconsistently, offered limited ratings changes, and gone with many players missing completely from the game for extended periods of time. The lack of effort put into updates has been one of the most discussed areas of disappointment relating to the series.
With Dynamic Living Rosters talked about for the first time today NBA 2K14 hopes to remedy the situation by providing more frequent updates and by incorporating hot and cold streaks. The continued partnership with Stats Inc. will also play a part in the process of rating the players. No real details were given though on the feature such as how often the updates will go out or whether it will address the other issues of matching the real life rosters by adding new players and reflecting transactions made and injury status in more timely fashion.
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The Line Drive for September 1
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
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New PlayStation 4 launch day bundle from Amazon available – includes extra controller.
♦Amazon is still offering the $10 promo credit, previously posted about, on Madden NFL 25.
♦PES 2014 will include only 20 stadiums, no stadium editor, and won’t have rain.
♦Extended gameplay video from PES 2014 featuring Bayern Munich vs Manchester United.
♦Some new legends screenshots have been added to the FB album for NBA 2K14.
♦Expect the major post-cutdown Madden NFL 25 roster update to release mid-late this week.
♦176K games were played in the first 25 hours of Madden NFL 25 being released.
♦The new Madden Ultimate Team website allows for searching through all available items.
♦Those looking for a league system for Madden NFL 25 should check out the MOFL.
♦The first details on FIFA 14’s Career mode comes from FUTHEAD.
♦Corinthians have been added for FIFA 14 to make for 20 licensed Brazilian clubs.
♦Microsoft announced a new loyalty program for Forza.
♦Check out the Team USA hockey jerseys for next year’s Winter Olympics.
♦The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is available for $40 at Amazon for 360, PS3, and PC.
♦Still have one spot left for the 10% off Season Plus NFL Game Rewind subscription.News and content that may have been missed from the last week around the site.
♦DVD/Blu-ray Releases This Week. Headlined by Now You See Me and Spartacus S3.
♦DVD/Blu-ray Releases Last Week. Headlined by Pain & Gain and Walking Dead S3.
♦Bradley Cooper Added to Guardians of the Galaxy. Will voice Rocket Raccoon.
♦James Spader Cast as Ultron. Will play the main enemy in the Avengers sequel.
♦Trailer for Pompeii. Stars Kit Harrington from Game of Thrones.
♦Ben Affleck Cast as Batman in Man of Steel Sequel. Rumored title Batman vs. Superman.
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