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EA Canada Engineer Rips Into Wii U
With zero games in development – there will be no FIFA or Madden or any titles from EA on Wii U this year – the system is in dire straits with dreadful sales, weak to non-existent third party support, and no reason for optimism that things could turn around. Now some insight on why companies are abandoning their efforts for the console has come from an EA Sports engineer at the EA Canada studio who calls the Wii U “crap”. Read more
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NBA Live Social Accounts Awaken Days Before Microsoft Event
After lying dormant for eight months since posting the announcement of NBA Live 13’s cancellation EA Sports today sent out a message via multiple NBA Live social platform accounts that NBA Live 14 is “coming to a court near you”.
The timing is notable as the tease emerges just days before the Microsoft next-gen console reveal which could very well feature an EA presence and is rumored to include some element of exclusivity among the announcements. Should nothing with EA materialize at that event game announcements are expected at E3 through the Microsoft press conference and the EA press conference – both of which take place on June 10.
Recent comments suggest NBA Live 14 is headed to the next generation of consoles where it can start fresh and build for the future. It will be an uphill battle after severely deteriorating consumer confidence with the aborted releases of NBA Elite 11 and Live 13. It will also have to face an entrenched competitor that only solidified its place as a cultural force the last three years when it was the only sim basketball game on the market.
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Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition Exclusive to Amazon
Amazon today posted listings for the Anniversary Edition of Madden NFL 25 which will be exclusive to the online retailer. The special edition will include 17 packs for Ultimate Team distributed over 17 weeks (each features 2 rare players, 4 silver, and 4 bronze) and exclusive offers that will benefit very few for NFL Sunday Ticket. The price will be $100. Read more
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Press Row Podcast: Episode 23
The latest edition of the Press Row Podcast includes discussion on the panel’s most dramatic sports gaming losses, complete analysis of the Ultimate Team news for NCAA Football 14 and the prospects for the mode, and responses to some listener questions. It’s definitely one of the best shows yet!
Check it out through iTunes or with the embedded player at Operation Sports. With the big Microsoft event on Tuesday the 21st look for the Press Row Hangout to air live that night for initial reactions and a special edition of the podcast to come later in the week!
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FIFA 14 May Be Headed to Vita; First Pre-Order Bonus Posted
While much of the discussion around upcoming releases has centered on the complete dismissal of the Wii U (nothing coming its way) and the emergence of the PS4 and next Xbox (Madden, FIFA, NBA 2K, and possibly NBA Live) there have also been questions relating to the PlayStation Vita. No sports games through the end of the year have been confirmed for the handheld but Gamestop has now posted a listing for FIFA 14. They are very unlikely to have done so without having received information that the game will be released for the Vita. Read more
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NHL 14 Video Highlights One-Touch Dekes and True Performance Skating
EA Sports today released a new video for NHL 14 putting on display the new One-Touch Dekes and the improved physics-based skating engine. The One-Touch Dekes feature offers “a more responsive deking system controlled only with the left stick and one-button”. Greater player responsiveness and control through “improved balance between speed and momentum, quicker pivots and enhanced lateral skating” with be found in the True Performance Skating. Read more
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EA Scrapping The Online Pass System
In an interview with VentureBeat senior director of corporate communications for EA, John Reseburg, states regarding the Online Pass that “none of (the) new EA titles will include that feature” going forward. Read more
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Madden NFL 25 Video Focuses on Defense
Following the first news and trailers on “Run Free” for Madden NFL 25 generating a wave of negativity and then a curious last-second delay of Connected Franchise news it made sense for EA Sports to fill the gap with something that would attempt to ease the concerns of those not encouraged by what has been put on display thus far.
The latest video – which seems to have been pulled together expressly for this purpose as they missed a second straight self-imposed deadline by releasing it two days after had been promised – centers on the defensive side of the ball. There isn’t a whole lot of substance in the video besides a few new tackle animations and the mention of features like “Heat-seeker tackling” without actually explaining what that entails. Read more
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