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Forza Horizon 4 now available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers
Subscribers to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service now have full access to Forza Horizon 4. The game follows Sea of Thieves as first party titles added into the service at their release and going forward all Microsoft published games will be included as part of the standard plan.
Set in Britain, with new dynamic seasons and regularly released content, Forza Horizon 4 is already receiving phenomenal reviews with a 91 on Metacritic.
Besides the exclusive titles Xbox Game Pass features a collection of over 200 others available in full to members for a price of $60 for 6 months. That makes it a no-brainer for anyone that was simply looking to buy just Forza Horizon 4 or any other future Xbox exclusive game. Even if not those specifically the value is there from the full catalog of available titles and it’s the ideal way to stock up on quality games to play when first buying an Xbox One console.
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Details on the third post-release patch for Madden NFL 19
Madden NFL 19 has now been out for nearly two months and today the third substantial patch for the game went live on all platforms. The first update for Madden NFL 19 was based on beta feedback and included a major change to the Hit Stick while the second one had numerous improvements for Franchise Mode and a number of gameplay adjustments.
This third post-release patch is heavy on various gameplay and visual improvements. Among them are new equipment options, new player and team celebrations, at least 15 more player likeness updates, the ability for retractable roof stadiums to open in Franchise, and the introduction of a new player ability in Ultimate Team. Read more
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The Line Drive for September 30
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Reviewing the two great options for soccer fans with FIFA 19 and PES 2019.
♦A look at how Metacritic scores have trended for annual sports games this gen.
♦Forza Horizon 4 has opened with spectacular reviews standing at 92 on Metacritic.
♦The lawsuit against 2K Sports/Take Two over tattoos in NBA 2K is still alive.
♦Developer video goes over the defensive controls to know for NBA 2K19.
♦Details on the latest patch to have gone out for NBA Live 19.
♦Details on the latest patch to have gone out for Pro Evolution Soccer 2019.
♦Konami extended the marketing partnership with Arsenal for Pro Evolution Soccer.
♦A new stadium will soon be added in an update for Super Mega Baseball 2.
♦The upcoming SMB2 patch will see Pennant Race mode get several improvements.
♦Details on the latest Diamond Dynasty content for MLB The Show 18.
♦Franchise Hockey Manager 5 was officially revealed for PC release on October 5th.
♦The New Japan collaboration update for Fire Pro Wrestling World arrived on PC.
♦Laser League will be one of the free PlayStation Plus games offered for October.
♦Amazon has a deal on Madden NFL 19 for $40 for the Xbox One.
♦The Press Row Podcast can now be found among the featured podcasts on Spotify.
♦Sony finally relented and will start allowing cross-play with the PlayStation 4.
♦Blu-ray releases include Sicario 2 and instant video Ant-Man and the Wasp. -
Press Row Podcast: From the sidelines to the big leagues – NBA 2K19 and Madden NFL 19
It’s a special episode of the Press Row Podcast this week, featuring interviews with two influential and important people with similar tales of moving from the sports gaming community to the sports gaming development world.
Joining Rich Grisham first is Markus Frieske, who describes how he scouts for great creator talent, the reasons behind what he does, and how he moved from a contributor in the community to a highly influential creative supporter at EA.
Next is our great friend Nino Samuel, aka Da Czar, a producer of NBA 2K19. Czar dives deep into NBA 2K19 of course, and also talks about his journey from leading Sim Nation – advocating for the best sports gaming experience possible – to making it happen himself as part of the NBA 2K development team.
Check out the podcast through iTunes for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The show can now also be found on Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the streaming player found below.
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Details on a new patch for NBA 2K19
An update has arrived for NBA 2K19 acting as the first patch of considerable substance post-release. Included are primarily fixes within a variety of modes rather than additions or improvements. All fixes will apply without having to restart any current saves. Read more
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Madden NFL 19 roster update details following week three of the season
The roster update for Madden NFL 19 featuring ratings changes based on regular season performance through three weeks has gone live to download all systems. For the first time players near the top of the scale are seeing significant movement. Khalil Mack is up to 98 and Earl Thomas to 97, while Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have both dropped.
Other notables on the move this week include Harrison Smith (-1 to 96), Calais Campbell (+1 to 94), Michael Thomas (+1 to 93), A.J. Bouye (-1 to 93), Desmond Trufant (-1 to 92), Ezekiel Elliott (-1 to 91), Christian McCaffrey (+2 to 90), Matt Ryan (+1 to 89), Tyreek Hill (+1 to 89), David Johnson (-1 to 89), Kareem Hunt (-1 to 88), Reuben Foster (+2 to 87), Patrick Mahomes (+1 to 86), Larry Fitzgerald (-2 to 86), Carson Wentz (-1 to 86), and Baker Mayfield (+1 to 82).
Check out full details on current ratings and any changes in this week’s update through the form on the official Madden NFL 19 website.
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Recent Reviews: FIFA 19, PES 2019, NBA 2K19, NBA Live 19
The contraction of the sports video game genre within the last 10+ years has reduced the sports with competition down to only a few, and one of those has barely just hung on and isn’t at all competitive. With that in mind, in soccer and basketball there are multiple options to consider spending money on, but consumers may already have pre-conceived notions of which they should choose while others may be up into the air as to a decision.
Battling on the pitch is FIFA 19 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, with the review of those two here on Sporting News. PES has been the superior option in terms of gamplay in recent years and that could be argued is the case again though the gap has seemingly been narrowed. FIFA however has a tremendous edge in licensing, presentation, and feature set. FIFA 19 currently stands at an 84 on Metacritic while PES is at an 80 which is a low for the series since 2013.
After crashing last year with the lowest Metacritic score for an NBA 2K game in a decade, 2K19 has recovered but only marginally so with a current score of 83. The drag on the scores, both from critics and users, is primarily due to the aggressive monetization tactics that have proved detrimental to design decisions. Otherwise 2K19 is as complete a sports game as any ever released. NBA Live on the other hand has settled into the low-70s with the last two iterations and this year it could barely be described as an NBA game. In one sense it was necessary to differentiate from 2K, but on the other it has turned off traditional fans. Check out the reviews of the two on Sporting News here.
Thankfully there are numerous ways to get a feel for all the games before having to commit to a purchase. All four have some form of a free demo available, and the two from EA Sports also have EA Access and Origin Access 10 hour trials for subscribers.
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NBA Playgrounds sequel getting closed beta
Over four months have passed since NBA Playgrounds 2 was set to release but now its eventual arrival is quickly nearing. Details on the specific improvements and changes for the sequel to last year’s game have been few but the release date was recently announced for October 16 along with some roster news and a higher price. An opportunity to play the game is actually now only a few days away however.
A closed beta for NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is set to begin on Friday and run through the weekend. The beta is being offered on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with sign-ups completed here. On Xbox One the process involves the Insider Hub on the console while on PS4 it’s simply filling out a form. Note that signing up does not guarantee being able to participate.
In the beta “you’ll be able to play in Championship mode, where you can play with or against friends or other ballers in a 2v2 matchup, or team up to take on the AI in a 2vAI game. The Closed Beta will be playable on all 10 playgrounds that are available at the time of launch, including San Francisco, Seoul and Australia!”
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