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WWE on Board with Take Two for Five Years; 2K14 Developed by Yukes For Fall Release
Last week brought confirmation of the WWE license moving to Take Two and some of the details behind how the deal came together. Now ESPN has gone further into the partnership with news on it being a five year agreement, the franchise falling under the 2K Sports brand, Yuke’s continued involvement, and oversight from Visual Concepts.
“With Yukes, we have a lot of history, and we’ve been very happy with what Yukes has done in the past,” said Collins. “What we’re going to do moving forward is meld Yukes with the team at Visual Concepts, so we can have the best of both worlds. Having Yukes’ experience and then getting the Visual Concepts guys on board with them, we think this is going to be a dynamic duo.”
Though there is no shortage of frustration out there regarding Yuke’s being on board that was the only way WWE 2K14 could be produced. Involving Visual Concepts, even just in limited capacity immediately, could be a sign though of an eventual transition to developing in-house.
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2K Combo Pack with MLB and NBA Returns But at Reduced Value
Last year 2K Sports bundled MLB 2K12 and NBA 2K12 in early March for $70 and limited it to the Xbox 360. The combo presented a good option for those who were already interested in MLB to spend just $10 more and get NBA along with it, acting as a quasi-price drop given that game was still going for $30+ on its own at that time. Amazon even offered a $10 promo credit with pre-orders making it essentially a $60 package for the two.
The combo pack is back for MLB 2K13 and NBA 2K13 but this time it’ll go for $80 and be available on both the 360 and PS3. The value offered has been significantly hampered by raising the price but still represents an advantage over purchasing the two separately until retailer deals start appearing for MLB. That could happen within a matter of days following its release.
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NCAA Football 14 Cover Vote Advances to Semifinal Round
The lengthy campaign to determine the cover athlete for NCAA Football 14 continues with now just four candidates remaining. Voting for this round starts from scratch and runs through Sunday after which only a pair will remain to go head-to-head for the cover honor. Support is cast through the game’s official Facebook page poll.
Based on the previous rounds Denard Robinson and Eddie Lacy would be expected to advance in relatively easy fashion over Ryan Swope and Kenjon Barner. While Robinson has jumped out way in front early with 20K votes it is Swope that has found second place sitting at 10K. Lacy is trailing with just 5K while Barner is well behind with only 2K. Given that both Robinson and Lacy drew over 100K in the quarterfinals there is a long way to go before that second slot is determined and Alabama fans are sure to turn out sooner rather than later.
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MLB 2K13 Being Kept Hidden Even With Release Right Around The Corner
When the news broke that the MLB 2K series would be getting a one year reprieve expectations for the product were made justifiably lower than already had been normal. With a constrained development cycle and bleak outlook towards any future there became no reason to expect anything better than what would amount to an update of 2K12. In the month since the announcement 2K Sports has done nothing but further cement that troubled perception. Read more
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Changes Made to Online Ranked Games in MLB 13: The Show
SCEA has released a new blog focusing on improvements to the online matchmaking system in MLB 13: The Show. While online has always been the achilles’ heel of the series a few changes being made this year could help in that area.
MLB 13 will feature matchmaking that pairs up individuals who are similarly rated in terms of their skill levels, teams, and starting pitchers. Utilizing fatigue levels for pitchers means an actual rotation will need to be in play (assuming fatigue is drained significantly enough) providing better variety and hopefully opening up the offense more.
Of course actual performance, in terms of lag and disconnects, will have to be improved dramatically for any of this to really matter. However the changes being made should otherwise create a more balanced and enjoyable experience. Some of the frustrations have stemmed from abnormally low batting averages, exceedingly high strikeout rates, and very low scoring all around. Much of the blame has been on the lag favoring pitching but eliminating #1 starters from being used at will and forcing more strategy with bullpen choices should help in that regard too.
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The Line Drive for February 17
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
•Amazon has a number of games and accessories on sale.
•A big President’s Day Sale on EA Mobile apps includes FIFA 13 and NBA Jam.
•NBA 2K13 digital download content is 50% off until Tuesday.
•The new alternate uniforms for the Golden State Warriors have sleeves on the jersey – it’s unlikely that these will be added to NBA 2K13.
•A new patch for FIFA 13 360/PS3, details of which can be found here, arrived on Tuesday.
•A look at the changes in the latest Match Day update for FIFA 13.
•MLB 13: The Show will have a bunch of in-game tutorials.
•Video overview of the new features in MLB 13: The Show.
•Trailer for the Vita version of MLB 13: The Show.
•A new developer blog for Tiger Woods 14 goes over the broadcast presentation.
•The Xbox 360 achievement list for Tiger Woods 14 is out now.
•This week’s NHL Moments Live in NHL 13 also provides “Pucks” for completion.
•A look at what college teams would be the best in an NBA Jam game.
•This could be the prototype controller for the PS4.
•Though the changes are subtle the Vikings have tweaked their logo.
•Check out the amazing panoramic photo from the Super Bowl.News and content that may have been missed from the last week around the site.
•DVD/Blu-ray Releases This Week. Headlined by Argo and Game of Thrones S2.
•Harrison Ford May Be Back as Han Solo for Episode VII. Nothing official about a deal yet.
•Trailer for The Internship. Stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.
•Trailer for The Numbers Station. Thriller starring John Cusack.
•Trailer for Hours. Thriller set during Hurricane Katrina.
•Game of Thrones Season 2 on Blu-ray going now for just $30. -
The Three Top Selling Sports Games of 2012 Continued To Perform Well in January
With no significant new software releases in January the top 10 sales chart remained largely the same. Madden NFL 13, NBA 2K13, and FIFA 13 all placed again following their strong 2012 campaigns where they finished 2nd, 6th, and 10th respectively. Last month it was NBA 2K13 (4th) jumping ahead of Madden NFL 13 (5th) for the first time since October to no surprise given the NFL season was winding down. FIFA 13 (10th) has really settled into that spot.
The biggest news sales-wise for January was the complete flatlining of the Wii U moving just 57K consoles. That is a startlingly low number putting it behind where the GameCube was at the same age. No wonder third parties are already starting to abandon support after only a few months. Also struggling is the Vita which was only able to sell 35K. Companies really can’t be criticized for shifting resources elsewhere when there is no user base providing for the potential of simply recouping development costs let alone making a profit.
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Full List of Courses for Tiger Woods 14
EA Sports has confirmed the complete list of the courses available with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14. The standard version of the game includes 20 courses, the Historic Edition adds 6 more, and the final 18 will be offered as DLC or through retailer specific pre-order deals. Read more
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