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Press Row Podcast: Madden NFL 19 First Impressions
Madden NFL 19 has arrived for those with EA Access and Origin Access subscriptions and is now only days away from its official release.
With his complete review out on Sporting News Pastapadre talks with Rich about the game including its strengths, weaknesses, and random observations. Franchise Mode, gameplay, presentation, graphics, Longshot, and much more are covered. A number of listener questions are also addressed. Additionally the controversy over EA Sports removing a reference to Colin Kaepernick from a song on the soundtrack is discussed.
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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MyLeague and MyGM details for NBA 2K19
In what’s become a trend for the series, the first information on the upcoming NBA 2K games centers on its set of franchise modes. It’s leading with a strength, albeit one that isn’t always seen as the most marketable aspect of sports games.
Today 2K Sports revealed the details on MyLeague and MyGM for NBA 2K19 and as fans have become accustomed to, it’s a wealth of new features and added depth that are unmatched in the genre. 2K19 will finally include a true online franchise as MyLeague Online will include almost all the same elements as when the mode is played offline, MyGM will offer both the narrative version that debuted last year and the more traditional MyGM to choose from, new sets of sliders have been added to increase customization options even further, and that’s just a few of the items that have been detailed. Read more
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Madden NFL 19 Review
Madden NFL 19 is the first of EA Sports’ suite of annual games to release in 2018, and as such is the first to feature the new Real Player Motion animation technology. Increased player control is at the heart of Madden 19, whether it be when competing on the field or when taking on the task of building a team as a coach/GM in Franchise Mode.
Real Player Motion delivers some dynamic moments and is generally satisfying when controlling the ball-carrier. There’s increased differentiation between player types and their effectiveness. That also plays a role in Franchise Mode where a new method for player progression has been introduced while players will benefit from being placed in the right schemes.
There’s some rough edges around Real Player Motion however, and the continuation of Longshot story mode fails to live up to expectations following a terrific debut last year.
⇒ Check out the complete review at Sporting News!
Madden NFL 19 can now be played through EA Access and Origin Access with 10 hour trials while OA Premier features unlimited time with the full game. The official releases come on August 7th for the Hall of Fame Edition and August 10th for the standard edition.
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10 hour trial for Madden NFL 19 now available through EA Access and Origin Access
Madden NFL 19 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Access on Xbox One and for a trial or unlimited play with Origin Access on PC. Subscribers to the base service will get 10 hours of playtime after which it will expire. The timer is ticking down whenever the game is loaded regardless of whether it is being played, menus are being navigated through, or if there is any activity taking place at all. Because of that make sure to exit out and close the application from the Xbox One or Origin home screen when not in use.
The 10 hours are there to play immediately but can continue to be used past Tuesday. Saves are stored on the hard drive so progress in any of the modes and online records and stats carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period but the Longshot: Homecoming story mode will be limited to an early portion.
EA Access launched July 2014 and is available on Xbox One and has since been joined by Origin Access on PC. Sony has declined to offer the service through PlayStation 4 saying it doesn’t offer enough value, despite being arguably the best value in all of gaming. EA Access includes the “Vault” which offers unlimited play with nearly every game from the company’s catalog this generation, 10% off all digital purchases, and the ability to play games up to five days before they release with a limited timed trial. EA Access is $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month.
New this year with Madden’s return to PC is playing the game through Origin Access (which has the 10 hour trial) and Origin Access Premier which provides the game in full with no restrictions for the entire year. Origin Access is $30 annually and Access Premier is $100 annually. That means Origin Access Premier subscribers can already play Madden NFL 19 in unlimited fashion. They’ll also be able to take advantage of FIFA 19 in the same manner come the end of September. All new games published by EA will be given in full to Premier subscribers as opposed to the standard subscribers being limited to the older Vault games.
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More on FIFA 19 gameplay improvements
EA Sports today laid out extensive details on the gameplay improvements that have been made for the upcoming FIFA 19. Until now, the changes that have been made were vaguely described or presented in short video clips. Here though the developers have decided to provide a breakdown of the four primary areas of focus that were seen as most pressing: Timed Finishing, Active Touch System, Dynamic Tactics, and 50/50 Battles. Read more
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The Line Drive for July 29
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The review for Madden NFL 19 will go live on Wednesday night at 9PT.
♦EA Access/Origin Access trial for Madden NFL 19 could begin early as Wed afternoon.
♦The Press Row Podcast on Friday will include extensive impressions of Madden 19.
♦Amazon finally has Madden NFL 19 copies up with the 20% discount for Prime applied.
♦The system requirements have officially been detailed for Madden NFL 19’s return to PC.
♦Details on the loyalty rewards program for returning players with Madden NFL 19.
♦Ryan Shazier is featured as the MUT Master player in Madden NFL 19 Ultimate Team.
♦New gameplay breakdowns for FIFA 18: Dynamic Tactics – Active Touch – Timed Finishing.
♦NBA Live 19 will include the ability to create female characters for The One mode.
♦EA Sports has revealed the top rated WNBA players for NBA Live 19.
♦Reminder that the open beta for NHL 19 is ongoing and scheduled to end on Wednesday.
♦Microsoft has posted the full detailed controls for NBA 2K19 specific to Xbox One.
♦Summarizing the situation around NBA Playgrounds 2 with 2K announced as new publisher.
♦Details on the latest content additions to Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 18.
♦Forza Horizon 2 is among the games going out for free through Games with Gold in August.
♦Only a few days left to get a full year of Xbox Live Gold on sale for $40.
♦This week marks the big digital release of Avengers: Infinity War. -
Press Row Podcast: The Best Sports Video Game Soundtracks
Counting down our favorite sports video game soundtracks in this episode of the Press Row Podcast! Beyond making the picks, and going through some listener choices, the discussion also includes how the music was influential at the time and the way in which the importance of soundtracks has evolved over the years.
Additionally the news of the week is touched upon, with initial impressions of the NHL 19 open beta and thoughts on 2K Sports now acting as the publisher for NBA Playgrounds 2.
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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NHL 19 Open Beta Begins Today
For the fourth straight year EA Sports is holding an open beta for the NHL series. What began with NHL 16 being limited to EASHL has since expanded to include several different modes and features. The beta for NHL 19 will begin today and run for a full week, through August 2nd.
Download Beta: PlayStation 4 – Xbox One
The beta on PS4/Xbox One includes character creation for use in the new NHL ONES, Threes Drop-In, Pro-Am and EA Sports Hockey League. Read more
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