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Press Row Podcast: Pre-E3 News and Musings
This episode of the Press Row Podcast tackles topics that include the surprising last-minute delay to NBA Playgrounds 2, the addition of Fight Night Champion to backwards compatibility on Xbox One, and whether one or both could be leading into an E3/EA Play announcement. Additionally listener questions are taken on what player will be featured on the Madden NFL 19 cover, the benefits and costs to league licenses and more!
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 also now be found on the recently launched Google Play Music for podcasts. Subscribe and review to help support the show! You can also listen with the streaming player below.
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NBA Playgrounds 2 has been delayed
With just five days until the scheduled release of NBA Playgrounds 2, developer Saber Interactive has come out to announce that the game will in fact not be making that date. The delay is currently unspecified in both reason and length but they’re hinting at something new being worked on behind the scenes that could affect the upcoming game or have influence on the franchise as a whole going forward.
We’ve got some news to share, but we want to start by saying ‘good things come to those who wait.’ There are exciting things brewing with the NBA Playgrounds franchise that we think will take arcade basketball to new levels. We can’t tell you everything now, but we can tell you that this means our launch date of May 22nd will be moved out. Please be patient with us, we promise that NBA Playgrounds 2 will be better than ever.
While it’s still somewhat unusual for a game to get delayed in such close proximity to release it’s becoming more common given the increase in products available only as digital downloads. Had this been a full retail release it would not have happened in this manner.
Depending on how long of a delay it becomes this could actually hurt the prospects of success for the game. As noted in previous articles, NBA Playgrounds 2 was set to come out at a prime point for NBA interest. The NBA Finals will begin at the end of the month and the NBA Draft takes place next month. Additionally an insane wave of competition for consumer dollars looms on the horizon beginning in late August. Should some kind of an announcement be coming the natural spot for that would be E3 which is now less than a month away.
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MLB The Show 18 takes a fourth shot at fixing the fielding and hitting
MLB The Show 18 today received another patch. It’s the fourth out of five patches so far this year in a struggle to improve issues with the fielding and hitting that have plagued the game since release. Pitching, which has been worked on through pitch speeds in past updates, has not been affected by this latest one.
♦Fewer hard choppers, dribblers, and popups in online and local two-player games
♦Logic adjustments to increase the urgency of fielding in the infield. Specifically for DP situations and when faster runners are batting
♦Adjustment to correct the fair/foul ball detection on hits near foul poles in multiple stadiums.
♦Update to Coors Field jumbotron
♦Various bug fixes and adjustments made throughout the game -
Fight Night Champion is now backwards compatible on the Xbox One
Last year prior to E3 a handful of titles were rumored to be getting backwards compatibility on the Xbox One, and while some of them did come about later it was a letdown when it became clear that Fight Night Round 4 had been either delayed or scrapped from those plans. Today though an even more recent boxing game – the last one to have released on consoles way back in 2011 – officially became backwards compatible.
Fight Night Champion can now be played on Xbox One by those who already own it or choose to buy it now for $20. Licensing and other legal complications can get in the way of backwards compatibility, and that’s part of the reason why FNC joins NBA Jam: On Fire Edition as the only traditional sports games from the last generation currently playable on XB1.
It’s unclear whether the game will be made available through the EA Access subscription service, giving subscribers full rights to the game without having to buy it separately. There are many backwards compatible games in the Vault but for whatever reason NBA Jam is not one of them. It it were to be added to EA Access that could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it may be a months-long wait as was the case more recently with Skate 3.
Fight Night Champion delivered a central Story Mode that helped to inspire what has become a staple in the genre today as featured prominently in series like NBA 2K, Madden, and FIFA. The Fight Night series always had exceptional visuals and controls plus a decent roster of licensed fighters further supported by create-a-fighter and the ability to share creations. The Career Mode, online options, and presentation left a lot to be desired however.
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Super Mega Baseball 2 has received its first major patch
Super Mega Baseball 2 is definitely a “must have” (undeniably true on Xbox One where it’s currently free) and just two weeks into its release Metalhead Software has delivered the first patch for the game. The original Super Mega Baseball was patched a few times and even got some new stadiums added but none of the individual updates were as substantial as this first one for the sequel. Some of the changes made came out of feedback during the beta period while other areas were identified and prioritized in the time since. Read more
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Rory McIlroy PGA Tour vanishing from digital storefronts and EA Access next week
Surprising news was recently confirmed by EA Sports relating to Rory McIlroy PGA Tour which released nearly three years ago. Not only is the game being removed from the “Vault” through EA Access on Xbox One but it’ll no longer be available for purchase through any digital storefronts. The removal will take place on May 22.
This is an unusual development and one that points directly at a licensing conflict as the culprit. It’s only the second time a game has left the subscription service. FIFA 14 was taken out of EA Access last year with the explanation being that online servers for the title had been shut down. No official reason has been provided in the case of McIlroy but with the three year anniversary for the game nearing it’s likely due to various licensing contracts that are about to expire.
Without a natural path to post-release digital revenue golf looks to have joined a handful of other sports such as tennis and boxing that are not financially viable for large publishers. EA has shelved golf for at least the immediate future just like they did those others before it. We’ve since seen however that independent developers can explore the sports with limited licensing or a complete lack of it. The Golf Club 2019, the third edition in the series from HB Studios, looks to carry on golf in a respectable but unlicensed manner when it releases this summer.
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The Line Drive for May 13
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦NBA 2K18 makes its predictions for which teams will advance to the NBA Finals.
♦Details on the new programs for Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 18.
♦NCAA reps making comments about pay for players is a good sign of things to come.
♦Legal matters first need to be resolved before any movement on another NCAA game.
♦New episode of the Press Row Podcast discussing Super Mega Baseball 2 and more.
♦The first patch for Super Mega Baseball 2 is expected to go out this week.
♦The full roster has been revealed through the official website for Tennis World Tour.
♦Content plans have been laid out through a summer roadmap for Rocket League.
♦Details on the first major patch to go out for Casey Powell Lacrosse 18.
♦Details on the latest gameplay tuner changes for EA Sports UFC 3.
♦The first NBA Playgrounds is on sale for PC through Steam for just $2.
♦Burnout Revenge has been added to backwards compatible library on Xbox One.
♦The 2K League website has results and highlights of the week one games.
♦2K League viewership was even lower than the barely watched opening tournament. -
MLB The Show 18 roster update includes the second set of ratings changes
For just the second time this season a roster update has delivered attribute changes to MLB The Show 18. Unless otherwise noted, the ratings mentioned tie only into Diamond Dynasty where the numbers are lower across the board than in the game’s base roster.
Coming off a 16 strikeout performance that was followed by a no-hitter, to little surprise James Paxton (+2 to 84) has moved up but just misses out on going Diamond. He benefits from boosts in H/9 and K/9 categories. Paxton did not not get adjusted on the regular roster.
One player does make the move from Gold to Diamond this week and it’s the Yankees’ Luis Severino (+3 to 86). At 5-1 on the season with a 2.21 ERA and .87 WHIP, Severino has gone up in H/9, BB/9, K/9, HR/9, Velocity, and Stamina. On the regular roster he is now a 90 Overall.
Other notables from the roster update include Francisco Lindor (+1 to 86), Jose Ramirez (+1 to 86), Paul Goldschmidt (-2 to 85), Josh Donaldson (-1 to 85), Gerrit Cole (+3 to 84), Andrelton Simmons (+2 to 84), A.J. Pollock (+2 to 83), Carlos Martinez (+2 to 82), Brian Dozier (-2 to 81), Willson Contreras (-2 to 81), Dee Gordon (+2 to 81), Rich Hill (-3 to 80), Andrew McCutchen (-2 to 79), Nick Markakis (+4 to 78), Eduardo Escobar (+5 to 76), and Walker Buehler (+13 to 73).
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