-
The Line Drive for February 25
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Archived developer stream on presentation improvements in MLB The Show 18.
♦Bob Gibson has been revealed as the latest new legend for MLB The Show 18.
♦Trailer goes over new 3 inning games in Franchise Mode for MLB The Show 18.
♦Brand new screenshot has been released for the upcoming Super Mega Baseball 2.
♦PSVR will be getting the MLB Home Run Derby VR game this spring.
♦This year’s EA Play is scheduled to be held June 9-11 once again prior to E3.
♦EA Sports UFC 3 only managed to place #13 on January NPD in North America.
♦The fix for the broken trade meter in Madden NFL 18 will be patched in soon.
♦Details have been released on the eMLS championship event beginning April 5.
♦Details on the latest patch for FIFA 18 which has only made it to PC so far.
♦A wacky new golf game is nearly at its crowdfunding goal and has playable prototype.
♦Rocket League will be getting DC Super Heroes DLC in March at a price of $4.
♦Burnout Paradise has been remastered for a release on PS4/XB1 in March.
♦New blu-rays this week include Murder on the Orient Express and Three Billboards. -
Press Row Podcast: Going from Past to Present
After a week venturing into the history of baseball video games the Press Row Podcast returns to present day with more discussion on MLB The Show, the announcement of a Casey Powell Lacrosse sequel, the latest eSports developments for NBA 2K18 and FIFA 18, and the NPD results for January which includes an alarmingly low landing spot for EA Sports UFC 3.
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.
-
Casey Powell Lacrosse sequel releasing in March
Casey Powell Lacrosse 16 was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2016 in sports gaming. While it lacked licensing and carried with it a relatively hefty $50 price tag, accessible and enjoyable gameplay plus a healthy creation suite with file sharing that allowed for replacing the default teams with real Major League Lacrosse and college teams helped to overcome that. The game is currently available as part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service on Xbox One. You can check out my review from two years ago here.
Publisher Big Ant Studios has now announced Casey Powell Lacrosse 18 which is set to release digitally on March 13 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
“Lacrosse has been one of America’s fastest growing sports for the last decade, and now that matches are being streamed live on Twitter and other platforms, we’re seeing interest in this great sport grow worldwide,” Big Ant Studios CEO, Ross Symons, said. “We were proud with what we did with the original Casey Powell Lacrosse, and the team have loved jumping back into the sport, building on the feedback from fans of the original, and enhancing the experience in every way for this new release.””
New features announced include completely reworked faceoff, shot, stick and dodging controls, enhanced AI that responds to the complex 6v6 tactics, new motion captured animations, and the ability to create stadiums and logos.
-
Shohei Ohtani may be included on MLB The Show 18’s shipped roster
Shohei Ohtani makes his way to MLB as one of the most hyped international players ever. Not only do the Los Angeles Angels have an anticipated top-of-the-rotation starter but he can pinch hit, DH, or play the outfield on his pitching off-days. While we don’t yet know how MLB The Show 18 will handle that kind of usage from a management perspective, it does appear that he will be in the game much sooner than expected.
Ohtani is seen on the mound in a new trailer for MLB The Show 18 promoting the game’s Retro Mode which was introduced last year. This is a big deal because it indicates that his rights have been individually acquired so that he can be included on the game’s default roster even before making an appearance in the majors. Read more
-
Beta now live on PC for Rocket League’s new Tournaments feature
The new Tournaments feature for Rocket League has entered an online beta stage which will run until Friday night at 8ET. Unfortunately the beta is limited to Steam for PC therefore leaving out PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
To access the beta right click on Rocket League from the Steam Library, choose Properties, click Betas, and select Tournaments Beta from the drop down list. The beta has been isolated from the regular Rocket League so when active it will not have all the same features of the regular game.
An in-game tournament system has been highly desired since Rocket League first released in 2015 and something developer Psyonix has been working towards implementing ever since. The official rollout of Tournaments for all platforms is expected to take place in either March or April after taking consumer feedback from this beta into account.
-
Latest digital deals on EA’s 2017 sports games
Opportunities continue to present themselves for those who still have interest in last year’s slate of EA Sports games to get them at deep discounts. Madden NFL 18 and NBA Live 18 are already in the Vault for EA Access subscribers and those on Xbox One should consider that NHL 18 will likely be added to the Vault in March and FIFA 18 in April before deciding on a purchase. It may be a while before those games on PS4 see price drops that bring them close to that same value so these deals mean more on that side.
♦NHL 18 for $19.80 (Xbox One – PS4)
♦FIFA 18 for $19.80 (Xbox One – PS4)
♦NBA Live 18 for $4.50 (Xbox One – PS4)
♦Madden NFL 18 for $18 (Xbox One – PS4) -
MLB The Show 18 brings another change to the commentary booth
The first themed promotional week for MLB The Show 18 focused on gameplay and the second was on features. This week is all about presentation.
Mark DeRosa of MLB Network is the new personality joining the commentary team replacing Harold Reynolds. It’s a quick departure for Reynolds who joined The Show as an analyst just last year along with Dan Plesac. Long time play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian and Plesac remain in the booth alongside DeRosa.
A revamped replay system and new crowd animations and attendance logic are also noted in this week’s video. These things and more will be discussed and shown in further detail in the developer stream being held on Thursday.
-
The Line Drive for February 18
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Details on a ratings update to fighters in EA Sports UFC 3 that followed UFC 221.
♦Details on the latest gameplay tuning changes made in EA Sports UFC 3.
♦A fix is being worked on for the broken Franchise trade meter in Madden NFL 18.
♦First look at one of the upgraded stadiums for Super Mega Baseball 2.
♦Details on the new All-Star Program found in NBA Live Mobile.
♦Still no official announcement of FIFA World Cup 2018 but should happen soon.
♦Details on the latest server side changes made in FIFA 18.
♦NHL 18 has launched weekly competitive seasons with HUT Champions.
♦Registration has opened for an official eSports event with Forza Motorsport 7.
♦Tournaments beta for Rocket League is coming to Steam later this month.
♦Details on the latest content update to go out for Need for Speed Payback.
♦The rough launch has resulted in now the seventh patch to go out for AO Tennis.
♦Digital movie releases this week Thor Ragnarok and Murder on the Orient Express.
by