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10 hour trial for Madden NFL 21 now available through EA Play
Madden NFL 21 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Play on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The EA Access subscription service was rebranded as EA Play earlier this week.
Subscribers to the base service will get 10 hours of playtime after which it will expire requiring a second EA Play account to get 10 more hours or the game to be purchased come release. The timer ticks down whenever the game is loaded regardless of whether it is being actively played, menus navigated, or if there is any activity taking place at all. Because of that make sure to exit out and close the application from the respective home screens when not in use.
The 10 hours are there to play immediately but can continue to be used even beyond release. Any progress made in the various modes and online results will carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period.
EA Access launched July 2014 on Xbox One and later was joined by Origin Access on PC. After being prevented by Sony from releasing the service on PS4 it was finally cleared to launch on the system last year. EA Play 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 Play is $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month.
Madden NFL 21 features an updated Face of the Franchise campaign, an arcade mode called The Yard, a variety of improvements to gameplay, and practically nothing for Franchise Mode however that will be remedied post-release. Purchasing the game on current-gen will mean also getting the game for free on next-gen consoles.
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The Line Drive for August 16
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Developer blog goes into current-gen gameplay improvements for NBA 2K21.
♦NBA 2K21 demo including the start of MyCareer will be out on August 24.
♦Developer blog goes into detail on the new mode The Yard in Madden NFL 21.
♦EA Sports revealed the full list of songs on the soundtrack for Madden NFL 21.
♦Developer blog goes into detail on what to expect from Career Mode in FIFA 21.
♦Developer blog goes into the improvements made for Pro Clubs in FIFA 21.
♦Developer blog goes over everything for Volta for its second year in FIFA 21.
♦Details on the latest roster update with ratings changes for MLB The Show 20.
♦Details on a very minor patch that went live recently for MLB The Show 20.
♦Early access beta for the mobile UFC game is now playable for Android devices.
♦Roster of wrestlers at launch and post-release revealed for WWE 2K Battlegrounds.
♦Rocket League will become a free-to-play game at some point later this summer.
♦EA Access subscription service is being rebranded as EA Play starting this week. -
The Line Drive for August 9
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Register to take part in an upcoming closed beta test being held for NHL 21.
♦As expected 2K Sports officially secured the NFLPA license for future non-sim NFL games.
♦EA Sports has revealed all the Superstar X-Factor players to start Madden NFL 21.
♦With release just three weeks out the first trailer for the current-gen edition of NBA 2K21.
♦Developer blog goes into detail on the gameplay improvements coming to FIFA 21.
♦New trailer shows off those gameplay improvements to expect from FIFA 21.
♦The coming Custom Pennant Race mode is in final testing for Super Mega Baseball 3.
♦Details on the latest roster update with ratings changes for MLB The Show 20.
♦SCEA released a number of stats from in-game play for the month of July in MLB 20.
♦Details on the latest content additions to Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 20.
♦Changes based on feedback from the recent beta have been detailed for EA Sports UFC 4.
♦New developer blog goes over the Star Rating System utilized in EA Sports UFC 4.
♦New developer blog goes into detail on the big gameplay features for EA Sports UFC 4.
♦Trailer for EA Sports UFC 4 centers on the new Career Mode experience in the game.
♦The complete soundtrack has recently been revealed for EA Sports UFC 4.
♦2K Sports delivered a developer walkthrough video for the upcoming PGA Tour 2K21.
♦Another PGA Tour 2K21 trailer spotlights the course designer carry-over from The Golf Club.
♦RBI Baseball 20 was able to update with the 60 game season and other unique changes.
♦New Star Games is working towards a beta test for the upcoming New Star Baseball. -
10 hour trial for EA Sports UFC 4 now available through EA Access
EA Sports UFC 4 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Access on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Subscribers to the base service will get 10 hours of playtime after which it will expire requiring the purchased game to continue or a second EA Access account for 10 more hours. 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 respective home screens when not in use.
The 10 hours are there to play immediately but can continue to be used even beyond release. Any progress made in the various modes and online results will carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period.
EA Access launched July 2014 on Xbox One and was later joined by Origin Access on PC. After being prevented by Sony from releasing the service on PS4 it was finally cleared to launch on the system just over a year ago. 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.
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EA lays out roadmap for next two years of Madden Franchise Mode
Just over a month ago the Madden community stood up and together forced EA Sports to address Franchise Mode in the Madden which has largely been neglected throughout this generation. Referring to it as “Classic Franchise” signaled that was going to continue in the years ahead. The #FixMaddenFranchise movement was discussed in detail on an episode of the Press Row Podcast and already there have been significant developments that are encouraging though there is a long way to go to actually seeing them through. Read more
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Changes being made for Madden NFL 21 following beta feedback
The beta held in early July for Madden NFL 21 generated feedback that will hopefully lead to a better game at launch. Much of the discussion around the game during the beta period centered on a divisive player ability called “Film Study,” an inexplicable change to controls, deficiencies in pass coverage, and sluggish user movement on defense.
In response “Film Study” is gone at least for release, controls have been switched back, coverage has received adjustments, and no changes are being made to user-controlled players on defense because it is as intended.
Additionally the company stated that an update on work being done/planned for Franchise Mode following the #fixfranchisemode movement will be coming in mid-August. Read more
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The Line Drive for July 26
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦First feature descriptions have been revealed on the official website for FIFA 21.
♦Kylian Mbappe has been chosen as the global cover athlete for FIFA 21.
♦EA Sports put together an FAQ regarding all the release details for FIFA 21.
♦Details on the various pre-order incentives being offered for FIFA 21.
♦Details on the free upgrade offered for current-to-next-gen with FIFA 21.
♦The full soundtrack can now be found on Spotify for the upcoming NBA 2K21.
♦An official “gameplay” trailer was released for the upcoming EA Sports UFC 4.
♦Details on the latest content added to Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 20.
♦The push back for NHL 21 will now put its release date as October 16.
♦PlayStation Store has a deal on PS4 MLB The Show 20 with the price down to $30.
♦Out of the Park Baseball 21 is on sale through 8/3 with the price down to just $20.
♦In addition to the 60 game season OOTP 21 is now working on new postseason format. -
NHL 21 release pushed back; won’t have a next-gen version
EA Sports has provided an update on NHL 21 given its absence from EA Play and lack of promotion since the event concluded. The release of the game is being moved to October though when it’ll land in that month has not been specified. NHL traditionally releases in mid-September.
In addition the company confirmed that there is no version of NHL 21 in development for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, with both new consoles featuring backwards compatibility, the game will be playable on those systems. It just won’t benefit from much of the new technology they offer.
The “first look” at NHL 21 is now planned for late August. Given that the current season won’t even be complete until October it makes sense to both push the game back and hold off on any significant reveals.
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