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Get free Ultimate Team legend cards for Madden NFL 18 through Twitch Prime
The perks for those with Amazon Prime memberships continue to expand and today a new promotion launched coinciding with the release of Madden NFL 18. Free Ultimate Team legend cards are being given out through Twitch Prime – 25 of them in total over the course of the season dispersed on Saturdays. All the legend cards will be rated 83 Overall, but combining 4 collectibles with a card will increase it’s rating to 90 Overall.
In order to activate Twitch Prime the two accounts (Amazon and Twitch) must be connected and then tied to the EA account. Based on the wording it appears that even those who sign-up for an Amazon Prime free 30 day trial will get the Ultimate Team cards, however in order to take full advantage a subscription would have to be active for an extended period given how they are being spread out over several months.
Amazon Prime goes for $99 a year and offers free 2-day shipping, 20% off all video game pre-orders, a library of streaming movies, television, and music plus more. Earlier this year Twitch Prime gave out over $20 in Virtual Currency for NBA 2K17.
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Many of the new classic teams for NBA 2K18 have been revealed
Last week 2K Sports began unveiling the 16 classic teams that will be making their debut in NBA 2K18, joining the 45 others that will be carrying over. The first to be announced were the 1996-97 Miami Heat and 1998-99 New York Knicks. 10 more are now known and all of them come from 2001 to as recent as two seasons ago. Read more
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The Line Drive for August 20
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The podcast all about Madden NFL 18 is now also found on Youtube.
♦ICYMI the full review for Madden NFL 18 went up on Sporting News.
♦Data on the impact of ratings on the offensive line in Madden NFL 18.
♦Can still order physical copies of Madden NFL 18 w/Amazon Prime 20% off.
♦2K Sports released a flashy trailer to help create excitement for NBA 2K18.
♦New screenshot features Paul Pierce from NBA 2K18 All-Time Celtics team.
♦Konami signed an exclusive deal with David Beckham for the PES franchise.
♦EA Sports has detailed the returning user bonuses for NHL 18 Ultimate Team.
♦Full details on the latest patch to have released for The Golf Club 2.
♦New content has rolled out in Diamond Dynasty mode for MLB The Show 17.
♦The entire course list has been revealed for Forza Motorsport 7.
♦Details on the new features coming to PS4 with the next system update.
♦Blu-ray releases this week are headlined by season 7 of The Walking Dead.
♦Amazon has XBL digital cards on sale $100 for $90 on down to $10 for $9.
♦Xbox One X pre-orders may go live today – here’s the Amazon page to watch. -
Press Row Podcast: Madden NFL 18 first impressions
Last year Madden was able to establish itself back within the upper-echelon of sports titles, finishing second in the Press Row Podcast Sports Game of the Year voting. Madden NFL 18 hopes to build on that success with the introduction of the series’ first ever story mode, the return of online co-op, three new play styles, visual enhancements made possible due to the Frostbite Engine, and number of gameplay improvements.
In this episode initial impressions of Madden NFL 18 are discussed, going over changes to gameplay, Franchise, Ultimate Team, and of course the highly-anticipated Longshot. There’s some agreement on where Madden stands with this edition but also places where opinions diverge. For more on Madden NFL 18 the full panel review show will go out next week!
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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Draft and Salary Cap modes being added to MyTeam in NBA 2K18
In recent years the ability to draft a roster on the fly from a pool of players over a number of rounds and take that team into online competition has become popular way to play. Those draft modes are now exclusively found tucked inside the various team-building modes like Ultimate Team and Diamond Dynasty. Draft Champions which is now known as MUT Draft started it all in Madden, FIFA and NHL followed with theirs, and MLB The Show has Battle Royale. Now NBA 2K18 will finally introduce one of its own. Read more
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Review of Madden NFL 18
Fresh off an especially strong year for the Madden franchise this year’s edition comes across a bit disjointed in comparison. The new story mode Longshot is a winner, as is the return of online co-op with MUT Squads, but otherwise the changes or lack thereof prove underwhelming. Gameplay advancements are subtle but at least areas like offensive line blocking show promise. Franchise mode hasn’t changed much besides injuries playing a bigger role and the new ability to play along with the season and start a franchise from any week current or past.
Check out the full review of Madden NFL 18 at Sporting News. Also take a look through this Twitter thread which includes screenshots, gifs, videos, and notes about the game and check out two full online game videos that have been posted for MUT Squads and MUT Draft.
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Gameplay improvements for NBA 2K18
Given the number of core gameplay-related problems that plagued NBA 2K17 it’s notable that 2K Sports has come out much earlier than normal with details on what’s been done to gameplay for NBA 2K18. Gameplay director Mike Wang has written an extensive developer blog that goes through improvements that include a new motion engine that shifts away from the animation-driven one of the past and a new shooting system, while the effort that’s gone into fixing issues related to and enhancing AI will apparently be detailed at a later date. Read more
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10 hour trial for Madden NFL 18 now available through EA Access on Xbox One
Madden NFL 18 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Access on Xbox One. Subscribers to the 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 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 new Longshot story mode is limited to the first chapter.
EA Access launched July 2014 and is available on Xbox One along with now 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.
Features for Madden NFL 18 include the story mode Longshot, online co-op now known as MUT Squads, three different Play Styles, the optional Target Passing, and the debut of the Frostbite Engine. Both Amazon and Best Buy have deals worth considering on pre-orders.
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