The Line Drive for March 1
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Check out the latest articles posted to Sporting News: 2015 Sports Game Power Rankings and The Most Used Teams in Madden NFL 15
♦2K Sports has added a new park for the Old Town Flyers in NBA 2K15 MyPark mode.
♦FiveThirtyEight with an extensive piece on what goes into player ratings in Madden.
♦An update was made to the onli...
Press Row Podcast: Sports Game Power Rankings for 2015
With the new "season" of sports games upon us some of the Press Row participants collaborated to put together a Sports Game Power Rankings for 2015. The focus of the latest Press Row Podcast is to break down the positioning of each series within the list by reviewing their respective merits and deficiencies. Primary factors of consideration include sales numbers, quality, and community but there are several other ways as well in which to evaluate each franchise isolated on their own and r...
Features for MLB Manager 2015; iOOTP 14 Now Available for Free
With the acquisition of the MLB.com license Out of the Park Developments has taken the opportunity to rebrand the mobile version of OOTP Baseball, which has released as iOOTP since 2011, as MLB Manager. Releasing in March (most likely near the end of the month) MLB Manager 2015 will be available for both iOS and Android devices. This will be the first time the game will go out on Android. (more…)...
MLB 15: The Show Franchise Mode Stream
The latest live stream held by MLB 15: The Show developers turned its focus this week to Franchise Mode. A wide variety of improvements are reviewed with the new "Inside The Show" radio broadcast and save migration that allows MLB 14 files to be carried over to MLB 15 also touched on due to their ties to Franchise Mode. (more…)...
Sports Games Desperately Need Alternative Online Experiences
In a recent Press Row Podcast episode I proposed the idea again that MLB: The Show, which has struggled mightily with online performance and stability since inception, should offer an "Extra Innings" mode online. That proposal generated a significant response from listeners on social media and forums intrigued by the concept and the benefits it would offer - along with expressing hope that other sports games could include unique online experiences. (more…)...
Fast & Furious Themed Forza Horizon 2 Expansion Coming Next Month for Free
A standalone expansion to Forza Horizon 2 was announced today. Releasing on March 27 Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious will be available to download for free to everyone on Xbox One and 360 through April 10. Owning or even having played Forza Horizon 2 is not required. After that point it will cost $10 but those who downloaded previously will keep it for free. The promotion coincides with the release of Furious 7 on April 3rd.
In Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furiou...
EA Sports UFC Coming to Mobile
EA Sports announced yesterday that UFC is coming to iOS and Android in the near future. The game is already available in a few regions including Canada, going out early there as a tactic EA has utilized with mobile games in the past to gather feedback and make some updates before rolling them out in the US and other larger territories. (more…)...
Features for Franchise Hockey Manager 2 Coming This Spring
In 2013 OOTP Developments, creators of the Out of the Park Baseball franchise, debuted Franchise Hockey Manager. The game was met with mixed reviews that trended negative as a large number of users cited frequent crashes and other elements deemed disappointing or troublesome. Later this year the company will release Beyond the Sidelines Football in an attempt to break into the untapped market in that sport for PC management sims.
With response to the first Franchise Hockey Manager in m...