EA Sports Fans

At the Gamescom expo, FIFA 11 producer Dave Rutter announced that FIFA 11 will feature complete 11 versus 11 gameplay online for the first time - building on the 10 vs. 10 in FIFA 10. Here's the full announcement...

Posted by : AndyP at 17:30 on Wednesday, August 18 2010Tagged with : FIFA 11 announcement

08/18

FIFA 11 demo dated

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EA have confirmed at Gamescom, as indicated at the end of this video, that the demo of FIFA 11 will be available from September 16.

Posted by : AndyP at 17:27 on Wednesday, August 18 2010Tagged with : FIFA 11 demo

08/17

NHL 11 demo released

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EA Sports have released the demo of NHL 11 via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Here are the details :

EA Sports NHL 11 demo is now available on Xbox LIVE and the PLAYSTATION Network. Powered by a revolutionary real-time physics engine, the franchise that has won 22 sports game of the year awards over the past three years will showcase two game modes in the demo: Battle for the Cup and the all-new Hockey Ultimate Team.

Battle for the Cup:

In Battle for the Cup, players will experience all the emotion and drama of the third period of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup™ Championship between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. The mode features an all new faceoff system, new quick dekes and the ability to score amazing goals even while lying on the ice.

Hockey Ultimate Team:

The all-new Hockey Ultimate Team brings Online Dynasty play to the EA SPORTS NHL franchise for the first time ever. In the demo, players will be able to pick up a starter pack of cards to build their Ultimate Hockey Team. Take your new team to the ice and play against either the Canadian Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires, or the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers. Play and win games in the demo with your Ultimate Team and earn up to two additional packs in the full version of NHL 11, when it is released on September 7, 2010.

The demo will also feature an interactive tutorial that will allow those new to the franchise to learn the controls, and allow long-time fans to practice some of the new controls in the game, including Faceoffs.

Posted by : AndyP at 13:24 on Tuesday, August 17 2010Tagged with : NHL 11 demo

08/12

Patch details for NCAA 11

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EA recently blogged about this upcoming patch and this week it was finally released. Here are the details :

Graphics

Uniform degradation has been fixed.
Fixed a graphical issue with TeamBuilder sideline home uniforms.
Fixed several camera bugs (pulled back on field goals, blurry cameras, and replays after a change of possession)
Fixed helmet numbers for Rice and Wake Forest

Online

Resolved an issue with Season Showdown, allowing us to turn it back on, so you’re upload failure message every time you go in/out of game is gone!
Fixed a couple freezes related to lobbies
Fixed voice communication in Online Dynasty Hub on PS3
Fixed an issue that could lead to a disconnect in online play during play calling

Offense

Fixed an issue on a couple plays where the QB would miss a hand off and run backward
Reduced the chance that the ball will be knocked out when a receiver is hit at the time of the catch
Tuned the CPU ball carrier so that they will break to the outside more often when appropriate
Tuned how the CPU ball carriers utilize leans and special moves so that they won’t be used in situations when they shouldn’t (e.g. a HB in the open field will not put his shoulders down when running forward)
Tuned pass accuracy and the ability to lead a receiver Tweaked sideline catch animations in the end zone so that they have a bit more room to play
Fixed an exploit where backwards passes could be overly effective

Defense

Fixed defensive reaction to pump fake to be more balanced. Skilled defensive backs will not be as easily fooled by pump fakes.
Tuned the Aggressive Defensive Line Gameplan to have more risk of jumping offsides
Removed a hesitation from defensive lineman pass rush on screen plays
Improved flat zone and deep zone coverage
Tuned man coverage reaction to the run
Adjusted CPU pursuit angles in some specific cases where they weren’t being aggressive enough

Special Teams

Tuned onside kicks to be less predictable
Fixed an issue where catching a kicked ball after hitting the goalpost would result in kicking team getting the ball back
Fixed an issue where the punter could line up out of place
Adjusted cross bar collision on field goals and extra points

Other

Tuned CPU clock management where they would let the clock run out in some cases they shouldn’t
Fixed a bug with time of possession tracking
Adjusted substitutions to be more intelligent (previously would see some weird players in the game with lots of aggressive no huddle)
Fixed a couple places where the wrong custom stadium sounds would play
Fixed a bug that caused Road To Glory to be simulated day by day near the end of the season
Tuned Kick Power and Kick Accuracy of progression of kickers and punters in Dynasty Mode
Fixed a couple infrequent game lock-ups

Posted by : AndyP at 19:51 on Thursday, August 12 2010Tagged with : NCAA 11 update

08/07

NCAA 11 update

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A tuning update for NCAA 11 has been released which apparently fixes the following issues :

Increased the default starting values for all Recruits.

Slightly increased progression for low and mid tier teams.

Tuned CPU recruiting to prevent teams from signing too many players at any one particular position.

Increased CPU's focus upon needed positions in recruiting.

Top schools will sign 5 star prospects earlier in the season.

After a recruit Soft Commits, any CPU team that is not ranked in the top three will spend significantly less time calling the recruit.

Addressed an issue with big lineman jumping too high and deflecting passes.

Tuned ESPN U Top 150 Players to be more in line with actual top 150 recruits by decreasing the number of Fullbacks and Kickers.

Tuned Field Goal, Kick Offs, and Punting in Super Sim.

Posted by : AndyP at 19:30 on Saturday, August 7 2010Tagged with : NCAA 11 update

08/07

Madden 11 achievments

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Here are the Madden 11 achievements for Xbox 360 :

Very Special Teams (100 points): Return 2 kicks for touchdowns in one game with one player (no OTP).
Butterfingers (50 points): Force 3 fumbles in a game (no OTP).
Man Dozer (25 points): Rush for 50 yards after the first hit in one game (no OTP).
He's Got All Day (20 points): Stay in the pocket for 10 seconds (no OTP).
Did I Break It? (40 points): Win a game by at least 59 points (max qtr. len. 7 min, no OTP).
Winning Isn't Everything (75 points): Catch 21 passes in a game with one player (no OTP).
Old Spice Swagger Return (45 points): Return a punt for a touchdown (no OTP).
Comeback Kids (40 points): Win after being behind in the last 2 min of a game (no OTP, min qtr. len. 3 min).
No Offense (50 points): Intercept 5 passes in a game (no OTP).
Fantasy Freak (25 points): Rush for over 200 yards in a game with one player (no OTP).
The Elusive Man (25 points): Break 5 tackles in a game with one player (no OTP).
Perfect Game (50 points): Have a perfect passer rating in a game (no OTP).
Home Run (25 points): Break an 80+ yard touchdown run (no OTP).
Old Spice Swagger Pick 6 (25 points): Intercept a pass and return it for a touchdown (no OTP).
YACtastic (35 points): Have over 100 YAC in one game (no OTP).
Pick Up 6 (75 points): Win a Fight for the Fumble in the end zone for a TD (no OTP).
Deadly Accurate (30 points): Have a 92% or higher completion percentage in a game (min 20 att., no OTP).
Laces Out (40 points): Kick a 60+ yard Field Goal (no OTP).
Madden Moments (100 points): Complete the "Super Bowl Sunday" Madden Moment.
Defensive Dominance (75 points): Hold your opponent to under 100 yards of offense (min qtr. len. 5 min, no OTP).
Sack Master (25 points): Record 5 sacks in a game with one player (no OTP).
Verizon Master Strategist (5 points): Create a custom Gameplan.

Additionally, there are two secret achievements:

Thanks For Coming (10 points): Play the Pro Bowl (Franchise Mode).
Nano (10 points): Tackle the QB before he can hand the ball off (no OTP).

Posted by : AndyP at 19:26 on Saturday, August 7 2010Tagged with : Madden achievements Xbox

08/05

Classic Teams Reborn ?

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"Madden Day" for Madden 11 is nearly here, and only a week away. No reviews have hit the web yet, and the reception of the demo has been a mixed bag, depending on who you talk to.

But that's not what I'm going talk about. Rather, I'd like to take the opportunity in this article to suggest a way that the Madden series can be made fresh again, going forward, particularly online.

I sincerely believe that one of the main things that hurts the longevity of a given Madden release is the fact that the game is limited to the 32 current NFL teams. Lets think about that for a moment. Of those 32 teams, people generally want to use the top 4 or 5 teams online. Lets face it, people want to give themselves the best chance to win and therefore they aren’t exactly going to line up to play as the Bears, Browns, 49ers, Rams, Bucs, Raiders, and countless other teams. In short, Madden has a “too few teams to use” option by comparison to its NCAA counterpart, who’s got over a hundred teams to pick from, with much more varied schemes and play styles. Meanwhile, on Madden, people generally want to use top-teams only, and as injuries happen throughout the real NFL season, even those top five teams at the beginning of the season have depleted rosters due to injury and a fall from grace (not mentioning any names ? - Ed). For example, who would want to roll with the Colts if Manning is out? (Answer: very few people) So as the season progresses towards its conclusion, and Madden roster updates roll out to reflect the injured, people find themselves using a dwindling number of teams for online play, often not even a team that they actually "want" to use. Many gamers, such as myself, get bored with the current 32, and either don’t play Madden much, or tinker around over on NCAA, or jump to another game entirely.

(Modern Warfare 2, anyone? Halo Reach?)

This difference will only become more glaring between the two EA football products as NCAA improves (as it did to a great degree this year) and Madden still only allows those same tired old 32 teams to be taken online.

I am of the opinion that EA should mine its deep Madden past to come up with an answer for this “Madden limited team boredom.” In short, it is time for Madden to re-introduce the classic teams of the past.

Yes, it has been done before. I even know when it started. It was fall of 1992 when Madden ‘93 dropped for 16 bit. It shipped with not only the current 30 teams (at that time), but it also included 8 legendary teams of the past. Those teams were 76 Oakland, 78 Pittsburgh, 84 San Fran, 85 Chicago, 82 Washington, 72 Miami, 77 Dallas, and 86 New York. I remember the game being a dorm-room hit at my college. After we got bored of using the top teams in head to head (then, it was Dallas, Buffalo, and San Fran), we would fire up some classic matchups of the all-time greats. We’d have the 76 Oakland squad tangle with 78 Pittsburgh, and the 85 Chicago team fight it out with 84 San Fran. We loved it!

Shortly after that, EA released a Blockbuster Video Only Rental Title called “Madden 93 Championship Edition”. It was a 16 bit cartridge that contained only classic teams. It included all the Super Bowl winners and losers up until that year. To this day, that game still holds the record as the “most stolen rental in Blockbuster Video history.” Many gamers would just keep the game rental and pay the fine (which was slightly above the price of a new Madden game, if I recall). However, the point is, the game was a cult hit, even though it was merely made for rental.

Starting around Madden ‘94, all the Super Bowl winners and losers from the past were included in each release of Madden, though, understandably, they players were only numbered and not named.

Since that time, classic teams in Madden had their ups and downs. They peaked with Madden 2002 on Playstation 2. That was the year when not only were the classic teams included, but also many classic stadiums, such as RFK, Three Rivers, Old Oakland Coliseum, and Cleveland Municipal... just to name a few. Unfortunately, EA never allowed gamers to take classic teams online, so the feature kind of rotted on the vine, and fell out of favor. EA did away with even having the un-named roster classic teams in Next Gen versions of Madden, a situation that still persists today.

However, I think the time for classic teams in Madden is now... or at least Madden 12. Quite frankly, in very short order, Madden often becomes a very dull title due to limited teams that can be used online. It is time for EA to realize that they should also promote the NFL’s past as well as its present. I understand the difficulty in signing countless athletes from the past individually. I’m merely suggesting they do the same thing that they do for the college football game. Let us name them, and, worst case, let us number them correctly if we must. Just make sure to let us save and share the file’s online, and make sure that we can SEE those names/numbers online . We will do the rest. Period-specific playbooks would be great too. (Oilers with the Run N’ Shoot anyone? Or how about the run’n shoot 91 Falcons with a certain legendary cornerback, kick returner #21?)

I know, for myself, I’m way more interested in taking the 93 Oilers, 85 Bears, 89 49ers, 78 Steelers, 76 Raiders, and countless other teams, against my buddy who would be picking his teams from a huge slate of current and historical teams, all with different playbooks from different eras..

..Instead of the same old tired matchups of the current Colts, Saints, etc.

...and LORD knows how many times we’ll see the Bengals online this year.

2K Sports is realizing a similar thing with their NBA 2K NBA franchise this year, and including classic NBA teams in the mix. NBA 2K11 will ship with legendary teams such as the 85 Celtics, 91 Pistons, 90 Lakers, 94 Knicks, and mid 90s Bulls, just to name a few. (Good thing too, because how sick will we all be of playing people who plan on using nothing but the HEAT all season long!??!) 2K is starting to come around to this “classic teams” idea, but will EA with Madden?

EA, please give us some variety with Madden. Trust me, us Madden players will have had our fill of seeing the current Bengals, Colts, Saints, and Patriots by the mid-way point of the real NFL season on Madden 11...if not sooner.

Time to shake things up EA. Give us way more teams to use than the current 32 going forward. EA, please give us the classic teams of the NFL to go along with the standard 32 current teams.

..and maybe even their old stadiums too. ;)

We need the variety.

Article by
Scott Hemphill

Posted by : AndyP at 05:25 on Thursday, August 5 2010Tagged with : Madden 11 feature

08/05

IGN : Hands on with Pro Evo 2011

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IGN has posted some hands-on impressions of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011.

First impressions are heartening, as the front end has been given a thorough scrub-up. It's still not quite the match for FIFA's glistening menus, but it has both a charm of its own and, more importantly, an added level of functionality. This is most explicit in the team selection mode, which utilises a drag and drop system that's so intuitive you wonder why it hasn't been done before. Changing tactics and formations is now simple and fun, and the interminable menu trawl that used to precede every serious minded game of PES has been confined to the past.

Posted by : AndyP at 04:07 on Thursday, August 5 2010Tagged with : Pro Evo 2011

08/05

NBA Jam to come boxed with Elite 11

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EA has announced today that 3 modes of NBA Jam will come packaged with NBA Elite 11.

Posted by : AndyP at 03:47 on Thursday, August 5 2010Tagged with : NBA Jam Elite

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