Author Bio
Chris Sanner
Home Town: Bethany, OK
Sports: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Wrestling
Games: The Show, NCAA Football, NHL, FIFA, NBA 2K
Teams: The Sooners, Rangers, Thunder, Chiefs
OS Username: MMChrisS
Tags: Live: MMChrisS PSN: OSChrisS
Home Town: Bethany, OK
Sports: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Wrestling
Games: The Show, NCAA Football, NHL, FIFA, NBA 2K
Teams: The Sooners, Rangers, Thunder, Chiefs
OS Username: MMChrisS
Tags: Live: MMChrisS PSN: OSChrisS
Monday, July 11, 2016
04:43 PM - July 11, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
As much attention as the other end of the Durant to the Warriors signing is getting -- the more intriguing option for NBA 2K GMs may be the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder are stuck in a pretty tough position in that they have to sign Russell Westbrook to a long-term deal to have any shot at contending in the west long-term -- or they face the prospect of a long and lengthy rebuilding process.
There's been a lot of rumors out and about with the Thunder possibly shopping Westbrook for a trade -- but how high is Westbrook's value without any type of long-term deal assurances out there?
And then you have Westbrook himself, who will have plenty of options in free agency after this year which are at least as good as OKC.
And let's face it, in NBA 2K it may be far easier to re-sign Westbrook long-term than it will be in real-life (infinitely so in this guy's opinion). Thus, what would you do as the GM of the Westbrook-led (for a year) Thunder? Do you trade him? Sign him? Lose him?
What pieces do you look for to build the Thunder into perennial contenders? Sound off in the comments!
Saturday, July 2, 2016
11:08 AM - July 2, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
This may be one of the funniest mess ups in the history of roster management. The New Orleans Saints were supposed to e-mail the league office to claim Connor Shaw off waivers but instead sent an e-mail to the other 31 franchises in the league.
Of course, to claim a player on waivers you have to contact the league office and not the other 31 franchises -- which is when the Chicago Bears swooped in and picked up their 4th string QB of the future...
|
|||||||||
|
Shaw probably won't factor into the Bears' future plans, but it's a funny story of roster mismanagement -- almost you would hear someone doing while playing Madden.
What's your biggest mistake you've ever made while managing your roster in Madden? Any accidental releases? Bad contracts? Over-signed positions? Sound off with your story in the comments below!
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
01:07 PM - June 28, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
If you've been on Twitter lately, you've no doubt been seeing Ramone Russell answer fans inquiries about why they were banned over the past couple of days.
Over the weekend, Ramone also posted in the SCEA Forums reiterating that breaking the rules and standards of the community could result in a console and PSN ID being banned.
|
|||||||||
|
Also of note via TheShowNation (Victor_SDS)
|
|||||||||
|
A number of players were banned in the past few days according to Ramone's Twitter Feed:
"We banned a number of users who exploited community market transactions. Bans will not be reversed, fyi flipping cards IS NOT an exploit.
Flipping cards doesn't get you banned, we encourage flipped cards, flipping cards is good for everyone."
Several users were quick to claim innocence but it appears Russell came armed with info, telling at least one user they were in the top 1% of offenders of the glitch. In fact, the SCEA investigation into the matter was three weeks long and involved multiple runs and checks of the same data.
This was a bold move by SCEA to protect the online gaming experience for many MLB The Show users. While bans are nothing new in the online gaming world, it does appear SCEA has taken some pretty dramatic steps in order to safeguard the online experience for gamers. While some of the bans are permanent, others are temporary and will last anywhere from days to weeks to months.
What do you think of the bans? Was SCEA right? Is this a good move?
UPDATE (6-30): via Twitter
|
|||||||||
|
Monday, June 27, 2016
06:07 PM - June 27, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
YouTube user RighteousOnix may have discovered a pretty serious issue within FIFA Ultimate Team, specifically when regarding the chemistry within the game. In a video uploaded this past weekend, Onix breaks down how chemistry could be artificially raising and lowering skill levels with no rhyme or reason by using the dribbling attribute as an example.
This could prove the feeling many gamers have of the game artificially limiting performance without any real rhyme or reason despite higher chemistry ratings within the game.
Whether this is a bug or a deliberate balancing move -- EA should comment on it considering Ultimate Team brings in over half a billion dollars a year in revenue. That's simply a lot of money people at throwing at these modes.
There is a large thread on Reddit discussing the issue.
So in layman's terms, some higher rated cards are not getting boosted like lower rated cards -- resulting in the more expensive cards performing worse in a relative sense than lower rated cards due to some sort of artificial handicapping or bug.
The issue is, of course, these higher rated cards are sold at a premium by EA but play by a different set of rules vs. day-1 cards which actively limits their performance. We'll update this post if EA posts any response to the controversy, either directly to us or in any other official manner.
This could prove the feeling many gamers have of the game artificially limiting performance without any real rhyme or reason despite higher chemistry ratings within the game.
Whether this is a bug or a deliberate balancing move -- EA should comment on it considering Ultimate Team brings in over half a billion dollars a year in revenue. That's simply a lot of money people at throwing at these modes.
There is a large thread on Reddit discussing the issue.
|
|||||||||
|
So in layman's terms, some higher rated cards are not getting boosted like lower rated cards -- resulting in the more expensive cards performing worse in a relative sense than lower rated cards due to some sort of artificial handicapping or bug.
The issue is, of course, these higher rated cards are sold at a premium by EA but play by a different set of rules vs. day-1 cards which actively limits their performance. We'll update this post if EA posts any response to the controversy, either directly to us or in any other official manner.
UPDATE (6-29): EA is looking into it and sent an official response (via GamesRadar)
|
|||||||||
|
UPDATE: (7-1): EA has posted another update, as they investigate the fitness and chemistry issues being reported, another title update is coming...
|
|||||||||
|
Friday, June 24, 2016
04:07 PM - June 24, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
The Celtics had a busy night in the 2016 draft.
Various sports outlets have been discussing last night's draft, handing out analysis, and giving grades to team's performances. We took a look at three winners and losers from last night's draft ourselves with NBA 2K17 in mind.
Around the web, there have been various reactions rolling in from the draft last night. Here are a few:
ESPN writes international players and the OKC Thunder came out ahead on draft day:
|
|||||||||
|
USA Today writes that surprises came early and often with the 2016 draft:
|
|||||||||
|
Bleacher Report checks in with some draft grades for all 30 franchises:
|
|||||||||
|
CBS Sports also broke down each team's draft with grades and analysis:
|
|||||||||
|
With the draft behind us and news of NBA 2K17 certainly coming in the next few weeks -- the time to look ahead to next season has already begun.
Has the draft changed how you want to approach NBA 2K17? Which rookie(s) are you most looking forward to playing as?
12:53 PM - June 24, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Want to be the champ? It all starts in the draft.
Last night, the 2016 NBA Draft was held in Brooklyn -- with the usual fanfare surrounding 60 new players entering the league. Some teams came out of draft night winners, and others didn't really advance an agenda towards championships. Let's look at some winners and losers with NBA 2K17 as our guide.
Winners
Oklahoma City Thunder - They're my hometown team and I just want to get this out of the way now. The Oladipo for Ibaka trade was brilliant and to add Domantas Sabonis to the mix as well for frontcourt depth is just a cherry on top. The Thunder appeared to get a lot better yesterday. The starting five of Westbrook, Oladipo, Durant, Adams, and Kanter are going to be about as good as you can get in NBA 2K17.
Boston Celtics - When you enter the draft with as many picks as Boston had, its really hard to mess up draft night. The Celtics got Jaylen Brown with the third pick then followed that up with two potential future front-court players in Guerschon Yabusele (PF) and Ante Zizic (C). Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil are both potential future rotation players and they were gotten in the second round. There's some projects here, but this draft could yield true dividends for the Celtics in the future. They're more intriguing to play as if your goal is long-term building in MyTeam.
Philadelphia 76ers - I won't lie in the sense I oftentimes don't know what the heck Philly is up to in building their franchise. There have been starts and restarts and restarts of restarts. However, Ben Simmons is a potential star and a couple of athletic guys who can fill up the bucket in Timothe Luwawu-Caborrot and Furkan Korkmaz. In terms of NBA 2K17 -- you've got a lot of young pieces to build a championship contender around now long term.
The Losers
Brooklyn Nets - The Nets hosted the draft and badly needed something good to happen. After mortgaging the franchises future on two over the hill players in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce -- the Nets were rewarded by coming into draft night with a bad draft position but a desperate need to rebuild. Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead may or may not be NBA rotation type of guys, but nothing moved the needle here. The Nets have a long way to go and don't offer much excitement except as a total rebuild in NBA 2K17.
Milwaukee Bucks - Thon Maker either is the biggest hidden gem in the history of the draft, which the Bucks stole -- or they just drafted a guy who may or may not be 19, who hasn't played anything beyond high school ball, and probably could've been acquired way down the line and probably with a favorable trade. In terms of NBA 2K17 -- its doubtful Maker is rated high at all and the Bucks overall trend seems to be sideways at best after the draft.
Dallas Mavericks - I live close enough to Dallas to see the agony DFW fans go through who aren't Rangers fans. Draft night is a reason for panic, and anytime news of roster moves hit you instantly fear the worst. The Mavs only picked A.J. Hammons from Purdue -- but the amount of 7' guys with no physcial athleticism who are successful in the NBA is very low. Really it feels like Dallas picked someone just to pick someone -- I've done that before in NBA 2K when I didn't need a pick and there was no trade which worked for me. But that was also a video game.
What do you think about draft night? How did your team do?
Winners
Oklahoma City Thunder - They're my hometown team and I just want to get this out of the way now. The Oladipo for Ibaka trade was brilliant and to add Domantas Sabonis to the mix as well for frontcourt depth is just a cherry on top. The Thunder appeared to get a lot better yesterday. The starting five of Westbrook, Oladipo, Durant, Adams, and Kanter are going to be about as good as you can get in NBA 2K17.
Boston Celtics - When you enter the draft with as many picks as Boston had, its really hard to mess up draft night. The Celtics got Jaylen Brown with the third pick then followed that up with two potential future front-court players in Guerschon Yabusele (PF) and Ante Zizic (C). Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil are both potential future rotation players and they were gotten in the second round. There's some projects here, but this draft could yield true dividends for the Celtics in the future. They're more intriguing to play as if your goal is long-term building in MyTeam.
Philadelphia 76ers - I won't lie in the sense I oftentimes don't know what the heck Philly is up to in building their franchise. There have been starts and restarts and restarts of restarts. However, Ben Simmons is a potential star and a couple of athletic guys who can fill up the bucket in Timothe Luwawu-Caborrot and Furkan Korkmaz. In terms of NBA 2K17 -- you've got a lot of young pieces to build a championship contender around now long term.
The Losers
Brooklyn Nets - The Nets hosted the draft and badly needed something good to happen. After mortgaging the franchises future on two over the hill players in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce -- the Nets were rewarded by coming into draft night with a bad draft position but a desperate need to rebuild. Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead may or may not be NBA rotation type of guys, but nothing moved the needle here. The Nets have a long way to go and don't offer much excitement except as a total rebuild in NBA 2K17.
Milwaukee Bucks - Thon Maker either is the biggest hidden gem in the history of the draft, which the Bucks stole -- or they just drafted a guy who may or may not be 19, who hasn't played anything beyond high school ball, and probably could've been acquired way down the line and probably with a favorable trade. In terms of NBA 2K17 -- its doubtful Maker is rated high at all and the Bucks overall trend seems to be sideways at best after the draft.
Dallas Mavericks - I live close enough to Dallas to see the agony DFW fans go through who aren't Rangers fans. Draft night is a reason for panic, and anytime news of roster moves hit you instantly fear the worst. The Mavs only picked A.J. Hammons from Purdue -- but the amount of 7' guys with no physcial athleticism who are successful in the NBA is very low. Really it feels like Dallas picked someone just to pick someone -- I've done that before in NBA 2K when I didn't need a pick and there was no trade which worked for me. But that was also a video game.
What do you think about draft night? How did your team do?
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
06:09 PM - June 22, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Derrick Rose is going to be a New York Knick for the 2016-17 NBA Season.
In a blockbuster pre-draft trade, the Knicks acquired Derrick Rose and Justin Holiday from the Bulls while sending Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant to Chicago.
The Knicks also acquired a 2017 second round pick from Chicago.
|
|||||||||
|
Rose's trade is going to change how players approach the Knicks -- with a starting lineup which now will include Rose and Carmelo Anthony. That is, of course, assuming Rose can stay healthy. Rose did play in 66 games last season, but he's battled injuries much of the last four seasons. Rose averaged nearly 32 minutes per game in 2015-16 and scored 16.4 points per game with 4.7 assists per game.
Rose's ratings will likely be pretty solid in NBA 2K17 given his stats -- and combined that with Anthony and suddenly the Knicks look a little more like a team with a little better chance at the playoffs.
What do you think? Was this a good trade for New York? What about Chicago? Is this a trade which will benefit the Bulls as well? Are you more likely to give the Knicks a try in NBA 2K17 now?
10:46 AM - June 22, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Madden NFL 17 is coming out of EA Play in a fairly strong position with tons of gameplay videos being shown off as of early this week (check out the OS homepage for all of them). Let’s go through some of the things that are looking good, and a few things which we’re still a little concerned about after the jump.
Read More - Madden NFL 17: Gearing Up For A Big Season
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
05:15 PM - June 21, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
It appears the expected is happening and Ben Simmons will be your number one pick in the 2016 NBA Draft later this week.
|
|||||||||
|
With Simmons as the newest member of the 76ers lineup, there's going to be a lot of expectation that the young PF can deliver results for the ailing franchise. But his game doesn't come without questions.
|
|||||||||
|
Simply put, while Simmons has a lot of strengths which should carry over into the pro game (and NBA 2K17) quite well, there are some other items which will draw questions from many as to the exact extent of his talent.
What do you think of Simmons in the 76ers lineup in NBA 2K17? What do you think his ratings should be as we head into a new season?
Monday, June 20, 2016
06:19 PM - June 20, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Are big changes in store for the Golden State Warriors?
With a strong core in place, along with flexibility in the salary cap -- there are tough decisions to be made heading into the offseason, says Fox Sports.
|
|||||||||
|
Could the Warriors try exceptionally hard to land Kevin Durant?
When asked about what he's taking into account this offseason, Durant simply said, "I'm worried about basketball."
That might be possible, especially with a strong possibility Harrison Barnes could be on the way out after he turned down an offer sheet before this prior season. Not retaining Barnes doesn't mean the Warriors will get Durant -- but they may be forced to move on from Barnes due to his likely high price.
Simply put, the Warriors just blew the biggest lead in NBA Finals history after having to come back from a 3-1 deficit against Oklahoma City to even get to the finals. There's a lot of decisions that'll need to be made during the upcoming offseason.
If you were the Warriors GM, what moves would you be making this offseason?
Thursday, June 16, 2016
10:48 AM - June 16, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Is Oakmont the toughest golf course in the game today?
With the US Open set to take off today at Oakmont Country Club, Fox Sports asks the question of whether the course may just be the toughest in the game of golf today:
|
|||||||||
|
What do you think? Is Oakmont the toughest course in Golf? What about in Rory McIlroy PGA Tour? Sound off with your pick!
Monday, June 13, 2016
11:21 AM - June 13, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
EA dumped a lot of new info about FIFA 17 yesterday at the EA Play Conference (and just before). We learned the game has a new story mode and the gameplay is undergoing several key changes -- and that's only the beginning. Let's check out our reactions to yesterday's news after the jump.
Read More - FIFA 17 EA Play Conference Reactions (Roundtable)
Sunday, June 12, 2016
06:09 PM - June 12, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
EA announced today in a new post on the Madden NFL blog that they have implemented several popular community requests into franchise mode. Let's take a look at them:
- Around The League Score Ticker: Be immersed in Sunday football, with the new Around The League Score Ticker. While playing your game, you will see score updates occur from games around the league. For example, if you’re playing a 1pm Sunday game, you will see score updates and stat lines for all the other 1pm games.
- Full Player Editing: As the commissioner in your league, you now have the ability to customize almost everything about all the players. You will be able to adjust appearance, ratings, traits, and contract information for the entire league, letting you make tweaks as you see fit to alter players.
- Practice Squad: Each team now has a 10-man Practice Squad that they can control week-to-week. It all starts in week 4 of the preseason. Instead of cutting players, you can now easily move eligible players to the Practice Squad where they will develop as you train the various position groups during weekly training.
- Dynamic Development Trait: Each player’s development trait is the biggest defining factor in how he develops. Players with a Superstar trait will stay in the league longer and develop into the top tier talent, while players with the Slow trait will not make it in the league long.
- Regression Feedback: As a coach or owner, you need to have a pulse on your team’s development and you need to know exactly when your team regresses and now you will in Madden NFL 17.
- Player Card Improvements: The Player Card has been bolstered with three key improvements. The first is a way to quickly see all the attributes for a specific player and how they rank in the league based on overall rating. The second is a view so you can see the progression history for the player. This lets you see where all the XP came from and when ratings have been impacted whether through progression or regression. Last but not least, the player card is now accessible from more areas so you will always be just a step or two from seeing the information you want.
What do you think of these add-ons? Time for rejoicing for several right?
06:04 PM - June 12, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Madden NFL 17 will feature a new approach to the biggest decisions you'll make in Franchise Mode aptly titled, "Big Decisions". In a new blog post, EA details this new feature.
|
|||||||||
|
Below is a breakdown of the big decisions you'll face:
- Season Goal - The first big decision you’ll make as a coach or player in the regular season is to set your season goal. As a coach, you can decide whether you are going to make the playoffs or shoot low with a 7-win season.
- Injuries: Once doctors have medically cleared a player that was hurt earlier in the season, you can either play him with a lingering injury or sit him to heal to 100%.
- Acquisitions: Picking up free agents and players on the trade block is easier than ever with the new Acquisitions menu. You will be able to easily browse the available players by position and compare them to your current depth chart.
- Re-Signing Players: When your players are on the last year of their contract, you can now re-sign them using a more intuitive menu. All the information you need to decide if you want to retain the player is available.
- Spending XP: Your players progress through the season as they earn experience points (XP) from training and by completing weekly game goals, drive goals, fantasy goals, season goals, and career goals.
- Cutting Players: During the preseason, you will now be presented with a new menu layout where your coaches will recommend players to cut based on position depth and player skills. This allows you to make key decisions about player retention quickly so you can progress through the preseason.
- Free Agent Bidding: While bidding for players in the off-season, you will now be able to easily see your depth chart at the various positions so you know who to bid on.
05:54 PM - June 12, 2016. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
In a new blog post, EA details new gameplanning features for Madden NFL 17.
|
|||||||||
|
You will choose gameplans each week on offense and defense. For each, you'll complete drills which will enable XP boosts for your team as you head into the next week.
You'll be notified of these boosts at the start of each game. EA uses a vertical pass plan gameplan as an example. Every time you call a vertical passing play your players ratings will be impacted positively.
On top of this, tendencies will be available to view for opponents. You'll also be able to focus XP improvements on specific players and focus gameplans to pursue one of three goals: 1) You can try to counter your opponent by selecting a gameplan that takes away your opponent’s strengths. 2) You can go with what your team does well by choosing a gameplan that focuses on how you like to play. 3) If your team is in a rebuilding mode, you can lean on gameplans that give XP to the position groups of most need.
What do you think of the gameplan feature?