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Author Bio
Dustin Toms

Home Town: Washington State
Sports: Basketball, Tennis
Games: NBA 2K, NBA Jam, NCAA, Mass Effect
Teams: Tennessee Titans, Seattle Sonics, Seattle Mariners, New York Knicks
OS Username: DustinT
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Saturday, January 31, 2015
02:38 PM - January 31, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms


It’s Super Bowl Sunday this weekend. Seattle has a chance to become the first back-to-back champions since 2003-04. And the craziest part is that the last team to do so is the Seahawks’ opponent: the Tom Brady-led Patriots. You can bet your bottom dollar that Brady doesn’t want to lose that. Fire up your console and strut your stuff with the Patriots and Seahawks.

Seattle, in Madden, is considered a powerhouse. Marshawn Lynch is, well, a beast, and the defense definitely received that little extra “push” from the developers. The one guy that matters most, though, is Russell Wilson. Wilson is a solid quarterback, but he also gets the most help of any signal caller in the NFL (i.e. Lynch, defense). Wilson is solid because of his improvisational skills; ranked on a prototypical quarterback he isn’t near the top. But in Madden, Wilson is an absolute monster. He has the speed, and also the ratings of a good quarterback. You can’t rate improv in Madden, so Wilson reaps the ratings benefit. Seattle is a good Madden team.

New England is a different story. Their leading rusher didn’t even crack 500 yards this season. Should be good news for an average rush defense, right? Wrong.

Legarrette Blount has played well, and is one of the stronger backs in Madden. You could easily start setting the tone early with a few six yard runs. It’s no secret that Brady never gets a legitimate no. 1 receiver, and it really shows in Madden in an unfortunate light. Gronk can’t be your only target. The defense isn’t bad, but the secondary is it’s strong suit matching up against some not-so-awesome pass catchers. When it comes down to it, New England is an average Madden team.

I clobbered New England with 143 rushing yards from Lynch, 37-14. Afterwards, I edged Seattle 20-18 after the Seahawks’ Stephen Hauschka missed two field goals in the game.

Share results on how each game played out, and let others know what you did to stop the other.

And lastly, who do you got? Seahawks or Patriots?

Game: Madden NFL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3 / PS4 / Xbox OneVotes: 42 - View All
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
04:02 PM - January 28, 2015. Posted by DustinT. Written by Dustin Toms

Check out this sweet video on Grizzly Vision's YouTube page. If only Tim Kitzrow could break into broadcasting...

Game: NBA JamReader Score: 4/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2Votes: 3 - View All
Friday, December 26, 2014
05:11 PM - December 26, 2014. Posted by DustinT. Written by Dustin Toms

Looks like EA Sports is in the holiday spirit. The company is giving a free six-hour trial to those who might be on the fence of making a purchase. Plus, plenty of gamers opened up a new console this Christmas which will allow EA to build its customer base.

Quote:
EA Sports Press Release - Lots of football fans will unwrap Xbox One this holiday season. But Christmas morning is just getting started from there.

Beginning Christmas day, December 25, fans will be able to experience a six-hour trial of Madden NFL 15 on Xbox One.* Fans can find the trial on the Xbox One dashboard, or in the Microsoft Store.

The Madden NFL 15 Christmas Day trial is a full game version with access to popular game modes including Connected Franchise Mode (CFM) and Madden Ultimate Team (MUT).

For those interested in purchasing Madden NFL 15 after participating in the trial, all progress gained during the trial period across all game modes will carry over, including those unlocked in CFM & MUT.

The trial is expected to live between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., UTC. The trial period runs from December 25 to January 1, 2015.

Game: Madden NFL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes: 42 - View All
Monday, December 8, 2014
11:41 AM - December 8, 2014. Posted by DustinT. Written by Dustin Toms

Now that PES 2015 has been out for almost a month it’s time to lace up your boots, take the pitch, and get a result. In order to achieve success we’ll take a look at a few areas which can bolster your mastery of PES 2015.

READ MORE - PES 2015: Unlocking the Keys to Success

Game: PES 2015Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PC / PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes: 6 - View All
Friday, July 11, 2014
02:20 PM - July 11, 2014. Posted by DustinT. Written by Dustin Toms

He’s coming home.

LeBron James has announced, via Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated, that he will be returning to his roots. LeBron is going back to Cleveland.

After what may have been the most anticipated sports announcement in history, Cleveland fans can finally stop forcing trades in NBA 2K14 to land the King to his original kingdom. Once 2K15 drops in October, LeBron will be on the roster in what is already shaping up to be one of the most dangerous virtual lineups in the history of sports gaming. Here’s a look at the Cavaliers’ projected starting lineup for NBA 2K15.

Read More: NBA 2K15: The Return of the King

Game: NBA 2K15Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3 / PC / PS4 / Xbox OneVotes: 64 - View All
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
01:40 PM - May 28, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

You could say that MLB: The Show’s success can be tied to the popular Road to the Show mode – just look at all of the My Players and Be a Pro options in the sports gaming world that have popped up since Road to the Show first became a thing. Road to the Show helped launch The Show into its current state of baseball dominance, and in this year's MLB 14: The Show, the improvements make the type of impact you want to see in any sports game.

Read More - MLB 14 The Show: Road to the Show Better Than Ever

Game: MLB 14 The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS Vita / PS4Votes: 12 - View All
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
03:40 PM - May 20, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

Mobile gaming has yet to really “take off” for sports gamers. We want full, in-your-face control of the team and finances, so a quick, unfulfilling smart phone version with a $5 tag doesn’t get many people excited. However, there are always exceptions that break the mold (to an extent).

In previous seasons, iOOTP has been highly regarded as one of our favorite mobile sports games each year. However, with the release of Out of the Park Baseball 15's little brother, iOOTP Baseball 2014, OOTP has fallen on its face a bit -- failing to meet the high expectations we have of anything bearing the name OOTP.

Read More - iOOTP Baseball 2014: A Little Too Incremental

Game: iOOTP Baseball 2014Reader Score: Vote Now
Platform: iPad / iPhoneVotes: 0 - View All
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
11:12 AM - April 30, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

Is the handheld version worth your time and money
?

The daily grind of a baseball player is much less enticing than most believe. The constant repetition of doing the same thing every day; the bus rides that last hours upon hours; the crazy and zany promotions in a Minor League Baseball stadium. These are just a few of the obstacles one must work through before suiting up for The Show.

Read More - MLB 14 The Show: Why You Should Pick Up The Vita Version

Game: MLB 14 The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS Vita / PS4Votes: 12 - View All
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
12:30 PM - January 22, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

Kind of like Derrick Rose's season, NBA Live 14 might just be a lost cause at this point.
It has been 64 days since NBA Live 14 has made its return to sports gamers’ living rooms, but that still doesn’t say much as the franchise is struggling to keep fans interested in a game that lacks both quality and accessible gameplay.

NBA Live was met with backlash when it was first released, which you might say was well deserved.

The gameplay was clunky, the player models looked strange, and the overall feel of the game lacked the fluidity that the game’s main competitor – NBA 2K – seemed to have nearly mastered. After an endless string of bad reviews, EA Sports announced that they would take on a massive project by attempting to fix NBA Live on the fly.

Read More - NBA Live 14: It's Time to Leave a Man Behind

Game: NBA Live 14Reader Score: 4/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes: 17 - View All
Friday, January 17, 2014
10:50 AM - January 17, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

The mustachioed fiend and his blue blur of a friend have returned for snowfall, this time on the Wii U (yes, OS is reviewing a Wii U game again!). Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 has been out since November, but the review hits just in time for the start of the real Sochi games. The two, along with their rag-tag group of followers, venture off into more random and crazy party games. But with the marketing campaing, and the obvious feel of a Mario Party title, do the Sochi Games truly stack up to a worth-while video game purchase?

Read More - Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games Sochi 2014

Friday, January 10, 2014
11:12 AM - January 10, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Andre Harrison


We've made it through the first round of the NFL Playoffs with plenty of fireworks. This weekend, four teams will see their season's ended with four more seeing their hopes of a Super Bowl come one step closer to reality. Our staff takes a look at this weekend's games with Madden NFL 25 giving it's simulation expertise and treatment to each game.

OS Roundtable: NFL Divisional Round Playoffs Prediction Time

Game: Madden NFL 25Reader Score: 5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3 / PS4 / Xbox OneVotes: 54 - View All
Monday, January 6, 2014
10:29 AM - January 6, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

Despite the struggles that NBA 2K is facing right now, the development team has still hit it home with presentation and commentary the past few years. The team of Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg, with recent additions Steve Kerr and Doris Burke, has become the so-called Holy Grail of sports video game commentary and everyone knows it. But when will 2K set the bar even higher? Even though they’re the best doesn’t mean that they can’t be better, which is exactly what they should do.

In NBA 2K14, the commentary is slowly becoming – dare I say it – stale.


Read More - NBA 2K14: Its Time to Revamp Presentation

Game: NBA 2K14Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes: 98 - View All
Thursday, December 26, 2013
12:06 PM - December 26, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

It's been a long 7 years with our PlayStation 3s and Xbox 360s. But that all changed this November, as new consoles hit store shelves for the first time since 2005. The PlayStatoin 4 and Xbox One have arrived.

Considering how awful the launch of the Xbox 360 was for sports gamers, this season's console launch can be considered a huge success. With a strong initial release from nearly all sports games, including both NBA 2K14 and Madden 25, next-gen gamers won't feel like they're abandoning the old systems. Instead, with new and improved features, these consoles have set themselves up for a successful run.

Read More - Top Five Stories of 2013: Next-Gen Launch

Platform: Xbox 360 / PS4
Monday, December 23, 2013
12:21 PM - December 23, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms


I've never done any game capture before, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I was handed Roxio's Game Capture HD Pro. I assumed it would be a complicated little box that didn't do what it was supposed to do in an acceptable quality. Well, I was wrong. Using this is the easiest thing I have ever done. It really is just plug and play.

The Roxio Game Capure HD Pro is a product that caputres gameplay footage from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, and is only compatible with PCs.

Read More - Review: Roxio Game Capture HD

Friday, December 20, 2013
11:44 AM - December 20, 2013. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Dustin Toms

Depending on where you are at with your 2K experience, NBA 2K14 is either amazing or a disaster.

The NBA 2K series has enjoyed plenty of success since it launched NBA 2K11 with His Airness gracing the cover. Ever since then, EA Sports has been treading water while 2K has steadily improved year after year.

But then the next generation happened.

Despite having solid game play and – in my opinion – the absolute best graphics of all next-gen games, NBA 2K14 has plenty of areas that need improvement, and fast. Here are three specific areas which should be tuned in the next patch to fix some of the biggest complaints with the game -- outside of the still reported crashes and save file issues of course.


Read More - Fixing NBA 2K14 Next-Gen

Game: NBA 2K14Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes: 98 - View All