Author Bio
Chase BecotteHome Town: Nomads don't have home towns
Sports: A bunch
Games: Too many to list
Teams: Sixers, Flyers, Pirates
OS Username: ChaseB
Tags: PS3: Slizeezyc / 360: Slizeezyc
Thursday, November 4, 2010
03:25 PM - November 4, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
Going backward to move forward. It's probably the best way to explain what leagueManager creator Derek Adams has done to help create a more in-depth Online Franchise mode experience for users in Madden 11.
A third-party tool created by an avid Madden fan, leagueManager is more like a next-gen League Daddy website tailored just for Madden 11. By using leagueManager, you enable your Madden Online Franchise to incorporate free agency, player contracts, a salary cap, holdouts and even Pro Bowl nominations. Simply put, an actual in-depth offseason comes into play with leagueManager in tow.
In fact, you can actually do even more than what has been listed, but the point is simple: leagueManager equals more depth for those gamers out there who expected more from the Online Franchise mode in Madden 11.
"Once I heard no updates were being made [to the Online Franchise mode], I decided to take a custom approach for myself," said Derek Adams. "I built a (primitive in comparison) tool for managing my league's salary cap and player contracts. After a few people approached me about getting it set up for their league, I expanded it and made it possible for anyone to create a league instance."
Read More - leagueManager Aims to Please Madden 11 Franchise Users
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
02:49 PM - October 27, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
The fresh and new FIFA 11 Ultimate Team (FUT) Web app launched today. Luckily, we had a chance to talk with FUT producer Paul Hossack about the launching of the new Web app, as well as the changes to this popular mode that will be released on November 3.
Operation Sports: When you choose to play a friend in FUT this year, will those games count towards your ranking and earn you points for cards, or will they be unranked matches?
Paul Hossack: The team is really excited about finally delivering the Play-A-Friend feature. They will be unranked matches. Essentially, you can invite any of your friends for a head-to-head online match in FUT 11. When you are matching up, you can both pick which squad you will use, and you can see the name and rating of the squad they are picking so you can get an even matchup. In Play-A-Friend matches, your players do not use up any contracts, so you can play against your mates as much as you like. Also, no coins are awarded in Play-A-Friend matches to avoid exploits -- so these matches are truly "Friendlies" (sorry for the pun).
Read More - FIFA 11 Ultimate Team Producer Q&A
02:35 PM - October 27, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
EA SPORTS revealed today that FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, one of the most played, dynamic and connected modes within the FIFA franchise, will be available as a FREE download for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 3, 2010.
Beginning October 27, all returning FIFA Ultimate Team players -- individuals who previously played FIFA 09 Ultimate Team or FIFA 10 Ultimate Team -- can start their FIFA 11 Ultimate Team campaign early by visiting www.easportsfootball.com/ultimateteam and logging on to the FIFA 11 Ultimate Team web tool. Returning players will be rewarded with two free gold packs to begin their team building experience ahead of launch on Nov 3.
The FIFA 11 Ultimate Team web tool now features full auction functionality -- bidding, selling and the ability to post trades for the very first time -- and links directly to the FIFA 11 Ultimate Team console experience. For every day between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 that gamers log-on to the FIFA 11 Ultimate Team web tool they’ll receive a daily gift.
FIFA 11 Ultimate Team delivers a number of major changes as requested by gamers. Players can now pit their ultimate team directly against their friends' best squads in Play A Friend online matches—the No. 1 requested new feature. Plus, FIFA Ultimate Team Generations will also be available as an option within the web tool. This new online feature enables gamers to showcase their FIFA Ultimate Team heritage.
For the first time, FIFA 11 Ultimate Team includes the addition of Major League Soccer and Russian Premier League, and the superstars from those leagues, increasing the database to more than 8,000 players from 30 leagues.
Monday, October 4, 2010
05:55 PM - October 4, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
The amount of coverage NBA 2K11 has received here at OS has reached immense levels at this point. Everyone has been so eager to hear about anything and everything related to the game, so we have tried our best to quench the thirst of all of you out there. Regardless, no matter what I write below, it won’t change the fact that the game won’t come out until tomorrow, and that is the only magic elixir that will cure the NBA 2K11 draught that is parching a large majority of users who are visiting this site today.
Nevertheless, here is one last impressions article, only this time, it’s impressions from the retail version of the game.
Read More - NBA 2K11 Hands-On Preview (Retail)
Friday, August 20, 2010
01:36 PM - August 20, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
We recently had a chance to speak with assistant producer Munraj Hyare about the upcoming Career mode in FIFA 11.
Operation Sports: Do the stats you accrue during your career determine the job offers you will receive when you become a manager, or can you just choose any club? Is it possible to coach a national team?
Munraj Hyare: Yes, how well you perform as a player will affect the offers you get when you retire and become a Manager. As an example, the club you’re playing for as a player will only offer you a role as Player Manager if you reach the status of Club Legend. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to coach a national team this year, but we are aware that our fans are really interested in this feature.
Read More - FIFA 11 Career Mode Q&A
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
06:19 PM - July 28, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Chase Becotte
We have just posted our interview with Joe Nickolls, Producer of NHL Slapshot.
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12:32 PM - July 28, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
At a recent EA event, I got a chance to check out the same Hot Pursuit demo I briefly messed around with at E3. For those unaware, the demo consists of one player being the cop and the other being the runner. You are either trying to get away or arrest the other driver who, in this case, was another user playing on a neighboring TV. You win the round by either creating enough distance between the runner and cop or by being taken to 100 percent damage by the cop. My opponents during these quick one-on-one sessions were Chris Gunter (Millennium) and Destructoid's Samit Sarkar.
Read More - Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: Updated Hands-On
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
01:14 PM - July 27, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
At a recent EA event, I had a chance to sit and watch Gerard Recio, certified trainer and associate producer working on EA Sports Active 2, make me feel completely lazy and useless. I don't blame Gerard for this, but if you have never watched someone do a workout while you sat there gawking and writing down notes, you should try it sometime if you really want to feel like a lazy piece of crap.That oddity aside, I have to say something else kind of strange. EA Sports Active 2 is hardcore. I am not quite sure the "9 week" program being included in the game will satiate really intense fitness folks, but the technology, Web site integration and heart-rate monitor make it seem like this game is serious business. Since the game is also completely controller-free, it also adds that extra element of intrigue.
Read More - EA Sports Active 2 (Kinect): Holy Crap, This is Sort of Hardcore
Friday, July 23, 2010
12:34 PM - July 23, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
Back at E3, I got some very early hands-on time with FIFA 11. I was more impressed by the graphical improvements than the on-field improvements at E3 because the game was still pretty raw, and some aspects of the demo were not even working properly yet -- for one you could not shield the ball in the E3 build. But at a recent EA event in New York, I played a build of the game that was about 75 percent completed and left more of a gameplay mark on me this time around.Read More - FIFA 11 Hands On Preview
Thursday, June 17, 2010
06:56 AM - June 17, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Didier Drogba is a large human. He's also a muscular, tall and intimidating force on the pitch -- he's even more intimidating when he's allowed to wield a cast on a soccer field. However, it's hard to say that Drogba is always noticeable in FIFA. But the developers working on FIFA 11 are trying to change that this year. They want gamers to recognize Drogba on a visual level because he is a big and well-known striker that has a unique look. But they also want you to notice him just by the way he plays.
While playing the game, I certainly noticed Drogba on a visual level because the new player models and visuals were in full effect during any close-up camera shots. He looked incredibly detailed and proportional, which is actually quite a big step forward for FIFA. Drogba's impressive physique was also readily noticeable because his jersey just so happened to be two sizes too small (what a narcissist).
As for noticing Drogba for his particular soccer skills on the pitch, it is harder for me to say that will come through at all times. Drogba is a big target who -- even if he has a bit of a reputation as a diver -- is able to control the ball and beat out most defenders for 50/50 crosses. During my time with the game, Drogba got the best of a defender on a cross in the box and put the ball in the net. However, at this point in the development cycle, the tackling and shielding were still a work in progress, so I did not get to see how well Drogba was able to control the ball.
Either way, knowing the strengths of your players certainly seems to be a focus this year. Players like Berbatov are going to float around on defense more and be less effective in a defensive role, but you will want to get the ball to him if you want to make something happen while pushing the ball up the field. You won't want to push the ball ahead with Sol Campbell or do lots of tricks with him.
Essentially the developers are trying to make attributes and tendencies mean something. A player with outstanding passing skills will be able to really bend a lead pass through to an attacking striker. Some players with certain personality traits -- a high aggression level on defense for example -- will act different than passive players on defense. Other players who have strong shot ratings will try to look for their shot first rather than pass. I could give more examples, but I think you see where I am going at this point.
Now, I have tried to avoid using the term "Personality+" -- the term the FIFA developers are using to describe these changes -- until now because I wanted to write a brilliant sentence to end this portion of the impressions.
Ready? Here it comes...
It will be a big PLUS if all this effort put into the PERSONALITY of players works out, especially because it sometimes feels like all players and teams play the same way in FIFA.
Anyway, while Personality+ is the main thing I wanted to discuss after having so little time with the game, I do want to put a few quick-hitter things below in bullet form:
-For user-created chants, you can chant anything the little demon monkeys in your head dream up. However, little Timmy on Xbox Live will not be able to hear those chants, which does make sense but I still hoped it would somehow be overlooked.
-You can also insert music tracks into your games on the pitch.
-Passing has been tweaked this year to eliminate some of the ping-pong passing. Players with bad passing ratings will sometimes make bad touches or flub passes when trying to immediately get rid of the ball. You will also want to get a bouncy ball to a player with a good possession rating so he can settle things down a bit.
-Because of the tweaked passing, things also certainly felt a bit more congested in the midfield area. Due to this congestion, it seems like finding possession guys to guide the team through the defense could be important.
-It felt a bit easier to stop through balls and just deny passes in general.
Check back in the coming months for more FIFA 11 coverage.
05:02 AM - June 17, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
"Oh, I was unstoppable! Perfect combination of Mountain Dew and mozzarella, with just the right amount of grease on the joystick." - George Costanza as he discussed his Frogger skillsIt has been fascinating to follow the resurrection of NBA Jam. The developers are trying very hard to resurrect retro feelings in us all, yet at the same time, it is a fundamentally different experience. After all, it is a title being designed with motion controls in mind rather than an arcade stick -- I could fit a Bizarro Jerry reference somewhere in there, but I think I'm at my limit for Seinfeld references in one preview.
Nevertheless, NBA Jam is shaping up quite nicely for a couple reasons. First off, the developers are not trying to completely reinvent what made the game great years ago -- a good call because NBA Jam Tournament Edition has not totally held up over the years as sad as it is to say. Second, the developers have stripped away a lot of what belittled the series and other arcade hoops games, and instead gone back to the beginning of the Golden Age of arcade hoops to tune the core elements.
An example of these core elements involves the blocking system in the game. In the original Jam, blocking shots was not impossible, but it certainly was not easy either. However, in an arcade game, creating opportunities for big-time blocks can create those moments where you can turn to your buddy and tell him that you are in fact better than him. So what you end up with here is a blocking system where the developers have decided to increase the amount of blocks, but they have not thrown a gimmick on top of it like "defensive fire" or something along those lines.
The same type of principles seem to carry over to other facets of the game. Players with better dunk ratings have more dunk animations that can create impressive moments, but you are not going to have a "team fire" mechanic after doing a double dunk like in NBA Hangtime. It is all about creating a "pure" and basic gameplay experience that still has enough flash for an arcade game.
Now I mentioned the change in controls at the start, and so that is where I want to end as well. Obviously, I have never played any other versions of Jam with motion controls, but as an accepting person, I was quickly able to adjust and roll with this new way to play Jam. After all, it was never the intricacy of the controls that made NBA Jam a success.
That being said, the quality of the game might not make or break this version of Jam, which is odd to say. It seems like the developers are well on their way to creating a solid game, but the real issue is getting people to accept this new version of Jam. Nostalgia is a powerful weapon, and it will be hard to win over some of the gamers the developers of Jam are targeting with this new-meets-old title.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
04:12 AM - June 16, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
I got to see NHL 2K11 for a very short amount of time, and so I really don't have much to say after such a brief viewing. However, I can at least relay some of what was told to me with a quick comment or two thrown into the mix. The new one-to-one controls in the game are being dubbed as MotionPlus 2.0. These new controls are obviously there to give you more control over your player -- hence that whole one-to-one thing. You can do moves or move your stick side to side in this fashion, and you can even do a nifty new move where you flip the puck up onto your stick and carry it Ovechkin style. That move in particular looked like it was pretty easy to pull off, but until I actually play the game, I won't worry about it too much.
On defense you can use these same refined controls for poke checks, stick lifts, blasting people with checks, rejecting passing lanes, etc. There are also broken sticks in the game, so clearly the broken-stick arms race has begun in the hockey world. In fact, I am eager to see if it leads to a Cold War between 2K and EA.
Skating has been refined as well, but until I actually play the game, it's hard to really say how the weight of skating and the various animations have changed. However, from a visual standpoint, I thought the skating animations left some room for improvement. It did not seem like the skaters were really pushing off each leg, rather just floating a bit more along the ice. But again, until I actually play the game, I'm really just commenting on what my eyes were telling my brain.
The development team has also been working on responsiveness along the boards, updating the commentary, arenas, lighting, and, in general, trying to bring the presentation more in line with what the NBA 2K series is offering.
Look for more info on this title in the coming months.
03:04 AM - June 16, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
It's not hard to find out about all the awards the NHL series has won over the years. (And if you do happen to forget, the folks working on NHL will be quick to remind you of the number.) But those awards were rightfully earned, so I can live with the borderline gloating. I can also live with it because the EA NHL series epitomizes the proper way to iterate a yearly sports franchise. At E3 I was able to check out some of the new gameplay things going on in NHL 11, which includes the new quick moves, broken sticks, checking system and faceoff system.
I want to start with the checking because it ties into the development team's focus on the physics engine this year. During my time with the game, I saw a ton of different checks. I witnessed brutal open-ice checks where the player slid along the ice after being decimated. I saw some checks along the boards where the puck carrier was hit but only his head banged off the boards as he fell. I saw some checks that were more nudges between two friends than heated rivals. I even saw a check where the initiator of the check bounced off its target -- call that one the Chara special. The point is there is a ton of variety to the checks this year, and you will not just see the same 5-10 check animations anymore.
And seeing a lot more dynamic checks adds a lot to the game in terms of "Oh Snap!" or "Wow" moments, but the checking system also needs some tuning. At this point, I'm seeing too many big hits or hits that are not quite lining up with the momentum of the two players. The biggest issue in this area seems to be the amount of "big hits" that occur. In a game of hockey, you really will not see many checks where a player is knocked to the ice. Now, while I don't expect to witness just a a couple checks a game where a player falls down, I do think there should be more instances where players are simply muscled off the puck rather than destroyed. To put it more simply, when the players are not really going near full speed, the ensuing check should not lead to a person landing on his butt. This checking system is still being tuned, and player size, checking attribute, momentum, etc. are all tying into these checks, so the idea is sound.
The new quick moves look good and are attempting to strike a balance between adding depth while not overwhelming users. You initiate these moves with the left bumper and then a quick flick of the right stick. My favorite new move is the ability to hop over flailing corpses as they try to slide in front of you -- nothing is more frustrating then losing the puck as you try to go around a defender who is sprawled out on the ice. It's easy to pull off, and the only concern is how easily you will be able to pull off the move.
Another cool move to avoid the poke check is another quick flick of the right stick while holding the left bumper to move the puck off your skate. It's a nifty move and, again, the only question is how easily these moves will be pulled off.
I witnessed the breaking of a stick while playing, and it was just fun to watch how the non-stick-having player went about his business. He can call for a stick, go to the bench and grab a stick or even be given a stick by one of the wingers or center out on the ice with him. He can even bypass the stick altogether and just try to play defense without one. The broken stick is also an in-play element out on the ice. If that broken stick is around the crease, it is not out of the question for a puck to go off that busted stick and into the net or at the very least disrupt a cross-crease pass. The broken sticks really just add to the organic nature of gameplay that NHL 11 is really trying to hit on this year.
As someone who has never played organized hockey, it is somewhat hard for me to understand the intricacies of the faceoff, but even so, I can understand the amount of depth to the faceoff system this year. The controls are pretty basic in terms of controls since it is all on the right stick. You can move the stick left or right, or even press up on the right stick at the right moment to knock away the opposing center's stick. But it's the scenarios that can be dreamed up that really make the new faceoff system interesting. If you are bad at faceoffs, you can simply try to battle the guy in the circle to a standstill so a winger can quickly come in and try to get the puck. In the same situation, maybe you battle the guy to a standstill because you want the winger on the right who has a wicked left-handed wrister to swoop in and skate across the slot and flick a shot into the top shelf. This is just one scenario that has many outcomes, but it makes me excited to think about the possible set plays and scenarios. Oh, I also have to mention that you can even shoot right off the faceoff if you time things right.
I don't want to go on too much longer, but let me just point out a few more things in bullet fashion:
-There seems to be less "suction" to the board play.
-There have been some tweaks to goalie animations -- should not see so many big rebounds on soft wristers and vice versa on hard slappers. In addition, it looks like the goalie handles the puck differently behind the net. As someone who has played hundreds and hundreds of OTP games in net, the first part especially excites me.
-There are now user-controlled goal celebrations.
Let me end with a final story from my time playing the game that sums up the focus on creating a "new" gameplay experience for NHL 11. While battling it out against a developer -- yes, I did win in OT after I gave up the tying goal with 2 seconds left in regulation -- a situation arose where a shot from the point was taken. As the shot was fired, cover athlete Jonathan Toews came across in front of the net and deflected the shot with his stick between his legs. His deflection pushed the puck just wide, but the animation tied with the sudden holy-crap-that-was-close-and-unexpected nature of the play was great to see after the deflection goals were nearly non-existent in NHL 10. That's just one moment, but it's indicative of the type of small moments I frequently witnessed during just a short amount of time with the game.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The OS coverage of E3 will begin in earnest later today, and then it will continue all through the week as we try to bring you anything and everything related to sports at the show.
We will be checking out 2K Sports and EA Sports today, but let me explain how coverage will work this week so there is no confusion:
When we are at the show during the day, you will not see many updates on the site by us. However, we will be providing tons of updates via the OS Twitter feed (@operationsports). In addition, you can follow my Twitter (@ChaseBecotte), Chris' (@MillenniumOS), or TD St. Matthew-Daniel's (@MrSimCity) to get frequent updates as well -- we're all at E3. We also have the Operation Sports Twitter feed that will update on our E3 page.
Once we return to OS HQ each night, then you will begin to see videos, previews, news, etc. on the site. Now, we might provide a couple things during the day that make it to the site, but your best bet to always stay informed of our activities is Twitter during the day and then the site at night.
Anyway, we're excited to get to work, and we hope you guys enjoy the coverage this week.
Friday, February 26, 2010
03:19 PM - February 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Chase Becotte
We have just posted our Major League Baseball 2K10 Q&A Round 2, with Senior Producer, Mark Little.Check out the exclusive screenshots, right here.
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