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
Sunday, August 2, 2015
04:23 PM - August 2, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Another week is wrapping up in Diamond Dynasty. It was obviously a busy one with the trade deadline coming and going. The Trades & Rumors pack was released to coincide with the end of the deadline, but it did not have a major impact on the market. With that in mind, it's time to look ahead once again and try to predict who might be getting a ratings boost on Monday morning.
I'll be breaking the predictions into tiers based on my own confidence level.
Ratings Boost Probability: High
-Carlos Gonzalez - Carlos Gonzalez was horrendous for much of the start of the season, but he's making up for lost time. He's got 11 home runs in the last month and his OPS is up to .853 on the season. He was downgraded on 6/15 but maybe it's finally time to return some of his lost ratings.
-Mark Teixeira - He has 28 home runs on the season, which includes nine in the last month. Teixeira has just had a really awesome return to form this year.
-Carlos Correa - Here's my weekly reminder that Carlos Correa is still only 20 years old. He's got 12 home runs in his first 184 at-bats. He's really good.
-Scott Kazmir - His ERA is down to 2.10 on the season, and he's basically been untouchable for the past month. It's time to finally make Kazmir a Gold.
-Mike Leake - I'm all about the post-being-traded bump. It also doesn't hurt that Leake heads to the Giants with a WHIP of .83 over the last month.
Read More - Diamond Dynasty Ratings Boost Predictions (8/2/15)
Thursday, July 30, 2015
05:36 PM - July 30, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
The NHL Board of Governors approved a change to the regular season overtime rules in late June. The old 4-on-4 setup was ditched for a new 3-on-3 setup. However, those rules will not be in NHL 16, at least not when the game launched.
I thought I had heard NHL 16's Sean Ramjagsingh say this exact thing during the Twitch live stream yesterday, and now it's confirmed via Sean Leahy's interview on Puck Daddy with Ramjagsingh.
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It would not be the first time rule changes were implemented after the season began, but this seems like it would come via an actual patch rather than just a "basic" tuning update.
Source: Puck Daddy chats with NHL 16 producer Sean Ramjagsingh about EA Sports Hockey League, playoff beards (Puck Daddy)
04:05 PM - July 30, 2015. Posted by murph17. Written by Chase Becotte
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
03:17 PM - July 28, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
Diamond Dynasty has been a huge hit on Operation Sports this year, and I'm one of the many who has been sucked in by the mode. It's a more streamlined approach to the fantasy team concept, and taking the more straightforward approach has worked in Sony's favor. However, improvements can always be made to any mode, and so that's what we'll take a look at in this video.
If you can't see the video above, click here.
Monday, July 27, 2015
01:41 PM - July 27, 2015. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Chase Becotte
The NHL 16 EASHL beta starts on July 30 and runs through August 6 for those that own NHL 15 on Xbox One and PS4. Today EA also revealed what the strengths and weaknesses will be of all the playable classes.
Again, the big change this year will be that all the classes will have baked-in attributes that are locked and can't be leveled up. So this beta will serve as another way to test the classes and provide feedback (when it opens) to the NHL development team before NHL 16 launches in September.
Below you can find the strengths and weaknesses of the assorted classes:
SNIPER
Strengths:
- The perfect class for when you need some scoring touch inserted into your lineup. Snipers have strong shooting abilities.
- Lack physical strength and will depend on teammates to create space and scoring chances.
- Below average defensive skill.
Strengths
- Excellent balance and strong on the puck. An effective player class for those who use the cycle game.
- A physical player that uses strength to open space for other teammates.
- Heavy slap shot.
- Average shot accuracy.
Strengths:
- Top-end passing skill. The best choice for the EASHL player who likes to set up their teammates and create scoring chances.
- Good puck control helps this class keep possession of the puck while teammates look to get open for a scoring chance.
- Lacks physical strength and can get knocked off the puck by stronger opponents.
- Average shot accuracy. This class should always look to make the pass before shooting.
- Average defensive skills.
Strengths:
- High rated physical skills. This class works well for players who like to engage in the physical side of the game – including puck battles, shot blocking or deliver crushing hits.
- With a strong hand-eye rating, this class will have a higher chance at deflections in front of opposing goalies.
- Below average shooting and puck skills. Needs to keep things simple on the offensive side of the puck.
Strengths:
- An imposing force with top rated physical skills. Can easily knock the puck off opponents by using checking skills.
- Top rated fighting skills that can help energize the team.
- Poor shooting and puck skills.
- Strong but not skilled.
Strengths:
- Has elements of both a playmaker and a grinder. An excellent player class for those who deploy a balanced attack strategy.
- Uses defensive skills to win puck battles and create turnovers which help the team in the transition game.
- Good passing skills which allow this class to set up teammates.
- Good transition game but doesn’t excel on the offensive side of the puck compared to other classes.
- This class needs to keep their play simple on offense as they lack deking ability.
Strengths:
- This class provides a good balance of offense and defense from the blue line. They are an excellent player class for those who deploy a balanced attack strategy.
- Good at the transition game causing turnovers and getting a solid first pass out of the defensive zone.
- Average shooting.
- Average puck control.
Strengths:
- A good choice for those who want to generate offense from the back-end or are looking for a power play quarterback.
- Great shooting accuracy from the point.
- Great passing in all situations.
- Lack physical skills on offense and can get knocked off the puck more easily than the average player class.
- Lacks physical skill on defense and will have trouble stopping opponents along the boards or in front of the net.
Strengths:
- The perfect choice for when you want to shut down your opponent.
- High rated physical and checking attributes.
- Heavy shot from the point.
- Average puck skills. This class can make simple breakout passes, but don’t expect them to act as a playmaker.
- Low shooting accuracy.
Strengths:
- Covers the bottom part of the net utilizing the popular butterfly style.
- Strong rebound control.
- More vulnerable to high shots going into the top corners.
Strengths:
- A style that might be rare in today’s game, but could be extremely effective in EASHL. Covers the top part of the net more effectively.
- Can see over screens with a higher vision rating.
- Strong passing and puck playing ability that can help your team breakout of the defensive zone.
- More susceptible to low shots that go along the ice.
Strengths:
- Average goalie skill across the board. This goalie class is perfect for the player that like to mix up their playing style as the game goes on.
- No major weaknesses.
12:11 PM - July 27, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Players On The Rise
This ended up being a very mild week for changes. Nobody jumped to Gold status, and only four players jumped up to Silver -- and Collmenter only got there via a position swap.
Noah Syndergaard and Andrew Heaney are two young starters who got healthy boosts to Silver status. Kyle Hendricks (+10) and Brandon Finnegan (+13), two other young starters, became strong Bronze pitchers with their upgrades.
The only other player of note was Rougned Odor. He has put together a really nice month of July and has been rewarded with a boost to Silver status as well.
Tier Changes
(All thanks go to Daddy Leagues for these numbers! They're so on the ball I no longer have to sync up before and after roster update video clips to do all the changes myself.)
- Brandon Finnegan went from Common to Bronze
- Cody Anderson went from Common to Bronze
- Andrew Heaney went from Bronze to Silver
- Rougned Odor went from Bronze to Silver
- Drew Pomeranz went from Common to Bronze
- Noah Syndergaard went from Bronze to Silver
- Tim Cooney went from Common to Bronze
- Kyle Hendricks went from Common to Bronze
- Josh Collmenter went from Bronze to Silver
Full List Of Changes
Brandon Finnegan +13 boost in Overall rating (74 Overall)
Nick Castellanos +2 (72)
Cody Anderson +7 (69)
Andrew Heaney +6 (78)
Rougned Odor +3 (80) -- +5 Pwr vs. R / +3 Pwr vs. L
Drew Pomeranz +4 (71)
Noah Syndergaard +7 (82)
Mike Foltynewicz +4 (76)
Jake Brigham +5 (68)
Cesar Hernandez +3 (75) -- +16 Con vs. L
Tim Cooney +6 (73)
Nick Greenwood +4 (61)
Kyle Hendricks +10 (76)
Travis Wood +5 (76)
Juan Nicasio +5 (68)
Josh Collmenter +5 (80)
Read More - Verlander, Soler and More Downgraded
Sunday, July 26, 2015
03:22 PM - July 26, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Things are getting back to normal in the land of Diamond Dynasty this week. We had a "normal" roster update on Monday after a couple weeks of nothing but position changes. We had three packs go up this weekend, with all three having some sort of Cooperstown feel. And now we have a more normal "predictions" article for Sunday.
However, I am going to make one change to the predictions, at least for this week, and change out the high, medium and low probability predictions and just go for one set of players I think have the best chance of being boosted. In part, I'm doing this because I'll hold out a glimmer of hope a "massive" ratings change might still happen (I still have this old predictions post in that case), and also because we're still not too far removed from the All-Star break and thus everybody's second-half stats are small.
So after the jump, I'll post the list of players I think should be upgraded this week.
Read More - MLB 15 The Show: Diamond Dynasty Ratings Boost Predictions (7/26/15)
Friday, July 24, 2015
03:27 PM - July 24, 2015. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
It's fair to say The Show has made huge strides this season when it comes to online play. The developers behind the game struggled for many years just to provide a lag-free, consistent experience online. However, for the most part we now finally have that consistent experience with MLB 15: The Show.
There are still some pockets of lag and random disconnects, but it's not at the forefront of what is hindering The Show's online play anymore. Instead, now the folks making the game have to deal with issues every other sports game deals with on a yearly basis: gameplay shortcoming and exploits.
So that's what we'll be taking a look at here in this video.
Monday, July 20, 2015
04:12 PM - July 20, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Players On The Rise
So this ended up being more of a normal update rather than a big re-ratings change. Most people you would expect to go up, went up because they've been on hot streaks. Guys who seemed "underrated" stayed that way unless they had been in the midst of a string of good games.
That being said, Chris Sale and Zack Greinke were long overdue for boosts and they each got them. Greinke went Diamond, and Sale solidified his Diamond status. Bryce Harper is another big winner as he got a boost in his rating even with his move to right field.
Lorenzo Cain and J.D. Martinez are two other players who went Gold this week. In the case of Cain it felt like a "finally!" moment, while with Martinez he's just been murdering the ball and got fast tracked to Gold tier.
Gerardo Parra and Cameron Maybin are two others who have been very good as of late and got boosts, while Charlie Blackmon further cemented his status as a good platoon option against right-handed pitchers.
Tier Changes
(All thanks go to Daddy Leagues for these numbers! They're so on the ball I no longer have to sync up before and after roster update video clips to do all the changes myself.)
- Lorenzo Cain went from Silver to Gold
- J.D. Martinez went from Silver to Gold
- Roberto H. Hernandez went from Common to Bronze
- Jon Niese went from Bronze to Silver
- Brad Hand went from Common to Bronze
- Jeanmar Gomez went from Common to Bronze
- Gerardo Parra went from Bronze to Silver
- Zack Greinke went from Gold to Diamond
- Gonzalez Germen went from Common to Bronze
Read More - Diamond Dynasty Stock Watch (7-20-15)
Sunday, July 19, 2015
03:23 PM - July 19, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
I posted my big predictions article last Sunday. The thought was that we would be getting a big All-Star break re-ratings update. That obviously did not happen, so this is more just a reminder that my predictions have already been made for this week.
If the re-ratings update does not happen on Monday for some reason, I'll assume it's not happening at all and go back to a normal predictions-style article next week.
Friday, July 17, 2015
01:09 PM - July 17, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
With the MLB season getting back in motion today, Sony San Diego has released the Heavy Hitters pack for the weekend. It costs 12,000 Stubs and comes with three hitter cards, one of which is guaranteed to be a Gold or higher. You also have a 10 times better chance than usual of pulling a Diamond.
Daddy Leagues also posted a video where they opened 15 packs, so check that out below for some players you might be able to pull. By the looks of things, it seems just about any player with a power profile could be in these packs, which should deflate the value of hitters in the Marketplace. In other words, buy low now and sell high later.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
02:02 PM - July 14, 2015. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Chase Becotte
The NHL team stated two videos would be available today, and we have now received them. For many folks, this will be their first look at real gameplay in NHL 16.
You can take a look at both videos above (NHL 16 Gameplay Balance Trailer, NHL 16 Overhead Gameplay) and talk about what you like or don't like in each video.
On a personal level, I find the trailer to be more impressive just because you get a closer look at some of the actual improvements up close. In the gameplay video, even with the time stamps provided by EA, it's harder to appreciate some of the new stuff. I am a bit biased though because as someone who has played the game, I have found it's easier to get a feel for these new changes rather than watching them on screen.
Source: NHL 16 - Gameplay Balance (EA Sports)
Monday, July 13, 2015
03:37 PM - July 13, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Players On The Rise
OOPS! So I had gone with the trend of assuming the major re-ratings evaluation would occur this week. But that just did not happen. We'll have to assume it's coming next week instead.
In its place this was a very small update where the only ratings changes were based on position switches. Therefore, by default the big risers were players moving from relieving back to starting.
Tier Changes
(All thanks go to Daddy Leagues for these numbers! They're so on the ball I no longer have to sync up before and after roster update video clips to do all the changes myself.)
- Chris Bassitt went from Common to Bronze
Tyler Wilson +5 boost in Overall rating (63 Overall)
Chris Bassitt +4 (71)
Tanner Roark +4 (84)
David Phelps +4 (75)
Jeanmar Gomez +3 (67)
Pedro Villarreal +4 (59)
Juan Nicasio +4 (68)
Read More - Diamond Dynasty Stock Watch (7-13-15)
Sunday, July 12, 2015
08:03 PM - July 12, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
We're wrapping up another week in the Diamond Dynasty universe, and it's potentially a big week for the mode. The Sony San Diego development team has promised a major ratings shake up around the All-Star break, and so folks are assuming that means the big update will come this week rather than next (the All-Star packs being released over the weekend are a good sign as well).
We're going to jump in on that assumption and change up how the predictions work this week. We'll break down each position into tiers based on where players are rated right now, and then from there we'll simply mention whether we think certain players deserve to go up or down in ratings.
Starting Pitchers
Diamond
- Chris Sale - UP
- Johnny Cueto - UP
- Yu Darvish - DOWN
- Dallas Keuchel - UP
- Zack Greinke - UP
- Stephen Strasburg - DOWN
- Corey Kluber - UP
- Sonny Gray - UP
- Gerrit Cole - UP
- Cliff Lee - DOWN
- Jacob deGrom - UP
Saturday, July 11, 2015
03:54 PM - July 11, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
A common refrain echoed when people talk about sports games is a desire for "better atmosphere" in them. It’s sometimes hard to parse what "better atmosphere" means because it could be something generic like better visuals or audio, or it could just be something like making the regular season feel different from the playoffs.
When it comes to NBA 2K, this talk crops up a lot year to year on Operation Sports, which is not surprising because it's a mega-popular game. But with NBA 2K, the complaints also seem to get way more specific and a bit more off the beaten path. Now you could look at that as a positive for NBA 2K as people have to "reach" to find these problems. But another way to look at it is that some of these things have been legacy issues for so long that people are more attuned to identifying and talking about them.
In short, not many people question the natural-sounding commentary (sans it being repetitive like with every sports game), lively varied PA announcer and the signature style that many of the arenas already possess. It’s more these other underlying things like crowd reactions, how all the audio elements are mixing together, how the rim sounds, or just where random noises are coming from in the game that get attention.
So after the jump, we'll show off a couple of these complaints and talk about why they have some merit.
Read More: Let's Talk About Some NBA 2K Audio Issues
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