Friday, November 8, 2013
12:55 PM - November 8, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Friday, November 8, 2013
QOTD: If Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Baylor finish unbeaten -- who most deserves at shot at the BCS title?
- No. 5 Stanford knocked off the Ducks (No. 2) and all but ended the national title hopes for Oregon.
- Baylor also made a statement as the unbeaten Bears dismantled the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners to call attention to their BCS title bid.
- More leaked reports claim that Richie Incognito also faced a harassment claim in 2012.
- The LA Lakers dropped the Rockets and former center Dwight Howard in last night's regular season NBA matchup.
- Minnesota held the Redskins on a goalline stand to save the win, four days after losing in the same fashion to another NFC East team.
- Boston's David Ortiz may not be a No. 3 hitter in the lineup, but he was good enough to finish third in Boston's mayoral election as a write-in candidate.
- Is the 'Prison Yard' mentality to blame for the Martin-Incognito scandal? [Video]
- Want to get faster? Try chasing squirrels like Auburn's Tre Mason.
- Who deserves the top honors for the NFL's mid-season awards?
- The college basketball season tips off tonight. Naturally it's time to start filling out brackets already.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
12:33 PM - November 7, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Thursday, November 7, 2013
QOTD: How important is a manager to the success of a Major League Baseball team?
- After passing on Ryne Sandberg (who had worked his way through the minor league coaching ranks) for a bench coach who is now gone -- the Cubs are trying the same method with Rick Renteria.
- Unbeata-Bulls?: The Pacers dropped Chicago to stay perfect on the young season.
- After a horrific leg fracture, Kevin Ware has made his return to the court for Louisville's basketball team.
- A slightly surprising twist is unfolding as Dolphins veterans are stepping to the defense of suspended lineman Richie Incognito.
- DYK? NYC's mayor-elect is a Boston Red Sox fan?!
- Don Mattingly and the LA Dodgers are reportedly discussing a contract deal to extend him as manager past the 2014 season.
- Watch this 'Hawks fan steal the helmet of a Jets player, then dump beer on him. [Video]
- Saved by the swamp: A mud bog prevents a goal from rolling into the open net. [Video]
- Check out this album showing off the wide variety of "fitness" required of different Olympic athletes. [Image Album][NSFW]
- Don't Tase Me Bro!: Husband tasers wife after Packers-Bears bet.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
11:51 AM - November 6, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Wednesday, November 6, 2013
QOTD: To what degree is the Miami Dolphins organization responsible for the alleged bullying by Richie Incognito?
- Richie Incognito took it too far, but new reports show that the Dolphins coaching staff may have encouraged his aggressive actions to 'toughen up' Jonathan Martin.
- Still in defense mode; Incognito says he's 'weathering the storm' amid allegations of racism, bullying and death threats.
- According to Antrel Rolle, Jonathan Martin needs to man up -- is just as much to blame for not standing up for himself.
- Northwestern's new special uniforms honoring America appear to be spattered in blood.
- Feeling bad about your college football team? Cheer up, Purdue hasn't been inside the red-zone since September 28th!
- Nick Saban could be heading to Texas to coach the Longhorns if Mack Brown gets axed.
- Olympian Ryan Lochte injured his knee trying to catch a teenage girl.
- The NY Knicks lost another game, but the loss of Tyson Chandler to an injury may sting even more.
- Boston Red Sox execs took out a full-page ad in St. Louis thanking the Cardinals organization and fans for a great World Series.
- The oldest runner in the NYC Marathon dies hours after completing race.
A couple of days back, EA released the third dynamic ratings update for NHL 14. A bunch more players have been given a plus or minus boost for exhibition and online versus play, and EA seems to be scheduling a weekly rollout for these boosts.
Here is the full list of affected players:
Hot Streak Players
- David Krejci – Boston Bruins
- Jarome Iginla – Boston Bruins
- Milan Lucic – Boston Bruins
- Matt Moulson – Buffalo Sabres
- Brandon Dubinsky – Columbus Blue Jackets
- Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks
- Semyon Varlamov – Colorado Avalanche
- Kari Lehtonen – Dallas Stars
- Tomas Plekanec – Montreal Canadiens
- Frans Nielsen – New York Islanders
- Kyle Okposo – New York Islanders
- Keith Yandle – Phoenix Coyotes
- Antti Niemi – San Jose Sharks
- Alex Steen – St. Louis Blues
- Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning
- James van Riemsdyk – Toronto Maple Leafs
- Phil Kessel – Toronto Maple Leafs
- James Reimer – Toronto Maple Leafs
- Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks
- Daniel Sedin – Vancouver Canucks
- Ryan Kesler – Vancouver Canucks
Cold Streak Players
- Jonas Hiller – Anaheim Ducks
- Cam Fowler – Anaheim Ducks
- Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins
- Eric Staal – Carolina Hurricanes
- Tuomo Ruutu – Carolina Hurricanes
- PA Parenteau – Colorado Avalanche
- Sergei Gonchar – Dallas Stars
- Jordan Eberle – Edmonton Oilers
- Stephen Weiss – Detroit Red Wings
- Dany Heatley – Minnesota Wild
- David Desharnais – Montreal Canadiens
- Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
- Travis Zajac – New Jersey Devils
- Craig Anderson – Ottawa Senators
- Mark Streit – Philadelphia Flyers
- Jussi Jokinen – Pittsburgh Penguins
- Patrik Berglund – St. Louis Blues
- David Clarkson – Toronto Maple Leafs
- Martin Erat – Washington Capitals
- Brooks Laich – Washington Capitals
Taking a look at some of the players, there are some meaningful changes. The Sedins and Ryan Kesler are natural picks for a boost, since they have combined for 23 points in the last six games as a line. They've been dominating other teams routinely, and more importantly they've been doing it even strength.
Semyon Varlamov is a natural pick for a boosted goaltender, as his season mark is 8-1-0, and he's got three wins in his last three games. His other stats have been generally trending down as well, with a GAA now at 1.78 and a save percentage of 94.4 percent.
Phil Kessel has been one of the main reasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs' success so early in this season, as his beastly 9 goals and 9 assists on the season is mightily impressive. During the period where these boosts were being contemplated, Kessel had 7 goals and 3 assists in 5 games. Pretty impressive stuff and worthy of a boost.
Finally, Matt Moulson has been a lone bright spot — save for Cody Hodgson — for the floundering Buffalo Sabres, and he's got 8 goals and 5 assists on the season. He had a really strong five-game stretch recently, where he had 6 goals and 2 assists, some against stronger competition such as Vancouver and Pittsburgh.
As for the demotions, Craig Anderson for Ottawa didn't have a good stretch, as he went 1-3-0 in later October, and his GAA blew up to 3.16 while his save percentage went down from 93 percent to around 91 percent. This bad run for Anderson is a big reason they've fallen out of the top eight in the east.
Eric Staal's anaemic start for Carolina hasn't gone unnoticed by the folks over at EA, as he's been given the statistical dunce cap as well. He has no points in his last four games, and he's only registered three goals over 14 games this year. Not exactly acceptable for your franchise guy (even though that franchise is fairly aimless at this point).
As well as Anaheim is doing, it seems appropriate that Cam Fowler got a demotion, as he had a five-game stretch at the end of October where he had 0 points, a couple of minus games and only one hit. It's pretty telling that earlier in the season his hits and shots were way up, but in this poor stretch, he's been invisible in those areas (as well as with points).
Is there anybody EA should've praised or punished in this week's update? How about next week?
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Follow me on Twitter @glennwigmore
EA is running a vote to decide which fighter will adorn the cover of the upcoming EA UFC alongside light-heavyweight champ Jon "Bones" Jones. It's not entirely surprising to see Jones on the cover, as the guy is (effectively) undefeated and has a veritable trophy case of high-level victims on his resume. It is a bit surprising to see a second athlete on the cover, though. I've speculated on the reasoning for cover votes in the past, but I think something different is going on with this particular game.
With the UFC having a long history of injuries and problem children plaguing the higher ranks of each division, even with titleholders, it stands to reason that they might want to hedge their bets here with two different fighters on the cover. This way, they could potentially have a heavier star and a lighter star on the cover, or they could go with one of the marketable women — Tate or Rousey — alongside Jones. Or maybe they're just changing up the formula from previous years' covers, particularly since this is a new company behind the franchise, and EA is known for doing multi-athlete covers.
If you look at previous cover athletes, they all eventually lost some marketability and relevance soon after their respective games were released. Forest Griffin, who was on the cover of UFC 2009 Undisputed (GSP in Canada, which is kind of obvious all the time), was in the twilight of his already short career when that game came out. It made sense to cash on his historical significance to the UFC, but it was probably a short-sighted choice in retrospect. Of course, Griffin is now retired.
Brock Lesnar was on the cover for UFC Undisputed 2010, which was released in May 2010, and that was purely to cash on one upcoming fight with him against Shane Carwin, which Lesnar managed to win because Carwin gassed before he did. The trend of picking a marketable aging face to grace the cover backfired again here, though, as Lesnar was knocked into irrelevance later that year against Cain Velasquez.
Anerson Silva's highlight-reel knockout of Vitor Belfort was a great choice for the cover for UFC Undisputed 3, but of course even Anderson Silva couldn't stay untouchable forever, as he's been the latest victim of looking human inside the octagon, thanks to Chris Weidman.
For this year's game, now from EA, the UFC is clearly looking to play it a little more safe by picking such a dominant champion in Jones, as his reign seems pretty secure for the foreseeable future, as most challengers to his title are interesting, but I wouldn't call any of them actual threats. Also, Jones has youth on his side, meaning his brand will be evergreen for the next several years. Similarly, most of the choices available to join him on the cover are younger fighters, men and women who will be saleable for the next five years at least.
It's more interesting to me, actually, that Cain Velasquez isn't even an option in the voting. I wonder what the reasoning is. I certainly never thought of him as particularly marketable, but to put Faber or Bisping on the cover and not give Velasquez a shot? That seems weird.
What do you think, OS? Are EA and the UFC playing it safe by picking two cover athletes? Are the hedging their bets in case Jones gets upset in his next fight?
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Follow me on Twitter @glennwigmore
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
11:56 AM - November 5, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Tuesday, November 5, 2013
QOTD: Will Green Bay recover from recent injuries to make the playoffs?
- Chicago won the battle of backup quarterbacks after Aaron Rodgers went down with an apparent collarbone injury.
- A troubled trail of racism, bullying and threats are emerging surrounding suspended Dolphins lineman Richie Incognito.
- Miami coach Joe Philbin accepts responsibility for not creating a family culture after Martin-Incognito fiasco.
- There's no word on exactly what caused his sideline collapse, but Texans coach Gary Kubiak is reportedly feeling better after spending time in the hospital.
- Oregon's "DAT" claims the Ducks will put up forty points on Stanford.
- The Clips and Rockets couldn't miss the hoop last night as the two teams combined for over 250 points in regulation.
- Sean Taylor's killer has been found guilty of murdering the former NFL player.
- After a slow week for the top teams in college football, Alabama and LSU are slated for one of the biggest matchups of the year this Saturday.
- Kentucky's James Young makes an own-basket after saving ball from going out of bounds. [Video]
- Cheeseheads of Green Bay, meet the Cheese-Grater Heads from Chicago. [Image]
Part of the reason I wanted to see the game in action is because I already trust it will look good. I think MLB The Show on the current generation is one of the better looking sports games, rivaled only by the NBA 2K series. That said, the brief glimpses of the upgraded player models and stadiums look great. In fact, I think they look better as still pictures here on OS than they did in the commercial.
Other than the improvements in graphics and crowd design, nothing firmly showcased the improvements we expect to see. Sure, there was the typical marketing speak, including a few jabs at past launches (fully featured--Madden 06?) and the excitement of working with a new platform. But nothing that definitely says that this game will blow us away.
However...
As negative as this might sound up until now, I really have no doubts that MLB 14 will be a great game. This studio has consistently been upgrading this product from year to year, adding small but meaningful improvements and certainly earning the "highest rated sports game of all time" title they proudly announce. In fact, it would be a huge surprise (and letdown) if this game isn't anything but stellar.
Again, my disappointment in the commercial was in what I saw, but what I didn't see. I cannot wait to glimpse that first gameplay footage; what's more, I can't wait to get my hands on this game in the spring.
A few other reactions:
- I laughed at the "Ken doll" analogy, especially when they were hyping Werth's hair. I'm sure someone had fun programming all of those individual strands! However, the player models did look really good.
- Not in the commercial, but from the blog: GENERATED COUNTS! I loved this featured in the All-Star Baseball series, as it helps normalize pitch counts and speed up games.
- Transferring saves is nice, but probably only really valuable for guys who play only a single season each year. Road to the Show file transfers might be fun.
- I wasn't too surprised that Sony and MLB 14 are using their leverage as the only next-gen baseball game in advertisements. It may seem like rubbing salt in the Xbox gamers' wounds, but it makes sense from a marketing standpoint. Truly, if you are a baseball fan there is little reason to choose Xbox One over PS4--this game will be the true definition of a system seller.
Monday, November 4, 2013
01:29 PM - November 4, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Monday, November 4, 2013
QOTD: Who are your picks to make the Super Bowl based on the first half of the NFL season?
- Denver's John Fox is facing heart surgery and will likely be out several weeks -- Jack Del Rio will stand in as the interim head coach.
- Houston's Gary Kubiak was taken off the field on a stretcher at halftime after collapsing due to an unknown health condition.
- Florida State and Oregon keep playing BCS leap-frog as the 'Noles are back at the two-spot with the Ducks falling to No. 3.
- Eagles QB Nick Foles tied the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a game (7) in a rout of the Oakland Raiders.
- Tampa Bay fell apart and Seattle took advantage to mount a furious last-minute comeback to add to the misery of the winless Buccaneers.
- ABC News might want to double-check their sports editing department. Tony (you mean Gary?) Kubiak mentioned as the health-embattled coach of the Texans. [Video]
- Jimmie Johnson put a ton of pressure on the Chase field by notching a win at Texas to take the lead with just a few races to go.
- It's not a huge surprise, but more reports link A-Rod to failed tests during 2006 season.
- The best word to describe Tom Brady? Fabulous! [NFL Meme]
- Enemies on the field, but brothers off it. A cool picture of the Ryan brothers with their father prior to kickoff. [Image]
Saturday, November 2, 2013
I've always found it curious to see cash games as an option in NHL 14 (or other EA games). Nested away in the labyrinthine menus of the NHL games is the Virgin Gaming tournaments and cash games option, allowing you to play in free or pay tournaments for money. Like any poker site, the Virgin Gaming model allows you to play for free and gain a chance at winning some money, but there are also subscription options and service fees that potentially get you in deep with the gaming bookies.
Using real money has generally been a slippery slope for gaming, as betting on contests seems like a natural extension of the online competition that we all enjoy so much, yet their are so many variables that could send the whole thing crashing down. We all remember how a tournament -- a free one, to be fair -- went very wrong for 2K's baseball series. Whenever there is money on the line, people are going to use any means necessary in order to win said money, whether that be outright cheating, soft exploits, collusion or various other forms of skulduggery.
On my very first search of "Virgin Gaming cheating," I found a thread complaining about all sorts of underhanded tactics, and even some accusations from users that the Virgin Gaming staff don't really deal with the "complaint tickets" of alleged cheating and underhanded behaviour. My biggest fear for this type of competition is that users would stop at nothing to modify the network connection (standby, bridging, lag-switching, disconnecting, etc.) in order to nullify losses on their record or prevent you from winning. This is completely apart from any exploits or hacks they may devise in order to sway the game results in their favour.
Remember the scandal with Ultimate Bet and a player enabling "god mode" to see other players' hands? When real money is on the line, real people make really stupid decisions, but they sometimes even get away with them. When it comes to videogames, you only have to look at standard leaderboards in most games to see how competitive players will get, even when money isn't on the line. It's a fact that most leaderboards, when you get near the top, will be filled with a few honest players looking for glory, but there will be a good number of morons, too.
Microsoft and Sony have a long-standing policy of keeping out of the cash-for-cash business. Microsoft never even wanted to venture into betting Microsoft points, as I think they, wisely, saw the potentially dangerous headlines that awaited them down that path (and they won't have to worry about MS points any more). When these companies have a hard time keeping data-phishers, cheaters and network hackers out of their own walled gardens as it is, it's not hard to see why they'd be hesitant to dip their toe in the pond of online betting, which as I pointed out, isn't exactly on the level.
It's unfortunate, too, as I think betting, when done within someone's limits and with a responsible regulating body, can be a fun experience. It's nice to have a couple of bucks riding on a sports bet with a friend, and arcade cash games of years gone by were a fun diversion. Up here in Canada, where I'm at, sports books are actually legal across the country, as the proceeds are funnelled back into social programs and infrastructure. With such heavy regulation and controlled odds, it prevents things from getting off the rails too much, and people can enjoy gambling in a (hopefully) responsible manner.
In the gaming world, I think the reality of betting cash on competition is going to be relegated to these third-party ghettos for the time being, as there is just no guarantee that a big company like Sony or Microsoft can make to assuage a player's fear of gameplay tampering, network hacking or collusion. The only real future for it, I think, would be for the big companies to completely embrace the eSports idea and integrate some kind of cash-for-cash gaming ladder that was heavily regulated and actively policed. I think the limits would have to be quite low, though, to prevent any sorts of major exploits. Accounts would have to be watched diligently, and there'd maybe even have to be a cap on potential winnings.
An activity like gambling is serious business, even for the real world. Plenty of players don't know when to quit or what their limits are, and it's an ongoing problem in areas where gambling is legal. To expect that the gaming realm would be able to deal with this issue in a mature way is probably a bit naive, especially when users have more than a passive interest in winning. They have direct control over their fate in a videogame, and that's going to lead some to lose sight of right and wrong.
What do you think, OS? Have you had any good/bad experience with cash games or betting on videogames? What have you heard about the options out there for this sort of activity? Do you see a legitimate future for betting on eSports or online gaming?
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Follow me on Twitter @glennwigmore
Friday, November 1, 2013
12:36 PM - November 1, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Friday, November 1, 2013
QOTD: Do you tune in to watch Thursday night football games?
- Miami defeated the Bengals in overtime thanks to an unusual finish -- a safety.
- Derrick rose helped down the Knicks with the game-winning shot at the 5.7-second mark.
- David Beckham [pause] has decided to [longer pause] take his talents [pause] to South Beach.
- The read-option in the NFL: Is it still just a "fad"?
- How long until Big Papi gets his own statue outside of Fenway Park?
- Maybe he lost some money on the Cardinals in the World Series? A St. Louis weatherman airs his frustrations -- on the air. [Video]
- Former Denver Broncos player, Hamzah Abdullah, exploded on Twitter with an expletive-filled rant directed at the NFL. [NSFW]
- Rub some dirt on it: Pascal Dupuis ripped out his tooth on the bench during a hockey game.
- Andrew Wiggins is getting the speculation over with. He says he's one-and-done for the Jayhawks basketball program.
- Two of the best sports personalities on t.v. PTI knows how to celebrate Halloween. [Image]
Thursday, October 31, 2013
12:16 PM - October 31, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Thursday, October 31, 2013
QOTD: How impressive was Boston's sudden return to championship status?
- The Red Sox triumphed over the Cardinals to claim the title of 2013 World Champions.
- Boston's incredible pitching collectively won the Series, but it's hard to deny Big Papi the MVP after hitting .688 over six games.
- Miami better get ready for everyone's best. The Heat dropped a shocker on the road against Philadelphia.
- Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin abruptly left the team after being picked on by teammates.
- Brandel Chamblee finally makes an on-air apology for controversial remarks on Tiger Woods.
- Ray Rice claims his spitting skills have been misinterpreted -- he wasn't aiming for anyone.
- St. Louis forgot to teach the fundamentals of the run-down. [Animated Gif]
- Are you sure he was safe at home?! [Red Sox - Cardinals meme]
- Inspired by NBA Jam, someone illustrated 16-bit portraits of every active NBA player. [Image Album]
- Perfect timing by NFL Films: Matthew Stafford was mic'd up during Sunday's incredible game (and finish!) against the Cowboys.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
12:03 PM - October 30, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Wednesday, October 30, 2013
QOTD: Is $10,000 too much to spend on potentially seeing your favorite team win a championship?
- Boston hopes to clinch the World Series tonight -- a first at Fenway in 38 years; nearly a century since the Rod Sox did it at home.
- Some fans in Boston are spending over $10,000 for a ticket to tonight's game-six matchup.
- Chicago welcomed the return of star, Derrick Rose, but the Miami Heat won the night by downing the Bulls.
- Yadier Molina and Dustin Pedroia were among the 2013 Gold Glove winners announced on Tuesday.
- Not-so Happy Flight: Plane issues grounded the St. Louis Cardinals for close to seven hours before they were able to depart for Boston.
- Seattle is a defensive-minded team, but the loss of receiver Sidney Rice for the year adds extra pressure to Russell Wilson.
- Baseball may not be America's favorite sport, but on Monday the World Series drew better ratings than MNF.
- The most embarassing moment in all of sports: The empty net miss! [Video]
- He's not just the hot dog eating champ, Joey Chestnut took home the inaugural Twinkie eating contest as well.
- According to a BBC News report, steroid use can benefit athletes up to ten years after using them.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Usually I spend about a week on a game to write up the impressions. For the FM 14 beta, as you can probably tell, I needed a little more time. The biggest reason is because I can’t really figure out where I stood—I still can’t, actually—with the new tactical system. Honestly, it’s quite a change, and it can take some getting used to, especially for those of us who've gotten very comfortable with the old system.
If you haven’t played the beta version, here’s the quick lowdown: the slider-based (and the occasional check box) team and player instructions are gone. Instead, we set player roles (for example, a deep-lying playmaker), and then compliment them with “shouts”—essentially instructions on different facets of play.
Now, for the uninitiated, it's important to note that the player roles and shouts aren't new concepts, as they were introduced in 2012, except they used to work alongside the sliders, as opposed to replacing them. As well the player role is essentially a preset of sliders anyway, so it’s not like the two concepts are totally different. So why the hoopla, you ask, since we’re still essentially doing things we've done before, with the same general idea (giving the player a role, and then further customizing it) albeit through different ways?
Transparency, for one. I have a feeling SI wants us to stop thinking about player instructions in terms of sliders, but as somebody who’s spent so much time pouring over them (and I suspect this may be the case for a few more FM veterans), that’s not the easiest thing to do. So essentially, I’m still coming to terms with interpreting a role through the text based description, as opposed to old “looking under the hood”, if you want to put it that way, by checking out the (now eradicated) sliders and trying to know every facet of that role’s behavior.
Again, all of this may just be that I’m averse to change. If you are new to the game, I totally understand if you ask what all this fuss is all about. Because ultimately the shouts, combined with the expanded assortment of player roles and team mentalities, actually do a good job of replacing the sliders, making things more efficient (though I wish the option for playing counter attack no matter the mentality remained). It’s just that, psychologically, since those shouts are also much more simplified as they’re categorized in simple intervals (do more of x, do less of y), there does seem to be this sense of loss of control, whether real or not, as the previous sliders were in intervals of 1-20, and they gave us much more to fiddle with.
Elsewhere, it seems the beta is still going through some issues with the match engine. The most obvious one is on the defensive side, where defenders (fullbacks, especially) are too lax in their closing down. The strikers also fluff too many easy chances for my liking, but this isn’t a new issue—ultimately the numbers (shots, goals, etc.) look right, so I guess it’s just that the engine isn’t up the snuff yet in terms of portraying them in a realistic fashion.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual for the franchise, which is to say stellar. Many facets of the game received improvements. Press conferences, for example, seem much more varied and contextual, and they feel less repetitive than in years past. What’s even better is that managers will now be offered a chance to respond to more comments than in the past-- there are just more changes to interact, in general-- making the game world seem that much more alive.
So if all those words at the beginning dedicated to the tactical stuff are giving you a mixed impression about the game, fear not. That was just the first thing that stood out to me, and probably the only element of the game I’m not totally sold on (or used to) just yet. Overall, Football Manager is still an incredibly fun and addictive game if you invest your time and attention to really explore its depth. In fact there are plenty more little positives that I don’t have the space to list, or, I'm sure, I haven’t encountered just yet (the latter is, in my opinion, what separates the great games from the very good). If SI can fix the various little booboos that are currently in the beta, we should have another great edition of the game on our hands come Thursday.
Meanwhile, I’ll go and spend more time with the game (or maybe a licensed professional) to see if I can make up my mind on the new tactics stuff before then.
12:03 PM - October 29, 2013. Written by jmik58
Top Sports News for Tuesday, October 29, 2013
QOTD: What chance does St. Louis have to win two games in Fenway with rookie pitchers starting?
- Boston has dominated the Cardinals offense with great pitching and last night's victory was no different. If it weren't for some defensive misplays, the Series may already be over.
- A few blocks away from the World Series, Seattle pulled an incredible goalline stand to fight off the Rams for a MNF victory.
- Tiger Woods has parted ways with EA Sports and will no longer be on the cover or in the game as a playable character.
- Dez Bryant says he's just misunderstood and doesn't feel sorry for his sideline outburst.
- Penn State has reached a settlement with 26 victims of the Sandusky scandal that totals nearly $60 million.
- It's been a while, but Miami vs. Florida State finally means something on a national scale once again.
- See it again: Matthew Stafford "kills the clock" for a game-winning touchdown. [Animated Gif]
- Jon Lester had to stop and pick up a paper airplane that flew from the stands and landed next to the pitchers mound. Despite the distraction, that's pretty impressive! [Image]
- Rice lets 4'9" player suit up and carry the rock.
- Just the rest of the baseball world trolling the Cardinals during the World Series. [Image][NSFW]
Friday, October 25, 2013
04:00 PM - October 25, 2013. Written by Wiggy
It's been an interesting NHL season so far, with the usual beasts like Pittsburgh, Boston and Chicago looking quite strong, but then there's the emergence of Colorado, Toronto and San Jose as forces to be reckoned with. San Jose is actually the least surprising, since their youth, size and skill are now finally paying dividends, and their former stars (read: Joe Thornton) can quietly sink back into a secondary role that, ultimately, makes them better players, too.
I figured teams like Toronto would benefit from the division realignment, but I still think they'll eventually come down to earth once players like Mason Raymond tend to slow down (which he's already started to do). I feel kind of bad for players like Cody Hodgson, who is relatively skilled but stuck on a horrible team. The same goes for Edmonton. How much pain will that franchise have to endure?
Also, if you didn't see, check out Mike Smith scoring a goal on Detroit with 0.1 seconds left. Everyone always loves a goalie goal.
Dynamic Ratings
What is everybody thinking of the dynamic ratings that have been instituted in NHL 14? Personally, I think they spice things up a bit, allowing the dev team to react to real-world changes and hot streaks. I hope the updates are issued frequently, but it's hard to know with EA.
People can vote for the next players to receive a bump on Facebook, which is probably a good way to handle it. I doubt there will be any allegations of "vote tampering" with something as innocuous as this, since EA is really just trying to bring some of the current season into "Play Now" and online versus play.
NHL Moments Live
There's a new "NHL Moments Live" this week, with Jean-Sebastien Giguere trying to maintain a shutout in his showdown with Crosby and the Penguins from last Monday's game.
Check out the details here.
Plays of the Week
EA has released their plays of the week video for this week. There's some good stuff in there, including an unintentional flip to a teammate who gloves the puck down and tucks it in. Pretty slick.
How Many CPU Penalties Do You Want?
Over on the EA Forums, their is a thread about the lack of CPU penalties in NHL 14. It's actually been a problem for a few years now, as the CPU will take some charging and interference calls (as well as fights), but they just don't take enough trips or incidental calls.
Some users have some ideas in terms of adjusting sliders for various modes and scenarios, but no one seems to have consensus on what the solution really is.
How about you, OS? Are there too few penalties? Should EA change the AI behaviour so that it acts irrationally from time to time? What needs to be adjusted?
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Follow me on Twitter @glennwigmore
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