Headlines

Confirmed by EA SPORTS, NBA LIVE 18 will include the WNBA, joining EA SPORTS FIFA as including female squads.


GI's Matt Bertz notes that EA SPORTS treated the WNBA with the same level of detail as they do the men, getting face-scans and motion capturing female players, while also aiming for gameplay to match the style of the league. The teams & players will not be included in The One or Dynasty modes, but could not be ruled out for inclusion in Live Ultimate Team, per comments from Producer Mike Mahar. At launch they can only be accessed in Play Now or Online Versus match-ups. ...

In a series of videos showcasing the seven real-life streetball courts in the game, EA SPORTS has announced the NBA LIVE 18 demo will be available on Friday, August 11. No further information on the demo were made available at this time.

In a new area of the official product website, more on 'The Streets' aspect of 'The One' mode were disclosed. Users can participate in Live Events (appearing similar to the temporary challenges/events found in LIVE Mobile), LIVE Run (competitive multiplayer games), and Pro-Am Tour (solo story and throwback challenges).

The seven real-life venues are Rucker Park, the Drew League, Venice Beach, The Crawsover, Dyckman Park, Barry Farms, and Chesashore Playground. ...

Coaching Adjustments, a popular feature from the NCAA Football franchise, will be coming to Madden NFL 18. The feature will be very similar, but with some additions and updates since we saw it last.

One of the bigger additions is another highly requested community request, Cornerback Matchups. Users now have the ability to select from one of five ways for their CBs to be assigned to WRs: By Overall, By Speed, By Height, By Route Running, or By Depth Chart.

In addition, the CPU will also utilize the Coaching Adjustments feature in specific situations.

Continue on to read the blog from EA SPORTS on the new Coaching Adjustments feature. ...

Madden NFL Designer and former NFL offensive lineman Clint Oldenburg has authored a new blog on some of the new features and highlights coming to blocking in Madden NFL 18.

Some of the new features include ID the Mike, Offensive Line Unit Awareness, and a bevy of tuning and improvements to blocking logic.

ID the Mike is a risk/reward mechanic that allows users to identify the Mike linebacker or who the fifth target of the offensive line should be. Offensive Line Unit Awareness will see your O-Line play above their ratings in recognizing and picking up blitzes, led by the awareness rating of your center.

Continue on to read full details on the blocking improvements coming to Madden NFL 18 in the blog from EA SPORTS. ...

2K Sports has begun to start the reveal of NBA 2K18 game news and info beginning with a very in-depth blog from Senior Producer Erick Boenisch on the additions and improvements coming to MyLEAGUE and MyGM modes.

Some of the many additions & improvements listed include: a narrative-based, story-driven MyGM mode, a number of details from the 2017 CBA, G-League integration, draft-and-stash, an analytics tool, rebranding in existing arena, All-Star location selection experience, player accessory frequency, and much more. While 2K's depth and options may almost become daunting and overwhelming at times, at least the options are there for hardcore fans to engage in them.

NBA 2K continues to be the sports leader in franchise mode depth and options and it appears 2K18 continues that trend. As Boenisch states at the conclusion of the blog: "I shouldn’t be at this point, but I am continually surprised at how little support other sports games give their franchise modes. I vowed long ago to never let the NBA 2K franchise regress to that mean." The advantage and lead 2K now seemingly has in franchise/career modes over other sports titles may be large enough to almost become embarrassing. Will any of them try to bridge the gap in upcoming years?

Continue on to read the blog from Boenisch and 2K Sports. ...

EA SPORTS has posted a new Madden NFL 18 blog detailing some of the top community requests from M17 and how they addressed them for M18.

Some of the highlights include: injuries away from the ball (including linemen), 'Ballhawk' now a timing-based skill, elimination of the 'Swerve' technique, improved fumble recoveries, size & weight more important in determining Hit Stick and impact block outcomes, and slower players less likely to catch faster players, among other numerous improvements.

This blog is one of the best and most-welcome for Madden NFL 18 thus far in the pre-release cycle and ALL sports games should do something similar. Sometimes the biggest improvement(s) to the game for many in the community is just improving and addressing concerns and issues from the previous iteration, so learning about these changes now should only bolster and boost community anticipation for the title.

Continue on to see the lengthy blog from EA SPORTS. ...

The WWE 2K18 Collector's Edition will be centered around John Cena.

Some of the extra content will include an exclusive Cena action figure, a ring mat and autographed Cena photo, and two (throwback) playable versions of Cena. In addition, two WWE legends return as part of the Collector's Edition: Batista (better known currently as Drax in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise) and Rob Van Dam.

Continue on to see the full list of items contained in the Collector's Edition. ...

2K Sports has released the first screenshots and player ratings for NBA 2K18.

Three new screenshots showcase Canadian cover athlete DeMar DeRozan, Isaiah Thomas, and newly traded Paul George in the new Nike uniforms for the first time.

Continue on for the screens. ...

EA SPORTS has posted the first gameplay trailer for Madden NFL 18 and three blogs detailing specific areas of gameplay imrpovement coming to the title: the new target passing mechanic, new WR/DB interactions, and three selectable gameplay style options (arcade, sim, and competitive).

The new target passing mechanic adds an additional level of control by letting players see exactly where the pass will go and lead/deliver it with precision. The new WR/DB interactions essentially incorporate a new mini-game within gameplay featuring a bevy of new mechanics and options, and the three gameplay style options to let users select what type of experience they aim for when playing a game of Madden NFL 18.

Click the following links to read the specific gameplay blogs for the new target passing mechanic, new WR/DB interactions, and gameplay style options.

Continue on to see the first gameplay trailer for Madden NFL 18. ...