Headlines

EA SPORTS has provided the first look at NHL 18 with the release of the official teaser trailer.

More game info will be coming on June 21 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, NV. There, EA SPORTS will reveal the NHL®18 cover athlete, first official gameplay trailer, features, release date and more.

Continue on to see the teaser trailer. ...

EA SPORTS has announced that Cristiano Ronaldo will be the global cover athlete for EA SPORTS FIFA 18, available September 29.

There will be three versions of the game: standard, Ronaldo, and ICON. Those who pre-order the special Ronaldo or ICON versions will be able to play the game three days early on September 26.

Continue on to see the official press release from EA SPORTS as well as the FIFA 18 reveal trailer. ...

Just hours ahead of the start of the 2017 NBA Finals, 2K Sports has announced that defending world champion Cleveland Cavaliers' guard Kyrie Irving will be the cover athlete for the standard version (non-Legend Edition) of NBA 2K18.

Irving was previously the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 14 (2013) before joining 2K's stable of athletes for use in promotion & marketing in 2015. In NBA 2K16, Kyrie & Nike unveiled a digital version of the Kyrie 2 in MyPARK mode.

NBA 2K18 is currently available to pre-order on Amazon with discounts available for Prime Members. ...

On the heels of Saturday night's NBA LIVE 18 event in California, event attendees have had their embargo lifted and are now able to share screenshots, a mini-trailer of the game, and video blogs from the event.

While footage and information is scarce in this initial release, some gameplay improvements did emerge such as a new skill-based counter move to help defenders stay with their man and an all-new Post System.

Continue on to see the first screenshots of the game, the first gameplay feature listing, and videos from the attendees. ...

Last night in Los Angeles, EA SPORTS hosted a private event featuring NBA LIVE 18. Held at the Siren Soundstage Studio, the invite-only soiree appeared focused on media and YouTube content creators and included NBA LIVE 18 signage, a swag box featuring sneakers, a barbershop, a face-scanning rig, and a basketball hoop for attendees to practice their shot.

The theme of the event centered around "The One," seemingly either the central marketing/promotional theme for the title and/or the name of a new game mode. Some signage at the event appeared to say 'One Career,' perhaps indicating it is the name of a new single-player or career mode.

Other prominently displayed signage appeared to include images of Anthony Davis (potential cover athlete? Displaying improved facescan/graphics?), outdoor venues, and a logo for 'The League' (perhaps another new mode or an aspect within career mode?).

An off-screen shot of the game shows LeBron James and the Celtics' Avery Bradley. The first official release of game information is expected, but not confirmed, to come anytime between now and June 10th's EA PLAY event in Los Angeles.

Continue on to see images from the event shared on social media by event attendees. If you notice something we missed, please let us know in the comments below. ...

Full details for NBA Playgrounds game update 1.1.0 are now available.

Among the significant upgrades in this patch are Challenge Mode, five new versions of Shaquille O'Neal, 15 new players, an on-screen shot meter, and a number of gameplay tuning/adjustments.

On a related note, the development team at Saber Interactive & Mad Dog Games have been very involved in discussing the game, answering questions, and taking feedback on the official NBA Playgrounds Facebook Group page, which is open to the public.

Continue on to see the full patch notes.


Patch ...

After finishing in the top two of the fan cover vote along with Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch's strong finish at the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race has landed him the cover of NASCAR Heat 2. Busch finished third overall, while Truex Jr. finished in 12th place. The driver with the best finish among the two would be awarded the cover. ...

Today, 704Games officially announced NASCAR Heat 2, coming September 12 to PS4, XB1, and PC.

According to the official press release, here re the first details regarding the game: "NASCAR Heat 2 builds on the core experience of its predecessor, NASCAR Heat Evolution, with advancements from returning developer Monster Games. These improvements include enhanced online multiplayer, a deeper career mode, track updates, additional drivers and other features in line with the 2017 NASCAR-sanctioned national series formats."

Through Friday, May 19 fans can vote for the two finalists to grace the cover of the game among these four contenders: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. The cover athlete will then be the driver between the top two vote-getters who has the better finish at Stage 2 at the Monster Energy All-Star Race on May 20.

Continue on to read the official press release and cover vote video from 704Games. ...

EA SPORTS has announced that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be the cover athlete for the standard and G.O.A.T. editions of Madden NFL 18, set to launch in late August. The G.O.A.T. Edition will allow users to play the game three days early and will also include a bevy of Madden Ultimate Teams perks and bonuses.

Brady also addressed the much-discussed 'Madden Curse,' in not one, but two videos on his Facebook account.

Continue on to read the official press release from EA SPORTS. ...

Amazon's product listing for Madden NFL 18 provides the community's first information regarding the game.

The standard version of the game will release on August 25, with those who pre-order the 'g.o.a.t.' Edition able to play on August 25.

Among the early game info/features revealed: M18 will be powered by the Frostbite Engine and Play Now Live will allow users to play that week's NFL match-ups.

Gameplay improvements include target passing, three play style options (Arcade, Simulation, Competitive), coverage assignment options, and coach adjustments.

Continue on to see the official game info and description courtesy Amazon. ...

Today, 2K Sports announced that Shaquille O'Neal will be the cover athlete for the Legend Edition and Legend Edition Gold versions of NBA 2K18. These two versions of the game will join the standard version of the title. The cover athlete for the standard version of the game has yet to be announced.

Each version of the game will come with perks, including some physical items for the legend versions. The MSRP for the standard version is $59.99, Legend Edition $99.99, and Legend Edition Gold $149.99.

Last year, O'Neal's former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant was the legend cover athlete for NBA 2K17 and based on the announcement trailer it appears he will be involved the game's marketing plans again this year.

Continue on to see the announcement trailer. ...

Game update 1.05 is now available for MLB The Show 17, the second game update made available in the last week.

Like update 1.04, this update covers a wide range of game areas: gameplay (online and offline), stadiums, crashes, and more.

Continue on to read the full game update details for game update 1.05. ...

Game update 1.04 is now available for MLB The Show 17 and comes in at a sizable 1.7 GB.

The patch addresses numerous issues across gameplay (online & offline), user interface, presentation (stadiums), Diamond Dynasty, RTTS, and more.

Continue on to read the full list of patch details. ...

Via Gamespot, Saber Interactive has released the official roster for NBA Playgrounds, coming in May to PS4, XB1, PC, & the Nintendo Switch.

The initial roster features a bevy of current and former players. While there are currently some notable missing players such as Boston's Isaiah Thomas and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, the game's official twitter account shared that 'hundreds more to arrive soon after' launch.

Based upon game screenshots, it appears that users can pick two players from the entire game roster for their team, unlike previous arcade titles such as NBA JAM that required users to pick two players from one team.

We will update this article with the game's latest roster as it becomes known/available. Continue on to see the current roster of the game sorted by team. ...

NBA Playgrounds - a new IP from Saber Interactive - launches in May and the first gameplay information has been posted on the PlayStation Blog.

Shooting and dunking success will be dependent on releasing the shoot button at the peak of your shooting motion. Doing so will add bonus points if done perfectly. On the flip side, user will look to time the steal and push buttons/commands correctly to try and stop the offense.

Get enough buckets and the game will allow users to spin the 'Lottery Pick wheel' for s short-term bonus, such as increased speed, increased dunk height, increased shot percentage, et al.

The title will feature over 200 current and former players. Some of the revealed former players include Allen Iverson, Walt Frazier, and Shaquille O'Neal, among others. Players can unlock new players and signature moves by winning games.

Continue on to see the NBA Playgrounds gameplay trailer and a link to the gameplay info at the PlayStation Blog. ...

MLB The Show 17 has released game update 1.03. This update addresses gameplay, uniform, and functionality issues.

Among the most notable improvements include online gameplay fixes, adding in names to the back of the Tigers' road uniforms, as well as rectifying issues with year to year saves and message handling.

Continue on to see the released patch notes from Sony San Diego. ...

Even as the NBA regular season comes to a close, NBA 2K17 continues to put out game updates.

Game update 1.12 is now available for NBA 2K17 and includes notable gameplay improvements, such as improved double team logic and rotations, improved logic for off-ball collisions, offensive AI enhancements, and more.

Continue on to read the list of patch fixes courtesy 2K Sports. ...

Today, Saber Interactive announced that next month (May), they will be releasing NBA Playgrounds, an arcade-style basketball game in the mold of NBA JAM and NBA Street. Utilizing current players as well as legends, NBA Playgrounds features over-the-top moves and dunks in offline, online, and co-op modes in (based on the trailer, at least) 2-on-2 action.

Retailing for $20, NBA Playgrounds will be available on PS4, XB1, PC, and the Nintendo Switch. This helps give the Switch a sorely needed sports title, but appears to be Saber Interactive's first foray into the sports realm. Other titles recently developed by the company include Halo Online, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and the upcoming Quake Champions.

Due to his prevalence in the game trailer and social media profiles, it would appear that Allen Iverson will be the game's digital cover athlete. It will be his first time on the cover of a basketball game since gracing the cover of NBA 2K, 2K1, 2K3, and ESPN NBA Basketball (1999-2003). However, since then he has been featured as a playable legend in basketball titles developed by both EA SPORTS and 2K Sports.

Continue on to see the trailer and also some of the first info on the game courtesy IGN. ...

EA Play 2017 will take place June 10-12 from Hollywood, California. At this event, fans will learn about upcoming titles such as Star Wars Battlefront II, the next Need for Speed title, Madden NFL 18, EA SPORTS FIFA 18, and NBA LIVE 18.

EA Play began in 2016 when the company, Electronic Arts, decided to hold their own event around the same timeframe as the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). This change allowed them to standout from the gluttony of gaming news that emerged at once, while also giving them more freedom (or control, depending on your point of view) for presentations, media & public access, etc.

If you plan on being in the area, tickets will be available beginning April 20. EA plans to announce details on the ticketing process relatively soon. As an aside, E3 takes place just days later, June 13-15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Continue on to read the first information on EA Play straight from EA SPORTS. ...