Waiver Wire Podcast 6/20

In this edition of the Waiver Wire Podcast, Chase Becotte from Operation Sports and I discuss the NCAA Football demo and our thoughts on how it compares to what we played while out at E3. In addition the issues with the rosters and the downloadable content cheats are gone over at length. Also on the plate for this podcast are impressions of The BIGS 2 demo and some wrap-up feelings on Madden 10 and Backbreaker coming out of E3.

To download the podcast click here and leave your thoughts in the comments!

EA Press Conference Live Blog

I’ve arrived at the Orpheum Theater in LA for the EA Press Conference scheduled to begin at 2pt/5et. Peter Moore is expected to appear at some point and talk about the growth and direction of online play while making big announcements for Madden and other EA Sports titles. Continue on for the live blog.

*Please note this is connection permitting. If the wireless connection goes out I’ll still be on Twitter.* Feel free to continue leaving comments.

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E3 2009 Nearly Here

I’m now preparing to head out to LA for E3 early in the morning. While the actual event begins on Tuesday there is a ton of gaming news expected to start flowing out on Monday. That includes the EA Press Conference scheduled to begin at 2pt/5et.

I’ll be in attendance and, connection permitting, will be live blogging here on the site and live tweeting. You can also follow along live with the free streaming video. This press conference is where multiple announcements (primarily online related) will be made for Madden 10 and other EA Sports titles.

Following that up in the evening look for articles on the new features/modes and a podcast or vidcast from myself and OS’ Chase Becotte. That’ll then lead into impressions, videos, pictures, and more from the event floor beginning Tuesday morning.

Full E3 Preview
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Tiger Woods Online Beta

While the PC market continues to be reevaluated by EA Sports for many of their titles, the expected eventual direction would be towards microtransaction or ad supported downloadable offerings. Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online appears to be the first example of EA taking this route in the US. The game will be browser based rather than downloadable and has already opened for sign-ups to take part in the online beta. Click here to sign-up for a chance at being involved in the online beta for the game.

Peter Moore has a new blog up discussing the PC market and how Tiger Woods Online fits into that. This is a significant announcement because it is a sign of what is to come for the PC as a sports gaming platform.

We intend to be at the forefront of that evolution and today’s announcement signals that. You can expect to see us investing in online games for the PC with new sports experiences, aimed at both the loyal hard-core as well as the broader sports fan. You can expect experimentation in subscriptions, premium downloadable content, downloads sponsored by advertisers, micro-transactions, free-to-play models and massive tournament play.

E3 2009 Preview

Next week is going to be huge for the world of gaming. After two years of a lackluster reinvention of E3 it now returns back to the spectacle it was before. Gaming companies are buying back into it with big announcements planned and lots of highly anticipated games on display.

This is definitely the case for EA Sports who will have a significant presence at E3 with seven upcoming titles being offered up. In addition to the games on the floor Peter Moore is expected to reveal the new online modes for Madden 10. Here is a look at the games that will be at the event and what to expect.

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Waiver Wire Podcast 5/26

The Waiver Wire podcast is back after a hiatus as Chase Becotte from OS and I discuss some of the hot topics of the moment. Those include our thoughts on UFC 2009 Undisputed, the Fight Night Round 4 demo and button controversy, early responses to the Tiger Woods 10 demo, the first news on NHL 10, and the release of Punch-Out!!.

To listen directly to this week’s podcast click here. Look for an E3 preview podcast to come later this week as well as a couple of them from on location in LA for E3 next week.

Tiger Woods 10 Demo Now Available

The demo for Tiger Woods 10 is out today for both the 360 and PS3. It includes the ability to play two holes at Bethpage Black the site of this year’s US Open, and two holes at Turnberry which will host this year’s British Open. There is also the option to try the new Tournament Challenge mode with the 17th hole at Sawgrass playable. Making the demo even deeper is the practice round mode where users can place the ball anywhere desired on the course. No wonder then the demo comes in at over a whopping 1.5 GB. The difficulty level is set to beginner with no option to change it.

For those of you who have tried out the demo feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. I’ll have some quick impressions and videos up this weekend.

Looking Ahead to E3

E3 is now just three weeks away! The gaming expo takes place on June 2nd-4th with some conferences (MS/Sony/Nintendo/EA?) happening on the 1st. This E3 is making an attempt to return to the glory days as opposed to the last couple years and the publishers are responding. EA Sports is expected to have some game related announcements including the new online modes for Madden 10 at this E3.

In the days leading up to E3 I’ll have more details on what to expect both in terms of the games and coverage coming out of the event. I’ll also provide the opportunity to send through some suggestions of things to look for. Below are the sports games that have been confirmed for E3.

Tiger Woods 10 (June 8th)
Grand Slam Tennis (June 8th)
The Bigs 2 (July 7th)
NCAA Football 10 (July 14th)
Madden 10 (August 14th)

There is the possibility that Backbreaker will be at E3 and that is one I’d be looking forward to seeing. It is somewhat a make-or-break opportunity for them so it’ll be important for the game to be on display and playable (and not just the Tackle Alley mini-game). Fight Night Round 4 seems like an obvious one that will be there but hasn’t been confirmed as of yet. The NBA 2K series has also appeared in some past E3s so 2K10 remains a slim possibility to appear as well.

Tiger Woods 10: Play the Pros Online Mode

For the first time the Wii version of a sports game has been taking precedence over the 360/PS3 version as seen with Tiger Woods 10. Given that golf is a natural fit for the Wii and its motion control it is the rare example where sales are strongest on the Wii. Maybe then it shouldn’t be a surprise that it is receiving the most attention especially given the release of Wii MotionPlus. That will greatly enhance the Tiger Woods 10 experience and having an exclusive bundle with the controller add-on is boosting the publicity and anticipation surrounding the game.

However one of the few areas where the 360 and PS3 versions have the advantage is with online play. While the Wii also included the ingenious simultaneous online play last year it lacked the innovative GamerNet feature. Now comes another online mode that looks to extend the enjoyment of the game with the addition of “Play the Pros”. These live tournaments will be available on the Wii also but most likely will have extra focus on the 360 and PS3. ESPN has the full details that you can check out here.

That’s the premise behind “Tiger 10’s” innovative new feature called Play the Pros, where gamers will go online to compete in tournaments while putting their scores up against the real PGA tournament leaderboards. And to make sure gamers don’t get the upper hand on the real pros, when you sign in to the tournament, you’re signing up to play a more challenging, more realistic game of golf than the typical “Tiger” experience.

Recent Trailers: NCAA, Madden Wii, Tiger Wii

Everything surrounding the events in New York last week and the subsequent coverage coming out of them caused me to bypass posting up some recent trailers. They include ones for NCAA Football 10, Madden 10 on the Wii, and Tiger Woods 10 on the Wii. For NCAA and Madden they are the debut trailers while the Tiger video shows off the new disc golf mode.

Until recently when the inclusion of disc golf into Tiger was being discussed I had never even heard of it. Apparently it is one of the fastest growing sports in America. It does seem like a great fit for the Wii version especially now with Wii MotionPlus on the horizon.

Continue on to watch the trailers and leave your thoughts in the comments.

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