Facebreaker website launches and new screenshot
January 31, 2008 by pastapadre · 5 Comments
The official website for EA Sports newly announced title Facebreaker just went live. It appears that the site will be offering a lot of info, screens, and videos leading up to release all the while sticking to the same lighthearted and humorous style to match the game. There is an email address ( facebreakercommunity@ea.com ) already available for sending in suggestions for what you’d like to see on the site. Seems as though there will be a lot of community interaction with this title which is something to look forward to.
There is also a brand new screenshot. It can be found on the Facebreaker website, in the screenshot gallery, or by clicking the thumbnail below to view it full size.
FIFA Street 3 impressions and details
January 31, 2008 by pastapadre · 2 Comments
After spending some time with FIFA Street 3 I went through to take down as many details of the game as possible and post my overall impressions. I’ve tried to include everything from game modes and types to online play and ratings categories. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments and I’ll try to dig up answers to them over the next few days. I haven’t had the opportunity to play online yet but I’m hoping to soon and will be posting quick thoughts on the performance and fun factor once I have. I’ve recorded a few full games and will be posting them up in the near future as well.
The demo seems to be an ideal representation of the final game. Sometimes that isn’t the case but here I haven’t noticed any differences in the gameplay. If you enjoyed the demo you’ll likely enjoy the game. If you didn’t you’re probably not going to find much that would change your opinion on it.
Two great screenshots from The Show
January 31, 2008 by pastapadre · 6 Comments
There has been an abundance of really impressive screenshots for MLB 08: The Show but the following two really stand out. Continuing to release a new screen (or more) each day over at Operation Sports these show off one of the 11 different interaction sequences between players and beach balls. The detail in the shots from the grass to the reflection off the beach ball is incredible. Click the thumbnails below to view the images full size.
You can find these along with all the screenshots for The Show in the gallery which is constantly updated as they become available.
EA announces a new boxing game
January 30, 2008 by pastapadre · 16 Comments
EA Sports has announced a new game coming for the PS3, 360 and Wii called Facebreaker. Where the Fight Night series is the company’s sim representation of the sport, Facebreaker will be the arcade entry with a cartooney look all its own. Both Fight Night Round 4 and Facebreaker are being developed out of EA Canada with Facebreaker being the first of the two to be released.
The game features fictional boxers plus the ability to use “Game Face” which was first implemented with Tiger Woods 08. Touted is the “real-time facial deformation”.
Laugh out loud as you pummel your opponent with a barrage of blows to the face and watch in satisfaction as your progress is illustrated by real-time facial deformation. With haymakers, face shots and body blows, wait for the right moment to drop a super punch to make your presence known. Taunt your adversaries and flaunt your talent, by tying one hand behind your back to add ultimate humiliation to your bout. In FaceBreaker, it just feels good to rearrange your opponent’s face.
No word on when to expect Facebreaker to release other than it will be out sometime this year. More information and screenshots will be in the March edition of EGM so it won’t be long until more is known. The official website for the game is set to go live on Friday February 1st.
Madden 08 roster update #7 details
January 30, 2008 by pastapadre · 60 Comments
Here is the complete list of ratings up/down, weapons added/lost and transactions included in roster update #7 for Madden 08 which was released today for the 360 and PS3. This will be the second to last update for the game. The final update is expected sometime following the Super Bowl and will remove players from IR.
For details on all the updates throughout the year head to the roster update tag page.
MLB 2K8 full inning video
January 30, 2008 by pastapadre · 11 Comments
The first four short clips of MLB 2K8 recently released by IGN were met with a general sense of disappointment. It was the first chance to see the game in motion and the improvements that had been talked about but they weren’t really evident given the length of the videos and what was chosen to be shown.
So naturally the next look at the game comes from a foreign source with the audio being out of sync. Again it does little to raise the expectations of the 360 owners anticipating the game or the PS3 owners comparing it to The Show. I’m most concerned by the screen transition stutter/pause since that can’t attributed to the quality of the video.
Why 2K allows their game to be shown in this light I don’t know. They have the opportunity to release their own videos but instead have chosen to rely solely on IGN (and likely other media sites soon) who continually mistreat sports titles as they proved once again with the 2K8 clips.
It is understandable that the companies go to the large media sites because of the exposure they bring. But it wouldn’t hurt to give a few opportunities to others who would respect their game and display it in the proper manner. I know I would be more than happy to post up full game videos played in a realistic manner and create other content if given the chance.
Continue on to view the video which is “demo mode” meaning CPU vs CPU. Keep in mind that the audio being out of sync is not an issue with the actual game but with the video itself.
FIFA Street 3 team list
January 29, 2008 by pastapadre · 14 Comments
FIFA Street 3 arrived today and I wanted to get the full list of teams in the game up. I am planning on posting the complete rosters and rating categories as well but that is going to take some time to put together. Over the next few days and leading up to release of the game look for that along with general and online impressions and details and full game videos.
There are 20 teams total along with their rating out of five stars. Continue on to view the list.
MLB 08: The Show blog series #2
January 29, 2008 by pastapadre · 2 Comments
The second in the series of weekly entries on the official Playstation blog has been posted and this time focuses on the pitcher and batter analysis. Click here to read the full blog posting.
With the pitcher analysis you can scout tendencies to find what they like to throw and how often, the location, and the rate of success.
Each pitch type is tracked by the number of pitches, strike percentage and opponent’s batting average. All of this information is pertinent because it shows the pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses for each pitch, in each zone, in all situations.
With the batter analysis you can find the level of success had in each area of the strike zone.
If a batter hits well in a zone, that zone appears red. If he doesn’t hit well, that zone will appear blue. After a long period of time, you’ll see a heavy sample on where a batter like to hit pitches and, conversely, make outs.
Closing up the blog the comment is made that the game is more than just “see pitch, hit pitch” which could be a direct reference to MLB 2K8’s hitting system which is purely timing based. The Show appears to be much deeper and strategic in this regard with pitcher/batter analysis being there to assist with that.
Madden Bowl Events
January 29, 2008 by pastapadre · 3 Comments
The Madden Bowl is taking place this weekend in Arizona and in conjunction with that Microsoft is sponsoring a series of online events. There are opportunities to play against Madden and NFL Tour developers as well as participate in tournaments which will result in being entered in a sweepstakes. There is even the chance to play Madden against Patrick Willis or Tour against Shawne Merriman.
All of these events are only taking place on the Xbox 360. Continue on to read up on all of the details.
Some more Prizefighter details
January 29, 2008 by pastapadre · 6 Comments
Gameplanet, a New Zealand website, has released some previously unknown specifics on 2K Sports’ Don King Presents: Prizefighter. It looks as though they were able to obtain a partial fact sheet.
Live the Boxing Life - A full career mode offers players a comprehensive story line that follows them through real-life boxing situations such as injuries, facing stacked odds against a corrupt judge, and more. These dramatic moments are told in a sports documentary style using the voices and images of world famous boxers and celebrities from the boxing world.
Knock Out! - The developers at 2K sports weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty when it came to fine-tuning the fight mechanics in Don King Presents: Prizefighter. Cumulative effect punching and surprise one-punch knockdowns and knockouts will keep gamers on the edge of their seats during every match. Height, weight, reach, and strength all play a part in how well a fighter stacks up against the enemy.
The documentary style career mode has already been discussed but the first sign of what to expect within is mentioned as situations dealing with corrupt judges and injuries will arise. The potential of one punch knockdowns/knockouts will be a welcome change to the “have to knock my opponent down four times before he’s done” style of Fight Night. The remainder of the partial fact sheet was previously known as it details the number of boxers expected, commentary, and the online gym.
