Archive for May 8, 2008

First Prizefighter gameplay footage; 2K rep berates producer

With just one month to go until release the first gameplay footage from Don King Presents: Prizefighter has finally appeared. Up until now the storyline has seemed intriguing (despite it being linear) but there have been questions around the gameplay and why no videos had been shown or hands-on time been given.

In a demonstration done on the Gamespot program “On The Spot” executive producer of the game Matthew Seymour walks through some of the aspects of the story mode and fighter creation before getting to the gameplay.

Needless to say the action looks…well the best way to put it may be awkward. I still think that the story mode could be fun to play through but the gameplay shown is rough to watch.

With this being the first look at the game and the big news coming out on Fight Night Round 4 yesterday, it is an uphill battle to keep or gain the interest of gamers right now considering the position Prizefighter has placed itself in.

In something that may be even more interesting than the video, a representative of 2K Sports on the company’s official forum (2K Admin Ron) is publically berating the game’s executive producer for his “ridiculous representation of the game“, that it looked like he had never played the game before, and that the game was made a mockery of. All of those quotes and more can be found in the reaction thread in their forums.

Continue on to view the video which runs for approximately 11 minutes.

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Full details on EA Fantasy Football

Through an interview with producers Justin Withers and Ronnie Morales I was able to get a good idea of everything involved with the setup/procedures and new features that are being rolled out this year with EA Fantasy Football. The confusion created by the previews that have been released on it should be taken care of thanks to this discussion.

First of all the website based leagues remain. Drafting through the websites will function as normal. They are still completely free including the live web-based drafts and even the live stat tracking. The exporting of teams into Madden 09 will work for all types of leagues regardless of whether they use the website or live console draft.

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More NCAA Football 09 alternate uniforms

EA Sports is continuing to release screenshots on the official NCAA Football 09 website of the alternate uniforms that will be present in the game. Below are some of the latest ones which include UTEP, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Utah. Look for Friday’s release to be Clemson. All of the screens released thus far can be found in the gallery.

ncaa09utepalt.jpg ncaa09illinoisalt.jpg ncaa09wisconsinalt.jpg ncaa09utahalt.jpg

EA Fantasy Football Update

Earlier this morning I reacted to the info provided by IGN regarding EA’s Fantasy Football leagues. It turns out the details they provided weren’t accurate (or at the very least weren’t explained properly).

It turns out that not only has the pricing not been finalized, but the $15 that was cited by IGN for the 360/PS3 draft application would be per league and not per owner. The optional live stats would be on an individual basis which is the norm with most league offerings.

I have an interview later today with the lead producer for EA Fantasy Football. Any questions that you feel would be worth asking drop in the comments.

Update: Full details on EA Fantasy Football from the interview can be read here.

EA Fantasy Football not as good as previously thought

Update: Specific details coming soon. The IGN info isn’t completely accurate.

Update #2: Full details on EA Fantasy Football thanks to an interview conducted with the producers can be read here.

While the details on EA Sports Fantasy Football were somewhat vague they sounded great. There would be drafting and live stats via the PS3 and 360 and importing of your teams into Madden 09. The leagues and teams would be free. Apparently they specifically mention those being free because the actual drafting and live stats won’t be.

The Fantasy Football download will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points (or $15 on PSN) with live stat tracking available for an additional 400 MP ($5). While drafting your fantasy squad isn’t possible online just yet, you and your friends can sit in your living room, pick your squads the same as you’ve done in the past and then upload them to EA’s online fantasy website. There are video clips that will play after picking the top 60 or so players with stat summaries from the previous season to let you know what you can expect in the coming year. You can also load that team into Madden and use it as a standard fantasy draft squad. (Via IGN)

Originally I had imagined the drafting and stats would be accessed through Madden but it looks as though it’ll be a standalone program. It’s understandable that they would want to charge for this considering the amount of work that has been put into it. I just don’t see many people utilizing these services given the prices no matter how cool they may be. The majority doesn’t spend money on league services and can live with their current Yahoo (or wherever) experience. Good luck getting a group of friends together that are all willing to pay $15-20 towards this when that money could’ve been pooled for the league winner.

There are also some important questions that need to be answered around the importing of teams into Madden. Those include how the teams are filled out at positions not utilized in the fantasy league, the customization options, and whether they’ll be playable online.