UFC 2009 Undisputed Updates

UFC 2009 Undisputed is an intriguing release coming down the line and THQ has released some new screenshots (can be found in the gallery) as well as revealed some more of the eventual roster for the game. IGN recently had the announcement of two more fighters being Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson. Check out the Wikipedia page for the current list of 16 confirmed fighters of what should eventually be a roster of over 100.

The game has been in the press recently due to the controversy over UFC requiring their fighters to sign lifetime exclusive videogame contracts and releasing those from the organization who refused. Though no official release date has been announced various retailers have it slated as arriving the last week of May.

How much interest do you have in a UFC game? Vote in the poll and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Top 10 Sports Games of the Year

Over the coming weeks I’ll be listing out my Top 10 Games of the Year. This won’t be a recap of the 10 highest rated games per Metacritic…reviews be damned. However it will be a summary of how I view the them from what has turned out to be one of the best years ever for sports gamers.

Some of the factors of consideration I have gone through are longevity, fun factor, general gameplay, technical achievements, online experience, and innovation. Last year the game that would’ve taken the top spot was The BIGS. This year there are several worthy candidates for the honor.

Before I begin listing off the best games I thought I would mention the two games I liked the least of any this year…FIFA Street 3 and Facebreaker.

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NBA Teams Using Live 09 To Scout

For a while now it has been evident to me that the most interesting aspect of NBA Live 09’s 365 feature is using it as NBA knowledge for analyzing teams and players. This apparently is not lost upon the actual NBA teams as it is reported about half of them are using the game as a way to evaluate talent and prepare gameplans.

Daryl Morey (Houston Rockets GM) uses the EA Sports NBA game for professional reasons. He uses it to help evaluate talent. Morey says he is a statistical junky, an admirer of Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane and a mathematical nerd. “I’ve always loved numbers,” Morey said. “I don’t play EA Sports as a game. I use it as a tool.”

Despite the article showing a picture of NBA Live 08 and referring to the game as “NBA 08″ it is interesting to read directly from a GM how the league is using Live 09 as a tool. Prior to the game’s release it was mentioned that 2/3 of the league paid for the Synergy service. It sounds like those who aren’t paying for it are using Live 09 to view some of the data. While the game doesn’t provide everything they would receive it does include the tendencies and DNA make-ups which has proven to be valuable information.

MLB Front Office Manager Cover and Feature List

The cover art for MLB Front Office Manager is now out as well as the official feature list. As to the features for the most part they have been discussed through the various interviews and previews out so far and the Online Fantasy Leagues remain especially intriguing. While I was expecting to see Billy Beane incorporated into the cover instead they went the direction of a silhouette, with the implication of course being that you are now the GM.

• Build Your Roster –An extremely deep Career Mode takes users beyond simple trades and free signings, and allows them to fully experience the life of an MLB® general manager. Manage Minor League™ rosters, set domestic and international scouting budgets, bid for Japanese free agents, select new players in the Amateur and Rule 5 Drafts, offer arbitration to free agents, and more.

• Take The Field – Manage your team’s games on the field all season long and enjoy a never-before-seen presentation style designed to resemble a real life TV broadcast.

• Learn From a Pro – Renowned GM Billy Beane becomes a mentor to users, providing helpful tips and insightful baseball information that even the biggest fan doesn’t know.

• Online Fantasy Leagues – Customize your league with fantasy drafts, modified rules and traditional Rotisserie and Head-to-Head fantasy baseball scoring systems. Also available offline against the CPU. Innovative Baseball Statistics – Evaluate talent using in-depth and authentic player statistics, as used by Billy Beane.

Black Friday Deals

I can’t imagine any of these deals being worth the hassle of going out on Black Friday, then again I’d rather pay more money for things just to avoid the crowds. So I’d be looking at Amazon which has some good deals tomorrow. Here are some of the sports games that are seeing their prices cut for the busiest shopping day of the year. Walmart and Amazon have the best deals for the EA Sports titles with Target being the place to pick up NBA 2K9 unless you’re in the market for a 360 and you can get it bundled in at Best Buy. Info comes courtesy of CAG.

NBA 2K9
Target $39.00 (360, PS3)
Gamestop $49.99 (360, PS3)
Best Buy $299 360 Pro 60 GB System Bundle with Tony Hawk Proving Ground and NBA 2K9

NCAA Football 09
Walmart $30.00 (360, PS3)
Target $39.00 (360)

NFL Head Coach 09
Walmart $9.99 (360, PS3)

Madden 09
Walmart $30.00 (360, PS3)

NBA Live 09
Amazon $29.95 (360, PS3)
Walmart $30.00 (360, PS3)

Nascar 09
Walmart $30.00 (360, PS3)

NBA 09: The Inside
Amazon $19.95 (PS3)
Best Buy $37.99 (PS3)

NCAA Basketball 09 Patch Now Out

The patch for NCAA Basketball 09 that was originally planned to arrive in early December has made its way out early for both the 360 and PS3. It adds in authentic schedules, the display of named rosters online, and the ability to edit classic teams. It also attempts improvements in the areas of post play and full court press as well as “tightening up” of dynasty mode.

Unfortunately nothing still has been done regarding the public sharing of named roster files through the EA Locker that for all intents and purposes is broken. For the time being, or possibly for good, the only way to get the roster is by adding someone who already has it to your friend’s list.

MLB 2K9 To Have Revamped Pitching System

When Tim Lincecum was announced as the cover athlete for MLB 2K9 no details on what to expect from the game were provided. Up to now all that has been known is the cover athlete and about the move to Visual Concepts. Jon Robinson with ESPN has an interview with Lincecum that also includes mention of how 2K9 is aiming to simplify the pitching controls.

Last year, MLB 2K8 confused gamers with a pitching system casual fans saw as overly complex. MLB 2K9 changes all that as the developers of the game are really looking to simplify the pitching experience while at the same time bringing more realism to the mound.

Last year the analog stick pitching was met with very mixed reaction. While some enjoyed it and saw it as innovation (except for the flawed meatball concept) others found it complicated and distracting.

It seems likely to me that MLB 2K9 will take the same route that NHL 2K9 did. The studio move leading to a much more consistent overall gaming experience. Easier to pick up and play, cleaner gameplay, and some added features. It may not reach the level of the competition but it should be a better offering and get the franchise back on track.

Pastapadre on OS Waiver Wire Podcast

Once again Chase from Operation Sports and I have teamed up for the Waiver Wire Podcast. This week we discuss a number of topics including the Arena Football license, thoughts on a potential EA Sports/Gamestop “Season Pass”, the broken roster sharing in NCAA Basketball 09, and the NXE update.

To download the file directly click here. You can also subscribe via iTunes here. Feel free to leave your thoughts on the show in the comments.

Nascar Coming To The Wii

The Wiire has news today that EA Sports is developing Nascar for the Wii. Apparently it will not attempt to replicate the Nascar games on the 360 or PS3 and instead will go the route of driving karts, possibly with caricatures of the licensed drivers.

No telling yet if heads of drivers will be massively oversized to balance out the cartoonish nature of the karts. While the karts may resemble an idea from Mario Kart, most likely the tracks will remain the same oval shape, true to the NASCAR way.

There has been a lot of discussion lately about why the more traditional sports titles don’t sell on the Wii. All-Play and what it stands for has been met with complete apathy. Here we have EA bringing Nascar over which seems all but guaranteed to fail. The Wii crowd is just not going to buy something with Nascar in the name…no matter how much it tries it will never reach the desired appeal of a Mario Kart.

09 Baseball Titles Need to Improve Online Play

As I covered extensively last year neither MLB 2K8 nor MLB 08: The Show provided a sufficient online experience. 2K8 was arguably the worst online sports title ever while The Show was very inconsistent in its own right. My full online report on both games can be found here along with an update a week later here.

While it was the performance that primarily dragged them down last year both titles also lacked some basic options that would’ve been beneficial. SCEA does deserve credit for the weekly roster updates and website functionality. I suspect we’ll be seeing that same support from 2K this year. NHL 2K9 likely provides a good idea of what to expect out of MLB 2K9.

While MLB 08: The Show was highly regarded last year it ran very hit or miss online. The support was there with weekly roster updates and a website with some really nice tracking features but in many cases the lag was very bad. It did seem to improve over time though there continued to be the occasional unplayable game. Their online league system was also structured in a very odd way that made it more difficult then it should have been to participate. Actually not even I would have been able to be the commissioner of a league due to the restrictions they had in place.

The disaster that MLB 2K8 was online is well known. Most disconcerting is that it was never addressed. Having to swing the bat before the pitch is released defeats the entire purpose and skill involved in baseball, and that completely negates anything else 2K offered such as their leagues. Sadly 2K8 was the only choice for those with just a 360 and 2K didn’t show much concern for the consumers. Hopefully that changes this year as the studio move is a sign that they did at least identify the series was in need of new focus and direction.

MLB 2K8 was followed by Prizefighter and NBA 2K9 which, as their terrible online experiences will attest to, doesn’t exactly bode well for MLB 2K9. SCEA has a history of online related trouble with The Show series. So we really need to see an effort in this area from these two companies.

Under the right circumstances baseball gaming can be one of the most enjoyable sports titles. But if the online performance is off even slightly it can ruin everything. We’ve seen other sports games innovating with their online offerings as well as improving the performance provided, so lets hope that trend continues with the baseball titles. I’m not sure I can go through another online deficient year without losing a great deal of interest in the baseball games going forward.