NBA Live 14 release date announced

EA Sports is back in the National Basketball Association, finally releasing an update to their NBA Live franchise.

Polygon reports that the game will be released on November 19th of this year, after the PS4 hits North America and before the Xbox One does.

That means the basketball game won't quite make the PS4's North American launch, which will take place the previous Friday, Nov. 15. However, NBA Live 14 will be available in time for the Xbox One's North American release on Nov. 22, three days after the game comes out.

NBA Live 14 will be the first game that will come out in the series since 2010, when Dwight Howard graced the cover. This year it will be Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving, an interesting choice to compete with former Cleveland god and current Miami Heat superstar LeBron James that landed on the NBA 2K14 cover.

As a friendly reminder, the game will only be released on the next-generation consoles. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC will not see a release.

EA Sports knows it has a lot of catching up to do in order to win NBA fans again. After multiple attempts at releasing NBA games, we'll see how this one shapes up to what 2K Sports seems to have mastered in the past couple years.

[Image credit: Flickr]

NBA Live 14 Exclusive to PlayStation 4, Xbox One

For those that want to see what EA Sports' basketball simulation would be after a two-year hiatus, they'll need one of the next-generation consoles to find out.

NBA Live 14's executive producer reveals that the game will only be available on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles.

"There has been a lot of talk the last few years about how great NBA LIVE was going to be," Sean O'Brien said in an open letter. "The 'talking' is over. The vision is a simple one: To create a great basketball game exclusively for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4."

That's correct -- none of the current generation, portables, or PCs will be able to play the newest NBA Live game, already putting it in a tough position with both current consoles with a higher install base getting the next edition of NBA 2K.

It has a lot to live up to with 2K running away with the best annual basketball game. The only thing EA has put out recently that's any good on a basketball level is their HD remake of NBA Jam.

O'Brien describes how the thought process went into finding "the direction for the team."

"I want NBA LIVE to be an authentic NBA simulation rooted in the sport and lifestyle of basketball. My first priority was to focus on core gameplay. We needed to capture the essence of half-court basketball, providing 1-on-1 isolation both in the perimeter and the post, the 2-on-2 chess match that is the pick and roll, while still offering the gamer the opportunity to push the basketball in transition and have the control required to get the ball into the lane to either take the ball to the rim or find an open teammate if the defense collapses."

More of his open letter can be found here.

[H/T: GameSpot | Source: Letter]
[Photo credit: Flickr/Javier Dominguz Ferreiro]

PlayStation 2 Receiving Last Video Game This September

Yes, believe it or not there are still titles being released for the PlayStation 2 due to its overwhelming install base. Annual sports titles have slowly trickled down ports of the console that's soon to be two generations old, and the last one will be released this September.

EA Sports will release a port of FIFA 14 for the PS2, and that will finally be it. The publisher has been famous for releasing some copied ports of the same game, especially in the FIFA franchise, and who knows if this one's just been copying the same damn game since 2006.

Still, for those that love their soccer and don't have the money to upgrade, or just love nostalgia, or decided to wait until the PlayStation 4, here there game awaits.

Officially the console has been discontinued as of January (Sony finally had the heart to let go). According to Coin Arcade, Japan's final game was a Final Fantasy XI expansion released back in March, and this FIFA port will be America's last.

N4G which carried a link to the story had one of the best comments regarding the PS2's long existence.

Wow the PS2 is as old as my marriage...

...at one point my PS2 was better than my marriage...

...happy to say that as the PS2 dies, my marriage is still alive...

...however the PS2 helped me get through the very tough times of my marriage.

Take care big guy and thanks!

 Arrivederci, PS2.

[Source: Coin Arcade]
[Image credit: Flickr/Javier Dominguez Ferreiro]

NCAA Football 14 Demo Released Today, Features 3 Playable Matchups

The latest edition of EA Sports' college football franchise releases a demo on Tuesday, featuring three quality matchups. Two of them are real and on the schedule, with the last one a potential to be a Bowl Championship Series in its final iteration of the current postseason format.

Broken down into conferences, the six playable teams involve two from the Southeastern, two from the Big Ten, one from the Atlantic Coast, and one from the Pac-12.

One involves the annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome, which matches up the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Virginia Tech Hokies. Another is the "Big Game" between Big Ten rivals, Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines.

Last up is a matchup between the Texas A&M Aggies and Oregon Ducks. It's not on the schedule, but there's potential even for a national championship matchup should Johnny Manziel live up to his lofty expectations and the Ducks can overcome losing head coach Chip Kelly.

The demo will be available for download today on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Wii U will not have a version of the game this year, and probably never will.

[Source: SB Nation]
[Image credit: Flickr/The US Military Academy]

How Does NFL Sunday Ticket Work with Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition?

The Amazon exclusive of Madden 25's Anniversary Edition will include a hefty price tag of $99 with NFL Sunday Ticket for free this season. Some might question how it's possible with the premier sports subscription exclusive to DirecTV, but it's designed to get even more people to sign up for the satellite service - and get locked into a contract.

Everything is a little murky though - here's how to get NFLST straight from the product description:

However, EA Sports' Senior Director of Marketing, Anthony Stevenson, posted on Twitter that it's not necessary to even subscribe to the satellite service.

@cavemangamer @whoisdo true, but with this offer you don't need to be a directv subscriber. You can access Sunday Ticket digitally.
— Anthony Stevenson (@EAnthonyS) May 18, 2013

Stevenson went on to explain that every copy of the Madden NFL 25 AE will include a code to access NFLST on computers and mobile devices.

This isn't the first time that people could use NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV. PlayStation 3 owners could buy the package for $300.

While it makes sense to give people the option to use a code and activate the package as an alternate method, what doesn't make sense is why people would even activate it with DirecTV. Anybody that does needs to know that activating it through the satellite service locks that person in for a two-year contract - and purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket next season at full price.

For people who are on the fence of getting DirecTV, this deal is a no-brainer. They have to lock into a two-year agreement anyway, and getting $10 a month off of the service will serve as a discount to the subscription next season.

Those that have DirecTV or are not planning to subscribe shouldn't take advantage if the code comes with every copy. Nothing matches the quality of a satellite feed going to a big screen TV for games, the PlayStation 3 has damn good streaming quality through Netflix and MLB.TV, which I own. While I cannot attest that's the same for the NFLST app on PS3, it would be a lot better than trying to stream games through a website hosted off-shore that illegally shows them.

The future of NFL Sunday Ticket exclusive to DirecTV is also up in the air. Why be locked into subscribing with the satellite service if NFLST moves on to a special online offer for a cheaper price?

My situation is also unique. Living in an apartment wired with DirecTV is fantastic, but I cannot lock into a 2-year agreement. Who knows if I will live in this apartment for another year, and one of us will need to use a mobile device anyway as both my girlfriend and I need to watch the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, respectively.

More on how we'll probably break up in September later.

Whatever case people fall in, they need to know what's going to happen before pulling the trigger on signing with DirecTV or opting to use the code. My question is why DirecTV would even allow for a code in this deal when streaming a game is good enough for most people AND that option wouldn't get anyone locked into a contract?

[1st photo credit: Flickr/mediummike]
[2nd photo credit: Flickr/modenadude]