Author: Todd

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MADDEN

Madden 23 Influencers Start A ‘Pack Strike’

Madden 23 Pack Strike

Streamers have decided to draw a line on EA’s loot box system.

Thousands of Madden NFL 23 Ultimate Team players have declared a “Pack Strike” on social media. Madden influencers claim they will no longer be buying currency for the game’s microtransaction mode until changes are made to the odds on drawing desirable items from Ultimate Team’s loot boxes.

#PACKSTRIKE started trending on Tuesday. Streamers say Madden Ultimate Team participants aren’t getting reasonable value out of the game’s expensive bundles.

So far, thousands of Madden NFL Ultimate Team players have pledged to strike, vowing not to buy better players out of the mode’s open market.

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Categories
NBA 2K

How to Unlock Rebirth in NBA 2K23

NBA 2K23 Rebirth

Want to know how to unlock Rebirth in NBA 2K23? We’ve got you.

Making its series debut in NBA 2K19, the Rebirth system is back in both the Current and Next Gen versions of NBA 2K23 MyCAREER. For those looking to get a head start on creating the build they want, here’s the breakdown of how to unlock Rebirth save files.

How to Unlock Rebirth in NBA 2K23: Current and Next Gen

To unlock the ability to use Rebirth save files, players on both Current and Next must complete the “Rebirth” quest.

For those on Current Gen, the process is simple. Once you hop into the G.O.A.T. Boat for the first time, players will receive a message from Ronnie2K about hitting 90 overall.

At that point, players will given the Rebirth quest, in which all they need to is hit 90 OVR to unlock the feature.

How to Unlock All Ronnie2K Locations

For those on Next Gen, the process is more difficult, but does come with some additional rewards along the way.

After finishing the NBA Summer League game, players will receive a bunch of intro quests, including the Rebirth quest.

The Rebirth quest on Next Gen still requires players to speak with Ronnie2K, but on four separate occasions.

To get the quest started, refer to the map at the top of the article.

Each time players go through a cutscene with the community manager, they’ll receive the next step in the quest, which is to simply meet the OVR milestones.

  1. Reach 65 OVR: Unlocks Ronnie2K & Sophie T-Shirt
  2. Reach 75 OVR: Unlocks Custom Spawn Locations
  3. Reach 88 OVR: Unlocks the ability to go Shirtless
  4. Reach 90 OVR: Unlocks Rebirth
What is Rebirth in NBA 2K23?

Rebirth saves, which are unlimited, will start players off with all previously earned gameplay-related quest prizes carried over, up to 25 Badge points already earned and the opportunity to upgrade to a 90 OVR.

Although Rebirth builds technically do have a head start in Badges and Attribute upgrade progress, players will still have to spend upwards of 200,000 VC to actually get their builds maxed out.

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Categories
FIFA

FIFA 23 EA Play Early Access Details

Fifa 23 Early Release

EA Sports confirmed that players will still get early access to FIFA 23 by using their EA Play subscription service, but the early access isn’t as early as previous years.

EA Play is a subscription service that costs $4.99 per month for Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC. As part of this service, subscribers get member-only rewards including XP Boosts, FUT Packs and a free 10-hour trial of newly-released games, including FIFA 23.

There’s also an EA Play Pro subscription service which costs $14.99 a month which provides unlimited access to FIFA 23 and includes additional rewards, such as 4800 FIFA points on sign-up and 1600 FIFA Points per month for three months.

Prior to previous EA Sports FIFA game releases, being an EA Play subscriber granted players a free 10-hour trial and early access to the game when the FUT Web App was released, which allowed access about 10 days before release.

Ahead of the launch of FIFA 23 however, EA Sports has confirmed that EA Play subscribers will now be able to access the game only three days before the game’s official release date, the same amount of early access as those who have pre-ordered the FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition.

This means EA Play subscribers will be able to access FIFA 23 on  Tuesday, September 27, 2022, three days before FIFA 23’s official release date of Friday, September 30, 2022.

FIFA 23 will be the final EA Sports FIFA title, following the decision of both companies to release their own football simulation games. EA has confirmed that their new game, EA Sports FC, will be released next year.

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Categories
MADDEN

Madden NFL 23 Is Free Today

Madden 23 Free

Madden NFL 23 is free today, allowing you to mix in some Madden football on the first Sunday of NFL football.

For decades, the series has had an annual release a few weeks before the start of the NFL regular season. Madden is currently the only console football simulator, with the College Football delayed until 2023. Madden varies in quality year to year, but it is the only way to get your modern football gaming fill these days.

EA has announced that players will be able to play Madden NFL 23 for free via a trial Sunday September 11th on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5. This trial will allow players to get their hands on everything the game offers and see how they like it. EA is piggybacking the promotion with another, by selling Madden NFL 23’s All-Madden edition at a 25% discount, making it $74.99 plus tax.

It seems like now’s the best time to jump into the game. The player feedback makes this one of the best Madden entries in years: “There’s nothing revolutionary about Madden NFL 23, but it’s a lot more enjoyable than Madden entries of the last few years.”

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Categories
NBA 2K

NBA 2K23 Is One Of The Largest Downloads Ever For Xbox Series X

NBA 2K23 Download Size

Managing the storage space on next-gen SSD drives has become a side quest for most of us. NBA 2K23 will be adding to our save space woes with an absolute beast of a download on the Xbox Series X.

As spotted by folks over on Reddit, NBA 2K23 on Xbox Series X comes in at just north of 150GB. That’s uhh, massive.

We’ve seen some big game sizes this generation so far, but it’s not often a game comes in over the 150gb mark.

We haven’t spotted the game’s Xbox Series S install size just yet, but if it’s anywhere near the Series X size, you can expect it to take up almost half of the system’s internal drive space!

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Categories
NBA 2K

NBA 2K23 MyCareer Preview

NBA 2K23 MyCareer Preview

Rejoice!, we are finally rid of grinding out tutorial-level games to start MyCareer.

In NBA 2k23’s MyCareer mode you get drafted directly to the NBA, to a team of your choice, then immediately begin your pro career.

“Everyone in The City, all the pundits, everyone wanted your team to draft this player named Shep. Shep Owens,” executive producer Erick Boenisch commented in a recent interview. “So instantly, you get on stage, Adam Silver’s shakes your hand and the entire audience is booing. They don’t like you right from the jump.”

“They wanted Shep; Shep is the college star, he’s the flashy guy, he’s the athletic guy, he’s the charismatic guy,” Boenisch continued. “And you’ll find that as soon as you go out into The City, the people of The City wanted Shep, too.”

There will be Shep murals on the walls of The City’s buildings; people will be wearing Shep’s clothing labels, too. “So, the major part of the narrative this year is overcoming that adversity of how everyone reacts to you, and winning over the citizens of The City,” Boenisch said.

Boenisch stated that players will have several main and side-quest channels to win over the public.

“There’s a new business section you can focus on; you can do all of them, you can do none of them,” Boenisch said.

“This is hands down our biggest MyCareer story that we’ve ever done in the past; it’s insanely large,” Boenisch vowed. “We had a different actor in mo-cap every day for, like, six months. It’s crazy.” Celebrity cameos this year include J. Cole, along with his Dreamville Records label. Additionally, Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett and seven-time all-star Tracy McGrady show up to mentor the player, representing different professional paths the player can choose. Kendrick Perkins’ player-hating ball returns, with ESPN’s J.J. Redick and cover star Devin Booker involved as analysts.

Sounds like players will have a lot to look forward to in NBA 2K23 MyCareer.

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Categories
MADDEN

The Best Defensive Playbooks In Madden 23

Madden 23 Best Defensive Playbooks

If you don’t have a solid defense to stop anyone, it won’t matter how many points you can put up on offense.

We’re here to offer up our picks for the best defensive playbooks in Madden 23.

Best Defensive Playbooks in Madden 23

Most playbooks have the same base coverage’s. However, some stand out from the rest due to having a specific coverage or more plays from a single formation.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs playbook boast the 33 defense from the Nickel package, which is arguably the best defense in the early going. The Chiefs also have Even 61 in the 43 package, Dime Normal, Big Nickel, all usable packages. Dime Normal has the DB Blitz 1, which has been terrorizing offenses so far due to how fast defenders can get to the quarterback.

46

A playbook like 46 is in contention for the top playbook available. The playbook has slightly changed from previous years, but it still has meta formations like 33 Nickel, Big Nickel, and 33 Cub Nickel. Dime Normal is a part of this playbook, as is 32 Dollar. Dollar has a bunch of formations that are good against the run and pass.

Multiple D

Multiple D is always a favorite among Madden players, especially those who play MUT. This defensive playbook features most of the formations that one would expect to see. The Nickel formations are once again at the forefront, as well as Dime Normal and Dollar. The 34 defenses haven’t been the best this year, but Multiple D has a large array of 34 formations that players can try and make use of.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Jacksonville Jaguars

The Tampa Bay Bucs playbook owns a spot on the list this year. The Bucs have a unique defensive playbook, as the Nickel formations are different from what we’ve seen before. The Bucs playbook has 33 Cub, as well as 245 Odd and 24 Double A-Gap, which have great blitz packages. Tampa Bay’s book has 34 Bear and 44 Split available as well. Jacksonville has this exact same playbook.

Chicago Bears

The Bears have the 46 Bear, which is one of the most multidimensional defensive formations in the game. Even 61 in 43, Big Nickel, and a Dollar package called 32 Mug round out some of the better packages in the book.

Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore comes equipped with 33 Cub and Odd as well as 24 Double A-Gap. 1-4-6 is arguably the best formation out of the Dime, with loads of blitz packages and then there’s 2-3-6, which sets up well to slow down mobile quarterbacks.

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Categories
FIFA

Everything to Know About FIFA 23 National Teams

Fifa 23 International Teams

Because of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Fifa 23 players will get a World Cup mode. With that World Cup mode we will also get a slew of new international teams to play with and one big one brought back.

Brazil has returned! In FIFA 19 and 20, Brazil only had generic players in the squad apart from Neymar. In FIFA 21 and 22, there were only generic players. For the World Cup in Qatar, the champions will be back in action with all their stars.

The World Cup will also bring some special cards in Ultimate Team, as EA has already introduced us to the FUT World Cup Heroes. Below is the list of which national teams will be in FIFA 23.

FIFA 23: National Teams
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Cameroon
  • China
  • Costa Rica
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • England
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Greece
  • Island
  • Ireland
  • Iran
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Morocco
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Northern Ireland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Qatar
  • Romania
  • Russia (Maybe)
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Scotland
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Tunisia
  • Ukraine
  • Hungary
  • Uruguay
  • USA
  • Wales

Should be a great year of Fifa!

 

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Categories
MADDEN

Madden 23 Review

Madden 23 Review

Madden 23 is not groundbreaking, but a clear step in the right direction.

Coming off two disappointing years in a row, Madden 23 developers focused on refining the game-play. Visually, Madden 23 did not take a big step forward but improvements to animations and defensive AI make it feel more polished, more enjoyable than the last few years. A respectable step forward for the series.

Game-play Improvements

Madden 23 is filled with advancements that are felt in the games play rather than seen.

A few of the improvements on offense offer a higher degree of control over your players, which in turn make things feel more smooth. On the other side of the ball, the defense is significantly smarter than before, making the experience more realistic.

Perhaps the biggest addition is Madden 23’s refined passing controls, which combine with an accuracy meter to offer more control when putting the ball in tight windows. Those offensive changes are balanced by a pass rush that shows more purpose and tighter zone coverage.

What About the Bugs?

Madden 23 is noticeably less buggy then its predecessors, at least on the field. The developers have stated that they felt Madden 23 was the most polished in recent memory.

Final Verdict

Madden fans will tell you that it hasn’t been a great few years for EA’s football simulation. Madden NFL 23 provides a glimpse of a light with a few smart enhancements to animations, AI, and passing mechanics that make meaningful improvements to the on field experience. It’s not greatness, but Madden 23 takes a meaningful step forward.

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Categories
MADDEN

Madden 23 First Impressions

Madden 23 First Impressions

Madden 23 is finally out, here are our first impressions.

There are Noticeable Visual Improvements

Madden 23 doesn’t take a huge leap in visuals when compared to Madden 22, but it does take a noticeable one.

Zone Defense Works Much Better

Being able to trust your A.I. in a coverage you called seems like a given in a football game, that has not been the case in previous iterations of Madden. The defense in Madden 23 makes more sense and in turn, the game is simply more fun.

The New Passing Mechanics Will Benefit the More Skilled Players

The biggest offensive change in Madden 23 is the new passing mechanics. You can still use classic passing, but if you can master the new mechanics it will add another layer to your game. The system is intuitive and adds depth to the experience.

Point of Contact Has Improved

You will notice more animations and more physics-based movement in the new approach EA has chosen. It’s not perfect, there are still issues, however it feels more like real football than previous versions.

Franchise Mode is Significantly Improved

The biggest improvement appears to be to the franchise mode, in line with our observation when beta was released. It is clear EA made the  mode a priority this year.

 

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