Author: Trafficblast

Madden NFL 21 didn’t have the smoothest release. As with many of the previous years’ releases, this year’s Madden was criticized by many reviewers, including here at GameSpot, for its bugs and oddities.

EA has now reiterated that launch is just the beginning for the game. “Madden NFL is a live service and longtime players know that launch is just the start of the annual Madden journey,” EA said in a blog post.

To that end, Title Update 2 came out with the game’s official release on August 28, and it includes fixes for Face of the Franchise and Ultimate Team, among other areas of the game. EA is planning another, more substantial update to be released in September closer to the start of the NFL season. This patch sounds like it will provide fixes for some of Madden 21’s more annoying and frustrating bugs.

“Bugs vary in frequency for our players (some are common; others are rare), but we recognize when one is experienced, it can be frustrating,” EA said. “As an example, we’ve seen one bug where field art is not showing up for a small number of players that has been difficult for us to reproduce. However, we have a fix for it coming in the next update.”

There are many fixes in the September update, which is planned for release on or around September 10, including fixes for pass-rushing issues, improvements for defensive coverage and tackling, and several stability improvements, among many other things. You can see the full patch notes for the August 28 launch day update and the one coming in September down below.

Madden 21 is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and next-gen editions for PS5 and Xbox Series X are coming later this year when those consoles arrive. Players can upgrade to the next-gen edition for free as part of EA’s Dual Entitlement program.

(8/28) Launch Day Updates

• Face of the Franchise
  • Resolved an issue in Face of the Franchise Legacy where the Player Archetype players chosen in certain sequences did not follow them into the NFL
  • A number of soft-locks were fixed
  • Resolved a very rare issue where the user’s avatar skin tone wasn’t always carrying over into NFL scenes
  • Resolved a rare issue where there was no season game in one of the storylines
  • Fixed a rare visual bug where the coach’s head texture wasn’t loading correctly
• Madden Ultimate Team
  • Fixed an issue where users were experiencing long load-times when entering or leaving sub-menus
• Superstar KO
  • Replaced a placeholder model for a coach in Superstar KO: Backyard Heroes
• Content Updates
  • Buffalo Bills stadium name updated
  • Washington team rebranding elements
  • Addressed an issue with uniform geometry
• General Stability Fixes (Crashes/Desyncs)

Upcoming Title Update #3

Here is a look at what the team is working on for inclusion in title update #3: Please note that we are still working through testing and going through certification, so we don’t have an exact release date to share with you at this time, but as noted above, we are targeting the update to go live around the start of the NFL season, on September 10.

Gameplay Updates:

• Pass Rush
  • Fix to an issue preventing defenders in contain from staying in contain when being blocked by a running back in the backfield. The rusher will keep their contain behavior when blocked by any blocker on the line or in the backfield
• Fix to an issue causing the initial pass-rush move of contain players to take them to the inside gap instead of their assigned outside gap.
• Addition of logic to support QB Contain vs. play-action passing plays
• Fix to ‘On-Field Trainer’ issues related to pass rush
• Addition of logic so that defenders without the Strip Specialist Ability will no longer cause fumbles on QBs standing in the Pocket with Normal Sack animations on Competitive game-style only. Only defenders with the Strip Specialist ability will be able to force a fumble on a QB standing in the Pocket on Competitive.

• Defensive Coverage
  • Fix to an issue when using motion in a Twins/Slot formation vs. Nickel/Dime/Dollar defenses, defenders inappropriately swap assignments, leaving the receiver uncovered
  • Addition of logic to Cover 4 Quarters to better handle plays like PA Crossers
  • Fix to an issue preventing defenders in press-alignment from backpedaling appropriately
  • Fix to an alignment issue when flipping Nickel 2-4-5 SS Reno Zone
• Tackling
  • Fix to some tackling issues sometimes preventing tackle animations from triggering vs. Juke and Jurdle moves
  • Fix to an issue causing a receiver to warp up off the ground into a tackle during a possession catch
  • Fix to an issue causing the QB to not react after throwing an INT while being hit by a defender
  • Fix to an issue allowing ball carriers to fake-out defenders behind them when using the Spin Move
• Throw Out of Sack
  • Addition of new logic for when a defender is hitting a QB on his throwing arm the QB will no longer be able to throw the ball. The QB will be forced to tuck the ball or the ball will be fumbled
  • Increase to the fumble chance for QBs throwing out of a sack that are hit significantly before they have started their forward arm movement. The greater the Defender’s Tackle vs Quarterback’s Strength rating discrepancy is in favor of the defender, the higher the fumble chance
  • Fix to a throw out of Sack animation where the ball was not getting released by the Quarterback
    • DEV NOTE: Our goal with the Throw Out Of Sack Improvements was to provide more balance to this new feature that has a significant impact on Gameplay. There is more risk to trying to throw the ball every time a defender is close to the passer. Now it is upon the user to make sure they have started the pass in time or else a defender will be able to force a fumble when they are hit before the arm has started going forward. We have also ensured that when you do start the pass in time, you get the ball off appropriately with the correct distance and accuracy
  • Blocking
    • Fix to an issue preventing the left tackle from blocking the correct defender when running HB Zone Weak plays against Nickel 3-3-5
    • Fix to an issue with graphical distortion occasionally being displayed over blocker-resistance bars
  • General Fixes
    • Tuning to RAC-catch win-chances to reduce frequency of low-rated coverage defenders getting catch-knockouts vs. higher-rated receivers
    • Fix to an issue where Hitting RT/R2 + A/X at the snap would sometimes result in the Quarterback instantly throwing to the A/X Receiver
    • Tuning to give user control a little sooner after an interception
    • Fix to an issue causing Quarterbacks to use drastic turns on subtle movements
    • Fix to the run-speed for ball carriers on Triple Option and Speed Option, allowing sprint speed earlier
    • Tuning some celebration animation issues to clean up some minor hitching
    • Tuning to QB’s front elbow when inside the pocket to improve visual quality

Madden Ultimate Team Updates:

• Improvements to the speed in the menus of Madden Ultimate Team and returning from game modes
• Improvements the speed when interacting with your players and items including upgrades
• Address an issue where items in the lineup screen would initially show as 50/50
• Numerous miscellaneous improvements to MUT Menu UI

Face of the Franchise Updates:

• General stability improvements
• Fix to an issue with users selecting “Let Fate Decide” option when getting drafted
• Fix to an issue with the user’s difficulty setting reverting to Rookie after every game

Franchise Updates:

• Tuning X-Factor abilities for users who select the “Active Roster” option when starting a new Franchise save.
• The next franchise update blog will be released around the start of the NFL season and will outline current plans and target timing for the first of three planned franchise mode updates for Madden NFL 21

The Yard Updates:

• Addition of “Frienderboards” to The Yard
  • These are leaderboards populated by your friends list that will display the Highest Score per event
• Addition of a pop-up to remind those playing VS CPU events that they need a full group to play
• When a user is offensive captain, control will now default to the QB even if their CAP is in another position group
• Fix to an issue where location icons may not appear
• Fix to an issue where full list of house rules may not appear
• Fix to an issue where users may erroneously see “Finding Teammates” after leaving a session
• Fix to an issue where Coach Cam always showed a CAP as being QB #12.
• Fix to the pass leading for the Slot receiver’s Drag Wheel Route in Crossfire
• Fix to a minor camera issue where the view was blocked by objects
• Fix to an issue allowing an extra play after a fumble that went out of bounds on the last play of the game
• Fix to an ‘On-Field Trainer’ issue displaying “Flick” above the ball carrier after catching a pass
• Online stability improvements
• General menu and interface improvements

Crusader Kings 3, Paradox Interactive’s newest addition to its medieval strategy RPG series, is out September 1. Ahead of the launch, we’ve rounded up a selection of reviews to help you decide if Crusader Kings 3 is worth it.

Critics generally praised Crusader Kings 3 highly. It has everything that players loved Crusader Kings 2 for: an imaginative and expansive strategy component, coupled with an in-depth and compelling RPG element.

David Wildgoose, in GameSpot’s Crusader Kings 3 review, gave the game a high score of 8/10. Wildgoose stated, “[T]he singular vision of Crusader Kings 3 [is] a grand strategy game that successfully operates across a bewildering scale, feeling vast and unknowable one moment yet awkwardly intimate the next. It’s a marvel of connectivity, effectively linking together complementary elements plucked from different genres–the role-playing game, the visual novel, the life simulation, the city-builder, the wargame–even if at times you can sense it straining at the seams.”

• Game: Crusader Kings 3
• Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
• Developer: Paradox Interactive
• Release date: September 1
• Price: $50

GameSpot — 8/10

“In a sense, Crusader Kings 3 is all over the place. It doesn’t always work perfectly, and at times it really makes you work for it, but there’s something amazing in that any of it works at all. Strategy games can tell interesting stories as their empires rise and fall, but their procedural narratives are rarely as affecting and poignant as they are here.” – David Wildgoose [Full Review]

IGN — 10/10

“Crusader Kings 3 is a superb strategy game, a great RPG, and a master class in how to take the best parts of existing systems and make them deeper and better. I have thousands of hours in the previous game, and I expect to spend at least that many in this third installment. All of the engrossingly flawed characters and stories of love, war, triumph, and loss that have already dynamically emerged from my playthroughs feel like just the beginning of something legendary. In fact, if I had to pick only one game to play for the rest of my life, the decision wouldn’t be that difficult. A new king of historical strategy has been crowned. Long live the king.” – T.J. Hafer [Full Review]

Kotaku — Unscored

“Crusader Kings III is an immense game, but also an immense achievement. There’s really nothing else quite like it. It’s a strategy game, and a good one at that, and like I’ve said if you only want to raise armies and conquer the world, this will let you do that and you’ll have a good time with it. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a strategy game with the lifeblood of an RPG coursing through its veins, and a character system that lets you truly live in the time rather than just look down on it from above.” – Luke Plunkett [Full Review]

PC Gamer — 94/100

“Crusader Kings 3 is always in motion, always jumping to new stories, so it never lets you get too settled. But it also never ventures far out of its comfort zone. Paradox hasn’t taken it in a different direction or made changes that will elicit any gasps. The stuff that made Crusader Kings 2 so enduring has been pushed to the front even more, while some of the bloat that accumulated over the better part of a decade has been chipped away. It’s a very sensible sequel. I know, I know—’sensible’ is not the most encouraging of words. Let me reassure you, then, that Crusader Kings 3 is incredible. It’s an irrepressible story engine that spits out a constant stream of compelling alt-histories, delightfully infuriating characters and social puzzles that I’ve become obsessed with unravelling.” – Fraser Brown [Full Review]

Rock Paper Shotgun — Unscored

“I like [Crusader Kings 3] a lot. I think there are some awkwardnesses still to be ironed out, but they’re offset by a strong suite of new ideas. I saw what might have resolved into the edges of CK3’s potential a little earlier than I wanted to, in a game of such colossal scope. But I also saw a much stronger starting point for growth than CK2 represented in 2012. It’s less overwrought than its predecessor, and certainly less mentally draining to play. But this felt more like the result of smart design choices than oversimplification. Tonally, it’s in just the same, marvellously dark spot. All in all, and as boring as it is to say, I think Crusader Kings 3 is a lot like Crusader Kings 2, but newer and tidier. And I’m very content with that indeed.” – Nate Crowley [Full Review]

Twinfinite — 5/5

“Not only Crusader Kings 3 is one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, but it’s also one of the best world simulators I can think of. It’s basically the Sims without the gibberish and with swords, on a much, much grander scale. Ultimately, the only really large issue I can identify in Paradox’s latest game is that it’s the supreme emperor of the “one more turn” syndrome (even if it doesn’t really have turns). If there is one title that has the potential to absolutely trash your sleeping schedule, it’s Crusader Kings 3.” – Giuseppe Nelva [Full Review]

Vice — Unscored

“Crusader Kings III is massively, powerfully alive. You can almost feel it pulsing when you play it. Often, deep into the third, fourth, fifth hour of play, I’d realize I wasn’t so much playing it as watching it develop. The streamlining of its user experience and the accessibility of the wealth of information it collates for each and every citizen of it’s stunning rendering of Europe, continental Asia and northern Africa has not just made this a game that’s legible to more kinds of players; it has opened up new dimensions in its sense of character.” – Gita Jackson [Full Review]

VG247 — 5/5

“Crusader Kings 3 is just as bonkers, unpredictable and enthralling as its predecessor. Random encounters have increased and you’re often faced with dilemmas, some straightforward choices and, on occasion, a simple notification that you’ve done something unexpected, like the aforementioned stabbing.” – Lauren Aitken [Full Review]

Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has shared some new details about the game’s story–specifically, the studio has revealed a new enemy character. Jega ‘Rdomnai is a member of The Banished, which is the evil faction of aliens in Halo Infinite. Here is how 343 summed up Jega in a post on Halo Waypoint:

“In hushed whispers throughout the ranks of the Banished, Jega ‘Rdomnai’s name is spoken of with care. The blademaster’s history is shrouded in rumor and half-truths. Some say he was an experiment, an affront to his own kind. Others make mention of a clandestine ambush gone wrong. Very few know the truth, fewer still speak of it. One thing is certain: he has hunted demons before, and as the first recruit welcomed into the Hand of Atriox, he will do so again.”

Jega is further described as a “mysterious and battle-ravaged Sangheli warrior.” He is one of “several” new characters that players will meet in Halo Infinite, 343 said.

In addition to announcing Jega, 343 showed off more of Master Chief’s armor in Halo Infinite. Master Chief will wear the Gen 3 Mark VII armor, which looks familiar but features some new flourishes and upgrades.

“Though it does represent a generational leap for the Mjolnir platform for actively deployed Spartans, some elements tested with the GEN1 and GEN2 Mark VII remain in the prototype stage due to unreliability or cost factors, such as integration of Forerunner-derived nanomachine elements and full shield-shaping,” 343 said.

The famous Dr. Halsey created the newest version of the Mark VII armor, according to the Halo lore. The new suit features “breakthroughs in neural interfaces, shield emitters, fusion power, and armor formulation.”

The concept art of the Gen 3 Mark VII armor was done by Isaac Hannaford.

As a refresher, Halo Infinite’s campaign picks up after the events of Halo 5: Guardians, with a story focusing on Chief as he fights the Banished on Zeta Halo. The Banished’s leader is Escharum, who is, like Jega, a new character in the Halo universe. Another new character is the Pilot, who we first saw in the initial Halo Infinite teaser at E3 2018.

“We’re excited about a story that helps put players of all experiences on a similar playing field,” 343 said. “You are stepping into the Mk.VI [GEN3] Mjolnir of the Master Chief nearly six months after the UNSC met defeat at Zeta Halo. It’s up to you to discover what’s taken place in the past, and what it might mean for our future.”

Halo Infinite was originally expected to release this holiday as a launch title for the Xbox Series X, but, due in part to complications related to COVID-19 and working from home, Microsoft shifted the release date to 2021. Despite what you might have read on the internet, Halo Infinite is not abandoning Xbox One or getting delayed again to 2022.

Fortnite developer Epic Games is currently in a legal battle with Apple, and one of their opening salvos against the company was releasing the short film Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite. The film, below, was a parody of Apple’s 1984 commercial for the Macintosh, which evoked George Orwell’s famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The commercial, which introduced the Apple Macintosh ahead of its release, aired at third quarter time during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984. It is one of the most famous commercials ever, and it was directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, The Martian). Now, the director has weighed in on Epic’s version of his commercial–and while he appreciates the homage, he finds the message wanting.

Speaking to IGN, Scott said that he is aware of the trailer, and that he wrote to Epic about it. “On the one hand I can be fully complimented by the fact they copied [my commercial] shot for shot,” he told IGN. “But pity the message is so ordinary when they could have been talking about democracy or more powerful things.”

Continuing on, the director said that while the animation and idea are “terrific,” he does not think the message is particularly strong–or, to use his specific wording, the message is “ehh”.

Fortnite’s new season is not playable on mobile devices. Season 4 is called Nexus War, and it introduces Marvel characters to the fray. A judge recently denied Epic Games’ attempt to have the game returned to Apple’s App Store.

Big day today. As much as I’ve been enjoying the time off, idle hands aren’t my style.
So, excited to say I’ve accepted a new role and am joining the Facebook Reality Labs team! Can’t wait to get started and help build the future of AR/VR

— Wall of Bill 🏒🥅 (@wcstillwell) August 31, 2020

The Call of Duty League has wrapped up its 2020 season, but it’s coming back next year with some changes. The official CDL Twitter account posted a teaser that seemingly confirms that 4v4 competition is coming to the league next year with the introduction of Black Ops Cold War. The current format is 5 on 5.

As ESPN reminds us, the 4v4 format for professional Call of Duty was the standard until the 2018-2019 season with Black Ops 4 when the team size was increased to five. With competition dropping back to teams of four, this may lead to roster cuts for pro teams.

Former CoD pro Anthony Wheeler said on Twitter that he likes the change but it’s also “scary for the pros” due to the potential cuts.

The Dallas Empire defeated the Atlanta FaZe during the finals over the weekend, claiming a $1.5 million prize and bragging rights. More than 330,000 people watched the event, which makes it the most-watched Call of Duty eSports event in history, according to a press release from Activision.

This was the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League under its city-based structure. There are currently 12 teams in the CDL, and according to another story from ESPN, the league is not looking to expand for the upcoming season in terms of teams.

The price to become a CDL team is said to be $25 million USD, which is paid over time. According to the new report, no further teams are being added for the upcoming season not because of a lack of interest, but instead to give team owners more time to promote the league in an effort to get buyers at a “higher sum” later on.

Black Ops Cold War was recently announced. The campaign takes players to 1981 in a story that is a direct sequel to the 2010 original Black Ops. Sam Worthington (Avatar) is not coming back to play Alex Mason, while the role of Frank Woods has also been recast.

The multiplayer reveal for Black Ops Cold War is coming on September 9, so it won’t be much longer until we see how the game plays.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is going to expand its aerial arsenal with three new aircraft. This new DLC is scheduled for an autumn release, and contains the ASF-X Shinden II, XFA-27, and the CFA-44 Nosferatu planes. All of these have appeared in earlier entries in the franchise.

You can check them out in action in the trailer below. As well as these planes, the DLC will contain new weapons, skins, and emblems–the skins are revealed in the trailer alongside the new aircraft. It’s unclear how much this DLC will cost, and a specific release date has not been announced yet.

At the same time, a free update will unlock a new, easier difficulty level for Ace Combat 7. The new difficulty is called “Casual Easy,” and is designed as an entry point for players who struggle with the harsher elements of Ace Combat.

What this new mode will entail remains to be seen, but Ace Combat 7 features fairly harsh checkpointing in its campaign. As Edmond Tran noted in GameSpot’s 8/10 review, “Checkpoints typically only occur only at the halfway point of a mission, and it’s common to get 20 minutes into a battle before failing to hit an objective and having to start from the very beginning. This can get frustrating in the tail end of the campaign, where threats are more abundant and more relentless and the overall demands are higher.”

If you are curious about Ace Combat 7 and have an Xbox One, it’s available through Xbox Game Pass.