Author: Trafficblast

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Madden NFL 19 doesn’t officially release until August 10 (or August 7 if you buy the Hall of Fame edition), but a trial for the game is out now on EA and Origin Access. The game is picking up generally positive review scores, but as is the case pretty much every year, there have been some issues as well. A new patch is out now to fix some of these and other problems, including the Colin Kaepernick accidental censoring issue.

In addition to fixing that problem, the new update makes the game look better by updating a number of stadium exteriors and tweaking player likenesses and bodies. Additionally, the highly touted Real Player Motion feature gets improved with things like better pre-play QB signature looks, more authentic acceleration rates, and the ability for AI ball-carriers to use the new “one cut” running mechanic.

The pre-release patch also adds new commentary and makes some changes to Franchise mode as it relates to skill point progression. Additionally, the patch fixes a really bizarre bug where the camera would exit the entire stadium in some situations. You can see the full patch notes below, as posted by EA in the Madden forums.

For more on Madden 19, check out GameSpot’s Review in Progress here. We’re still testing the online modes, and we’ll report back with a final score in the coming days.

Madden 19 Patch Notes

Key Highlights:

• Authenticity: Updated various stadium exteriors, player likenesses/bodies, rosters and coaches
• Real Player Motion: Improved Pre-Play QB Signatures, Players’ Acceleration rates and AI-controlled ball carriers’ usage of the One-Cut mechanic
• Franchise: Tuned rookie generation to better match the base rosters & skill point progression for better league balance
• Commentary: Added additional commentary for Franchise, MUT Solo Challenges, and more player specific content for the Legends and Rookies
• Soundtrack: YG “Big Bank” track updated

Change Log:

• General stability and quality improvements

Franchise Updates:

• Tuned generated rookies to now have traits that are similar to base rosters
• Tuned the frequency of high OVR rookies generated in the draft
• Increased regression for some positions to maintain a more realistic league turnover rate
• Increased XP cost of skill points for younger players, and reduced XP cost for higher OVR players
• Tuned XP earned from training, awards, and goals to increase XP gain for rising stars
• Reduced frequency of injuries
• Reduced simulated game score results during the preseason for better realism
• Tuned post game Snapshot logic to reduce shots of idle players and empty space

Visual Updates:

• Resolved a bug where the camera POV would exit the stadium
• Updated various stadium exteriors, player likenesses/bodies, rosters and coaches
• Updated face likeness for the following players:
  1. San Francisco 49ers’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo
  2. Buffalo Bills’ QB Josh Allen
  3. Arizona Cardinals’ QB Josh Rosen
  4. Baltimore Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson
  5. New York Jets’ QB Sam Darnold
  6. New York Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley
  7. Kansas City Chiefs’ WR Tyreek Hill
  8. Philadelphia Eagles’ K Jake Elliott
  9. New Orleans Saints’ LB Alex Anzalone
  10. Baltimore Ravens’ TE Hayden Hurst

Gameplay Updates:

• Tuned Acceleration rate so players can hit their top speed faster
• Fixed an issue to make QB Pre-Play audio when using hot routes to bluff on running plays
• Fixed Pass Interference penalties not being called when a defender would use the cut stick mechanic vs. a receiver while running his route – this applies to all Game Styles and difficulty levels
• Added ability to view Team TD Celebrations when playing online
• Added coverage logic to better defend passes to the flats
• Fixed an issue causing AI-controlled ball carriers to repeatedly use the one-cut mechanic during the same play
• Fixed an issue to make the Audibles on the Fly interface update dynamically
• Fixed an issue that was preventing users from loading into game with their selected playbook when not using an active profile
• Fixed cases of players giving up on the play after a failed attempt at a fumble recovery
• Fixed fumbled tosses on the following plays: I Form Pro FB Fake HB Flip, Gun Trips TE Speed Option, I Form Pro HB Toss
• Tuned to decrease the frequency of defensive wins vs. double team blocks on zone plays
• Fixed a missed handoff on Wildcat Trips Over Jet Sweep
• Fixed issues with pre-play pass blocking adjustment interface that caused players to get stuck in the menu
• Fix for blockers on kick return sometimes forming an illegal wedge, per new NFL kickoff rules
• Fixed an issue causing players to repeatedly knock the ball out during fumble recoveries
• Fixed an issue around the camera pointing in the wrong direction during Extra Points and Field Goals
• Fixed an issue that caused receivers to go into a pass block assignment when running curl routes or after being sent in motion
• Fix for defensive linemen constantly shifting back and forth when using defensive line adjustments in pre-play
• Fix for receivers and/or defenders warping out of catch interactions
• Fix for receivers running backwards after catching WR Screen passes
• After watching you play the game and listening to your Beta feedback, we increased the speed of the QB pre-play animations and added some more clock-driven context around them while maintaining the integrity of our new approach. You can read about the QB Signatures in further detail in our earlier Gameplay Deep Dive (https://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/news/2018/gameplay-deep-dive).
  1. Tuned to make player transitions smoother from the huddle break to the line of scrimmage
  2. Added functionality for QBs’ pre-play animations to speed up when there is either 10 seconds or less on the play clock, or the game clock when it’s running – under these circumstances, all QB adjustments will use Hot Route animations only
  3. Tuned to increase the speed of QB pre-play animations
  4. Added functionality for one free pre-play adjustment when breaking the huddle – the QB will not use an animation if an adjustment is called right after the huddle break

PC Updates:

• Resolved an issue that would cause keyboard and mouse users to log out of their Origin account when entering Exhibition modes

Back in 2015, Warner Bros. and Mojang announced that It’s Always Sunny star Rob McElhenney would direct the Minecraft movie. McElhenney at the time said he was looking forward to doing something “stranger and wonderful” with the movie. Now he’s left the project, and the movie has been delayed beyond its previously announced May 2019 release window, apparently.

“No, that is not happening,” McElhenney told The Wrap.

The website also reported that Warner Bros. has hired new writers, Aaron and Adam Nee (Band of Robbers), to pen the latest draft of the script. Wonder Woman writer Jason Fuchs wrote the previous draft.

McElhenney is at least the second director to leave the Minecraft movie. Night at the Museum and Stranger Things director Shawn Levy was previously attached to direct a movie that was going to be a Goonies-style adventure. However, Mojang vetoed this idea and Levy exited the project. Levy is now set to direct the upcoming Uncharted film starring Tom Holland as a young Nathan Drake.

Little is known about the Minecraft movie. Mojang COO Vu Bui stressed back in 2015 that the film is not going to be the definitive, official take on Minecraft’s story–because it doesn’t really even have one. “We don’t want any story that we make, whether it’s a movie or a book, to create some sort of ‘this is the official Minecraft, this is how you play the game’ thing,” he said. “That would discourage all the players who don’t play in that way. When coming up with a story [for the movie], we want to make sure it is just a story within Minecraft, as opposed to the story within Minecraft.”

Part of what Minecraft so great is that has central, defining story but it rather an open-ended sandbox experience where players can create and do anything they want. Mojang experimented with story-telling in the Minecraft universe with its partnership with Telltale for the adventure game series Minecraft: Story Mode.

The film will be produced by The Departed’s Roy Lee.

Some more Super Smash Bros. Ultimate news is on the way very soon. Before the Super Smash Bros. Melee Grand Finals kicked off at EVO 2018, Nintendo announced it is going to broadcast a special Nintendo Direct presentation all about the upcoming Smash game for Switch this Wednesday, August 8.

The Direct will begin at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM BST. Nintendo hasn’t revealed how long the presentation is scheduled to last, nor has it divulged any further details on what will be shown off, only confirming that the Direct will be delivered by series director Masahiro Sakurai and will feature “new game information.” You’ll be able to stream the presentation on Nintendo’s website and right here on GameSpot.

This marks the first new information Nintendo is sharing about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate since the game was formally unveiled at E3 this past June. During the company’s E3 presentation, we learned that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will feature the largest roster in the series to date, with every single character from previous games returning for the Switch entry. Nintendo also confirmed that Ultimate is a new game built for Switch, not a port.

Perhaps most notably, we got our first look two brand-new additions to the roster at E3: Samus’s much-requested nemesis, Ridley, and Princess Daisy. Both characters will receive their own Amiibo figures, as will returning fighters such as Wolf and Ice Climbers. Nintendo confirmed all existing Super Smash Bros. Amiibo will be compatible with Ultimate, and reprints of many previous figures will be made available later this year.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches for Switch on December 7. You can read more about the highly anticipated fighter in our roundup of everything we know about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Bandai Namco has announced two new characters for SoulCalibur VI: Astaroth and Seong Mi-na. The announcement was made during EVO 2018, an annual fighting game tournament held in Las Vegas. During the show producer Motohiro Okubo appeared on stage to reveal the characters and show off a trailer for both characters.

For longtime SoulCalibur players Astaroth and Seong Mi-na will be welcome additions, as they have both been mainstays in previous titles. As with his previous incarnations, Astaroth towers above most of his enemies, and makes good on his imposing presence by wielding a giant axe. He’s a powerhouse, using his incredible strength to deal huge damage and, thanks to his axe, also has pretty good range.

Seong Mi-na also has great range thanks to her longsword. She also looks to have very oppressive strings and is capable of mixing up high and low attacks very quickly. She’ll no doubt be putting defenses to the test with her aggressive, speedy style of fighting. You can see both characters in action in the video above.

In late July, Voldo was also announced as a returning character, which didn’t come as a huge surprise as he’s one of the five characters that has appeared in every entry in the series series, making his debut in 1995’s Soul Edge.

SoulCalibur VI’s release date has been confirmed as October 19. Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series has been confirmed as a guest character and will even be featured on the game’s cover. Witcher developer CD Projekt Red says it is working closely with Bandai to assure Geralt looks and feels authentic in the game.