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- OSFF Week 10 Contest and Week 11 Prizes! (3)
- NCAA Basketball 2010 Review (95)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Review (8)
- Madden 10: AskMadden Tip of the Week (60)
- OS Roundtable: Best 16-bit Sports Game (43)
- NBA Unrivaled (DLC) Review (15)
- OS Fact or Fiction: Football Strategy Edition (6)
- NCAA Basketball 10 Available, Post Impressions Here (894)
- NCAA Basketball 2010 Review (95)
- Madden 10: AskMadden Tip of the Week (60)
- OS Roundtable: Best 16-bit Sports Game (43)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Review (8)
- Blog: NCAA Basketball 10 Initial Impressions by ehh (15)
- Blog: Wednesday Other Stuff (11-18-09) by Steve_OS (7)
- Blog: Thursday Other Stuff (11-19-09) by Steve_OS (4)
- Blog: Sports Psychology by rudyjuly2 (4)
- Blog: Roster Update Today by marcoyk (2)
Friday, November 20, 2009
07:45 PM - November 20, 2009. Posted by lgkeeper. Written by Trent Sano
Congratulations to "Jeddah Jihadists" owned by "juliusjackson" for taking home the 10th weekly contest of Operation Sports Fantasy Football! Chris Johnson, Randy Moss and the Ravens' D led "JJ" to an impressive 195.92 point performance and the weekly crown.
"juliusjackson" will be awarded the following for his Week 10 win:
- 2k Sports T-shirt
- Wii - Don King Boxing
- PS3 - NCAA Football 2010
- MLB 09 The Show t-shirt
- PSP - MLB 09 The Show
- PS3 - WWE Legends of WrestleMania
- PS3 - WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2009
The top 5 in the OSFF Overall Contest are as follows:
1. "Terror" (ithrowds) - 1,391.07 pts - $299.80 team value
2. "Wall Street Warriors" (heater41) - 1,363.17 pts - $262.99 team value
3. "Sars" (sars) - 1,343.20 pts - $316.31 team value
4. "Tree Fiddy Scarlet Knights" (morellomre) - 1,338.85 pts - $303.47 team value
5. "Team Kevster" (kevster2) - 1,307.06 pts - $190.46 team value
Of the top 100 overall scorers, the team with the highest value is 7th place "Circle the Wagons" owned by "tySoke." His team is valued at $316.43.
It's also time to announce the prizes for the Week 11 contest! Next week (well, technically this week's) champ will win:
- 360 Face Plate
- 360 - Top Spin 3
- 360 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010
- MLB 09 The Show t-shirt
- PS2 - MLB 09 The Show
- PS3 - WWE Legends of WrestleMania
- PS3 - WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2008
05:18 PM - November 20, 2009. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
The Fight Night Round 4 blog has been updated with 4 videos, featuring Mike Mahar and Brian Hayes, answering questions about the upcoming DLC pack #3, among other things.
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01:12 PM - November 20, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Christian McLeod
No franchise was more in need of a makeover last fall than EA's (formerly known as) March Madness series. The crescendo of the franchise's downfall came with March Madness 08, which turned out to be the equivalent of a number 16 seed after the first day of the NCAA Tournament -- routed by a vastly superior opponent and lucky to even have been invited to the big dance. Thankfully, EA listened to the criticism leveled at the March Madness series and decided to start from scratch. The result was NCAA Basketball 09. NCAA Basketball 09 corrected many of the nagging issues from the March Madness series and implemented a core experience that could be built upon in future iterations of the series. While the game was ultimately crippled by some annoying bugs (for example, playing zone against the CPU would force an ungodly amount of turnovers) and a lackluster dynasty mode, the overall game was a very solid Freshman effort by EA. 2008 marked the year that the developers at EA once again made their college basketball offering relevant.
And now with the first week of college basketball upon us, it is only natural that EA has released NCAA Basketball 10. Touting revolutionary television presentation, an all-new motion offense mechanic and yearly team and player "dynamic" updates, NCAA Basketball 10 is ready to up the tempo and try to run all other 2009 hoops competition out of the gym.
So is the game ready to ascend to the level of a UNC, UCLA and Michigan State, or is NCAA 10's bubble going to burst well before March?
Read More - NCAA Basketball 10 Review
- Sony In Talks With Mozilla?
- Video: Google's Chrome OS revealed
- Videos: Ten Train Wreck Wrestling Promos
- Internet Explorer 9: what you need to know
- 8 Ways to Watch TV and Movies Without Cable
- How do spammers send from my email address?
- Oprah to end show in 2011
- The Top 10 Most Aggravating Types of Drivers
- A Flowchart for the Confused Consumer of Fast Food
Happy Birthday to the following OS'ers!
Deathrowromeo21 (40), cuppylove (30), Thrasha (22), roonoc (20)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
08:18 PM - November 19, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Richard Chavez
While soccer has been the most popular sport in the world for a long time, it has yet to really take hold in the US. It has been a hit with youths but that interest seems to gradually wane with age. With the World Cup in 2010, English Premier League games on ESPN and a rising star in Jozy Altidore, the sport may gain a much larger audience in North America. Simply put, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 has already sold millions overseas. Now it’s time to take the battle to the place where football has a different meaning.
Read More - Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Review
06:47 PM - November 19, 2009. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Catch Your Opponent Off-Guard with
Game Changers featured in Madden NFL Arcade
Game Changers featured in Madden NFL Arcade
Madden NFL Arcade delivers an all new 5-on-5 gridiron experience, complete with 13 action-packed Game Changers. Each player will have the chance to receive a Game Changer before every play. They can choose to use their awarded Game Changer immediately or save it for a crucial play. Either way, every Game Changer has the ability to impact a play and change the course of the game.
Freeze a single player on your opponent’s team, confuse the defense by passing 3 footballs instead of 1, or pick up the pace of the play with lightning speed. Game Changers ensure that no 2 plays are the same in Madden NFL Arcade!
Entourage - Bring in the reinforcements as Entourage sends the rest of your lineman into the game to help out for a play.
Triple Threat - Disguise which receiver you’re throwing the ball by sending out two other decoys with the Power Ball game changer.
Bonus Play - Give yourself an additional down to help get in the end zone and earn some much deserved points with Bonus Play.
Make it, Take it - If you’re good enough to score when you trigger Make It, Take It, the ball is yours to keep on the next possession.
Turbo – The Turbo game changer will send players in fast forward by giving them an extra speed burst.
Molasses – Game too fast for you? Use Molasses to take down the action on the field to a less frantic pace.
Fumbilitis – Turn your opponent’s into butter fingers as they’ll have a difficult time holding on to the ball with Fumbilitis.
It’s Alive – Make any pass a scramble for the ball as its Alive will turn any incomplete pass into a live ball.
Frostbite - Put the freeze on one opposing player from moving by using the game changer Frostbite.
Fast Pass - Fast Pass gives the power to a QB to throw the ultimate bulleted pass.
Flying Blind - Sabotage your opponent by using Flying Blind to turn off their passing icons.
Flip Flop – Jealous of your opponents score? Flip Flop will nicely borrow the score and never give it back.
Dud – Hey, they can’t all be winners.
Let's get the negatives out of the way, some larger issues from Live 10 that are in NCAA '10:
- Minimal fast breaks though the CPU will push the ball a lot if they're up tempo.
- Spotty/average animations
- Players step out of bounds sometimes (although it's much improved in NCAA thanks to the Boundary Forcefield Slider still being present)
- CPU never kicks the ball out after an offensive rebound
- CPU does not pass the ball out of the post enough
- Like Live pre-patch there needs to be more fouls though sliders may be able to fix this, more testing is needed.
- No CPU name indicator under the ball handler
- Dynasty is largely unchanged, recruiting changes still need to be evaluated. Sim logic is improved, maybe too strict (not enough upsets).
- At times there will be a whistle and you have no idea what happened, the commentator won't mention anything and there won't be an overlay. This happens far less frequently than it did in 09 though.
- The CPU's guards dominate the offense and they don't feature their star players enough. This seems improved to a certain degree but is not perfect. You shouldn't see stars taking less than 10 FGA. In two games against "stars" Luke Harangody had 19 FGA and Greg Monroe had 13.
- You cannot edit jump shot animations for each player.
- Rosters are still a mess. Guys missing and poor ratings.
- Still cannot edit a player's class/year.
- The CPU's offense doesn't do questionable/out of character things. No three pointers from big men who never shoot past 12' IRL, no fadeaway three's early in the shot clock, no 'one quick pass and shot' nonsense.
- Contested shots are much better in NCAA '10. They go in far less and the CPU recognizes when they are contested and don't shoot them as often.
- The contact in the paint is much less frequent than in NBA Live. It's pretty good, you'll get it every now and then but a majority of the time if you have space or a lane to the hoop you'll get your shot off instead of being sucked into contact (on Varsity at least). This applies to the user and the CPU.
- Players step out of bounds far less, since I upped the boundary forcefield slider to 100 I've seen one player set out of bounds in four games.
- Defensive rotations are better than Live post-patch, similar to Live pre-patch. Less skating, less speedy recovery (on Varsity at least).
Obviously there are more issues with the game but those are some of the more discussed ones on the OS boards.
Moving on, the game does a lot of things right. Starting with the biggie obviously, the presentation. They hit it out of the park, way, way out of the park. It's not just an overlay here and there, there is a lot of great stuff that you'll see. Starting with the CBS or ESPN intro, you get pretty pumped up right from the start of the broadcast.
- Highlight packages for players having a big game, complete with the ESPN/CBS swipe that says the players name.
- Highlight packages for your motion offense, points in the paint or three point shooting. Again, shows your team name, the type of highlight package you'll see and then 3-4 clips.
- After a time out we get 'commercial break' commentary and highlights, plus the score overlay. Nessler, etc will say, "And stay right there, we'll be back after this with more college basketball on ESPN."
- When the shot clock is winding down a box will pop up on the screen that shows it, just like in a real-life broadcast
- Overlays for scoring droughts (Team A is scoreless the last 2:03)
- Overlays for team fouls, rebounding, blocks, assists, etc.
- If you're ranked it will say it on the score overlay the entire game just like IRL.
- There is a very noticeable difference in players this year. Not just guards compared to bigs, but good, quick guards compared to slower, average guards. You'll notice a difference using Sherron Collins compared to a mid or low major point guard. Most SF's can't easily get by defenders with the dribble because their R-stick moves are slow and don't work well. Big men trying to drive into the paint will get stripped. This is something Live 10 did pretty well IMO and I'm not surprised that it's carried over to NCAA.
- Unlike in NBA Live, you cannot iso and pick-n-roll the entire game and expect to have success. The motion offense (more on this later) and set plays are beautiful, just like in Live, and will help you tremendously if you run them frequently.
- I have seen two illegal screens called.
- Controls from NCAA 09 are vastly improved.
- Freestyle passing is more responsive and more accurate than Live.
- Game tempo still works well. With UConn I played Notre Dame and won 85-77, then played Georgetown (half court tempo) and won 54-52.
- Zones work very well. No crazy turnovers/steals/interceptions like in 09.
- Drive, draw and dish game is still beautiful, and even a little better than 09.
- On the fly subs are really improved. It's much quicker and more response, shows fatigue and number of fouls each player has. Big, big improvement. You can also smoothly use on the fly subs while the CPU is shooting free throws, something that's a disaster in Live.
- When you pause the game you get a game reset on the screen, showing time, score, time outs left, team fouls and a few stats. All this information was no where to be found in 09.
- Roster editing is much quicker and more responsive. You can fly through all the accessories, faces, etc - it is instant. No more 2-3 second hitch when you change sneakers or a face.
- A lot of new accessories. Arm sleeves, black socks, knee braces/pads, jumper knee straps, more sweatband types (above elbow, on elbow, forearm, wrist) and all the dope sneakers from Live 10. Helps with individualizing players and making them more true to their real life counterpart.
- The arch on jump shots is fixed from 09, no more "only rainbows go in".
- Ball physics are improved from 09.
- Subs are shown checking into the game at the scorer's table.
- Net animations are much improved.
NCAA 10 is putting in a valiant effort after being left for dead by many people before it was even released. However, Live had a similar overwhelmingly positive initial reaction but that died pretty quickly and the patch arguably did more harm than good. Time will tell with NCAA '10, we'll see how everyone feels 6-8 weeks from now and if the initial shine has worn off or if the game is still impressing people. The game play is extremely solid so far (out of the box for gameplay sliders) and the presentation is out of this world.
Ultimately the dynasty mode will make or break this game for most people, is it good enough for people to invest two or three months with NCAA '10? Obviously it's no where near 2K8's legendary legacy mode but if it's serviceable then NCAA '10 might be a surprising title that satisfies a lot of gamers. If you're on the fence then rent or wait it out to see how everyone feels in a month, the depth and replay value will be the key with NCAA '10 in the end.
12:18 PM - November 19, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by AskMadden
Madden has always mirrored the NFL. In this week's tip, we look at what the Philadelphia Eagles have to take into account if they want to be successful passing the ball. This logic goes hand-in-hand with the Madden football series. Bottom line, fast receivers are only a threat when they have space to use their speed. To overcome physical corners as well as inexperience, we hit practice mode to demonstrate how the Eagles in the NFL, as well as teams with undersized receivers in Madden, get open space for their playmakers to create big plays.
Read More - Madden 10: AskMadden Tip of the Week
06:48 AM - November 19, 2009. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Eurogamer paid a visit to RedLynx and posted this Trials HD article.
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Just in case you missed it, our review was posted right here.
- American League's Best Pitcher is a Warcraft Player
- Firmware Update v6.20 for PSP
- How to Build Your Own 3D Camera Rig for Under $20
- Video: Zero Punctuation: Dragon Age: Origins
- Video: The Parable of the Pumping Stallion
- Creating the Hottest Female Athlete Ever
- The Problem With Internet Girlfriends
- Free to Play Shooters
- What's in a name? More than you might think
- World War 2 Japanese Super-Submarine Found In Hawaii
Happy Birthday to the following OS'ers!
bisons18, vikingsfan1 (46), DesmondHoward21 (32), ffaacc03 (31), str8stuntin03 (25)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
11:54 PM - November 18, 2009. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Check out the NCAA Basketball 10 launch sizzle. 
07:05 AM - November 18, 2009. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Eurogamer has the details.
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- Google Holding Chrome OS Event Thursday
- RealView's V-Screen for PSP review
- 17 things worth knowing about your cat
- Videos: 30 Killer Movie Closing Lines
- DSi downloads can be moved, with a little help from Nintendo
Happy Birthday to the following OS'ers!
bighoff63 (33), ILuvMary (31), onebmf044 (27), TLgators15 (25), Munkey (17), daflyboys
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
07:13 PM - November 17, 2009. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
TONY HAWK™: RIDE® ROLLS ONTO NORTH AMERICAN
RETAIL SHELVES
RETAIL SHELVES
Innovative Board Controller Gets Kids and Families
Off the Couch and Into the Game
Off the Couch and Into the Game
Santa Monica, CA – November 17, 2009 – It’s time to get off the couch and into the game with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Tony Hawk: RIDE, the ground-breaking new entry in the popular action sports franchise. Featuring a revolutionary skateboard controller, players of varied skill levels can physically control the action by stepping on board to perform movements and gestures that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game; from grinds, grabs and ollies to Tony Hawk’s signature tricks.
“Tony Hawk: RIDE is THE new way to play. It gives a whole new meaning to game night by allowing the entire family to challenge one another to competitions that are as fun to watch as they are to play,” said Rob Kostich, head of marketing, licensed products, Activision Publishing, Inc. “It’s the perfect activity for the entire family this holiday season…and anytime of the year.”
“This is the game I’ve always wanted to make,” said legendary pro skater Tony Hawk. “The skateboard peripheral opens up a whole new level of interactivity and physicality, allowing players to control the action with their whole body. I can’t wait for everyone to jump on the board and ride.”
Tony Hawk: RIDE takes the popular action sports video game franchise in an all-new direction. The wireless skateboard controller was designed in conjunction with the game to offer a dynamic gaming experience built from the ground up. The innovative motion sensing peripheral offers a completely new way to play games. Without complex button combinations or analog sticks, gamers of various skill levels can literally step on the board and play.
Tony Hawk: RIDE is developed by Robomodo for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Buzz Monkey developed the Wii™ system version. The game is rated E10+ by the ESRB. For more information, fans can visit http://www.THRide.com, http://www.Facebook.com/TonyHawkRIDE and http://www.Twitter.com/THRIDE.
So after 10-plus years have passed and the dust has begun to settle, our writers now want to debate which games were the best of that era by answering the roundtable question:
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