EA Getting Sued Over Glitchy Battlefield 4

Battlefield 4 is a very glitchy game. Corrupt save data, servers constantly going down, terrible lag, constant crashes among other issues. I don't own Battlefield 4. Can you guess why?

EA is getting sued over it by some investors who bought stock in EA between July and December. Basically they are saying that EA mislead them because Battlefield 4 was supposed to be a big success and instead people got a buggy mess of a game. EA's stock rose when they told investors Battlefield 4 was going to be a big hit. It went down after the game launched because of all the issues.

Developer DICE has said they are going to postpone all their future projects while they try to fix the game.

Auburn Shocks the Nation With Crazy Win Over Alabama

Alabama the #1 team in the nation lost to rival Auburn 34-28 off a missed FG returned for a TD with 1 second to play.

The game was tied 28-28 with around 30 seconds left. Alabama had the ball. Bama moved the ball down field just enough to set up a potential game winning 57 yard field goal. The game almost ended on the last play before the field goal attempt because the game clock showed no time left. The play was reviewed and overturned. So with 1 second left Alabama got ready to kick a 57 yard field goal. K Cade Foster had already missed 3 field goals in the game so they put in their other K Adam Griffith. Griffith missed it and Chris Davis returned it all the way for a TD and got Auburn the win.

This is probably the craziest ending to a game I have ever seen. I'm not sure what to make of it. This may be the craziest ending to a game ever.

As a UGA fan I could care less about either team. Although I am glad Bama finally lost, this means Ohio State who hasn't beat anyone good, will probably be in the National Championship. Heck they haven't even played anyone good the past two years.

PS4, Xbox One Launch Exclusives Review Score Roundup

All the launch exclusives for PS4 and Xbox One have been reviewed. Look and see what Metascore the big games got:

PS4:

Resogun 83- Resogun is the best PS4 exclusive at launch. It's a very entertaining, fast paced space shooter, with flashy visuals. Its a bit short which is why it didn't score higher.

Killzone Shadow Fall 73- Killzone Shadow Fall is getting mixed reviews because the campaign isn't very good. Like most FPS the online multiplayer is the reason people play it. Since Battlefield 4 and COD Ghosts also don't have good campaigns and are more online focused, I'm not sure why it didn't score higher. Its being praised for its graphics.

Contrast 64- Contrast is a unique puzzle/platformer with a shadow theme to it. Although its unique and the art style is good the reviews are mixed because the gameplay isn't all that fun.

Knack 56- Knack is being criticized for repetitive gameplay and graphics that look like more like a PS3 game than PS4. Seems like they kind of just threw something together to appeal to the casual audience.

Xbox One:

Forza 5 82- Not too surprisingly Forza 5 is the best Xbox One exclusive. What is surprising though is that is a huge step back from past games. Forza 4 had a 91. The main complaint is that there is only 200 cars while Forza 4 had 500. Also the campaign is hollow compared to past games. Its the worst reviewed game in the series. Its being praised for its graphics.

Dead Rising 3 78- Its reviews aren't all that high because its just another zombie game. Its not that innovative but a decent game at best.

Ryse 61- Ryse is all guts, gore and graphics. The reviews aren't good because the gameplay is boring and almost non-existent.

Crimson Dragon 55- Crimson Dragon is a rail shooter that has you controlling dragons with the kinect. The controls aren't good (which is really bad for a motion controlled game) and the gameplay is boring. There has never been a high reviewed Kinect game and it doesn't look like their ever will at this rate.

Both consoles are more of an investment purchase. Launch exclusives are never really all that great but things are looking up next year especially for PS4 with games like infamous Second Son and Driveclub.

Gran Turismo 6 Will Have 1,000 More Cars than Forza 5

Upcoming PS3 tracing sim Gran Turismo 6 will have 1,200 cars. Forza 5 will only have 200. Forza 4 had around 500 cars. 

Here is the full list of cars for Gran Turismo 6:http://www.gran-turismo.com/local/jp/data1/products/gt6/carlist_en.html

And for Forza 5: http://www.virtualr.net/forza-motorsport-5-complete-car-list-revealed

Dez Bryant Bought People a PS4 at Walmart

Dez Bryant bought several Dallas shoppers a PS4 at Walmart. Dez Bryant claims he's the best Madden player in the world. Its good to see some good press about the the star wideout. He really isn't a dirty player like some people say he is.

Infamous Second Son Launches March 24 2014

PS4 exclusive Infamous Second Son will launch March 24th 2014. Its a sequel to Infamous 2 set in Seattle. It has a different protagonist with different super powers. Looks like the PS4 is getting a lot of great games in 2014.

KIrby Triple Deluxe Coming Jan 11 in Japan

The pink puffball is coming to Japan January 11th in his new game, Kirby Triple Deluxe. The game will make good use of the 3DS's 3D because it has Kirby switching between the foreground, middleground and background (hence the name Triple Deluxe). It will come to the U.S early next year too but no date has been announced yet. You can watch the trailer below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FjyF5Um9Ap4

Uncharted PS4 Confirmed

Uncharted 4 has been confirmed for PS4. We don't know much about the game yet but here is a trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SnJPTkrD7o

NFL Mid-Season Power Rankings

We are right at the midway point through this years crazy season. We knew the Chiefs would be better but who would have thought they would go 8-0? How about the Jets? Their at .500! No one expected the Super Bowl aspiring Falcons to suffer so many injuries and only have 2 wins at this point. Here are my full power rankings below:

1. Denver Broncos (7-1) Denver offense is putting up crazy numbers. They have scored 343 points so far, thats 113 more than any other team. Peyton Manning is having the year of his career. Manning has four great targets to throw to, Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Julius Thomas. Knowshon Moreno is finally healthy and proved he can be a starting RB in the NFL. The Broncos should get the first seed in the AFC.

2. Seattle Seahawks (7-1)- Seattle has one heck of a defense and a great running game lead by Marshawn Lynch. Seattle's biggest weakness is their passing game. Dual threat QB Russel Wilson is putting up decent numbers but he doesn't really have anyone to throw to. Percy Harvin should give them a boost when he is healthy. Seattle hasn't lost at home since 2011 so if they get the first seed in the NFC they probably can go all the way.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)- Coach Andy Ried and QB Alex Smith have really turned this thing around. The Chiefs finished 2-14 last year. They have already quadrupled their win total from 2012 this year. The defense is one of the best in the NFL and the running game is fantastic. It is a bit concerning that they almost lost to the Texans with Case Keenum at QB and the Browns with Jason Campbell.

4. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)- The Colts have beaten some really good teams this year. The 49ers, the Broncos and they beat Seattle. Andrew Luck is looking like one of the finest QBs in the NFL. The Colts have a very favorable schedule the rest of the way.

5. New Orleans Saints (6-1)- The Saints went from having the worst defense in NFL history to one of the best in the NFL. Drew Brees is playing well but the offense doesn't seem quite as explosive as before. The running game needs work. Even still I think the Saints are one of the best teams in the NFC right now.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)- Andy Dalton is looking like the franchise QB he was drafted to be. The defense is right up there with the Chiefs and Seahawks as one of the best in the NFL.

7. San Francisco 49ers (6-2)- the 49ers started off slow but now Collin Kaepernick is playing much better getting it done on the ground and in the air. The defense is really good. Kaepernick doesn't have anyone to throw to other than Anquan Boldin.

8. Green Bay Packers (6-2)- Even though Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley are hurt, Arron Rodgers is getting it done. They have a favorable schedule the rest of the way and should be able to wrap up the NFC North title.

9. New England Patriots (6-2)- Tom Brady is having one of his worst seasons ever but the Patriots are still getting it done somehow. New England's defense is playing well. Tom Brady needs to step it up and the running game is average at best. Expect the Patriots to win the AFC East.

10. Detroit Lions (5-3)- Stafford and Megatron are unstoppable together. Calvin Johnson caught 14 passes 329 yards last game, thats the second most ever. Reggie Bush is an explosive RB who is a great pass catcher. They have some issues on defense. I think they can challenge the Packers for the NFC North title.

11. Dallas Cowboys (4-4)- The Cowboys are easily the best team in the NFC East right now but that's partly because the other teams are terrible. The Cowboys offense is very explosive but the defense needs work.

12. San Diego Chargers (4-3)- Phillip Rivers is playing well and isn't turning the ball over like crazy. They have some problems and have a tough schedule.

13. Carolina Panthers (4-3)- Cam Newton is playing some good football right now and the defense is a nice surprise. They have to play the Saints twice and a couple of other tough teams. The running game could be better.

14. Arizona Cardinals (4-4)- The Cardinals have a great defense. Carson Palmer is a decent QB but he throws too many INTs. The offensive line isn't as bad as last year but needs work.

15. Baltimore Ravens (3-4)- The Ravens have lost a lot of close games but a loss is a loss. Joe Flacco really needs to start playing like the 120 million dollar QB they think he is.

16. Chicago Bears (4-3)- Jay Cutler is hurt, the defense is playing bad yet their still above .500 somehow. The defense has to start playing better and Jay Cutler needs to get healthy.

17. Tennessee Titans (3-4)- Tennesse looked like a playoff team but then Jake Locker got hurt. If he can stay healthy and if the defense continues to play well, the Titans could surprise some people this year.

18. Oakland Raiders (3-4)- Terrelle Pryor isn't the best passer but he's doing a lot of damage on the ground. He is leading rusher for the Raiders. Last game he set the NFL record for longest TD run for a QB. The Raiders have problems but are a pretty decent team.

19. New York Jets (4-4)- Some weeks the Jets have looked like a playoff caliber team, others they looked downright terrible like their latest game against the Bengals. They lost that one 49-9. If they can play well consistently then they could be a playoff team but I don't see that happening.

20. Buffalo Bills (3-5)- The Bills have had some impressive wins this year. QB E.J Manuel and RB C.J Spiller need to get healthy and stay healthy if they are going to make the playoffs.

21. Cleveland Browns (3-5)- The Browns have played pretty well this year surprisingly. They seem to play the best whenever Brandon Weeden isn't the starting QB. If they can continue to play good defense and if Jason Campbell plays like he did against the Chiefs all the time then the Browns could sneak into the playoffs.

22. Miami Dolphins (3-4)- The Dolphins started off 3-0 and looked like a playoff contender. Then they lost 4 straight. Tannehill needs to play better and the defense needs to play like they elite unit many people thought it would be. The running game is average.

23. Atlanta Falcons (2-5)- Injuries and a surprisingly bad defense have been the story this year in Atlanta. They have lost way too many star players including Julio Jones, Bradie Ewing and Kroy Biermann for the year, Sean Weatherspoon will be out most of the year, Roddy White and Steven Jackson have been hurt.

24. New York Giants (2-6)- Eli Manning has been a turnover machine this year. They are on a 2 game winning streak and Eli Manning hasn't had an INT in any of those games. If Eli Manning can stop giving the ball away to his opponents the Giants could sneak up and win the division. They are only a couple of games back. I don't see it happening though.

25. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)- The Eagles have had some QB injuries. No one saw that coming (sarcasm). They have a lot of problems on defense and even when Vick is healthy (not too often though) he hasn't played that well.

26. Washington Redskins (2-6)- RG3 isn't playing well at all. I think they rushed him back from his knee injury. The defense is horrible.

27. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5)- Yikes what happened here? There is't really anything positive to say other than that they still have Big Ben.

28. Houston Texans (2-5)- Houston we have a problem. A lot of problems. This ship is falling right out of the sky! In all seriousness the Texans are terrible and have a lot of issues at the QB position.

29. St. Louis Rams (3-5)- Now that Sam Bradford is done for the year any chance of making the playoffs is gone.

30. Minnesota Vikings (1-6)- Other than Adrian Peterson this team is just terrible.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7)- They have some talent on defense but the offense is so bad it doesn't matter.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-8)- The Jaguars are getting outscored by their opponents by 178 points. At least they can get Terry Bridgewater.

3DS Continues to Dominate in Japan, Wii U Still Struggling

This week in Japan the 3DS sold over 213K while the Wii U continues to struggle with only 3K. The PS Vita sales picked up significantly with 60K, probably due to the release of a new model in Japan. Last week it only got 3K.  Here are the full hardware sales followed by last week's:

1. 3DS LL – 141,245 (85,885)
2. 3DS – 72,325 (37,102)
3. PlayStation Vita – 60,166 (3,538)
4. PlayStation 3 – 12,395 (10,232)
5. PSP – 3,467 (4,093)
6. Wii U – 3,276 (4,001)
7. Wii – 703 (914)
8. Xbox 360 – 575 (354)

Sources: http://mynintendonews.com/  

Could there be a 16-0 Team and 0-16 Team this Year?

I think its possible. Denver is unstoppable right now. With possible the greatest QB ever and 3 top tier WRs and a solid defense the Broncos could go 16-0. Manning has 16 TDs, 1470 passing yards, a 75% completion rating and almost 10 yards per attempt 4 weeks in this season. Denver is scoring 44.8 points per game and have outscored their opponents 130-64. Looking at their schedule the only teams that could even remotely put up a fight against them are the Chiefs who are hot right now (and division rivalry games are usually tough) and maybe the Patriots.

On the flip side the Jaguars look absolutely terrible. They are one of the worst teams I've ever seen. Can they repeat the 2008 Lions 0-16 season? Its possible with Blaine Gabbert at QB. Say what you want about MJD but he isn't the same this year. The defense is terrible. The Jaguars are getting outscored by their opponents 29-101. They might be able to beat the Browns but probably not. Although the Browns are on a 3 game winning streak they lost Brian Hoyer for the season. Watch the Browns get terrible again in a hurry. The Titans, Rams and Bills are some other weak teams on their schedule but compared to the Jags those teams are some of the greatest ever.

Its unlikely we will see a 16-0 and a 0-16 team this year but its possible with how great Denver is playing and how shockingly terrible the Jags are. We knew they would be bad but not this bad.

3DS Finally Getting New Kirby Game

Nintendo released a trailer today of a brand new Kirby game set to be released next year. It looks like a regular Kirby game not a spin-off like Kirby's Epic Yarn. It appears like 3D will be an important feature in the game as the game has Kirby switching between front and back layers of levels.

You can watch the trailer here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csXbSf9ptMs

3DS Passes Wii Sales in Japan in Under 3 Years

No surprise really. With games like Super Mario 3D Land, Fire Emblem Awakening, Mario Kart 7, Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon and Shin Megami Tensei 4 (just to name a few) the 3DS is quickly becoming one of the best handhelds ever.
This is an impressive feat considering the 3DS came out in 2011 and the Wii 2006.  

Sources:http://mynintendonews.com/2013/09/25/japan-3ds-exceeds-nintendo-wiis-lifetime-hardware-sales-in-under-three-years/

              

Nothing is Worse than the Butt Fumble

Literally. On SpotsCenter's Not Top 10 segment the Mark Sanchez's Butt Fumble has been the worst of the worst for the past 40 weeks or so. They decided nothing could possibly be worse than that play so they retired it.

"We are retiring it this week due to the start of a new NFL season, and the feeling that it was time to start fresh,” said Senior Coordinating Producer Mark Summer. “The ‘Butt Fumble’ has won the ‘Not Top 10′ each week since last Thanksgiving, and we’re not sure anything could top it.”"

I was hoping that they wouldn't retire it but if they did they would retire it in November that way it could have been the Worst of the Worst for a year but oh well.

Sources:http://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/literally-nothing-could-be-worse-than-the-butt-fumble-so-sportscenter-is-retiring-it/

SEGA Purchases ATLUS Parent Company Index Coorperation

After over a month of rumors and speculation SEGA (technically it was a part of SEGA called SEGA Dream Cooperation that bought it) has decided to buy ATLUS parent company Index Cooperation. ATLUS is famous for Persona, Shin Megami Tensei and recently released Dragon's Crown. Many people (including me) thought Nintendo or Sony might buy them but SEGA was always thought to be the leading candidate.

I would rather Sony or Nintendo buy them but it could be worse (looking at you Crapcom). This isn't a great fit because SEGA doesn't really localize niche JRPG games a lot. Then again the did release extremely niche title Project Diva F in the U.S. If SEGA steps up their localization than this could be a good fit because SEGA usually makes multi-platform games.

Jeff Gordon Added to Chase after 3 Teams Caught Cheating

NASCAR had decided to add Jeff Gordon as a 13th driver in this year's Chase. It looked like Jeff Gordon had secured a spot in the Chase last race at Richmond but Clint Boyer "scratched his itch" (intentionally spun) so his teammate Martin Truex Jr. could make the chase. His crew chief told him prior to the spin, "I bet its hot in there itch it". Michael Waltrip Racing wasn't the only team that cheated though. Penske Racing made a deal with Front Row Motorsports so Joey Logano could pass David Gilliland so he could secure a spot in the Chase. Three teams attempted to manipulate the Chase. MWR was fined $300,000 and all of their drivers were docked 50 points. Truex Jr. was taken out of the Chase and Ryan Newman was added in a couple of days ago. I'm sure Penke Racing and FRM will get disciplined as well but I haven't heard anything yet.

I think NASCAR made the right decision by putting Gordon and Newman in the Chase. Gordon has always been my favorite driver. I agree with Jimmie Johnson though, Logano shouldn't be in the Chase.

Not Dead Yet: Sony Finally Slashes PS Vita Price

Its about time. The PS Vita is now only $199. The PS Vita hasn't been doing all that well due to high price, lack of games, lack of original games and the stupid memory card thing. The PS Vita will have Remote Play with PS4 and will be able to stream pretty much all PS4 games. The PS Vita could make Wii U irrelevant if it starts to pick up in sales and gets some more interesting games. I'm a lot more interested in the Vita now but I'm still waiting for more original games.

Sources: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/thanks-price-cut-sony-ps-vita-dead-article-1.1435074                                                   

My Super Bowl Prediction

According to my predictions the Seahawks and Broncos will be in the Super Bowl. The Broncos have one of the best offenses I have ever seen and the Seahawks have a nearly impenetrable defense. I don't think anyone will be able to stop Denver this year. Their just too good. Having a future hall of fame QB, WRs Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker just isn't fair. The Seahawks will put up a fight but Denver will prevail.

Broncos 27-17

AFC Playoff Predictions

Wild Card round
#6 Chargers VS #3 Colts- Colts 31-27

#5 Chiefs VS #4 Patriots- Patriots 24-21

Divisional Round

#4 Patriots VS #1 Broncos- Broncos 34-27

#3 Colts VS #2 Bengals- Bengals 27-21

AFC Championship

#2 Bengals VS #1 Broncos- Broncos 34-31

NFC Playoff Predictions

Here are my NFC Playoff predictions based on my NFC regular season predictions.

Wild Card Round

#6 Lions VS #3 Packers- Packers 31-24

#5 49ers VS #4 Cowboys- 49ers 27-17

Divisional Round

#3 Packers VS #2 Saints- Saints 38-31

#5 49ers VS #1 Seahawks- Seahawks 27-7

NFC Championship

#2 Saints VS #1 Seahawks- Seahawks 30-17

My NFL Regular Season Predictions (AFC) UPDATED (week 8)

AFC North

1 Bengals 12-4- Andy Dalton is playing really well and the defense is one of the best in the NFL.

2 Ravens 8-8- The Super Bowl champs aren't the same this year. The defense isn't as good and Joe Flacco is playing very average football.

3 Browns 6-10- The Browns have a good defense but the offense is average. I think they will win 6 maybe 7 games this year.

4 Steelers 4-12- Wow what happened here? No running game, no defense Ben Roethlisberger has been average at best.

AFC South

1 Colts 12-4 Andrew Luck is the real deal. Luck has really turned this team around. The Colts are playing good football on offense and defense and I expect them to win the division.

3 Titans 7-9- If Jake Locker can stay healthy and if the defense continues to play well they could sneak into the playoffs. I don't see  them making the playoffs but they have a shot.

4 Jaguars 0-16- The Jaguars have a great shot at going 0-16. They have NOTHING.

AFC East

1 Patriots 11-5- Tom Brady isn't playing as well as he normally does but the Patriots are still a playoff team and always will be as long as he is at QB and Bill Belichick is the head coach.

2 Jets 8-8- The Jets have looked really good some games and terrible in others. That will continue and they will split the rest of their games finishing 8-8.

3 Dolphins 7-9- Ryan Tannehill needs to start playing like the franchise QB he was drafted to be. Its not all his fault though, the defense could be better, running game is average and their WRs haven't played too well.

4 Bills 6-10- E.J Manuel and C.J Spiller can't stay healthy. I don't think thy can win too many games without their studs.

AFC West

1 Broncos 13-3- They have one of the best QBs ever, 3 great WRs, 3 solid RBs and a great defense.

2 Chiefs 13-3 Andy Reid has really turned this team around. At the time of writing they are 8-0 but I think a 5-3 record the rest of the way is realistic. They finish second because either they lose to the Broncos at least once or Denver will have more division wins overall.

3 Chargers 10-6- The Chargers will surprise some people. Philip RIvers will continue to play well and they finish at 10-6.

4 Raiders 7-9- Terrelle Pryor isn't a great passer but can get things done on the ground. They finfish at 7-9 which is pretty good for the Raiders.

Here is what the playoffs would be based on these predictions:

Seed #1 Broncos
Seed #2 Bengals
Seed #3 Colts
Seed #4 Patriots
Seed #5 Chiefs
Seed #6 Chargers

Nintendo Announces 2DS, Slashes Wii U Price

Nintendo has announced a new handheld, the 2DS. The 2DS will play DS and 3DS games however it can't play 3DS games in 3D. The 2DS will launch the same day Pokemon X&Y come out, Oct. 12th. It will cost $129.99. Also the Wii U Deluxe Set will get a 50$ price drop.

The 2DS looks stupid and seems pointless. It's sahped like a tablet. It doesn't have the clam shell design. It looks uncomfortable to hold. It doesn't play games in 3D. I don't see what the point is. Why not just pay a bit more for the regular 3DS? On YouTube it actually has more dislikes than likes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAExBTWIp3M&feature=youtu.be




sources:http://mynintendonews.com/2013/08/28/nintendo-announced-lower-wii-u-price-zelda-wii-u-bundle-and-new-nintendo-2ds-portable/

My NFL Regular Season Prdections (NFC) UPDATED (week 8)

NFC North

1 Packers 11-5- As long as Aaron Rodgers is the QB the Packers will win games.

2 Lions 10-6- Reggie Bush finally gives the Lions a running game and he gives QB Matthew Stafford someone to throw to other than Megatron! Stafford to Calvin Johnson is a lethal combination.

3 Bears 7-9- The Bears could be a good team but Jay Cutler is just an average QB at best. They are weak at the WR position. Matt Forte is a great RB and Chicago's defense is solid.

4 Vikings 2-14- I'm still shocked this team made the playoffs last season. A.P is the lone bright spot for this team.

NFC South

1 Saints 12-4- The Saints have really turned their once crappy defense around. The offense is explosive. Expect the Saints to win the NFC South.

2 Panthers 9-7- Cam Newton is playing pretty good and the defense is solid. I don't think they will make the playoffs but they will have a winning record.

3 Falcons 5-11- The Falcons have suffered too many injuries. Julio Jones, Bradie Ewing and Kroy Biermann are out for the year, Sean Weatherspoon will be out most of the year, Roddy White and Steven Jackson have been hurt. The defense hasn't played well at all.

4 Buccaneers 2-14- Mike Glennon doesn't seem much better than Freeman and RB Doug Martin is hurt.

NFC East

1 Cowboys 9-7- The Cowboys could surprise some people this year. Tony Romo is better than people think he is and he has some great targets to throw to. The Cowboys need to run the football. Tony Romo isn't good enough to win games by himself. Romo needs to step up in important games. They win the division due to lack of competition in the NFC East.

2 Eagles 5-11- The Eagles have a lot of problems. The defense is bad and Vick is never healthy. Chip Kelly can't really run his crazy college style offense without him.

3 Giants 4-12- The Giants don't have much of a running game and they can't stop the run. The offensive line is terrible. Eli Manning is turning the ball over like there is no tomorrow.

4 Redskins 4-12- RG3 is playing terrible and defense is really, really bad.

NFC West

1 Seahawks 13-3- With dual threat QB Russel Wilson a great running game and an impenetrable defense the 'Hawks will be one of the best teams in the NFL.

2 49er's 11-5- 49ers also have a dual threat QB, Collin Kaepernick. Its debatable whether or not he's better than Wilson but he doesn't really have anyone to throw to. The O-line is possibly the best in the NFL. They have a great defense.

3 Cardinals 8-8- Last year the Cardinals started 5-0. Then they lost 11 strait. Now they have a real QB with Carson Palmer. He led the Raiders to have the 8th most passing yards in the NFL last season. That was with a team with no talent. The defense is really good. The Cardinals will surprise some people this year but they still have problems.

4 Rams 3-13- How do you not make the playoffs when your 4-1-1 in your division? The Rams found a way last season. I don't think they will be much better than last year especially with Bradford out for the year.

So based on these projections the playoffs would look like this:

Seed #1 Seahawks
Seed #2 Saints
Seed #3 Packers
Seed #4 Cowboys
Seed #5 49ers
Seed #6 Lions

PS4 Claimed by Sony to be Most Powerful Game Console Ever

The PS4 has been claimed to be the most powerful game console ever. If you compare the specs you will see the PS4 is slightly more powerful than xbox one. Will this make a big difference though? Probably not but only time will tell.  

My Top 10 Fantasy RBs for this Season

1 Adrian Peterson- Coming off an ACL tear Peterson had the second most rushing yards for a single season in 2012. Is he superhuman or what? He should be the first RB and the first player taken in standard fantasy leagues. There is a reason he got MVP last season.

2 Doug Martin- Last year rookie RB Doug Martin exploded and had the second most points for fantasy RBs. The Mussel Hamster has it all: speed, power and hands. He will get you some extra points because he catches a lot.

3 Arain Foster- Even though he is getting less touches every year Foster is still a top 3 RB. Ben Tate will get some touches too but Foster should still be on your fantasy team.

4 Marshawn Lynch- Lynch strives in the run heavy Seahawks offense. The past two seasons he's finished second in rushing yards and third in TDs. Beast Mode isn't slowing down this season.

5 C.J Spiller- Spiller might be the most explosive RB in the NFL. This guy is FAST. He isn't ranked higher because Fred Jackson is still lurking around waiting to get those goal line touches.

6 Jamal Charles- Romeo Crennel and staff had no idea what to do with Jamal Charles. Somehow he got 1,509 rushing yards and 5 TDs. This year expect Charles to finish just outside the top 5 in points for fantasy RBs.

7 Ray Rice- Ray Rice may be in for a bit of a down year. Bernard Pierce will be splitting carries with him and he isn't getting any younger. Even still he should be a low end #1 RB for fantasy owners.

8 Alfred Morris- Morris strived in a run heavy Redskins offense. He probably won't put up the same numbers as last year but he is still top 10 RB.

9 Trent Richardson- Richardson is a tough running bell-cow. He runs really hard. A bit too hard. Richardson is injury prone so he isn't ranked higher.

10 Steven Jackson- Jackson has done pretty good in a crappy Rams offense. Imagine what he will be able to do now that he has some help.

My Top 10 Fantasy QBs for this Season

1 Drew Brees- Brees was the top scoring fantasy QB (and overall player) last season. I think he can definitely do it again. Bress is the first QB to have back to back 5,000+ yard seasons. He is going to be throwing a lot with that crappy D (they had the worst total defense ever last season) and Sean Peyton will be back so expect him to be the top scoring fantasy player again.

2 Peyton Manning- The future hall of famer has a great group of WRs to throw to. With Champ Bailey hurt and Von Miller suspended he will be throwing more. Expect Manning to be a top 3 fantasy QB this season.

3 Aaron Rodgers- Rodgers had a "down" year last season with "only" 39 TDs and 4,295 passing yards. Although the O-line is a concern Aaron Rodgers will be no worse than a top 3 QB this season.

4 Matt Ryan- Ryan is just as good as any of the QBs on this list but he won't have to throw as much because the Falcons have a good defense and now they have a running game. Ryan has possibly the best group of receivers with WRs Julio Jones and Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez.

5 Collin Kaepernick- Kaepernick only started 7 games last season and put up monstrous numbers. Imagine what he will do this season! He is among the best rushing QBs and should be on your fantasy team.

6 Tom Brady- Aaron Hernandez is in jail, Gronk is hurt and Wes Welker is a Denver Bronco. Tom Brady and the Patriots may be in for a down year. Even still Brady is a top 10 fantasy QB.

7 Cam Newton- I have Newton ranked lower than Kaepernick because he doesn't have anywhere near the talent Kaepernick does around him and Newton was very inconsistent last season. Last season Newton was either monstrous or awful. Inconsistent players are nightmares for fantasy owners. Just ask me I made the mistake of drafting him last year.

8 Matthew Stafford- Stafford set an NFL record for most pass attempts in a season last season. Stafford is a very talented QB and has possibly the best WR in the NFL to throw to, Calvin Johnson. He doesn't really have anyone else to throw to but he does have Reggie Bush now.

9 RG3- RG3 put up crazy numbers last season but he seems to be injury prone. If he could stay healthy he could be a top 5 QB but he is risk to draft because of injury issues.

10 Tony Romo- Romo is a very underrated fantasy QB. The Cowboys throw like crazy and Romo puts up pretty good numbers. He is a great bargain because his ADP on NFL.com leagues is the 80th pick.

Matt Ryan agrees to $103.75M extension with Falcons

Matt Ryan and the Falcons have agreed to a 5 year $103.75M. $59M is guaranteed and Ryan will get $63M in the first 3 years.

Drafted in 2008 Ryan has 18,957 passing yards, 127 TDs and a playoff win. Last year he had a career best 4,700+ yards and 32 TDs. Ryan also led the Falcons to a playoff victory over the Seahawks.

Some were suspecting the Falcons may wait until the end of the next season the resign Ryan but this was a good move and probably saved them millions. 

ATLUS Could be Sold as Part of Bankruptcy Auction

      Index Cooperation has gone bankrupt and is selling off it's subsidiaries in an upcoming auction. Its possible ATLUS will be auctioned. ATLUS is a fairly well known Japanese developer that mainly makes JRPGS such as the Souls games, the Shin Megami Tensei series and the popular Persona series.

Companies that could realistically be interested in buying ATLUS:

1. Nintendo- Lately ATLUS has been releasing a lot of games on Nintendo platforms. ATLUS has released three games on the 3DS this year alone and with one more coming in October. They are also working on a Shin Megami Tensei cross Fire Emblem game with Nintendo for the Wii U. Nintendo would be a good fit but there are other companies that could buy them as well. I think Nintendo will buy ATLUS but we will see.

2. Sony- Sony would also be a great fit for ATLUS. Last year ATLUS released Vita title Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4 Arena for PS3 (although it was also on xbox 360). In the past ATLUS has had many games exclusively on Sony consoles and handhelds.

3. Square Enix- Its possible Square Enix could buy ATLUS but I don't think it would be a good fit. It might seem like a good idea but I don't think they would use them right. They would probably make a bunch of mobile games ( I could see them doing something stupid like Persona Mobile edition or something) or something else stupid. I don't think they would know what to do with ATLUS.

Chances are Nintendo or Sony will probably get ATLUS (assuming its auctioned) but Square Enix could sneak up on everyone. Its extremely unlikely western developers like Microsoft or Activation will buy them.

sources:http://mynintendonews.com/2013/07/22/nintendo-to-acquire-atlus-in-parent-company-bankruptcy-auction/  http://wiiudaily.com/2013/07/atlus-for-sale-rumor/

Who won at E3 this year?

This year Sony and Microsoft focused on their new consoles and games (duh) with their press conferences. Nintendo did not have a big press conference but they were at E3. Who won at E3?

Last place, Microsoft: Microsoft pretty much committed suicide with Xbox one. The exclusives look OK at best but most of them were unoriginal big blockbuster type games and FPS with tons of cutscenes and little gameplay. One of the games: Quantum Break has is pretty much an interactive movie with no gameplay. It is getting some good third party games like Metal Gear Solid 5, Need For Speed Rivals and Star Wars Battlefront. But so is the PS4. The biggest problem is that it isn't consumer friendly AT ALL. Why? Well they decided to block used games which was a big mistake. To make things even worse it requires a connection to the new kinect and requires an internet check every 24 hours. It isn't backwards compatible. You still have to pay to play online. Its $100 more than the PS4 at $500. What were they thinking?! Unoriginal games and terrible policies make this a console to avoid.

Second place, Nintendo: Thanks to Microsoft the Wii U now has a chance. Nintendo announced more exclusives than both Sony and Microsoft this year. Nintendo mostly showed Wii U games. With Super Smash Bros Wii U, Mariokart 8, Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3 and other big titles the Wii U might have a chance. Although the Wii U has a ton of indie games it needs more third party retail games. The 3DS is getting some big games too like Super Smash Bros 3DS, Shin Megami Tensei 4 and Pokemon X and Y versions. The 3DS still looks strong.

First place, Sony: Sony's new console, the PS4, is equal in power to the Xbox one but has exclusives that actually have gameplay! Its also very consumer friendly. It's at a good price at $400 and their are a bunch of bundles for it. It can play used games! It doesn't require an internet connection! It isn't backward compatible but Sony is going to offer a service that allows gamers to play ALL PS1, PS2 and PS3 games via cloud gaming. That may be even better than backwards compatibility. It is unkown how much this will cost. Most gamers agree that the PS4 is the go to console this time. Some of the best titles shown were: Infamous Second Son, Knack and DriveClub.

Sony easily won at E3 and will have no problem wining the next generation.


UPDATE: It turns out Microsoft will be dropping many of those annoying policies: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/19/tech/gaming-gadgets/xbox-drm/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Grid 2: Mono Edition is the Most Expensive Game Ever

Grid 2: Mono Edition is no ordinary limited edition version of a game. It's the most expensive game ever at about £125,000. There is only one and it comes with a supercar! Which supercar? The 170 MPH street legal BAC Mono. Yes it is street legal. It also includes a racing helmet and suit. Check back soon for my Grid 2 reveiw.  sources:http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/grid-2-mono-edition-pre-order-costs-125-000-comes-with-own-170mph-sportscar, http://us.bac-mono.com/grid2.php

Xbox One Announced

Microsoft has unveiled their new console, the Xbox One. The Xbox One's power is pretty much identical to that of the PS4. It has a 8 core CPU, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive, 802.11 wireless with Wi-Fi direct and HDMI in/out. It may or may not play used games. It is not backwards compatible. It hasn't been decided weather it will require an online connection or not but it sounds like it will. It will require a connection to the new kinect 2.0. The Xbox One will connect with your cable box so watch T.V strait through the console. It has a feature called Snap that is part of Skype. It lets you watch stuff while talking to your friends. Here is what the new console, kinect 2.0 and the new controller look like:
sources: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-everything-we-know-509069410
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xboxone/meet-xbox-one

Dust 514 review

Dust 514 is a free online MMO FPS connected with EVE Online for the PS3 developed by CCPGAMES.

I played the beta several months ago and thought Dust 514 was overly complex and kind of boring. How much has it improved since the beta.?

The graphics are noticeably better than the beta but the frame rate isn't good. I think it's under 30 frames per second. At least that's what is seems like. The maps aren't that detailed and are kind of generic looking. There is a lot of long range shooting in this game and the poor frame rate makes it hard to see long distances. Overall the graphics are alright but generic.

Now for the MMO part of the game. You start off the game by making a character and are sent to your merc quarters. Here you can customize your character and join battles. You will need to make a dropsuit. You can add all kinds of weapons and accessories to dropsuits. Everything in the game is consumable. So after you use something you will have to replace it. You buy stuff from the marketplace. It's much easier to find stuff than in the beta! There two kinds of currency used in the game. Arum [real money] and ISK [not real money]. If you want the best stuff fast your going to have to pay some real cash or you will have to grind for hours. There are somethings that aren't consumable called Blueprints. If you get a dropsiut or weapon that is a Blueprint version than you can use it as long as you want. You will either have to grind a lot of pay real money for these. You also get skill points after each battle. You use skill points to improve stuff like use of drposuits and weapons etc. To get the skills you actually want you have to first get skills that aren't any good.

You can join or make Corporations. These are large groups of players that fight together. You have to invite people or get invited to be in one. If you get a good group of people you will have more fun than just playing random people. 

There are two game modes, Ambush and Skirmish. There are also several variations of the two. Ambush is pretty much just a team deathmatch mode and Skirmish is like a capture the flag mode. They aren't that original and their just plain boring. Aiming is a bit sluggish but you can turn up the sensitivity. The maps are huge but very dull. At times combat can be fun especially when your on a good team. Sometimes your with a bunch of people that have no idea what their doing. Most of the time actually. Its best to be in a Corporation. 

Overall Dust 514 is a dull FPS with OK MMO elements but the actual game part isn't anything you haven't seen before. It's got some good community features, deep customization but when you actually start playing a match, it will bore you to tears.    

3.8/10 

Gran Turismo 6 announced for PS3 this holiday season

Gran Turismo 6 has been announced today for the PS3 and will come out this holiday season. All the cars and tracks from GT5 will carry over to GT6. There will be over 1,200 cars and 30 tracks. There are many new cars and tracks too. It will run on a brand new engine and will have improved social futures. The course maker has been improved. There are also a lot more car customizing features. Sounds good to me. Here is the trailer :http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7naFe7RWARg

Sources: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/05/15/gran-turismo-6-unveiled-out-this-holiday-on-ps3/

Gran Turismo 6 most likely to be on PS3 rather than PS4?

If you take a look at this picture of the Gran Turismo 15th anniversary event from PlayStation France's website you can see a PS3 logo in the upper right corner. This probably means there will a PS3
announcement at the event. I would be shocked if it's not Gran Turismo 6.

sources: http://www.actiontrip.com/news/sony-confirms-gran-turismo-6-reveal-for-wednesday-ps3-release-further-hinted/051113_4

http://fr.playstation.com/

Gran Turismo 6 to be revealed May 15th?

To celebrate one of the very best and the most realistic racing game series ever, Gran Turismo, a special event is going to be held May 15th at the world famous Silverstone race circuit in England. Kazunori Yamauchi will be "Making some exiting announcements of about the future of the brand". Maybe they will reveal Gran Turismo 6. Its rumored to come out on the PS3 this year. Do you think they will reveal it?

sources http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/05/08/celebrating-15-years-of-gran-turismo/

Falcons Draft Grade

I think the Falcons had a solid draft but it could have been better.

The positions I think they need the most are in this order:
1 DE/DT-pass rush is weak.
2 CB-They just lost a bunch of CBs.
3 OL- They OL is OK but they lost a couple of players and it's just not that great.
4 DBs- Need more depth at this position.
5 TE- Most people think they really need a TE, but they can get one late this draft and one early next year.

The Falcons traded up in the first round to select Washington CB Desmond Trufant. This was a good pick because they just released several CBs and this has been a week position for Atlanta. Trufant, opposite of Asante Samuel, will be a deadly combination for opposing offences. Great pick overall.

In the second round they made a pick I didn't like too much. CB Robert Alford, from a lower division school, Southeastern Louisiana. Although he looks like he might be a starter one day, he's going to be the backup for a couple of years. The pass rush is probably the weakest position for the Falcons. I think they should have selected Georgia DT John Jenkins or another DE or DT.

The Falcons had two fourth round picks. With the first one they selected Clemson DE Malliciah Goodman. For the fourth round this was a good pick. It looks like he may start or at least be in the rotation. If they wanted a starting DE and a backup CB they should have gotten the DE in the second round and the backup CB later, but whatever.

With their next fourth round pick they selected Stanford TE Levine Toilolo. He looks pretty good and even beat out Coby Fleener for the starter in 2010 before he got hurt. Although he looks pretty good they have Tony Gonzolez and they don't use multiple TEs they way teams like New England does. I think they should have selected an OL because they released Tyson Clabo and Todd McClure retired. He's huge at 6'8 260 pounds. Toilolo could be a redzone threat this year and could be a starter next year. Pretty good pick.

In the fifth round the Falcons selected TCU DE Stansly Maponga. He's been very inconsistent. However if he can become more consistent and healthy he may start at some point. I like this pick. Good pick for this late in the draft. I still think they should have gotten the pass rush addressed earlier in the draft.

Atlanta had 3 seventh round picks. They used them for depth purposes. With the first one they selected DB Kemal Ishmael, from Central Florida. Next they got SS Zeke Motta, from Notre Dame. Finally they got QB from duke, Sean Renfree.

Overall there draft was decent. They got a great CB with Trufant. They addressed the rest of the secondary and got some more depth at the pass rush. However, I think they should have gotten better DEs earlier in the draft and addressed the secondary later in the draft. They also should have gotten at least one OL.

I give them a C+

Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 14 Reveiw

Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 14 is the latest golf simulation game from EA.

Graphically the game really doesn't look that much better than the past games. The last Tiger Woods game I got was Tiger Woods 10 and it doesn't look that much better than it. The Animations are decent. Courses look a bit grainy but not bad. The graphics are fair to decent overall.

The usual game modes are here, like practice round which is just a practice round of golf. You can pick any course and and holes you want in this mode. There is a career mode and you make your own golfer and have him/her compete in small tournaments eventually working your way up to the PGA tour or LPGA tour. You can also play in all four majors in career mode or you can play them outside career mode. The newest mode is legends of the majors. These are different challenges against golfers from the past. The newest addition to the online is country clubs. Make or join a country club and compete in tournaments against other people in the club. Its a pretty cool mode.

The actual golfing in the game is realistic. Just not whole lot different from the last games. The newest thing they added is shot shaping. Now you can aim your shots to hit precise draw and fade shots. However wind is not very realistic. 5 MPH wind carries your ball way to far. You don't want to see it when its 20 MPH! I know this isn't realistic because I play real golf. I have played in strong winds before and it doesn't carry the ball nearly as far off as in this game.

The wind issue hurts career mode. When you get into big events the wind speed is set really high no matter what you have it set to. This makes it extremely hard to win. If you don't win you can't retry events. The leveling system is kind of broken. Your limited to how much skill points you can use for each skill until you level up a bunch more. So you forced to use skill points for all the different skills, preventing you from making your golfer how you want him/her to be.

The new online modes are decent like the country club mode and online tournaments. You can also play against the real PGA tour scores when there is a live tournament going on. This is really cool. Online is probably the best part of the game but that's not saying much. The wind seems more accurate here than in single player for some reason. However there seems to be a lot cheaters online so you probably won't win. I checked the leader boards for one of the country club tournaments and someone had 0 putts. They got all hole in ones and chip ins. This kind off stuff happens all the time. This is true for many online games though. 

Legends of the majors is a challenge mode where you relive famous moments of golf. There are a ton of challenges. This mode is a good addition to the Tiger Woods franchise.   

Technical issues plague the game. Excessively long loading times and some freezing issues among other weird bugs.

Also many golfers and courses are missing and being resold as dlc [the courses anyway].

There atmosphere of golf is missing. There's no excitement when you sink that 40 foot putt in for the win etc. Its not the same as on T.V or real life. The commentators are terrible. This is a problem for all sports games though.

Tiger Woods 14 is a good golf sim but it suffers from glitches and it isn't a whole lot different from past games.
5/10

Fire Emblem: Awakening 3DS review

The Fire Emblem series is known for its tactical turned based battles and permanent character deaths. Awakening attempts to keep those elements while also trying to make it more accessible for newcomers. Does it?

I have never enjoined SRPGs or JRPGs [this is a combination of the two] but I heard this was really good [92 on metacritic] and decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did.

The story is OK but a bit cliche. I can't really say much about it without spoiling it as there are some major plot twits early on. The characters are really good and likable. The cutscenes are very well done but there are very few of them. Voice acting is good but most of the dialogue is not voiced. Overall the story is better than most of Nintendo's games but its not that original or memorable. The characters are however.

The gameplay has you moving usually a little over 10 characters across various battlefields in tactical turned based battles. First its your turn and then its the enemy's turn. The game can feel intense as the enemy usually outnumbers you 3 to 1, sometimes more. Your characters get exp when they attack the enemy and eventually level up. When they get to level 10 you can make upgrade them to an advanced class [it's best to wait until 20 so they can be stronger though]. There are tons of different classes and each one has disadvantages and advantages. Characters either use weapons or spells. There is a weapon triangle: swords beat axes, axes beat lances and lances beat swords. The battles are really fun. The AI, classes and everything  is near perfection. In past Fire Emblem games when your characters die they would stay dead permanently. Awakening makes it more accessible to newcomers with the addition of casual mode, which turns off character deaths.

The main story is about 20+ hours long and there are tons of bonus chapters, multiple endings and lots of characters to unlock. 

The support system is one of the best parts of the game. When characters fight beside each other after a while they can have a "support conversation". I wasn't expecting much but the dialogue is really good and usually doesn't get too stupid like some JRPGS. You become attached to the 30+ characters and feel like you really get to know them. After having a support conversation they can deal extra damage, dodge attacks better etc, when they fight alongside each other next time. Pairing up the right characters is key to success. Eventually they can become close friends and some characters can even get married.

For the 3DS the graphics are really good especially the anime scenes. Awakening has 3 distinct art styles. There is the anime. There is the battles with battlefields that have a simple with top down view and the characters are sprites. When they attack the enemy it switches a 3rd person view which is realistic looking [for the 3DS]. 

The soundtrack is also great.

Fire Emblem: Awakening has memorable characters, excellent gameplay, fantastic graphics and a really good soundtrack. Once you play it you won't want to stop and you won't have to as there is tons of content. Its also very accessible for new players.

9.0/10

                             

    

Hi there. I'm Joshua Calvert a big fan of sports and video games. I will be writing articles about sports [mostly NFL] and video games. I will also do some video game reviews.