In the new Madden NFL 17 update today for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, EA has made a number of improvements, fixes, and tweaks to the gameplay and Franchise and Ultimate Team Modes.
Here’s the full list of patch notes for Madden NFL 17 (our review) Title Update 2, which is reportedly a 5GB download on PS4 and a 4.7GB download on Xbox One:
Gameplay
- Tuned Wide Receivers dropping wide open passes to be less frequent
- Auto-Moves now set to OFF for all MUT Solo Challenges
- Player-Lock camera fixes
- Tuned Auto-Broken Tackles to be less frequent
- Variety of defensive run-game tuning fixes
- Strip-Ball exploit fixed
- Fixed issue around clock running out on a defensive penalty
- Fixed issue with QB’s unable to tackle after throwing an Interception
- Fixed a variety of rare Special Teams issues
- Defensive tuning vs. stretch/outside zone runs
- Addressed a variety of fatigue-related issues
- Nano-detection System improvements
- Nano-detection System disabled for user vs. CPU games
- Fixed ‘Ice the Kicker’ not functioning in certain situations
- Addressed users holding kick button to take a delay penalty and re-kicking
- Fixed issue with user not being able to switch players in co-op play
- Tuned to WR/DB positioning on streak routes
- Tuning & Adaptive AI to Linebacker fake-out chances vs. counter plays to make defensive reaction better
- Kick-Meter Accuracy Range increased on All-Pro & All-Madden
- Decreased ‘nearby player’ penalty for defender interceptions, making Interceptions more frequent
Franchise
- Added ability to save/resume solo Cloud Franchise games
- Head to head Cloud games will now default to the standard camera
- Fixed issue where players on IR were counting against active roster
- Fixed issue where user to user trades could be auto accepted when week advances
- Many stats and ratings menus are now in widescreen format
- Fixed issue where some heads appeared incorrect while editing
- Addressed stability issues in Play the Moment, Training, Formation Subs, and Schemes
- Fixed issue where some players with preexisting injuries would never return to health
- Addressed issue where stats are not showing properly when viewed on team goals menu
- Tuned game regression that can occur for quarterbacks
- Fixed issue where defensive rookie of the year can show up as offensive player of the year
- Removed ability for kneeling QBs to be hurt while simminng
- Adjusted fatigue during Play the Moments
- Punter stats are now visible in the menus
- Draft Classes will now have varying penalty traits
- Highlights menu is now available when ending the game on a simmed play
- Going for it on 4th downs in Play the Moments have been tuned
- Strategy suggestions in play call will now track multiple concepts
Ultimate Team
- Added the ability to add multiple items to a set at once (“Batch-Add-to-Set”)
- Improved MUT substitution screen UI
- Chemistry art modifications (larger images!!)
- Addressed the issue where filters in the Auction House would disappear
- Addressed the issue where the “Unopened Packs” tile would show 0 even if you had packs unopened
- Surfaced the “restart” button when failing a Solo Challenge
- Game speed is set to default for all difficulties including Rookie and Pro (no longer “Slow”)
- Auto Subs in MUT Solo Challenges are now working correctly
In other Madden NFL 17 news, it was recently discovered that the sun appears to set in the east in Los Angeles. EA Sports sent a statement to Kotaku about this issue, suggesting it might not be fixed until Madden NFL 18. “Our art team is investigating the issue, and working on correcting it for future editions of Madden NFL,” they said. “In the meantime, we hope players enjoy this sneak peek into what the world might look like if the Earth rotated in the opposite direction.”
Have you noticed the sun being in the wrong spot in a stadium?
[Source: EA Sports, Operation Sports, Kotaku]
10 Agonizing Long Waits
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10 Agonizingly Long Waits For Video Games
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Aliens: Colonial Marines
Originally announced in 2001 by Check Six Games, Aliens: Colonial Marines was originally meant to be a PlayStation 2 game. After five years of troubled development, this version of the game was cancelled. Later that year Gearbox Studios announced they were now developing Aliens: Colonial Marines and that version spent 7 years in development turmoil, and ended up a mess once it released. I guess the moral of the story is to not use the title "Colonial Marines" in a game since it's a bad name and the game is destined to go through hell in order to release.
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Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22
Alright, I probably had no good reason to be excited for Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22, as it was an original PlayStation game released in 2003, but I was young and dumb back then. All I knew is that it was a fighting game (my favorite genre), and I had heard whispers that the game featured a ton of characters from story arcs that were way further than the Saiyan saga. That was enough for me to anticipate it back then. Shockingly, the fighting game which was originally developed and released in Japan in 1995, didn't hold up particularly well after 8 years collecting dust. It was one of my biggest disappointments as a gamer, and I'm still confused as to why it was even localized.
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Duke Nukem Forever
The second Gearbox Studios game on the list is also a disaster. They aren't really to blame for this one, though, as Duke Nukem Forever had been in development at 3D Realms for 14 years (spanning back to 1997). Gearbox acquired the rights to the game in 2010, and released it the next year. It wasn't awful, but it certainly wasn't worth over a decade of waiting.
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Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy Versus XIII was one of the reasons why many gamers bought a PlayStation 3. After an uncountable amount of delays, and a name change to Final Fantasy XV the game is finally set to release this year. It's been a very long wait for Final Fantasy fans, but early impressions have been very positive. Hopefully this will be a feel-good story that shows a game can get out of development hell.
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Persona 5
I adore almost everything about the Persona series. From the stellar gameplay systems to the phenomenal writing and soundtracks, I don't feel like there are any other RPGs that are quite this polished. That's why I've been waiting for the series' first HD installment ever since Persona 4 released in 2008. Now, over eight years later the game is finally out...in Japan. Oh, well. A few more months will be tough, but I have a feeling that it will be all worth it in the end.
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PlayStation Vita
I absolutely love handheld gaming. That's why the PlayStation Vita's Japan-exclusive 2011 launch was really difficult for me. I actually came dangerously close to spending a lot of extra money and importing a Japanese system (since it was region free), but I never did. Instead, I just read every single news story I could prior to the system releasing February 15, 2012. While the post-launch support has been less than stellar, nothing can tarnish the pure week of bliss I had when the Vita initially launched. It's an incredible handheld, even if Sony doesn't treat it as such.
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Tekken X Street Fighter
Remember this? Back when Street Fighter X Tekken (pictured) was announced in 2010, Namco also said they would be creating a Tekken equivalent. It has been six years since then and the title is "officially on hold" according to Tekken head Katsuhiro Harada. I'm not sure if this will ever be released, but I sure hope it does. I'd love to see how the Street Fighter characters would play in a Tekken style. Until an official cancellation, I'll be patiently (and painfully) waiting.
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The Last Guardian
It's only fitting that The Last Guardian was recently delayed for one (hopefully) final time. Team Ico's third title has been in development for the entire span of the PS3's life, and it was looking like it would never be released. It's finally coming later this year, so it'll be interesting to finally get to play this game. I hope people will enjoy it, but as you can see long development cycles don't have a stellar track record.
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter released came out September 2007 in Japan. It wouldn't release in North America until October 2015. Why the long delay? Well, the first game took five years to come out in North America, and the sequel had an understaffed and troubled localization. The game's script is over 716 thousand words, so it's understandable why it took so many years to finally finish being localized. Now to wait for the third (and final) game so the story can be completed.
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Yakuza 5
Despite not being a huge success in North America, Sega had done a speedy job releasing Yakuza games in North America. That was until Yakuza 5, which took three whole years to come out. Once it finally released in North America, most gamers had already moved onto the PS4, but it was as good a reason to boot up a PS3 as any. It's a fantastic game, and really the best Yakuza game yet. Things are looking up for the Yakuza franchise and I can't wait to play future entries.
