Operation Sports
OS Weekly Wrap Up, Getting You Caught Up on Sports Gaming News (Aug 30 - Sep 5, 2020)
Every Sunday, we will get you caught up on the sports gaming news you might have missed, during the busy week. This includes the latest videos from our content team and featured articles from the staff.
Sports Gaming News
- ’16-’17 Warriors & ’18-’19 Raptors Added to Classic Teams in NBA 2K21
- EA Targeting Madden NFL 21 Title Update #3 To Arrive on September 10 – Here Are The Details
- NHL 21 Closed Technical Test Available, Leave Your Feedback Here
- MLB The Show 20: Ranked Seasons 7 Overview and New Rewards
- WRC 9 Video – Creative Director Interview
- MLB The Show 20: Headliners Set 48 Signature Series Duke Snider
- Scott O’Gallagher Leaving NBA 2K Series For Creative Director Role at EA Sports, Joining Ex-NBA 2K Senior Producer Rob Jones
- Tony Stewart’s All-American Racing Arrives on September 4 – Career Mode, New Physics Engine & More
- PBA Basketball Slam: Arcade Edition Available Now on Steam Early Access
- MLB The Show 20 Patch 1.17 Available – Adds 300 New Player Names to the Play-By-Play Commentary
- Poker Club Announced, Coming to Current and Next-Gen Consoles Later This Year – Trailer and Some Details Here
- WWE 2K Battlegrounds Gameplay Video – Fatal 4-Way With Austin Creed
- Hotshot Racing Launches on September 10 – New Trailer and Details
- A Closer Look at Rocket League Streamlined Seasons, Competitive Ranks & More
- Art of Rally Coming to Steam & GOG on September 23 – Trailer and Details Here
- Tony Stewart’s All-American Racing Gameplay Videos and Screenshots
- RIDE 4 Trailer – Editing and Customization For Bikes & Riders
- EA Sports Presents – From Alex to Ovi: The Story of the Great Eight – Episode 1
- Madden NFL 21 Franchise Updates Scheduled to Arrive in Mid-November (First of 3 Updates)
- MLB The Show 20: 8th Inning Program Guide and Overview
- Play NHL 20 World of Chel and HUT Modes Now & Earn NHL 21 Rewards
- MLB The Show 20: Headliners Set 49 Future Stars Royce Lewis
- MLB The Show 20: Topps Now Wil Myers Among 5 New Players
- Madden NFL 21 Sales Improve 20 Percent Year-Over-Year in its First Week, More Than 17 Million Games Played in The Yard
- September 3rd MLB The Show 20 Roster Update: Soto, Machado and Bieber Continue Upward Trends
- EA Sports UFC 4 Patch 2.03 Available – Patch Notes Here
- RIDE 4 PlayStation 5 Trailer, Coming to Next-Gen January 21
Operation Sports Videos
The closed technical test is currently ongoing for NHL 21, and we have some general ideas about what the improvements will be for NHL 21 based on the first official trailer. With that in mind, Matt wanted to talk about his NHL 21 Be A Pro wishlist since we know that mode will be a bigger focus this year. While we don’t have all the details yet, BAP has been sort of the franchise mode equivalent in Madden where it just has not received much love in recent years.
Brian has still been playing a lot of EA Sports UFC 4, and he’s also been cleaning out his video vault, which includes old UFC 3 footage. So he wanted to post this UFC 4 knockouts video with some of the last vestiges of his UFC 3 unused footage mixed in as well.
For anyone who simply wants to get a look at every player and team in NBA 2K21, we have 60 minutes of raw scrolling for you to scope out, courtesy of Brian. All NBA 2K21 player ratings and all teams are listed here, so you can see who is in the game, who is not, and how the ratings have changed year over year. This list includes players on NBA teams, all the HOF teams, all NBA free agents, all WNBA players and all WNBA free agents.
For those who want to see some more “sim” gameplay that goes beyond what you’ve played in the demo, Brian is here with some NBA 2K21 gameplay featuring the Mavs vs. Sixers. It’s a full game on 2K cam.
Operation Sports Featured Articles
2K20 has been an interesting year for MyTeam. There were new and exciting innovations, but also plenty of the same old problems. Is 2K20 in the conversation for best MyTeam ever? I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I definitely had a great time.
Golf is one of the hardest sports in the world. It is a game of variability. The conditions change from day to day. The lie, the club required, the amount of wind, and most importantly, the course. Courses are unique and all have their own characteristics that will challenge an area of your game. Some courses have narrow fairways and sharp doglegs, while others require precision into the greens. The hardest ones require a golfer to possess an excellent short game and putting skills to turn in a low round. In PGA Tour 2K21 there are endless amounts of courses you can select from to test your ability (thanks create-a-course!). In this case, I have chosen from the 15 official PGA Tour 2K21 courses and whittled the list down from there.
French video game developer Kylotonn has done an impressive job as of late of earning the respect of both the racing community and peers alike. The world of simulation-style racing requires consistency and quality, and with series like Isle of Man, WRC and V-Rally, the developers there have proven they understand the world they are residing in while building upon the positives, and improving in the areas where they have struggled. The question now with the release of WRC 9 is does the current upward trend continue? I was relatively bullish on the game in my preview, so let’s find out how things turned out in the end in this WRC 9 review.
It’s an open secret on OS that the broadcast camera in Madden is a special weapon of sorts. It simultaneously totally changes the gameplay and unlocks a level of beauty in Madden that goes overlooked far too often. Madden really does not get talked about as being a “pretty” game in many circles. The nature of the default camera being a “behind the QB” camera does not provide the game ample opportunities to look like a real TV-style broadcast. Its best chances to show off come from pregame, pre-play cutscenes and other moments where you’re not in control of the action.