Every Sunday, we will get you caught up on the sports gaming news you might have missed, during the busy week. This week we’ve posted reviews for NBA 2K23, FIFA 23 and World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing. Plenty of other news and features to read as well. Enjoy.
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While midfielders still don’t defend as actively as I’d like, they and their defenders do a better job cutting off passing lanes by sticking out a foot. This makes passing more risk/reward and offers a way to get those passing percentages down to a more realistic level with a little enforced passing error. I still feel like blocking shots in and around the box is overpowered, but when it comes to passing it’s a welcome resistance. By actively sticking out a foot, the overall match pace feels like a more realistic simulation — although as you creep up the difficulty levels the passing becomes more automatic by the AI.
Tackling is one area that has also seen improvements, in both the standing and sliding variety. While I particularly think the new hard slide tackle is a waste of a feature, the tackling buttons are much more responsive, which actually allows to you take the ball off the AI in 1-on-1 scenarios. Now if only my AI teammates put in a challenge every once in a while.
Once the race had launched, it was evident the gameplay was more than just about finishing first. There was an actual strategy required. There are variations of ships, with each ship offering up enhanced abilities that can either play into your strategy for the race or work against them, so choose wisely. The options range from stronger attack guns to more agile and faster ships or ships with a more robust defense system.
The game also allows you to unlock upgrades through various accomplishments and can be done so by racing in any of the current modes offered. Unlock a better shield in an exhibition race and that same shield can be used in campaign mode.
Matt10 and crew are back in the lab working on FIFA 23 sliders. The FIFA 23 OS community sliders are up to Version 3, and it seems like the updates will continue to be a bit hot and heavy as they search for a baseline they’re happy with for the game. If you read our review, KG thinks certain aspects of the game cannot be properly tuned without sliders. Maybe that will change in a future patch, but we feel like the game is not going to play like “real” soccer without some tweaks. This is where the OS Community Sliders come into play. Of course, there are plenty of other sliders to look at if these don’t work for you, but we tend to highlight the most popular sets first and foremost.
When I last talked about NBA 2K23, there was a negativity to the article that was driven by my frustration with corporate greed. That being said, I do genuinely think NBA 2K23has some amazing gameplay that is littered with highlight moments and flair that showcases how good 2K can be at mimicking the feel and look of many of today’s (and yesterday’s) stars. There is also a vast amount of NBA 2K23 content creators out there who are all providing a variety of services, tips, and tricks that are meant to help folks out there with the game. However, I think the “guides” that are usually out there relate to either MyTeam or MyCareer. With MyCareer, it’s stuff like “what shot is easiest to green” or “use this build to own” and so on. With MyTeam, it’s showcasing what players to buy or avoid, what badges are important, or how to finish up objectives in a timely fashion. All that stuff is great, but I wanted to highlight Kevin Cruz and the NBA 2K23 tutorial work he’s doing because I think it’s more in line with stuff this community would appreciate.
The rollout for the NBA 2K23 Championship Edition NBA League Pass codes started last week. Over on the OS forums, folks have been talking about that process and whether it has gone smoothly or not for them. Some users have had no issues, while others are still struggling to get their codes, so I thought I would showcase a couple different posts to help out anyone who is maybe having issues right now redeeming the code. 2K Support is still who you should be reaching out to with problems, but feel free to head on over to the OS forums to troubleshoot there as well.
This is where I spent most of my time. Career mode in World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing is a fun, authentic, and addicting experience. As mentioned above, you can feel the polish of iRacing in the driving model, which carries over into career mode.
Monster Games developers went with a tried-and-true method with career mode in WoO, and why not? It works and works well. You start as a newcomer in the world of dirt racing at the local level, racing at tracks in your local area and a few scattered around a bit further away. You have limited funds, staff, fans, and essential equipment. You are armed with only the hopes and dreams of moving up the ladder to the professional level, the World of Outlaws sprint cars.
Most single-player game modes in the RPG realm are not worth playing without an intriguing story. I think this year’s Face of the Franchise mode has taken a unique approach compared to past versions. In previous years, EA’s FotF would start later in the college football season. The main objective would be to grind through the college football playoffs and all the pre-draft nuances before hearing your name called by one of the 32 NFL teams.
This year, things are done a bit differently. For starters, you’re no longer a wide-eyed rookie. Instead, you’re a fifth-year veteran searching for a fresh start and the perfect opportunity. You can sign with any NFL team, but each team’s interest will vary based on their current roster. For example, a team that needs a quarterback will be a better fit and, more times than not, will offer you a contract that reflects this. To help you decide, EA went back to the old way of doing things, giving each team a letter grade based on team need and fit.
Anyone who has played MyCareer in the NBA 2K games in the time since the introduction of a storyline complete with characters and cutscenes will be able to tell you that the general backbone of the narrative hasn’t changed all that much from year-to-year. Sure, they might bring in Spike Lee to handle direction or slightly alter the background of your player, but that hardly creates a ton of variety in the beats your story will inevitably hit. No matter if your name happens to be Pres or Frequency Vibrations or the trusty acronym “MP” (get it, short for MyPlayer), you’re likely to have to worry about getting over the same old hurdles of being drafted, cracking the starting lineup, and dancing around trade rumors. While you do that, you’ll probably find yourself surrounded by some combination of trusted friends (or annoying ones like B-Fresh in NBA 2K19), savvy agents, and wise pros eager to offer advice. Before too long, you’re bound to get the nagging feeling that you’ve seen this movie before. The same is true for the NBA 2K23 MyCareer story.
It’s a given that cards featured in Diamond Dynasty get stronger as the year goes on. Power creep exists in every card game, from MLB The Show to Madden to Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering. It’s a necessary function of each respective game and is the main catalyst of excitement and anticipation that keeps players engaged. The debate and conversation about the best cards available, the analysis on which cards are superior, and the speculation about the cards to come. It’s all very relevant and essentially the building block of Diamond Dynasty each year. So it wasn’t surprising that Legends of the Franchise ended up being the best program to date. It should be! But man was it surprising how powerful some of these cards ended up being.
One of the features I was intrigued about trying out first-hand was the new physics system. With HyperMotion 2 being touted as a way to introduce more realistic physics into the game, I wanted to see if the changes had an actual impact. Well, it’s a mixed bag on this front. On one hand, you can see the new revamped ball physics on display when you switch the play. The ball spins and rotates realistically as you track the ball of the flight.
On the other hand, the things EA highlighted pre-release such as deflections and collision physics look and feel the same as last year. While the weight of the players has increased for the better, players still collide with each other and produce unrealistic collisions, especially considering the tendency to keep that finger hovering over the sprint button. A lot of the new deflections that come via an extended foot or leg can only be seen on replay, and from the some of the replays I’ve seen these shots — especially those of the power variety — would cause some painful injuries. Deflections and 50-50s still favor the AI, especially as you get used to the new body types and what they mean in terms of acceleration.
NBA 2K23 is the closest we have gotten to something that plays like a true basketball sim. Things are a little slower and more complicated to do this year, and I didn’t know how I’d feel about the changes that were made and talked about before launch. I can say with confidence that this is the first time that 2K’s long claimed “stick skills rule supreme” rings true on the whole. Add in the fact that you have to play with IQ, and you’ve got a fantastic game of basketball on the court. Let’s break down the things that have worked well so far.
From the jump, shooting is more rewarding as you mostly have to “green” or shoot a perfect/excellent release in order for your shot to go in. I’ve seen a few “whites” or slightly early/late release shots go in, but that’s been quite rare. People that are having a hard time locking in their shot timing and release points have complained about this, but most players are quite happy with the change. Not getting bailed out for mistiming your shot benefits everyone as it forces players to find a shot that works for them, learn it, and stick with it. Mike Wang already voiced his position on not wanting to touch shooting at all on Twitter.
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