Yet another promo video came out of the EA Sports YouTube channel earlier today hinting at the huge NHL 13 news that is supposed to be dropping this Friday.  The trailer shows how NHL 11 changed the way sports games were made by adding real physics.  A change of that nature will be added to NHL 13 so be sure to check back here on Friday, May 18th for the full scoop.

Last Thursday I was invited by EA Sports FIFA community manager, Romily Broad, to watch a live webcast from the team at FIFA 13.  The webcast, featuring producers Nick Channon and Aaron McHardy, lasted a little over 90 minutes and gave a few community leaders an exclusive look at some of the big additions to FIFA 13.  Last week we touched on the 5 new additions and focuses coming to this year’s version of the game.  This week we can go into detail about what exactly you can expect from those new additions.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any screenshots or videos (and understandably so) since the game is still so early on in the development stage but I took as detailed notes as possible so hopefully I can give you a good idea of what FIFA 13 looks like at this stage.  Take a look at my summary from the FIFA 13 community kickoff webcast and if you have ideas or comments let me know and I will try to pass along of the feedback to the developers.

We already know that the 5 features that will see a big emphasis in FIFA 13 are attacking intelligence improvements, complete dribbling, first touch control, player impact engine and tactical free kicks.  But up until today, we had no idea what to expect from each one.  Lets take a deeper look at each one individually.

Attacking Intelligence Improvements

1. Decisive runs are now more natural instead of having players running around like they are confused.  Players in FIFA 13 now move with conviction.  The days of players only moving in straight lines are over.
2. Different types of runs like being able to curve your run allow you to more easily stay onside.  Instead of turning and running toward the sideline or turning all the way around, a player will stutter or change his angle to avoid going offside.
3. Players have a better ability to open up passing channels.
4. Players now are programmed to think two plays ahead.  While it may not be perfect, there is an attempt to get that level of player intelligence into FIFA 13.

A common question that came up from the community leaders was, “Since attackers now have been improved dramatically what happens to defenders?”  This question was answered in 3 parts:

1. Highly skilled players and less fatigued players have a better chance of doing these things.
2. Defenders still hold up very well even to the improved attacking capabilities.
3. The balance will still be there.  You don’t need to worry about matches with scores of 8-6.  It will still be very realistic.

Complete Dribbling

1. You can now move in a direction different than your attacker is facing.  Your player will have 360 degrees of movement as well as 360 degrees of facing.
2. There is maximum protection while shielding the ball with precision dribbling.
3. FIFA Street put in a feature called,  ”street ball control” which FIFA 13 improved and built off of. You will see much more freedom and creativity in dribbling this year.

First Touch Control

1. In FIFA 12 any player could control any type of pass and keep the ball right next to them even if it is an incredibly difficult touch.
2. First touch control will be based off of player skill, environment, and other factors that will make FIFA 13 much more realistic.  So if it is raining heavily and it is a contested ball, it will be much harder to control a long pass in FIFA 13 than it was in FIFA 12.
3. The exploit of the lofted through ball has been taken away.
4. The gameplay and animations look much more natural.

Player Impact Engine

1. Last year’s player impact engine was all about stumbles, falls and collissions.  This year is about building features on top of the platform that was laid out last year.
2. There is a better understanding of how tangled players stand up in FIFA 13.  No more FIFA 12 kiss animation!
3. Players will have more humanistic strengths in all joints which gives us more realistic player reactions.
4. Push/Pull system improved.  Strong defenders can play to their strengths.  The push/pull system has been expanded from just on the dribbler to any player on the pitch at any time.
5. The referee now has a better understanding of the push/pull system which allows for more fairly called matches.

Tactical Free Kicks

1. There are a ton of new options on both free kicks and the defense of free kicks.
2. You can now play kicks to the run over players.
3. You are allowed a 3^rd kicker to be a part of free kicks in FIFA 13.
4. You don’t have to have a free kick specialist like Christiano Ronaldo to have successful free kicks anymore.
5. Restructured the way the wall works.  You can now re-form the wall if you are faked out.  Or you can creep up a little with your wall to make the angle harder for the attacker.  If you creep up to far however, you will be penalized.

Miscellaneous Notes

1. Lateral contain
2. New pass types
3. New animations
4. New celebrations
5. New intelligence

These notes are fairly raw since there was so much information packed into the 90 minute webcast so if anything was unclear, feel free to ask about it in the comments section.  Also, if you have any FIFA 13 suggestions or comments go ahead and leave them in the comments section and if enough people want something, I will pass it along to Romily Broad.

There has already been plenty of news about the addition of Phil Simms and Jim Nantz to the Madden 13 game.  In today’s Madden NFL 13 playbook the team at EA Sports takes that a little further.  Mark Schlereth interviews audio producer Matt Bialosuknia with an emphasis audio and sound.  There will be brand new sound effects coming from the stands, quarterback cadences, and real hit sound effects.

Check out the 2 videos below for complete details.  Playbook 4 for Madden 13 comes out June 4th.

The first trailer for NHL 13 came out earlier today from the EA Sports YouTube channel.  Although it doesn’t show too much and can only really be considered a teaser, it does hint at what they are referring to as a “gameplay revolution.”  There is an official announcement about what this new feature will include coming this Friday.

While we wait, check out the NHL 13 teaser trailer below and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Many of you dedicated VG Strategy readers know that I have a strong dislike for USC football but when news comes out about NCAA Football 13, even my dislike for the Trojans won’t stop me from spreading the news.  Earlier today, EA Sports released a video on their Youtube page showing off a smart portion of a game between Oregon and USC.

Although they noticeably called the place where USC plays the “USC Stadium” instead of the LA Coliseum (presumably due to licensing issues), there were some fantastic features showed off.  In the video below, you can see USC’s pre-game ritual, the studio pre-game show, and the new live look-in feature.

In the beginning of the video, there is a title called, “Quick Clips Thursday” which leads us to believe that every Thursday there will be more gameplay videos coming out from around the country.

Amazon.com and Toys R’ Us have both marked down NCAA Football 13 to $44.99.  A few days ago this deal was only on the XBOX 360 version of the game but it has since been expanded to include PlayStation 3 as well.  This may be one of the best pre-order deals of all time.  If you order through Amazon, you get release date shipping for a maximum of 99 cents, you have no tax, you receive the exclusive Nike Pro Combat Uniforms, and a $15 price cut!  There is no telling how long this deal will last so you should move quickly if you plan on buying NCAA 13.

We should be clear that this is not a post-release price slash which indicates that the game may be underselling or underperforming.  This is a retailer based cut which has nothing to do with the quality of the game.  Order your copy today!

Fans of the upcoming FIFA 13 game can look forward to 5 major improvements this year including First Touch Control, Tactical Free-Kicks, Player Impact, Complete Dribble, and Attacking AI.  According to the head FIFA 13 producer, David Rutter, most of the annoying bugs in FIFA 12 have been worked out so that means no more unrealistic animations or physics bugs.  When you combine these changes with the new digital imaging system that was announced last week, FIFA 13 is on track to be an amazing game.

Head over to the VG Strategy Facebook page to see the first 6 FIFA 13 screenshots.

The team at EA Sports is taking another step in the right direction with the NCAA Football 13 dynasty mode.  While it isn’t as exciting as the announcement about gameplay a few weeks ago, there are still a few new features to get excited about.  Some of these updates include:

1. Rece Davis joins the broadcast crew of Kirk Herbstreit, Bred Nessler, and Erin Andrews providing authentic commentary.
2. Recruiting grades can now change on a weekly basis based on your performance the week before.
3. There will be live in-game studio updates.
4. An ESPN bottom line ticker to keep you informed on the happenings around the dynasty.
5. Various scouting and recruiting improvements.

Check out the videos below for more details.

UPDATE! Amazon.com has NCAA Football 13 on the XBOX 360 for only $44.99.  Pre-order today to lock in that price!

While FIFA 12 was a giant step forward for the series, EA Sports looks to continue their dominance of the virtual pitch.  It has been confirmed that FIFA 13 will feature new digital imaging designed to make it much easier to recognize your favorite players from a distance as well as up close.  EA Sports has partnered with Dimensional Imaging to produce a 3D likeness that we have never seen before.

We still don’t have too many details concerning FIFA 13 but it is usually around this time that details start to emerge.  When they do, we will keep you posted.