2 True Performance Skating Quick Clips

Ben Ross, producer for NHL 13, released 2 new videos going over the newest feature in this year’s EA Sports hockey game.  It looks noticeably different from last year’s game based mainly on increased realism.

There is a big emphasis this year on things like physics, momentum and speed.  Those additions in the new feature called true performance skating should make NHL 13 the best hockey game yet.

Take a look at the latest trailers below.

$15 Credit When You Pre Order Madden 13

Amazon.com is offering a $15 dollar promotional credit when you pre order the game through their website.  This is not the same as the $15 dollars off you received when you pre order NCAA Football 13, but rather it is a $15 dollar credit that can be applied to any future order on Amazon.com.

By pre ordering Madden 13 through Amazon, you also will receive $1 release date shipping, no tax in most states, and exclusive NFL legends pack, a low price guarantee and now also a $15 credit.  This offer is only good on the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 versions right now.  It is not available with the Wii or PS Vita.

Order your copy of Madden NFL 13 today!

Hockey Cover Vote Reaches Finals

Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators will battle Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers in the final round of the NHL 13 cover vote.  You can place your vote on the NHL.com website from now until June 4th.

Unfortunately, the winner wil not be revealed until June 20th.  Let us know who you are voting for in the comments section below, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

Madden NFL Rookie Ratings Changes Over The Years

Bo McCready over at Operation Sports put together one of the more interesting articles I have seen in a long time.  He charted the overall rookie ratings between Madden 07 and Madden 12 and found a staggering difference.  As a long time player of football video games, I too had noticed a downward trend in player ratings that rookies enter the game with.

He finds that the average overall rating for first round rookies in Madden 07 was an 81.44 while in Madden 12 that number dropped to 76.44.  In that context it looks like rookies should have less of an impact in current Madden NFL games than in the past.  But when he digs into the details a little more, he finds that the average first rounder in Madden 07 was the 40th best player at his position while in Madden 12 the average first rounder was the 42nd best player.

So while it may seem like the overall rookie ratings continue to trend down each year, it is not as significant as people make it out to be.  Check out the full article over at Operation Sports.

Scouting in Dynasty Mode Gets Revamped

NCAA Football 13 will see much improved scouting in the popular dynasty mode.  In the past, scouting a player didn’t tell you too much about his real in-game attributes.  This year, depending on how many hours you spend on a recruit, you receive more and more information and specific player ratings for that player.

This is a big improvement on paper but it remains to be seen how much of an impact it has on the game.  Most experienced dynasty players know that 4.26 speed translates to 97-99 speed.  However this information could be very useful if you are interested in more obscure stats like route running, or impact blocking.

You can judge for yourself in the video below.

Heisman Challenge: Play With Past Greats on Any Team

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have Herschel Walker on your favorite college football team? NCAA Football 13 will allow you to play that fantasy out in its brand new feature titled, Heisman Challenge…

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have Herschel Walker on your favorite college football team?  NCAA Football 13 will allow you to play that fantasy out in its brand new feature titled, “Heisman Challenge.”  Yesterday we showed you screenshots of Tim Tebow and Robert Griffin III in this game mode and today we have the full details.  In this new feature, you will be able to take previous Heisman trophy winner’s and place them on any team you would like.

If you download the NCAA Football 13 demo, you will get additional Heisman winners Jim Plunkett, Archie Griffin, and Tim Brown. If you pre-order from Gamestop, you will receive Tim Tebow, Mark Ingram and Matt Leinart.

You can watch the webcast from EA Sports or the 1 minute trailer going over Heisman mode.