Last year's NBA 2K game was solid. There's no doubting that. It featured the same good looking gameplay that we're used to with an insane amount of fidelity in terms of the animations the series has always possessed. Yet, when I sat down with NBA 2K10, I found myself staring at a bunch of cool-looking basketball moves with the feeling of total control being a bit muted. But man, they sure did look great. While I'm happy to report that this year's NBA 2K still looks wonderfully polished even in the early build I just played, gone are all of those canned animations that constrained some of the action to looking more like a movie than a user-controlled basketball game.

The release of Madden is a momentous occasion each and every year. Not just because it's the only NFL-branded game of pigskin available, but also because -- for many of us -- it signals the beginning of the NFL season. I've spent the last two weeks playing the finished review build of Madden NFL 11 and I can say that those looking for a great game of football needn't look any further once August 10th rolls around.

We do believe that this change [Strategy Pad] is for the better, and that in the long run it delivers a much more positive experience to the gamers that are willing to try and adapt. Due to the overwhelming feedback however, we will be providing the old-style button commands as an option that can be enabled. We are currently targeting this change to be released around the first week of the NFL season as it will take some time to get through third party approvals.

IFA Soccer 11 reinvents player authenticity – on and off the ball – for every player and at every position on the pitch with Personality+, an all-new feature that sees individual abilities reflected in game, enabling clear differentiation for every player.

With Personality+ a player’s abilities on the pitch is mirrored authentically in game, creating individual personalities. Players will be distinguished from one another through a sophisticated database that evaluates and grades each player’s skill-set over 36 attributes and 57 traits, compiled by 1700 scouts around the world. Real Madrid’s Kaka will deliver crisp, creative passes, Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta will utilize tighter turns and close control to dribble through defenses, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney will hold off defenders and strike shots from distance with pace, and top-flight defenders like Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus will anticipate, predict and react to offensive players to win back possession.

Goalkeepers have also been injected with Personality+. The real-life personality of the keeper, whether acrobatic or traditional, will dictate his style in game. Dive attributes will determine keepers with ability to reach for further shots while reflex attributes determine reaction times, enabling a keeper like Petr Cech of Chelsea FC to showcase world-class skills.

Building on the FIFA Soccer 10 gameplay that won 50 sports game of the year awards, FIFA Soccer 11 introduces new Pro Passing where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer’s ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch. Plus, experience true freedom in man-to-man interactions with 360° Fight for Possession that transforms physical play from just lateral jostling to full 360° collisions.

A series of new customization tools will enable fans to transform FIFA Soccer 11 in new ways. Go online in Creation Center to create a player or team, share with friends and download into your console. Plus, assign customized chants for any team and play music tracks from your existing library within the game.

New features will be announced at Gamescom in Cologne.

Key Features

* Personality+ — A player’s performance on the pitch is mirrored authentically in game, creating clearly differentiated players with individual personalities. Personality+ at every position and for every player reinvents how players perform—on and off the ball.
* Personality+ Goalkeepers—The real-life personality of the Keeper, whether acrobatic or traditional, will dictate his style in the game. Dive attributes will determine the keepers with the ability to reach for further shots while Reflex attribute determine reaction times.
* Personality+ CPU AI— CPU controlled stars have a suite of skill moves to exploit, with star player attributes and specific behaviours attributed to particular players.
* Personality+ Celebrations—User Controlled Celebrations 2.0 enables you to perform your players’ trademark celebration & interact with teammates in real-time.
* Personality+ Player Models— Greater variety of bodies and models further distinguishes each player. Plus, new dribble run styles perfectly match players’ real-world abilities and style.
* Pro Passing System— A new passing system where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer’s ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch. Poor decisions or over/under striking the ball will mean error-prone outcomes. New types of passes such as swerve passes will enable players to make a safer and more effective play.
* 360° Fight For Possession —True freedom in man-to-man interactions, transforming physical play from individual lateral jostling to full 360° collisions involving multiple players.
* Advanced Intelligence: REAL AI now controls CPU players enabling them to recognize and react to patterns of play more sophisticated than simple on-the-ball decisions. Plus, hundreds of skill moves have been recorded and assigned to thousands of players.
* Advanced Goalkeeper Awareness— Goalkeepers are now more aware of their surroundings and react more intelligently to each threat. Improvements include sprinting to cut off a loose ball, demonstrating urgency when scrambling back to the net, and the aptitude to skillfully identify and react to lob shots.
* Creation Centre: Go online to craft your own player and create the team of your dreams. Plus, manage your team’s formations and tactics right from the web. Create your player’s appearance, accessories and attributes and then create a team with a distinctive crest and kits. Share with friends and download into your console to play online, in Tournaments and in Kick-Off matches. Created players can also be used in the Arena, Career Mode and Lounge Mode.
* Career Mode: A new engine delivers an authentic experience that mimics the real-world game. Begin as a real player, created player or Virtual Pro and evolve into a player-manager and manager--or just begin at the top--and enjoy a 15-year career. Players now receive instant feedback and enjoy a vastly improved status system. Plus, authentic tournament structures, results and new calendar system, featuring simultaneous simulations, improve the speed and flow of games. Featuring new Team Management for simpler player comparison and Friends Leaderboard to compare stats and earnings.
* My Music & Audio— Assign customized chants for every team and league. Set your home club’s anthems and chants to play during player introductions, halftime, and after goals. Even hear your name echo in the stands of Old Trafford or San Siro with customized chants for your Virtual Pro. Plus, play music from your hard drive in game.
* FIFA Theatre — Save highlights from any match – including online – right to your hard drive to view, replay or upload to easportsfootball.com at any time.
* Complete Authenticity —Over 30 officially licensed leagues, 500 licensed teams and more than 15,000 players.

A number of you have already noticed that we do a check for "Online Gameplay Tuning" when connecting to our online servers. Some of you may also have found a new "Tuning" category in the Files menu. This is a new technology for NCAA Football 11 that allows us to not only live update and tune core gameplay parameters -- like fumbles, throw accuracy, and juke success ratings -- but it also allows us to rebalance certain core features such as recruiting logic, blocking, even control the intensity of shadows cast by the football on a sunny day!

These new Live Tuning Packages (LTPs) contain literally 1000's of key parameters which drive the heart of our game; parameters that live well below the level of specific player or team ratings. With our new LTPs we can often turn changes around in a few days. It can't solve everything, and some issues will still require a traditional client update, but for many items it's definitely a more powerful and faster strategy for tuning throughout the season.

Our first LTP should be arriving next week along with detailed notes on what the update contains. I can tell you that based on the collective feedback we've received, we will be carefully down-tuning the athleticism of defensive lineman and reduce the number of impressive picks by the big guys. We're also looking to address a few important dynasty progression and recruiting issues.

Having received lots of feedback about Manager Mode in FIFA 10 the development team have been hard at work to bring to life the experience that users requested. Based on this feedback and the many suggestions from fans across the world Manager Mode is now changing to become Career Mode and has been built from scratch for FIFA 11.

Play through a footballer's career as a player, player-manager and then a manager. A brand new transfer system brings the ups and downs of the transfer window to life while the new calendar system means it is easier to plan your career, manage your squad or experience the thrill of breaking your way into the first team.

Hit the Streets with players decked out in street wear. Each player boasts a distinctive style of play with unique abilities to match. Use the wall to jump past defenders or bank passes to teammates. Choose to play arcade style and you can build up and then activate your power meter to blast shots, ignite a speed burst or send shockwaves over your opponents.

Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today that EA SPORTS is developing the latest iteration of the long-running Fight Night franchise, entitled Fight Night Champion, at EA Canada in Vancouver. Fight Night Champion will set a new standard in sports videogames by delivering the most dynamic simulation fighting experience to date, pushing visual boundaries and redefining the single player journey for the category.

“The EA SPORTS Fight Night franchise has consistently delivered one of the best sports experiences with each iteration”, said Andrew Wilson, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Development, EA SPORTS. “EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 was a genre defining game, and led the way as the industry transitioned to physics-based sports games. EA SPORTS Fight Night Champion will again forge new ground and deliver a sports experience unlike anything seen in the genre to date.”

Fight Night Champion will break the mold of what is expected in a single-player sports game. Players will be introduced to an entirely new way to step between the ropes and experience the drama, emotion, excitement and tragedy of world championship boxing.

Featuring a refined physics-based animation system that incorporates improved locomotion, punching and stamina mechanics, Fight Night Champion will enable users to move, attack and dodge with the speed and power of the best champions, contenders and pretenders in the world of boxing. In addition, an all-new control scheme, dubbed Full Spectrum Punch Control, will deliver the most realistic punching system ever seen in a simulation fighting game, while still delivering an accessible experience that will make Fight Night Champion the most user-friendly title in the franchise’s history.

Fight Night Champion will set a new standard for visual presentation with the most realistic boxer-likeness to date, fluid animations and damage that truly conveys the brutality of the sport of boxing.

Fight Night Champion will be available for the Xbox 360TM videogame and entertainment system system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and ships to retailers in 2011. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.