Golfer Ben Crane hires a new caddy via Twitter

Posted by Scott Johnson under Golf, Social Media, Twitter on May 17, 2013

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It’s times like these when sports and social media come together to make something awesome happen. Pro Golfer, rapper and avid Twitter user Ben Crane is participating in the HP Byron Nelson Championship and decided to give his regular caddy a day off and look for a replacement on Twitter:

He got some good responses, but in the end, Twitter user Morgan Johnson, a former ACU golfer who was celebrating his birthday won.

The pic and the tweet to prove it.

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Military Robots are coming to the World Cup

Posted by Scott Johnson under Gadgets, Soccer, Technology on May 17, 2013

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When you think World Cup, you usually think about the moments on the field: Zidane’s headbutt, Baggio’s shootout kick over the net against Brazil, and so forth. But there’s a ton of stuff happening behind the scenes, especially ensuring that the tournament goes off without a hitch. FIFA is making sure that the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be extra safe by enlisting military robots for security.

If you watch TV, you’re probably familiar with the new iRobot commercials, which are part weird and part cool. FIFA and iRobot are teaming up to provide the World Cup with 30 PackBot robots (MSRP: roughly $150,000), the type used in the field in Afghanistan and Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant. These badboys will be used via remote control to pick out suspicious objects and navigate through unsafe situations, fingers crossed there won’t be.

Not only will there be robots, but Brazilian police officers will be rocking camera glasses, capturing 400 facial images per second, then uploaded to a database of 13 million faces.

A bit extreme? Maybe, but better safe than sorry. Here’s a look at how the military uses iRobot:

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FIRST LOOK: One Touch Dekes in NHL 14 (Gameplay Video)

Posted by Scott Johnson under EA Sports, Hockey, NHL, PS3, XBOX 360 on May 16, 2013

The NHL 14 team released another developer diary to highlight their One Touch Dekes feature, another aspect of their True Performance Skating.

One Touch Dekes
Experience what it feels like to be a superstar through a new, more responsive deking system controlled with only the left stick and one-button. From beginner to advanced gamer, this system allows for quicker reactive dekes and intuitive combination dekes, allowing for more moves than ever before. Be careful who you’re controlling with the one touch dekes though, not everyone has hands like Datsyuk. Getting too fancy with the wrong player is the quick and easy way to lose the puck.

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The EA Sports online pass system is no longer

Posted by Scott Johnson under EA Sports, PC, PS3, XBOX 360 on May 16, 2013

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So you buy a used EA Sports game, and you want to go online to download updates or play with friends. All of a sudden, you’re hit with a $14.99 charge to access these features. Introduced in 2010, the EA online pass system is now no longer. Why was the service initially launched? They thought it was going to be a way to make money to combat used game sales, and people who pirate their games.

“Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn’t respond to the format,” said EA corporate communications director John Reseburg said. “We’ve listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward.”

If you’re a gamer who buys used games, or a pirater who downloads your games, REJOICE.

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FIRST LOOK: Madden 25’s Defensive Control (VIDEO)

Posted by Scott Johnson under EA Sports, Football, Madden, PS3, XBOX 360 on May 15, 2013

Madden released this playbook video today, highlighting the defensive control in the upcoming game. The last video was focused more on the running game, now you can see what it’s like on the other side of the ball. GIFs and some info directly from the Madden presser to follow:

MAKE YOUR PRESENCE FELT
Last year, the major focus of the Infinity Engine was figuring out the basics of speed, momentum and other factors. With the introduction of Force Impact and a year of additional tuning, the dev team can now bring the power of Infinity to the Hit Stick. This allows for the biggest, most impressive hits yet, creating moments you’ll want to recreate over and over.

Furthermore, if you manage to pop a ball carrier with the Hit Stick while he’s performing one of the special precision modifier moves, the chances of causing a fumble increase. So if you’re up against an opponent who loves flashy moves, line him up with the Hit Stick and see if he doesn’t get a bit more conservative. This concept carries over into the passing game as well, as cornerbacks and safeties who trigger the Hit Stick as a receiver makes a catch have a higher chance of jarring the ball loose.

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Even more new features listed for FIFA 14

Posted by Scott Johnson under EA Sports, FIFA, PS3, Soccer, XBOX 360 on May 15, 2013

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We won’t be hearing a lot of gaming news this week as gaming companies wait for E3 next week to show off their stuff. Best Buy however, listed some new features for FIFA 14 that EA Sports doesn’t have on their site. Here’s what they have:

  • Capture the thrill of a well-executed goal with Pure Shot technology, which mimics the moves your favorite striker performs during games when he scores awe-inspiring goals
  • Watch as your player adjusts the approach angle to a more suitable direction for optimal positioning while taking a shot on goal
  • Experience players’ expanded understanding of the phases of shooting, which enables them to adjust their stride and pace to precisely hit the ball
  • Contend with realistic situations, in which players may need to take off-balanced or rushed shots that can hinder the accuracy and strength of their attempt based on where they are on the pitch and how the ball is delivered to their feet
  • Enjoy new animations that eliminate the foot-sliding, skipping and scissor legs that occurred in FIFA 13
  • Test your skill with Real Ball Physics that enables the ball to act as it would in the real world, based on new formulas that dictate the flight path and trajectory of a shot
  • Strike the ball with force from a distance, drill low-rising shots with accuracy and blast dipping or swerving shots with realistic turbulence effects and utilize Curling Lofted Through Balls to curl the ball around opponents for precise passes
  • Navigate the intricacies of ball possession, mastered by FC Barcelona, which dictates the tempo of the match with the Protect the Ball gameplay feature
  • Fend off and block opponents from the ball while running at any speed, countering defensive pulling by stepping in front of the defender and using your body to shield the ball and stepping into the opposition to maintain possession and make a pass
  • Fight for position prior to receiving the ball, so you are in the optimal location at the opportune moment
  • Move in any direction to preserve your natural momentum and utilize quick, explosive cuts and turns to beat defenders one-on-one while sprinting with the Sprint Dribble Turns feature
  • Show your dribbling with optimal touch and control that minimizes opportunities for defenders to regain possession with Variable Dribble Touches
  • Combine different types of tackles, recover from missed tackles quickly and have another opportunity to compete for the ball in any tackling situation with Second Chance Tackles
  • Come together as a team with improved teammate intelligence that delivers tighter, smarter marking and better run tracking
  • Rely on your defenders to recognize opportunities to improve support and win back possessions, and depend on attacking players to break down intelligent defenses by creating space, running along the back line and checking their pace
  • Learn and master the fundamental skills needed to be a star football player in Skill Games, a competitive practice mode helps you become a better player, faster
  • Develop and refine a personalized scouting network as you search for talent around the world — you can evaluate players who may bolster your squad during the transfer windows with a new hub that provides live scouting reports in Career Mode
  • Connect to the heartbeat of the sport and to other football fans through EA SPORTS Football Club, FIFA 14′s social network, where you can compete and share with millions of others around the world
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8 players remain in the NHL 14 Cover Vote. 2 of them are Leafs.

Posted by Scott Johnson under EA Sports, Hockey, NHL, PS3, XBOX 360 on May 13, 2013

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We’re now down to the final 8 players in the NHL 14 Cover Vote campaign. Remaining are Pavel Datsyuk, Joffrey Lupul, James Van Riemsdyk, Martin Brodeur, John Tavares, Wayne Simmonds, Taylor Hall, Sergei Bobrovsky. Voting for this round is now live, and runs until May 19th at 11:59pm ET.

The winner of the cover vote campaign will be announced during the Stanley Cup finals. You can vote as much as you want by clicking here.

Who do you want to see on the cover?

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