作者彙整: Matthew Kato

Spring is here, and after a long, tough winter, many people are looking forward to the start of golf season. Video games, of course, have no season, but if you’ve stopped playing some of the yearly fall titles, you may be looking for a golf game to help get you in the mood.

There are tons of golf games out there, from simple mobile titles to mini golf and well beyond, but today’s Sports Desk looks at a culled list of relatively new golf titles offering a range of experiences mainly on PC via Steam. Not included today but also available or coming in the future include Everybody’s Golf VR (out on May 21), non-Golf title What the Golf? (now in Early Access), and even sim-manager Resort Boss (out now).

Finally, after the golf be sure to check out more information on some of Madden NFL 20’s new features.

The Golf Club 2019 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
HB Studios
The Golf Club 2019 came out a little while ago, but it remains the best golf experience in terms of gameplay and overall features. Your golfer’s abilities don’t upgrade, so getting a good score on a hole requires reading the course and a steady and consistent hand. Although 2019 added the official PGA Tour license, its career mode isn’t super fleshed out. Apart from the gameplay, the title’s most robust feature is the easy-to-use course creator, which the community has used to full effect to supply the title with a plethora of new content. Finally, paid Xbox Games with Gold members can get the game free this month.

Golf Peaks (PC, Switch, Mobile)
Afterburn Games
This title is more of a puzzle title than a simulation of the sport. You use different types of pre-selected movement cards in the appropriate order to guide your ball into the hole. For instance, do you chip it up and to the left three spaces first, or roll it down to the lower plane instead? Your ball bounces and rolls depending on the topography, so it’s fun to figure out how to orchestrate your moves.

PGA Tour Golf Shootout (Mobile)
Concrete Software
Hit it up and down the fairway by pulling back on your touchscreen and letting it fly. Spin can be applied by touching different parts of the ball, and overall the range of outcomes feels good. You advance your skills by collecting cards that upgrade your clubs via solo challenges, regular solo play, and multiplayer, and cards can also be bought in the store. The game restricts your ability to open card packs through a timer, which unfortunately puts a big damper on the fun of actually playing the game.

Draft Day Sports: Pro Golf (PC)
Wolverine Studios
Wolverine Studios puts out a number of college and pro titles whose focus is on the management aspect of sports, and Pro Golf tasks you with taking care of your golfer’s development and schedule while climbing up the ranks from amateur to pro. The golf itself is handled via a top-down map interface where you can select to be aggressive or easy with your shot, and a one- or three-mouse click swing meter controls the results. When putting you have to guess the breaks and speed of the green. Actually performing on the course isn’t DDS: Pro Golf’s forte, however, as its sim manager approach to your career is the focus instead. You can check out a free demo here.

Arcane Golf (PC)
Gold5Games
Golf games come down to physics, and in that sense, loads of titles use the sport as a thin cover for simple gameplay. That being said, that doesn’t mean that watching the ball bounce around can’t be fun. Like Golf Peaks listed above, Arcane Golf is more of a puzzle title than a golf one, with over 200 levels of spike traps, water pits, and many other environmental hazards set to destroy your ball and make you scratch your brain when trying to get your ball into the vortex hole. Arcane Golf doesn’t strictly adhere to the sport’s rules, so getting to hit your ball twice is just one of the many challenges and joys as you attempt to clear its boards.

MORE MADDEN NFL 20 DETAILS

Since last week’s unveiling, EA Sports and developer EA Tiburon have dropped more granular information about Madden 20 via a Twitch livestream and official blog post. A lot of the stream covered what we already know about Face of the Franchise mode and the Superstar/X-Factor abilities, but here are some additional tidbits:

• A max of three offensive or defensive X-Factor abilities can be active at a time.
   
• Lower-rated players who complete a Scenario Engine goal are awarded more XP than higher-rated players in order to give gamers who are having trouble more of a boost.
   
• Players’ OVR rating is being stretched out more, with 400 fewer players now rated 70 or higher. “I think this is something that people are going to have to get used to.” says Hue Shelton, senior designer. “They’re going to be surprised to come into the mode and see that some of those starting players are in the 50 OVR range.”
   
• Because of the OVR rebalance, players’ general progression path is going to be longer, and going from 79 to 80, for example, is going to award more rating points.
   
• Draft classes include a wider range of names and ratings. The dev. team hopes this creates new draft strategies.
   
• Franchise mode resigning logic has been improved so it can’t be exploited when resigning players. Overall, existing contracts are being changed to match those in the NFL.
   
• Trades: How the A.I. values players for trades is being tweaked.
   
• EA Tiburon will talk more about gameplay improvements in the future, but right now the team is saying throw power is being updated to change the ball’s trajectory.

THE TICKER

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The NFL loves its superstars, from team-lifting QBs like Tom Brady to game-changing wide receivers like Antonio Brown, and QB-crunching monsters like Aaron Donald. But Madden hasn’t always been able to highlight these kinds of players in ways that not only make them powerful but like they perform in real life.

This year’s new Superstar X-Factor feature hopes to address this fact and not only make these players feel like the stars they are, but also influence Madden across its many modes.

“The NFL last year felt like a star-driven league,” says creative director Mike Young, “appointment viewing-based TV because you had to see the Rams-Chiefs. You had to see Donald play. You had to see Khalil Mack play.”

Young says there’s another reason for the new feature: How can the game go beyond ratings? “I think ratings are really good at the measurables,” he says, “the combine type stats like speed, but for instance, Tom Brady has never been a great quarterback in Madden. What we’ve done is try to differentiate the quarterbacks and give them very unique things based on their archetype.”

Click here to watch embedded media

Here’s how it works: There are around 70 Superstar abilities in the game. Some players have none, some have multiple abilities. These abilities are shaped by real-life players’ skills and in-game player archetypes. Thus, you aren’t going to see a slower, bruising running back get abilities related to more nimble backs.

Here are just a few examples:

• The Slot Machine ability gives the receiver better separation at the line and catching ability versus contact for short routes from the slot position. Vikings receiver Adam Thielen has this ability.
• Pocket QBs like Tom Brady with the Protected ability get more time in the pocket from their offensive linemen engaged in blocks during dropback passes.
• Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald has The Fearmonger ability. This lets him apply pressure to QBs even when Donald is engaged in a block.
• Some are dependent on the time and the game and situation. For example, Brady’s Clutch ability not only reduces the requirement for him to get in the zone (more on that below), but also makes it impossible for him to be knocked out of the zone halfway through the fourth quarter in a close game.

Most of these abilities have counter-abilities across the line of scrimmage, so that there are no automatic victories on the field, but you obviously want to pay extra attention to these players. To this end, players with superstar abilities will always be marked so everyone knows.

But Superstar abilities are just the start; there are plenty of great players in the league, but there are also those who are a cut above. These are called X-Factor players. X-Factor players have at least two superstar abilities, but they also a zone ability that lets them get into the zone – that state that athletes talk about where their skills are extra heightened. As of the time of this writing, there are about 28 offensive X-Factor players and 22 defensive ones, with no special teamers or offensive linemen among them.

X-Factor players have to play themselves into the zone for their zone ability to activate. For example, if JuJu Smith-Schuster catches four run-after-the-catch (RAC) passes of 20 yards or more, he’s in the zone. When he’s in the zone he’ll usually win single-coverage RAC passes with an animation that gives him an advantage in that situation.

• When in the zone, Cam Newton’s Tackle Breaker ability allows him to frequently break the first tackle attempt against him.
• Patrick Mahomes’ Bazooka ability allows him to throw a maximum of 80 yards when he’s in the zone.
• Tom Brady has a quick read zone ability that highlights the first open receiver with a bigger on-the-field icon.

These zone abilities are powerful, but they can also be “turned off.” Brady’s quick read zone ability deactivates when either he scores a touchdown or you sack him.

Abilities aren’t just in Franchise mode or Play Now, they’re usable throughout the game, including Ultimate Team and the new Face of the Franchise mode. This should shake up what players use in Ultimate Team as well as help you further define your QB in Face of the Franchise. In regular CFM, abilities for draft prospects are tied to their development trait. So you’ll have to keep an eye on any players with abilities as you are scouting. Then you can draft them and watch them mature and unlock their abilities.

“What we’re finding is it’s made a lot more teams a lot more interesting to play,” says Young. “Right now, people in the office love playing with the Browns… It’s hard to say as a Steelers fan, but they are probably one of the cooler teams because they have superstar guys on both sides of the ball.”

More Information on Superstar Abilities & X-Factors

• Additional X-Factor players can be added during the year. The team says it’s still figuring out the “cadence” of when that might be. Young says perhaps five times during the year.
  Players may gain or lose X-Factors during the season, but overall EA Tiburon wants to keep around 50 X-Factors total.
   
• Currently, the most superstar abilities a non-X-Factor player can have is two. X-Factor players have at least two plus their single zone ability. In Face of the Franchise mode, you can have as many as seven abilities. These can be swapped around on your player. These still adhere to an overall archetype so you can’t build an overpowered player.
   
• It might be harder for X-Factor players to get into the zone in the Competitive gameplay style versus arcade, for instance.
   
• X-Factors and superstar abilities are included in Madden Ultimate Team player items as designated by an additional tab on the player item. Details around these aren’t fully known at this point, but Young says you will be able to respec abilities and get some points back. This sounds similar to last year’s Power Up items/Training Points.
   
• Not all the abilities will be widely available. Ex. Roethslisberger has a pump fake ability. He might be one of just two QBs in the whole game with this ability.
   
• Some players with superstar abilities also have special animations like Aaron Rodgers’ throwing on the run from his tiptoes.
   
• Abilities are highlighted on the field and in pre-play menus so that both sides of the ball can see them. This includes being able to chart how close a player is from getting into the zone.

Madden NFL 20 ships for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on August 2. To learn more about the game, read about what’s new in Franchise mode, the new Face of the Franchise career mode, and how the developer is addressing last year’s gameplay issues.

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Madden NFL 19 wasn’t a highlight for the franchise, with gamers unsatisfied with the title’s gameplay and bugs marring the experience well beyond launch. This has created a tall task for developer EA Tiburon: How to address issues from last year (and even further back) as well as adding new wrinkles for the next edition.

Where to start on such a formidable job? Here are some of our ideas, and please add yours down in the comments section below.

GAMEPLAY

• Clean Up The Gameplay
  Madden 19 was rife with bugs, including bad fumble pickups, player warping, tackles/touchdowns/catches not registering, scores not adding up correctly, and more. EA Tiburon can’t release Madden 20 in a poor state and then try to fix it after the fact. These bugs – and others – need to be cleaned up before the game goes live.
   
• Smooth Transition Animations
  Animations and the transitions between them need to not only look smooth, but also make sense. Madden 19 didn’t always do a great job of this, leading to things like suction catches and running backs feeling like they’re automatically getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball has snapped. Last year’s Real Player Motion (RPM) movement system needs to produce more fluid animations and realistic moves.
   
• Finally Fix Blocking
  Blocking has been addressed in recent years, but we’re still seeing offensive linemen ignore defenders as they charge by unabated. They should at least register the defender and stick an arm out or react in some way even if they can’t make an actual block.
   
• Add Initial Burst To Running Backs
  Running behind the line of scrimmage shouldn’t feel slower than when you hit the hole and go past the line of scrimmage. In past Maddens, they feel like two different states.
   
• Redesign The Injury System
  The injury system in Madden 19 was maddening, with the same players experiencing game-ending injuries week after week. Tiburon should rework the injury system to make it more realistic and present more risk/reward related to starting injured players. Persistent damage like NBA 2K’s would be great, and become a factor as you weigh resigning a player or ranking free agents.
   
• Nerf The Spin Move
  After years of being worthless, in Madden 19 the spin move came back with a vengeance, so much so that it feels too overpowered and predominant. Tiburon should retain its usefulness, but reign in the situations where it’s effective. 
   
• Accentuate Player Differentiation
  Players need to feel more different from each other so you can feel their strengths and weaknesses. This should extend to tweaking A.I. stat lines so stars like Drew Brees or running quarterbacks don’t produce mediocre stats game in and game out.
   
• Give The A.I. Better Intelligence
  Playing the CPU has lost a lot of its luster over the years because it always feels like you’re playing the same team. EA should fix A.I. playcalling so it’s more varied, related to the situation, and team-specific.
   
• Add The Run-Pass Option
  The run/pass option (RPO) that the Eagles made famous on their way to their Super Bowl victory couldn’t be implemented last year, so it needs to be in Madden 20. 
   
• Bring Back Custom Playbooks
  The rigidness of the current Madden playbooks creates a me-too online experience where most people are employing the same few schemes. We’d like to see EA embrace differentiation by letting users build their own offensive and defensive systems. 
   
• Add More Challenges
  Players need to be able to call challenges for a variety of situations and the CPU needs to award the correct decision. For years the option has simply been greyed out in the pause menu even when you should be able to challenge.

FRANCHISE

• Rework Scheme Fit Logic
  Madden 19 introduced a new scheme system that governed how players progressed. Unfortunately, it also brought along new problems. As such, multi-dimensional players shouldn’t be punished for not fitting into the mode’s pre-set schemes, instead favoring a rating threshold for receiving the XP boost. Overall, the system should open up more to let users create the team they want according to their roster’s strengths rather than relying on rigid templates.
   
• Give Free Agency The Makeover It Desperately Needs
  Free agency should add the pre-free agency “legal tampering” period where teams and soon-to-be free agents negotiate backroom deals. This could introduce drama to the game’s free agency – like Anthony Barr’s last-second change of heart to shun the Jets and return to the Vikings – and help make this a vital part of the offseason. Franchise mode could even include free agent scouting and negotiation resources to give you more to think about.
   
• Expand Relocation Options
  The selection for relocation cities is woefully underdeveloped. We’d love to see this field expanded to see more variety. 
   
• Deliver More Stadium Customization
  Whether you are relocating to a new city or upgrading your current facilities, we’d love to see a robust stadium editor to let players develop a true home-field advantage. 
   
• Bring Back The Coaching Carousel
  NFL coaches move around the league frequently, changing the fortunes of franchises year in and out. We’d love to see offensive and defensive coordinators return to prominence in Madden. Teams with great offenses or defenses should risk losing these coordinators just like real NFL teams do, which could feed into an exciting coaching carousel. At a minimum, the coordinator signing bug needs to be fixed so you can’t leave the offseason without them.
   
• Give GMs A More Flexible Contract System
  Fitting your team under the cap is a huge part of constructing a roster in the NFL, and Madden needs better more options on this front (restricted free agents, fifth-year options, contract restructures for underperforming players, front/backloading, etc.) to give GMs all the tools they need to run their franchises.
   
• Bring Back Mystery To Talent Evaluation
  Once you understand the scouting system in modern Madden games, it’s easy to game the system. EA needs to add more ambiguity to scouting/rating reveals so drafts become more unpredictable. Similarly, current player comparisons and more prospect news during the season would help flesh out these players and add intrigue to the draft. Anything to get more flavor on the players in general.
   
• Dress Up Draft Day
  Madden 19 added a slightly new draft presentation, but more pageantry is always welcome. EA also has some practical matters to improve. For instance, managing trades during the draft needs to be easier to navigate and less buggy so your offers produce real counter-offers.
   
• Add Player Morale
  A player morale system would make teams and locker rooms more dynamic, and put pressure on gamers to make the right choices for their team. It could also play a significant role in free agency, with certain players willing to pass on the biggest money offer to play for a winner, wanting to play closer to their hometown late in their career, etc.
   
• Track League History
  Those who play franchise modes deep into multiple decades would love to have a comprehensive tracking system that keeps track of all the league’s history, from stats and award winners to draft busts and gems. Being able to look back at your whiffs and scores for certain drafts would be amazing.
   
• Add League Discipline
  We don’t expect EA to touch serious topics like players being suspended for domestic abuse or performance enhancing drugs, but perhaps red-flagged players can be suspended for unspecific reasons.

ULTIMATE TEAM

• Don’t introduce promos that have an extra currency (beyond points, coins, and training points) and reduce the value of items.
   
• Install a Practice Mode
  Rather than making a player venture into the competition to test out new roster lineups, we’d love for EA to add a practice mode so you can see how your current lineup functions/meshes.
   
• Speed Up the Solo Challenge Experience
  The grind for coinage can be even grindier thanks to all the aggressive loads. Being able to load into the next Solo challenge in the series without having to go back to the Solo’s menu would be a godsend.
   
• Add Auction Relisting
  If you’ve tried to sell an item in the Auction House and it doesn’t sell, you should be able to put it up again for the previously listed price. This way you don’t have to re-input the price – especially if you’re selling lots of cards and don’t always remember what you’ve tried to sell them for.
   
• Create Better Auction Pricing Guidelines
  Like MLB the Show 19, adding buttons to sell a card for its current low/average/high price in the marketplace would be a nice shortcut/starting point.
   
• Bring Team Customization To MUT
  MUT is a fantasy mode that allows you to build unimaginable super teams. Why not let us make super jerseys and custom logos as well?
   
• Clean Up Collection Interface
  Managing your cards could be made a lot easier with some user interface improvements. When adding players to sets, players ineligible for the set should not be selectable.
   
• Make The Marketplace An Even Playing Field
  No packs should be available only for real-money points in the store. Everything should be purchasable with coins even if it costs more than using points.

CAREER MODE

• Add A Real Career Mode
  With The Longshot story mode concluded, Madden needs to bolster its Be a Pro options in CFM to compete with what rival NBA 2K has been doing with its player career mode. It is filled with choice, progression, and a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a professional athlete. The NFL has a lot of rich stories to tell, too, that give players agency over their career trajectory at the same time.

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