After a week venturing into the history of baseball video games the Press Row Podcast returns to present day with more discussion on MLB The Show, the announcement of a Casey Powell Lacrosse sequel, the latest eSports developments for NBA 2K18 and FIFA 18, and the NPD results for January which includes an alarmingly low landing spot for EA Sports UFC 3.  

On the show this week:
Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Sporting News/Hit the Pass (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)

A new season of baseball is once again upon us and on this episode of the Press Row Podcast we look both forward to MLB The Show 18 and back through the history of baseball video games. First it's a discussion of this week's reveal of new features for The Show. Then each panelist counts down through their top five all-time features from baseball video games. The picks are varied and span over 30 years, represent different types of games, features that have proven influential to this day, and those that were simply most memorable.

On the show this week:
Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Sporting News/Hit the Pass (@pastapadre)
Paul Sporer, Rotographs/ESPN (@sporer)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)
Kris Jardine, SnaggleJ (@SnaggleJ)
MillsGamingTV (@MillsGamingTV)

Referenced in this episode
MLB The Show 18 stream notes
The Fantasy Baseball Black Book 2018

Over 12 years have passed since the release of Madden NFL 06 but the mere mention of the title still conjures up emotions from sports gaming fans. From an industry standpoint it also could be cited as being a major contributor to a turning point around that time in consumer distrust with not just what publishers would say about games before they released, but also what they showed. 

Former lead designer for the Madden NFL series Ian Cummings joins Bryan Wiedey and Rich Grisham to discuss the events surrounding development of that game. Thanks to a piece from Glixel which included interviews with several parties involved in development we've learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations and here Ian provides additional perspective and his first-person account of everything that took place.

Also in this episode T.J. Lauerman goes through the first reveals for MLB The Show 18 which includes a focus on the improvements made to gameplay and the addition of new legends for Franchise and Diamond Dynasty. 

On the show this week:
Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Sporting News/Hit the Pass (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit the Pass (@richgrisham)
Ian Cummings, Third Time Games (@iantcummings)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@thatsportsgamer)

Could Microsoft really be looking at buying Electronic Arts? What would it mean if that actually came about? The big rumor this week is discussed in this episode of the Press Row Podcast. Other topics include more thoughts on EA Sports UFC 3, what Madden NFL 18 predicts for Super Bowl 52, and the remarkable numbers being reached by the FIFA franchise.

On the show this week:
Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Sporting News/Hit the Pass (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit the Pass (@richgrisham)
MillsGamingTV (@millsgamingtv)

In a look forward to the year ahead, the panelists on this episode of the Press Row Podcast go through their top five most anticipated sports games of 2018. The criteria among the panelists varied with the lists including some predictable selections, some surprising ones, and even a few hypotheticals.

On the show this week:
Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Sporting News/Hit the Pass (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit the Pass (@richgrisham)
Daniel Baesal, UberYoutuber (@danielbaesel)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@thatsportsgamer)
MillsGamingTV (@millsgamingtv)

It's the eight annual PCAs! Celebrating the year in sports gaming, the Pastapadre Community Awards recognize all the achievements from the genre over 12 different categories - as voted on by the community of consumers that actually plays them! The awards are handed out in this episode of the Press Row Podcast, with in-depth discussion on all the nominees and what the voting patterns say about the games and the direction of the genre. 

Pastapadre, Sporting News/Hit The Pass/Pastapadre (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)

It’s part 2 of our set of shows talking to various friends of the Press Row Podcast, counting down their top 3 sports games of 2017! This week, we get a bunch of great guests to join, including Ryan Lewis from 4th String, Corey Andress from Electronic Arts, Daniel Baesel (aka UberYouTuber), Matt Kato from GameInformer, and Adam Burnett & Jeff Riddolls from Franchise Hockey Manager. It’s another really fun episode with a bunch of different perspectives!

Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
Ryan Lewis, 4th String (@RyanTheLou)
Corey Andress, Electronic Arts (@EACoreySA)
Daniel Baesel, YouTube (@danielbaesal)
Matt Kato, GameInformer (@MattKato)
Adam Burnett, Franchise Hockey Manager (@KnightAttack09)
Jeff Riddolls, Franchise Hockey Manager (@JeffRiddolls)​

A Press Row Podcast tradition continues with a gathering of many friends of the show to tell us their favorite sports games of 2017. There are no rules other than pick your favorites! This week's episode is the first of two shows, featuring great friends Gus Ramsey in one segment and Cicero Holmes in another. Many know Gus from his days at ESPN and the Bill Simmons podcast. Cicero, one of the creative forces behind Spawn On Me, has been a contributor for years. Both played their fair share of sports games 2017 and tell host Rich Grisham their three favorites in order.

Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
Gus Ramsey, Full Sail University (@gusramsey)
Cicero Holmes, Spawn On Me (@stubbystan)

With the Press Row Podcast's 2017 Sports Game of the Year and Racing Game of the Year having been decided we now turn to discussing the most important stories in the sports gaming world from the last year. These stories not only impacted the games in 2017 but could influence the direction of the various franchises and even the genre and the entire industry as a whole.

On the show this week:
Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Sporting News/Hit the Pass (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, OOTP Developments/Hit the Pass (@richgrisham)

For the first time ever, the Press Row Podcast awards its Racing Game of the Year. 2017 was a banner year for racers, with a slew of new releases of high quality that featured every kind of racing imaginable. Simulation titles, arcade games, cars, bikes, and karts all made big noise this year.

To settle on a champion, we gathered noted friends of the show and avid racing game fans Greg Sewart, Dr. Ken Parker, Pete Dodd, and Dave Benrey to count down their top three favorites and determine which stands atop the podium at the end of the year.

On the show this week:
Richard Grisham, Hit the Pass/OOTP Developments (@richgrisham)
Greg Sewart, Player One Podcast/Generation 16 (@sewart)
Pete Dodd, Doddcast (@atpetedodd)
David Benrey, Telemundo (@senornascar)
Dr. Ken Parker, Hit The Pass (@Chairman7)