Several of us from the Press Row Podcast recently collaborated for The Sporting News to create a Sports Game Power Rankings list. In the 123rd episode of Press Row, host Rich Grisham is joined by PastaPadre’s Bryan Wiedey and Operation Sports’ Chris Sanner to discuss the list – why it was organized the way it was, reasons for the selections, and various ways that games can move up or down as we get nearer to the start of the 2015 sports video game season next month. 

Here is a link to the Sporting News article: http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2015-02-27/video-game-power-rankings-review-rating-nhl-madden-fifa-nba-live-2k15/

Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@Chris_Snr)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1) Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2) Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com  

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:28

It’s the 122nd episode of the Press Row Podcast, featuring a near-complete panel diving into two significant topics. Up first, the crew examines how Diamond Dynasty seems to (so far, at least) be a significant focus for MLB 15 The Show. Included in this segment, Samit Sarkar describes his initial impressions of The Show from a media event he attended. Up next, it’s the question that set off a raging debate this week – is NBA 2K bigger than Madden? Owen Good and Kat Bailey have written compelling pieces about it (spurred by an interview with Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick), and they, along with the rest of the team, have an intense discussion about whether or not this is the case.

Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

Owen Good, Polygon (@OwenGood)

Kat Bailey, USGamer (@The_Katbot)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@Chris_Snr)

Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@SamitSarkar)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1) Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2) Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com  

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:25

Press Row Podcast – Episode 121 – Breaking down MLB 15’s approach

The first big sports game of the season is landing next month, and the crew making MLB 15 The Show has started to publicize certain aspects of their flagship PS4 title. Operation Sports’ Chris Sanner and PastaPadre’s Bryan Wiedey join host Rich Grisham to analyze the new approach for the development team – long-form live streams, detailed breakdowns of individual features – as well as discussing much of what has been revealed, from new visuals to Diamond Dynasty to licensed equipment.

Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@Chris_Snr)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:10

Press Row Podcast – Episode 120 – 2015 Season Preview

For the first time since the 2014 Game of the Year show, we get the regular gang back together to look ahead to what 2015 may have to offer. Rather than lining up each game and wondering what it will be, the crew contemplates questions such as which sports game franchise has the most at stake, whether or not any major game will dramatically shift its approach, and how potential indie sport games may disrupt or influence licensed fare. It’s great to have most of our regular crew back to kick off a new season!

Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

Owen Good, Polygon (@OwenGood)

Kat Bailey, USGamer (@The_Katbot)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@Chris_Snr)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:33

Press Row Podcast – Episode 119 – Footballs, Pucks, Cars, and Baseballs

It may be the end of January – a typically slow time in the sports game world – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t all sorts of interesting things happening. This week’s episode of the Press Row Podcast is a winter potpourri, featuring a number of special guests talking about their areas of expertise. Up first, PastaPadre’s Bryan Wiedey (a huge Seahawks fan) and MaddenTips’ Stephen Gibbons (a big Pats supporter) join host Rich Grisham to preview the Super Bowl. Next, Operation Sports’ own hockey expert Glenn Wigmore hops on to revisit NHL 15, checking in on its current state and how it has improved since launch. After that, our good friend Greg Sewart from Generation 16 and the Player One Podcast chats about the big shift in the NASCAR game license and what it means to racing fans. Lastly, Out of the Park Baseball’s Brad Cook discusses the huge positive implications for his game now that it has acquired the long-desired MLB license.

Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

Stephen Gibbons, MaddenTips.com (@Sgibs7)

Glenn Wigmore, OperationSports (@glennwigmore)

Greg Sewart, Generation 16 and Player One Podcast (@sewart)

Brad Cook, Out of the Park Baseball (@ootpbaseball)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there.

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:49

Press Row Podcast – Episode 118 – Life and Basketball with Da Czar

Longtime Operation Sports community member, basketball video game critic, SimNation leader, and current NBA 2K development team member Nino Samuel – aka Da Czar – joins host Rich Grisham on the Press Row Podcast for the first time to talk life and basketball. The two break down NBA 2K15 in much detail, interspersed with stories of how Da Czar came to be and his journey from a game player to a game critic to a game maker. Da Czar’s passion and enthusiasm are infectious, making this an episode fans of any sport or video game will enjoy.

Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Nino Samuel, 2K Sports (@Da_Czar)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:28

Press Row Podcast – Episode 117 – The communities vote

You’ve heard the Press Row sports game of the year show – and just about everyone else’s too – so host Rich Grisham is joined by PastaPadre’s Bryan Wiedey and Operation Sports’s Chris Sanner to talk through each of their passionate communities’ thoughts about sports games in 2014. From the best features, online experiences, single player modes, multiplayer modes, and more, Rich, Bryan, and Chris discuss the pulse of sports games fans looking back on 2014 and ahead to this crucial upcoming year.

Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Bryan Wiedey, PastaPadre (@PastaPadre)

Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@Chris_Snr)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:32

Press Row Podcast – Episode 116 – The best baseball games of the past

It’s bitterly cold across much of the USA, so what better time to reflect on some of the best baseball games of past eras? A brand new guest joins the show this episode, as Chris Baker looks back at his long history of playing baseball games ‘back in the day’ and joins host Rich Grisham to compare and contrast their personal old-school baseball games. In addition, the two discuss other interesting and honorable mentions as well as listing a bunch of listener-submitted nominations. Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Chris Baker (@cbake76)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

Make sure you check out Chris’ brand new book, WRONG? Retro games, you messed up our comic book heroes! Awesomely nerdy nitpicks on nearly 80 games which is available right on Amazon.

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1) Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2) Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com  

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  1:28

Happy New Year! A holiday tradition around here at the Press Row Podcast returns for its third straight year - a gathering of a bunch of our friends to talk about their favorite sports game experiences of 2014! 

We’ve got Gus Ramsey from ESPN, producers of FIFA 15, NHL 15, and NBA 2K15, Christian Spicer from DLC, half of the Player One Podcast and the Doddcast, and the guys behind MaddenTips.com. There is a wide array of opinions, games, and platforms, highlighting just how many different experiences we all have playing sports games these days. Enjoy the show!

Joining us this week:

Gus Ramsey, ESPN (@GusRamsey)

Christian Spicer, DLC (@spicer)

Zach Farley, MaddenTips.com (@MaddenBible)

Stephen Gibbons, MaddenTips.com (@SGibs7)

Gareth Reeder, EA Sports (@Gareth_Reeder)

Scott O’Gallagher, NBA 2K (@ScottOGallagher)

Andy Agostini, EA Sports 

Ben Ross, EA Sports 

Mike Phillips, Player One Podcast (@mik)

Greg Sewart, Player One Podcast (@sewart)

Pete Dodd, Dodd Scientifics (@atPeteDodd)

And your host, Richard Grisham (@richgrisham)

A special thanks goes to Mike Phillips, who helped curate the soundtrack for this week’s episode, featuring some of the best songs and artists from 2014.

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways: 

1) Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2) Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com  

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090, Stitcher Radio (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/operation-sports/press-row-podcast) , and the Windows Store, so subscribe to it and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time:  2:20