Before the news storm that is E3 and EA Play arrive there's plenty to cover happening in the world of sports gaming. Impressions of the ARMS beta leads off the topics in this week's Press Row Podcast, along with the questionable decision made to release Super Mega Baseball 2 in September, a major patch for NBA Playgrounds, and the launch of another game subscription service on Xbox One.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit the Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)

It's only May, but for games due out in late summer it's the time that their promotional cycles typically begin. E3 and EA Play are only a few weeks away and in advance of that EA Sports announced the first feature information for Madden NFL 18 and Konami has done the same for Pro Evolution Soccer 2018.

In this episode of the Press Row Podcast all of the news on Madden NFL 18 is discussed, including the introduction of the Frostbite Engine and Story Mode, three different 'Play Styles' (with a debate over whether removing randomness from sports is really the right way to go for competitive gaming), the various gameplay improvements cited so far and more. Additionally the new features for PES 2018 are covered, plus a look ahead at the announcement of the first tennis game for consoles since 2012.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit the Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
Chris MillenniumOS, Operation Sports (@MillenniumOS)

Arcade-style sports games have been making a resurgence as of late thanks to independent developers, but now for the first time one of them even has the backing of a professional league. NBA Playgrounds released this last week for just $20 with full league licensing and a deep roster of current players and legends, and it comes from Saber Interactive, a studio that has never before worked on a sports game.

The panel for this episode of the Press Row Podcast discuss the the aspects of NBA Playgrounds that have been executed well, the flaws that have been identified in gameplay and design, and improvements that could be made in post-release support and for a potential sequel.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit the Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)
Chris MillenniumOS, Operation Sports (@MillenniumOS)

Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 17 is loaded with more content than ever, and while that’s great for those who are familiar with all the features and avenues to success it makes the mode more difficult to navigate for everyone else. With so many different ways to play, to earn cards, and spend Stubs, where does one even begin?

In this episode of the Press Row Podcast, host Bryan Wiedey is joined by T.J. Lauerman, Paul Sporer, and Kris Jardine to discuss Diamond Dynasty in depth, analyzing what’s been done best this year, where some trouble is being had, and providing insight on how to build teams in the most effective and efficient ways possible.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit the Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)
Paul Sporer, FanGraphs (@sporer)
Kris Jardine, SnaggleJ (@SnaggleJ)

Spring is typically a fairly barren season as far as sports game releases go but it's seeing a resurgence this year. Several new games and expansions are slated for the weeks ahead. Host Bryan Wiedey and Rich Grisham discuss the latest news on them in this episode of the Press Row Podcast, including Forza Horizon 3's Hot Wheels expansion, the upcoming slate for Nintendo Switch, announcement of a new "Crash Mode" game from the Burnout creators and The Golf Club 2's release date being made official. Additionally feature details have been leaked for NHL 18 in advance of the expected usual reveal at EA Play in June.

On the show this week:

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

In this week's episode of the Press Row Podcast, host Bryan Wiedey and Rich Grisham have a follow-up discussion on last week's topic regarding consumer unrest before moving on to address other subjects. Those include it's a good or bad idea to continually tinker with fundamental elements of games such as the constant changes being made to shooting in NBA 2K17, the potential of the upcoming arcade-style game NBA Playgrounds, what the WNBA could mean for NBA Live 18, and a handful of listener questions.

On the show this week:

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

In many ways, these are great days to be a sports video game fan. However, certain segments of popular games have experienced significant problems, causing enormous issues within each of those games' communities. The way titles are marketed at fans, persistent problems with certain modes, and perceived lack of communication between game makers and game players have embroiled fans and developers alike. 

Host Rich Grisham talks with Operation Sports Community Manager Millennium - a man in the middle of a number of these conversations - about the overall situation, how fans should be approaching these issues, and what people on all sides can and should do. 

On the show this week:

Rich Grisham, Hit The Pass/OOTP Developments (@richgrisham)
Chris/MillenniumOS, Operation Sports (@MillenniumOS)

Coming off a win by MLB The Show 16 of the Press Row Podcast Sports Game of the Year Award, MLB The Show 17 reaches the marketplace with naturally high expectations.

The series went big with Ken Griffey Jr. on the cover and found within various modes of play in the game, story-like elements for Road to the Show, new simulation features for Franchise Mode, and more content in Diamond Dynasty which looks to remain the consumer-favorite team-building mode. Server issues however have plagued the game since release marring what otherwise would have been widely-favorable impressions.

This super-sized episode of the Press Row Podcast features a full panel of the best evaluators of sports video games in the business examining all major aspects of MLB The Show 17.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Hit The Pass/OOTP Developments (@richgrisham)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)
Chris/MillenniumOS, Operation Sports (@MillenniumOS)
Kat Bailey, USgamer (@the_katbot)
Owen Good, Polygon (@owengood)

MLB The Show 17 has arrived and it’s the focus of this episode of the Press Row Podcast! First impressions and experiences are discussed covering gameplay, presentation, Franchise, Road to the Show, Diamond Dynasty, the problematic servers and more. How has the series advanced this year and where do any concerns remain?

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Hit The Pass/OOTP Developments (@richgrisham)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@ThatSportsGamer)