Stephen and Amanda have a lot of great ideas for what Microsoft should do after they finish buying Activision/Blizzard!
Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Android Sock Hop” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
It is hard to imagine, but Overwatch is still less than a year old. That all changes next week though. Blizzard has announced that they will be celebrating their new baby’s first birthday with a massive anniversary celebration that will run from May 23rd through June 12th.
The event will kick off on May 23rd with the digital release of the Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition. It will launch simultaneously on PS4, Xbox One, and PC and will include the following:
They haven’t made any official announcements yet, but generally celebrations in online games like this include special events and skins. I expect we will hear all about that shortly.
Blizzard also announced that May 26th – May 29th (Memorial Day Weekend in the States) will be a free weekend to give people a chance to try out the experience. Any progression earned by a player will carry over into the full game should they choose to buy it after the weekend is over.
Days of Wonder has announced Small World of Warcraft a collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment that combines their much beloved board game Small World with World of Warcraft, It will be released this summer for $59.99.
“A new day dawns on Azeroth. A day like every one before it, and every one after. A day of merciless struggle for the control of the World of Warcraft. Not only is this Small World territory far too tight for everyone, it also hosts the never-ending conflict between the factions of the Alliance and the Horde. Dawn has broken and the time has come to take your place on the front lines.”
Small World is a game all about controlling wildly different races with fantastic powers as they establish control of regions on a game board only to eventually “decline” forcing the player to choose another one. World of Warcraft is a perfect license to pair with it because one of the highlights of WoW is the ever shifting balance between the Alliance and the Horde.
This isn’t just intended to be a hack-job reskin either. The designer (Philippe Keyaerts) has also included elements like artifacts and legendary items to the game to help mix things up. They are even adding a team-based mode to spice things up. I simply cannot wait for this game to hit North America this Summer.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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Summer Game Fest, a months-long serious of game announcements, live shows, in-game events and playable demos has been announce by Geoff Keighley. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Covid-19 is forcing everyone to change their plans.
“Bringing the world together to celebrate video games from the comfort of home. Summer Game Fest is a season of digital video game events from publishers, select playable content, in-game events, and more to be announced.”
Summer Game Fest
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) normally depends on E3 to help kick off the summer with a week long extravaganza each June. Hundreds of games are announced and almost all of the major players in the space participate in some way. But, this year’s show has been cancelled (and rightly so) because of pandemic concerns.
Geoff Keighley, the man behind the annual Game Awards show has stepped in to fill the void this year (and maybe permanently?). The Summer Game Fest will run from May through August and will include everything we have come to expect from E3 and more including In-game events and playable demos.
The schedule is going to be posted soon so we’ll be sure to post that here and talk about it on the EFG Show AND our Podcasts to make sure you are as up to date as we are!
This list is pretty great, but I can’t help but notice that Nintendo is missing from the list. Here’s hoping that they will end up being included as the list continues to grow over the summer.
Seriously. Just watch this and tell me you didn’t smile?
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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Overwatch is celebrating its second anniversary as I write this. It has been wildly successful since the day it came out and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It boasts 27 diverse characters (each with their own dedicated fan community), 40 million players worldwide, and an eSports league that includes teams owned by the likes of Bob Kraft. That is, clearly, not enough, though. Overwatch is going to be expanding into the world of toys.
Hasbro and Activision Blizzard announced a partnership today that lists Hasbro as the master toy licensee for the Overwatch franchise. They will be creating a wide range of toys, board games, and other products using Overwatch characters. The announcement press release wasn’t very heavy on details, but we do know a few things.
The official Overwatch Twitter account tweeted out a message that Overwatch themed NERF Rivals guns will be coming sometime next year. The tweet, embedded below, doesn’t show us ANYTHING about the guns that they are making, but I think some of them are pretty obvious. I assume that we will see Soldier 76’s assault rifle, Tracer’s paired pistols, and Reaper’s shotgun pistols. There are 27 characters that each have distinct weapons, so I am sure we’ll see some interesting choices. The only real restriction I can think of is that the Rivals line shoots ping-pong ball like ammunition so that does limit the kinds of weapons they can use. Hanzo’s bow, for example, doesn’t fit into that mold.
A new way to play.
Get your hands on Overwatch-themed #NerfRival blasters – coming soon! pic.twitter.com/93FZteQabX
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 16, 2018
Hasbro does more than just NERF though. They are also really good at action figures.
Activision Blizzard has announced that they have entered a partnership with LEGO to release a variety of building sets at several different prices. They haven’t made any official announcements about what those sets will be (unfortunately), but the fact that they are happening at all is exciting enough for me and my kids. I suspect that the minifigures will be a big part of the draw for these sets. I know they won’t, but I hope that there will be some sort of box set that I can buy that will include them all.
It looks like Overwatch is going to keep expanding all over the place. It’s already a pillar of the video game space and it will soon be in our toy boxes. When will they get around to making it a movie?
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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Toxicity is a huge problem in online gaming today. Stepping into an online match of Call of Duty or DOTA 2 is as likely to expose you to some of the worst language that you’ve ever head as it is to find cool new friends to play with. This has caused huge swaths of the gaming populace to either avoid online play altogether or take drastic steps to hide from the bad actors in the community.
A new group has formed that includes major players in the online gaming space like Blizzard, Riot, Xbox, and Twitch. This group, called the Fair Play Alliance, has formed to combine their resources and experiences to help establish standards of behavior and to help squash negative behavior.
They held the first Fair Play Alliance Summit this week at GDC (The Game Developer’s Conference). It was an all day summit held at the conference where GDC attendees could learn how developers can create a more welcoming and inclusive environment in their games.
The Fair Play Alliance is a coalition of gaming professionals and companies committed to developing quality games. We provide an open forum for the games industry to collaborate on research and best practices that encourage fair play and healthy communities in online gaming. We envision a world where games are free of harassment, discrimination, and abuse, and where players can express themselves through play.
Over 30 gaming companies represented, including:
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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Blizzard announced a new expansion for its hit digital card game, Hearthstone, today. The Witchwood will launch in April and will include dozens of new cards and new single player monster hunts!
Whispers of the Old Gods focused on creatures from beyond reality. Knights of the Frozen Throne heavily referenced the corrupting influence of the Lich King and the creatures of Northrend. The Witchwood is a horror and mystery themed set that revolves around haunting spirits and shapeshifting Worgren (werewolves).
Shapeshifting cards swap qualities while they are in your hand. The initial preview card simply swaps attack and health, but other designs are very possible. I would expect to see at least one legendary that does something SUPER whacky.
Echo is a keyword that allows a spell or creature to be cast multiple times during the same turn that that it is cast. This type of mechanic has been used in other card games before and Blizzard has printed a card already that was close enough. Unstable Mutation is a card that cost one mana and could be repeated. It feels like it was a test to see how it worked. The preview card is a mediocre taunt creature, but I am certain that echo cards are going to have a significant effect on the decks people build once The Witchwood releases.
Rush is a keyboard that is very similar to Charge. Creatures with Rush can attack the turn they come into play, but they can only attack other creatures. That is a subtle difference, but it is once that will likely result in some very aggressively costed creatures.
The preview cards for the Witchwood include two legendary Worgren that will fundamentally change the game once the set is released. They both allow players to start the game with an enchanted hero power if they are included in a deck with only odd or even costed cards. These cards are incredibly powerful and will create entire new deck archetypes for players to use.
You can pre-purchase cards for the expansion starting today. $49.99 will net you a total of seventy packs of cards.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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Blizzard Entertainment has announced that Battle for Azeroth, the newest expansion for the hit MMO World of Warcraft, will launch this summer. Further, Blizzard went on to explain that the expansion to the hit MMO will be available for pre-purchase on the World of Warcraft website.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSJr3dXZfcg[/embedyt]
Battle for Azeroth will bring an entirely new dimension to the battle between the Horde and the Alliance. The expansion will include a new continent to explore for each faction as well as brand-new game play features including allied races for each faction, new randomized island expansions, and large-scale encounters called Warfronts.
One of the key features among those listed above is the inclusion of Allied Races. These are factions that existed as part of the game previously, but were limited to NPC roles. You’ve been able to do battle with Dark Iron Dwarves in the past. In fact, they were the main enemies in some areas in the game. In the new expansion, however, they are able to join the Alliance and help them fight against their enemies. The same is true of the Zandalari trolls and their ability to join the Horde.
Players who choose to level up new characters and the expansion will be able to take advantage of newly revamped zones that will take them from level 1 to 100. Questing experience has been changed entirely. This new experience is built upon the popular feature that was introduced on the Broken Isles in the most recent expansion Legion. Zones across Azeroth, Outland, and Draenor will now scale to a wide range of character levels. This makes it so that players can enjoy the quests stories and other content that they find there at their own pace.
The days of having to leave a quest line half finished because it’s no longer providing you experience are now over. You will be able to continue to earn all the experience that you need while completing quests that you are interested in. This is an interesting and exciting new addition to people that are interested in playing World of Warcraft as a role-playing game instead of racing through the original parts of the game just to see their way to the end as quickly as possible.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is available for pre-purchase digitally in a Standard Edition that costs $49.99 and a Digital Deluxe Edition the cost $69.99 in addition to the expansion the Digital Deluxe Edition also includes a cache of in-game bonuses that allow you to proudly proclaim it your allegiance to the Horde or the Alliance in a variety of Blizzard games. These digital goods include the following:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsZ9xkVQ_Vs[/embedyt]
The full list of features in the expansion is as follows:
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
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Host:
Nicole Tanner
Co-hosts:
Dr. Regina McMenomy
Stephen Duetzmann
It’s summer time. And although we lost Regina to the beach, we’ve soldiered on. Summer time means one thing to Blizzard – crazy Overwatch skins. In other news, Valve is working on a card game, the Nintendo World Championships are back, No Man’s Sky is getting an update with a story. Microsoft is offering game development classes in their store, and Minecon is going digital. And Stephen lets Nicole have a short Game of Thrones geek out.
For questions and feedback, send at email to gamingwiththemoms@gmail.com or tweet @gamingwithmoms best oral steroid for cutting
Developer: Blizzard
Platform: PC/Mobile/Tablet
Release Date: 8/10/17
Teaser Trailer:
Hearthstone is one the first and most popular digital collectible card games. It was created as a spin-off of the popular Warcraft and World of Warcraft game series but has since taken on a life of its own. Hearthstone has set the tone for game design in online games the same way Magic the Gathering has influenced all other physical collectable card games.
Hearthstone is primarily a player against player game, where each player takes turns as they slowly collect mana crystals to play cards in their hand. These cards represent iconic Warcraft monsters, spells, items, and events that can be used to reduce the health of your opponent from 30 to 0. The art style and design is meant to bring out a very casual and relaxed feel. The vary name “Hearthstone” refers to the World of Warcraft item that let you return to the safety of an inn.
Where Magic: the Gathering distinguishes their cards using color to represent various themes and mechanics. Hearthstone cards are primarily divided into groups based on iconic Warcraft heroes and their classes. Players build a deck by selecting a hero and using cards based on that heroes’ class as well as a collection of neutral cards. Each hero also has a unique “hero power” that can be used once a turn to support their style of play. It is this combination of hero based deck building and the steady build up of resources to play cards that makes Hearthstone a lot easier of a game to play than Magic: the Gathering for some family gamers.
What also sets apart Hearthstone and other digital card games from their physical brethren is their free-to-play model of game expansion. Playing games as various heroes initially unlocks cards from that class and completing quests, tasks that require specific actions during a game, reward you with coins that can be used to purchase more packs of cards. While you can use money to purchase additional packs, daily quests and a weekly casual event known as a “Tavern Brawl” provide a steady stream of resources. There is also process for taking extra cards and turning them into a flexible resource for crafting specific cards. There is something satisfying to someone who has played for years with paper card games, to be able to turn a pile of extra cards into that elusive card.
Knights of the Frozen Throne is the 5th large expansion for Hearthstone. With this expansion comes cards that feature iconic characters and themes from World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Arthas the Lich King and his lieutenants of the Icecrown Citadel are available as creatures to summon along with legions of monsters and spells inspired by the treacherous Northrend.
A single player story mode featuring The Lich King himself will be available for all players. The challenge is a series of matches versus computer opponents with special hero cards and decks based on iconic villains of the Icecrown Citadel. Players who conquer this gauntlet of challenges are rewarded with a free legendary card that is a card type unique to this set…
This set features a new set of legendary cards that represent the nine iconic heroes falling under the sway of the Lich King. These cards have an immediate effect when they are played and replace each character’s hero power with an evil, and significantly more powerful, effect. Personally I am excited for the corrupted
While announced several weeks ago, this set marks the starting of new features that are geared towards newer players. A legendary card is guaranteed to be opened in the first ten packs of any set purchased, and duplicate legends will never be opened. If a player would open a legendary that a player already has, the game replaces it with a different legendary that the player does not own. These changes were made in response to player feedback on the frustration of opening duplicate legends or very few epic or legendary cards at all.
Players of Magic: The Gathering and other card games will know this by names like Lifelink and Drain. Cards with Lifesteal heal your hero for as much damage as they deal. This ability is put on creatures and spells, and some death knight hero cards give lifestealing weapons or hero powers. While life gain by itself is not a strong ability, pairing it with a creature or a removal spell can never be a bad thing.
Two mechanics that are at the core of Hearthstone are getting a large infusion of cards from this set.
Divine Shield is an ability on a minion that prevents all damage from the first time it is attacked or hit by a spell. Not only are there a lot of divine shield minions that have been added, but several paladin cards benefit from divine shield minions going into the fray.
Deathrattle is an ability that happens when that minion dies, and Knights of the Frozen throne has a lot of creatures that care about when they die. New to the theme are creatures that care when they die and punish opponents who aggressively destroy your creatures.
Hearthstone, and its recent expansion Knights of the Frozen throne, is a game that is easy to learn and play for computers, tablets and mobile devices. It offers one of the best free to play experiences around and its short games are perfect for gaming opportunities when time is short or physical space is limited. With it being an online only game, it is important to note that chat and social interactions are opt in, which is important for younger family gamers.