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Developer: Blizzard

Platform: PC/Mobile/Tablet

Release Date: 8/10/17

Teaser Trailer:

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What is Hearthstone?

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.

What is Knights of the Frozen Throne?

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.

 

Why is the Awesome?

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…

Death Knight Hero Cards

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

Priest hero: Shadow Reaper Anduin

Rarity adjustments geared towards newer players

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.

Lifesteal, a familiar mechanic comes to Hearthstone

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.

 

Divine Shield and Deathrattle

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.

 

Why should you pick up this game?

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.

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Guest Writer: James Pisano
Battle Chasers: Nightwar, a beautiful single player RPG that started out as a very successful Kickstarter project and developed by Airship Syndicate and Published by Nordic Games, is based on one of the most popular American Comic Series in the 90s, by Joe Madureira.  Joe Madureira is the Creative and Animation Director on the game, so the “flavor” of that world remains intact.  The beautiful artwork, the rich and immersive environments, and the strategic depth are all high points that I know will have me coming back for more and more this October when the world will be able to enter the arcane punk wonderland of Battle Chasers: Nightwar.
In the time I had my hands on this game at E32017, it was clear to me that the developers thought through things like deep party synergy without falling prey to trite conventions.  The party they had setup for the demo was made up of Calibretto – and Ancient War Golem, Gully – A young girl on a quest to find her father, and Knolan, a sage-like Wizard who packs much more power than one might think.  Calibretto looks like he -should- be the tank, but he’s really a healer who can also deal some AOE damage in a pinch.  Gully has the look of an elfish rogue, but is actual rather tanky and handy with crowd control abilities and taunts.  And Knowlen is mostly arcane DPS with a sprinkling of heals available for support.  Each party member can be cycled to be the party’s representative on the overworld, and is able to use their unique abilities to damage enemies before actually entering the encounter screen, which adds another layer of strategy and engagement that makes this game all the more appealing for me.
As far as the level design, we were told by the company’s PR rep that the dungeons are procedurally generated, which adds a TON of re-playability and depth.  The environments looked complex and cohesive enough that I was surprised to hear that they were constructed this way, especially given the beautiful art style.  And if you’re one for deep lore from a team that really cares, this is your kind of game.  So come October 3rd, gather the family around and fall in love with this sure-to-be-epic RPG on your platform of choice.  Yes, it’s being released on PC (Steam & GOG), Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
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Sea of Thieves is a multiplayer open world game where you gather players to create a crew and go on adventures.  This game has been on the gaming radar for two years and has a projected release of early 2018. Microsoft revealed new gameplay details during a lengthy video demo during their E3 2017 press event.

Developer:  Rare

System:  Xbox One, Windows 10

Release Date:  Early 2018

The beginning of the video explains the world and hints at some of the adventures to be has over the sea, on land, or even underground. The most interesting feature that Rare showed off during the demo was the map system. Players have to use thematically appropriate treasure maps to find their adventures.

The gameplay shown in the demo shows a wide range of what one might encounter in the game.  One of the first things that was shown were the skeleton enemies that can rise out of the ground to attack.  These creatures explode when they are shot by your pistol.  The demo showed a quest where players need to retrieve a chest and bring it back to their ship.  The person holding the chest can’t fight without putting the chest down. This makes teamwork mandatory. Players need to protect their friends’ backs.

Combat isn’t all skeletons though. You can also fight other players in naval battles! This looks like one of the primary sources of player vs player action. We don’t know exactly how it will work yet, but it sure looks exciting!

ESRB Rating Concerns

Its worth noting that we don’t know how the game will be rated by the ESRB yet.  There was a small spray of blood when pirates were injured. It was no worse that the battles with the characters in Horizon Zero Dawn though. Sea of Thieves is worth monitoring for more information as the release approaches.  The fact that the game is an open world multiplayer almost automatically disqualifies it for young gamers.  This may be one for older children (tweens and teens) with support from a parent to monitor the content other players may present.  It is even possible that an M rating will be assigned (although it looks like that is unlikely based on what we’ve seen).   We’ll obviously be providing more information as the game gets closer to release.

 

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Developer:  Cococumber

System:  Xbone, PC

Release Date:  TBA

We first saw Riverbond during the Microsoft press conference and honestly did not give it much of a thought as it appeared at first glance to be just another attempt at an overly simple voxel game.  Our impression did not change much either when we randomly stumbled onto the single demo screen that it took up in the entire Microsoft exhibition area.  That all changed though as soon as we picked up the controllers and started playing.  I am not sure what exactly changed but within just minute or two of play the three of us were laughing and yelling enough to make the developer with us concerned for our sanity.  

This is four player drop in/drop out cooperative game that is a cross between Gauntlet and Minecraft with very simple controls that consisted of attack, ranged attack, special attack, pick up/throw, block and jump.  The game appears to be light-hearted adventure through various maps with both indoor dungeons and outdoor environments. You and you friends slash your way through more than 100 levels, interacting and destroying everything in your path.  In our case this included, trees, grass, stone pillars, chickens, ghost spiders, bookcases and the occasional giant flaming pillar.  Weapon upgrades are obtained throughout the game and we were told that eventually there will be up to 50 weapons.

The combat was easy to pick up and learn while at the same time being complex enough that I think that veteran gamers will be able to stay engaged and happy for quite a long time. I think it was the simplicity of the combat as a whole that is what made this game so great.  There was no need to get used to the controls, we just picked up and played and were able to focus on the game without getting lost in the mechanics of this. This is why I chose this game as my “Game Of The Show” for E3 2017.  It hit all the marks for me.  Family friendly, easily accessible and endlessly playable in any environment.

One additional note on this, the developer indicated when asked what platform this would be available indicated that this would only be on Xbox and when pressed on the possibility of other consoles in the future he replied no comment. Myself and the EFG staff look forward to seeing more of this game as it becomes available to the public.

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Release Date: Graphics Pack Fall 2017, Better Together Update Summer 2017

Developer: Mojang

Platform:  Xbox, Xbox X, Switch, Mobile (iOs and Android), Windows 10, and VR
Minecraft had two big announcements in their video revealed for E3.  First, they are putting out a “Better Together” update.  This was revealed in the first portion of their trailer which opens with one of the Minecraft landscapes with the words “Coming this Summer” in pixelated letters.  The camera zooms forward and the next landscape has the words “Community Marketplace”.  What Minecraft is revealing with this trailer is that this summer Minecraft will be available for Crossplay as the game is being unified.  Now gamers can play across several consoles and platforms.  These include;  Xbox, Xbox X, Switch, Mobile (iOs and Android), Windows 10, and VR. Unfortunately, it appears the PlayStation 4 is not a console that will be included in the crossplay program.

The second announcement is revealed in the trailer as the camera zooms into a tunnel and the screen goes dark.  A moment later the camera emerges in the Minecraft world, with a vastly different look.  Coming this fall there will be DLC called the Minecraft Super Duper Graphics Pack which will be available on Xbox One, and Windows 10.  This DLC brings Minecraft into 4k, and while the pixelated aesthetic of Minecraft remain, the visual elements of the game are significantly upgraded.  The way they are incorporating the quintessential Minecraft look while integrating 4K is accomplished with lighting and shadowing.  The sky alone in the first look at the Super Duper Graphics Pack demonstrates the change.  Sunlight is streaming through a light fog over the ground while clouds above maintain their pixelated shape.  The trees below still look pixelated, but they are much smaller squares and have a more refined look.  As the camera and the characters move there is a significant amount of shadowing that go along also giving the game a vastly different and richer look.  With the level of detail, to get the most out of the Minecraft Super Duper Graphics Pack, you would need to have an Xbox One or a higher quality computer that is equipped for this level of graphics.  For those gamers who are ready to change up the Minecraft aesthetic, and have the 4K level computer or Xbox One, this is the perfect DLC.

 

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Cuphead was announced at a Microsoft press conference a few years ago to great fanfare. Unfortunately it has been plagued by delays and still hasn’t been released. Fortunately, the developer has finally revealed the release date on Xbox One and PC to be September 29th.

Cuphead is an action game with animation mimicking the art style of animated movies from the early 1930’s, except rendered in real time using modern technology. This two player cooperative game features the titular Cuphead and best pal Mugman fighting through thirty excruciatingly hard boss battles with shooter controls similar to classic Nintendo games. Every piece of artwork in this game feels like it has been peeled from the movie theater, with intentional blurryness and color issues as if the game was being played by a movie projector that keeps drifting in and out of focus.

Why is this awesome?

Cuphead is a game that is meant to be a spectacle, an ultra hard shoot ’em up that can be watched by others. With the violence muted to very low levels by the animation, this game is a clear example of a game where parents can play and kids can watch. It also serves the market of young gamers who have grown up around simpler action titles and want more difficulty, but without explicit gore.

 

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One of the biggest surprises in gaming for me last year was how much I loved playing the single player story mode in FIFA 2017. The Journey was a story of Alex Hunter, a young man who is trying to  make his way through his career in professional soccer. I may not be the biggest soccer fan in the world, but Alex Hunter was my guy. I was fully invested in his story throughout the mode. I was actually pretty bummed when I was finished with it all.


Players like me from around the world are going to be able to spend more time with Mr. Hunter this fall when FIFA 18 comes out. It will include “The Journey: Hunter Returns.” The story picks up with Alex Hunter well established in his career in the English Premier league. The new story is built around Alex being forced to make the choice to either remain in England or to move to the US. This is an interesting story because, apparently, it is something that a lot of players in the UK struggle with.

The fact that The Journey is getting a sequel is incredibly telling. EA would not have continued to spend the cash to develop a well written and acted single player mode for a sports game if it wasn’t successful. We don’t have numbers regarding have many people bought the game and played through a bunch of the story, but I’m sure that EA does and that they were pleased with the results.

Sports games these days are all slowly turning into RPGs. Many people think of RPGs as hundred hour long fantasy epics, but if you strip out the genre and leave the various systems sports games aren’t too far off. This is a trend I hope continues.

What about you all? Will you and your family be picking up FIFA 18 this fall? Let us know in the comments!

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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:

  • 10 Bonus Loot Boxes
  • Blackwatch Reyes and Strike-Commander Morrison skins
  • Tracer in Heroes of the Storm
  • Baby Winston Pet in World of Warcraft
  • Mercy’s Wings in Diablo III
  • In-game portraits of Tracer, Reaper, Pharah, Winston, Bastion, and Soldier: 76 in StarCraft II
  • A Hearthstone card back

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.

 

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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 has been officially been announced!

The LEGO brand gets a new game every year, so an announcement like this was bound to happen sooner or later. This time we will be venturing back into the Marvel universe. Take a look at the teaser trailer below.

The full trailer will be released on May 23rd, 2017 so we’ll have to wait till then for more details. But, we can tell a few things from the marketing materials that have been released to far.

The story will span multiple time period and multiple realities. This will allow the developers to include some very deep cut super heroes like a wild west version of Captain America and Spider Gwen. The villain this time around will be Kang the Conqueror. He is a time traveling villain who is perfect for this sort of story because of his time and reality bending technology.

We can tell some of the characters that will be in the game already thanks to the cover art and the teaser.

The heroes announced so far are:

  • Rocket Raccoon
  • Baby Groot
  • Spider Gwen
  • Spider Man 2099
  • Doctor Strange
  • Captain Marvel
  • Black Panther
  • The Hulk (in Planet Hulk armor)
  • Wild West Captain America

We will obviously see more characters as we get closer to the release date on November 14th of this year. It will launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A Switch version will launch later in the year.

 

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2K Games has announced that Shaq is the Legend edition cover athlete for their upcoming NBA basketball sim NBA 2K18. Shaq was one of the most dominant forces in NBA during his long career and he really never went away after he retired. He sits on the panel for TNT’s Inside the NBA program and will likely be a fixture in and around the NBA for the rest of his days.

Big Aristotle (as some call him) is not gracing the cover of NBA2k18 after an 11 year absence. This time, though, he is limited to the special editions. The cover athlete for the main game will be announced as a later date (likely after the NBA Finals are complete).

The special editions will allow players to get into the action on September 15th of this year. The standard version of NBA 2K18 comes to Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 19.

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