Blizzard's much-publicized shooter Overwatch is finally out today, but it released without one very important component: Ranked play. Don't worry though. Lead game designer Jeff Kaplan has assured the community that feature is coming, as early as next month.
Source: Facebook
Sick of heading into games registered to your Battle.net account as ResidentsLover or BeautifulDarkness83? You've got one free shot to make a change on Blizzard with the release of Overwatch.
The Academy of Arts and Sciences (AIAS) holds its annual DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) awards to recognize outstanding video games and the individuals who bring them to life., Basically, they're like the Oscars of the gaming industry. Today, they're opening an interactive exhibit at The Strong's National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY to showcase winners and significant titles across gaming history.
Source: The Strong Museum
Did you look at SteelSeries' display-toting Rival 700 mouse in January and think it was just the edge you needed for your gaming exploits? It's time to do something about it. The company's Rival 700 is now available for a pricey (though not outlandish) $100. As before, its centerpiece is a side-mounted OLED screen that both shows data (such as your in-game stats or your team logo) and helps you tweak settings without firing up software on your PC. You can also 'feel' events through customizable vibrations, and swap optical sensors when you're eager for an upgrade. Is this overkill? Probably -- but there's no doubt that you'll have a distinct gaming experience.
Source: SteelSeries
Rocket League players will soon have an even wider breadth of teammates to choose from, as Psyonix has announced that Xbox One and PC cross-network play is going live for all today.
Source: NeoGAF
"It's a game that's built a lot on momentum and forward movement and not stopping, reaching almost a zen-like thing."
That's how DICE Design Director Erik Odeladhl describes his latest game, Mirror's Edge Catalyst. It stars Faith, a freerunner, as she sprints, slides and leaps around a stark-white futuristic urban sprawl. The city is her playground. On top of a skyscraper, Faith builds up speed and swings onto a thin ledge, where she seamlessly dashes and jumps, rolling onto the roof of the next building and always running, running, running. For many fans, this constant motion is what the series is all about.
But Odeladhl's favorite part of Catalyst involves no movement at all.
Activision Blizzard has seen a ton of success with two franchises in recent years: Skylanders, which kicked off the toys-to-life craze, and Hearthstone, which made collectible card games (CCG) accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Now, it's mashing the two together for Skylanders Battlecast, a CCG aimed at children. Announced last summer, it's finally available across North America and Europe from today.
Just like regular Skylanders games, Battlecast is very much focused on you buying real-world items. The game itself will be available on iOS or Android (both Google and Amazon flavours) as a free download. To make the most of it, you'll need to buy cards. There are 24 character cards to collect, along with numerous Spell, Gear and Relic cards that will allow you to attack enemies, change stats or modify the playing field. Think Magic: The Gathering's Equipment, Artifacts and Enchantments and you won't be far off.