Monthly Archives: October 2018
Valve Gives a First Look at Artifact’s Draft Mode
Artifact's beta is almost here, still scheduled for October even as the month rapidly approaches its end. But while an actual date hasn't been announced yet, we've got an early look at the newly revealed draft mode for Valve's upcoming card game.
In the video at the top of the page, you can see me sit down with Richard Garfield -- creator of Magic: The Gathering and lead designer of Artifact -- as we go through the strategy behind drafting and then building a deck from five sealed packs of Artifact cards. Then you can watch the new gameplay video below to see our deck in action:
Hearthstone: Giggling Inventor is Being Nerfed into the Ground
Blizzard’s Team 5 today announced the details of the balance changes that are coming to Hearthstone on October 18. They are:
Giggling Inventor:
The neutral minion Giggling Inventor will now cost 7 mana. (Up from 5.)
Mana Wyrm:
Could Rick Grimes Return to The Walking Dead After Andrew Lincoln’s Season 9 Exit?
Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes is leaving The Walking Dead after this season, but is he leaving for good?
Possible spoilers for Season 9 follow.
Speaking with UK tabloid Express, Khary Payton, who plays King Ezekiel on The Walking Dead, implied that Rick might not be getting killed off in his finale. Although it's important to keep some skepticism, given that it's not Lincoln or the show's writers and producers offering the tease, Payton made it sound as though Rick's finale may not be so final at all.
Pennyworth: Young Alfred, Thomas Wayne Cast in Batman Prequel TV Series
Batman prequel Pennyworth has found its star in Jack Bannon (The Imitation Game), who will play the lead role of a young Alfred Pennyworth, while the role of Thomas Wayne has also been cast.
The Epix drama begins production on Oct. 22 and will chronicle the adventures of Alfred well before the character takes on his most famous job as Batman's butler. Epix has committed to 10 one-hour episodes to Pennyworth's first season, which is being created by Warner Horizon Scripted Television.
Jack Bannon
The Best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Deals in October
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Samsung unveiled their latest flagship phone at Unpacked 2018, the Galaxy Note 9. was released on the 24th of August and the newest edition of the Note generally has favourable reviews and boasts a range of incredible specs. Leading on from last years Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the CPU, GPU, and battery have been given a boost. Samsung have also created a Bluetooth-enabled S Pen you can use as a remote control which is shipped with every order.
3D Realms Boss Sheds Light on Duke Nukem Forever’s Tortured Development
Scott Miller is psychologically done with Duke Nukem Forever...forever. The founder of 3D Realms, which helped bring classic action games like Max Payne and Wolfenstein 3D to life, says he has never and probably will never play the ill-fated shooter to completion, which released in 2011 after more than a decade in development hell.
When asked when he started to worry about Duke Nukem Forever’s development being in trouble, Miller said it was 2003.
“My argument to
was we need to almost double the size of our studio to get this thing up,” Miller said. “What happens is that a new game will come out that blows the doors off of what we're doing, like Half-Life or Half-Life 2. Therefore, OK, let's go back to the drawing board and add more features to the engine. We were just always playing catch-up because our team is too small to ever really get ahead and maintain the lead we want.”
Shenmue: Cancelled Remake Would Have Completely Revamped Visuals
New reports suggest that Shenmue I & II could have received a much more "comprehensive remake with completely revamped artwork," if Sega's plans had been successful.
As reported by Eurogamer, Digital Foundry recently published a video that gives us a look at what the Shenmue I & II remasters could have looked like, had the development on these more ambitious version not been cancelled due to "budget constraints and development delays."
Egos and Immersion: Why Rockstar Won’t Hire Famous Actors Anymore
Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says the developer has moved away from using name actors in recent games, citing egos and player immersion.
Speaking to Vulture, Houser explained: "We don’t bring in name actors anymore because of their egos and, most important of all, because we believe we get a better sense of immersion using talented actors whose voices you don’t recognize.”
Houser specifically brings up his experience directing Burt Reynolds in GTA: Vice City, who apparently shouted "get the limey out of here" after an argument. Houser also had to ask another director to take over following disagreements with Public Enemy's Chuck D while making GTA: San Andreas.
Special Edition Diablo 3 Nintendo Switch Bundle Announced
Nintendo has announced the Nintendo Switch Diablo III: Eternal Collection Bundle that includes an exclusive Diablo III-themed Nintendo Switch console and dock, carrying case, and a download code for the upcoming title.
Available on November 2, 2018, the Diablo III: Eternal Collection bundle will cost $359.99 USD and comes packaged with standard gray Joy-Cons and the console and dock adorned with Diablo artwork.
In the US, the Nintendo Switch Diablo III Eternal Collection Bundle is only available at Gamestop.
The Diablo III: Eternal Collection on Switch includes the original version of the game, both the Reaper of Souls expansion and Rise of the Necromancer pack, and all content updates.
Pokemon: Let’s Go Is Relaxing and Approachable by Design
For anyone unfamiliar, Pokemon is an easy series to underestimate. On the surface, it’s bright, cute, and basically the opposite of what a lot of people think when they hear “competitive multiplayer” or “deep RPG.” But as any experienced player will tell you, the core Pokemon series is full of elements like breeding, hidden abilities, and a ton of other factors that require meticulous stat tracking and battle strategies.
For that reason, Pokemon: Let’s Go is designed as an entry point for kids and new players. Normally, those people might pick up a traditional Pokemon game expecting something simple and find themselves intimidated by the many facets of battling and training. But after playing a bit of Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, it’s clear that Game Freak has succeeded in making a much simpler, more friendly Pokemon experience.