Mar 08 2019
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gog

GOG Welcomes the Lord of Terror with Diablo Rerelease

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Digital PC game store GOG added a seminal classic of PC gaming to its library: 1996’s Diablo. For the first time you can now purchase Diablo outside of Blizzard (or retail), for $9.99. It does not include the 1997 Hellfire expansion, which was released by a different company.

Like many of GOG’s rereleases, Diablo has been closely preserved to its original release, with 20 FPS SVGA graphics. Up to four players can journey beneath Tristram together through direct IP connection or the older version of Blizzard’s Battle.net multiplayer lobby. Note that playing online requires opening up ports and your firewall as Diablo predates modern online safeguards.

A few tweaks and updates have been included to support modern PCs, including Win 10 support and proper upscaling for higher resolutions.

While not the first dungeon crawling loot fest, Diablo is often considered the grandfather of the entire genre. Play a warrior, rogue, or sorcerer and explore randomly generated dungeons, fight monsters, and nab loot. Diablo was a huge success that begat an entire genre of co-op hack ‘n slash games that persists to this day.

Diablo was the most requested game on GOG. To this day it’s often voted as one of the best and most influential games of all time. Though its gameplay hasn’t aged quite as well, with clunky controls and muddy graphics. Diabl0 2, released in 2000, was a massive improvement in every way, and is even more highly regarded. Diablo 2 is currently available via Blizzard’s store.

Diablo represents the first of several classic Blizzard games that will make their way onto GOG. The partnership is due to the fact that these games’ older infrastructure prevent them from being sold and played via Blizzard’s modern Battle.net digital storefront. Blizzard’s solution is to remake them, such as with 2017’s StarCraft Remastered and WarCraft 3 Reforged, coming later this year. The original Warcraft 1 and 2 will be coming to GOG as well.

Diablo is rated M for Mature.

Nov 16 2018
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overwatch

Play Overwatch for Free All Thanksgiving Week

Posted by | News, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | No Comments

If you’re staring down the barrel of a week-long holiday this Thanksgiving, Blizzard has at least one suggestion. Overwatch will be free to play beginning November 20 until November 26 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

The Overwatch Free Trial includes access to four game modes, all 19 maps, and all 29 heroes, including the recently added gunslinger Ashe. New Accounts will be able to level up, earn loot boxes and gain new skins, sprays, poses and other rewards.

Since progress is tied to your account, any progress made during the free trial will carry over if you decided to purchase Overwatch after the free trial period has ended. Trophies and achievements are disabled during the free trial, however.

Note that playing Overwatch on consoles requires Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscriptions.

For players who link their Twitch and Blizzard accounts, you can earn special limited Ashe-themed sprays during the free trial period.

To access Overwatch on PC during the free trial you’ll need to download the Blizzard Battle.net app, create a Blizzard account, and install the game. For PlayStation and Xbox, simply search for Overwatch in their respective stores and download the Free Trial version.

Console players will be able to pre-load the Overwatch Free Trial now.

The Overwatch Free Trial begins Nov. 20 at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern.

Oct 15 2018
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diablo III: eternal collection

Diablo 3 Switch Bundle Available Only at GameStop

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Many big blockbusters from the last few years are getting Switch ports, but not all of them are getting their own Switch bundles. November 2 sees the release of Diablo 3 on Switch, as well as the Diablo III: Eternal Collection Switch bundle. The bundle will be available exclusively at GameStop.

The Diablo III: Eternal Collection Switch bundle includes a download code for the game as well as Diablo-themed Switch, dock, and carrying case. Diablo III: Eternal Collection on Switch includes Diablo 3 as well as the Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer expansion packs for a total of seven character classes, five acts, and seasonal content.

Unique to the Switch version are several pieces of Zelda-related content: a Cucco pet, Triforce portrait, and a transmogrification armor set to don Gannondorf’s black steel armor.

Diablo 3 originally launched on PC in 2012, making the jump to current gen consoles in 2014. Despite a history of PC-only gameplay, the console version was very well received. The Reaper of Souls expansion also helped redefine the gameplay structure as Blizzard added the excellent Adventure Mode and seasonal content to increase replayability over the years.

Diablo 3 remains one of the go-to definitive cooperative games on the market, with both local and online multiplayer. Local players can join forces on a shared-screen with a single Switch, or with multiple Switch handhelds. Up to four people can battle the evil forces in Sanctuary together.

The Diablo III: Eternal Collection will launch on Nov. 2 along with the Switch bundle. It’s rated M for Mature for Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, and Violence.

Oct 12 2018
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lego overwatch

First LEGO Overwatch Figure is Omnic Bastion

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Earlier this year Activision Blizzard announced a partnership with LEGO to produce special Overwatch LEGO figures. The first of these sets is Omnic Bastion, and it’s available to order now exclusively on the Blizzard Gear store. It will also be available at BlizzCon, which takes place November 2-3 in Anaheim, California.

LEGO Overwatch Omnic Bastion is a large, buildable Bastion figure containing 182 pieces. Curiously, Bastion is featured in his orange Omnic Crisis skin rather than his default gray.

Once built the figure stands five inches tall, including the base. Bastion can swivel his waist and move his arms. Sadly, the LEGO Bastion doesn’t transform into a turret.

Bastion’s flying sidekick Ganymede is also included as a small buildable figure. The set has a recommended age of 10+ and costs $25.00.

A full launch of LEGO Overwatch figures is coming soon.

Overwatch is currently in the middle of its Halloween Terror 2018 event. The seasonal event features the return of Junkenstein’s Revenge and adds two new heroes to the fan-favorite mode – Brigitte and Tracer.

New loot boxes add new skins, emotes and highlight intros. The six new legendary skins are Banshee Moira, Bride Sombra, Enchanted Armor Pharah, Jack-O’-Lantern Wrecking Ball, Slasher: 76 Soldier 76, and Swamp Monster Doomfist. You can also find previous years’ Halloween loot and purchase them at a discount.

The Halloween event ends October 31.