Heroes of the Storm: Recruit a Friend

I've been playing Heroes of the Storm for just short of a month now. I'm a big fan of Blizzard Entertainment's various gaming worlds, and a 'world' where those dimensions crash into one to form an awesome multiplayer battle arena is well worth checking out for any one who is a fan of Diablo, StarCraft, WarCraft, League of Legends, and even DotA.

If you're new to Heroes, then click on the following link, and you'll unlock a hero for free (Raynor), as well as a 5 day stimpack to help you gain experience. As an added bonus, ranking up to level 10 will earn you a second free hero, Sylvanas.

If you're playing on the European servers please consider using my recruitment link so that I may unlock the awesome vulture hover bike mount for my StarCraft heroes.

Overwatch: Blizzard's online multiplayer shooter

Following on from Blizzard's StarCraft II announcement, here's a look at their new IP, Overwatch. I get the impression this title has a very similar concept to that of Evolve, but instead of going up against one overpowered monster with a few friends, your team of six mercenaries will be up against another six mercenaries. 

Blizzard are well known for their epic cinematics, and the reveal trailer for Overwatch does not disappoint.

From the gameplay trailer the classes look very similar, and even some of the character design/ abilities seem to overlap heavily between the two titles. For instance Overwatch's Mercy looks quite a bit like Evolve's Val, but with Lazarus' resurrection ability. 

Overwatch's medic, Mercy, sizes up the sniper-medic, Val from Evolve 

One thing that will definitely set the two titles apart (as can be seen above) is the artwork style and animation. While Evolve's has gone for a more realistic representation of its environments and characters, the developers of Overwatch have gone for a more cartoonish-look, and I really like it.

While this is potentially the type of game I'd like to play (and I particularly like the looks of Reaper), I highly doubt my current PC will be able to handle running it. When Evolve was first revealed to be next gen. and PC only, I had seriously considered upgrading my PC. But then the whole idea of buying a console was so that I wouldn't have to get a new graphics card every 6 months as a new game came out.

So while Overwatch, Evolve, and to a lesser extent Battleborn look like great co-operative shooters, the chances of me purchasing any of them are slowly approaching zero. Now if one of these titles were to launch with a worthwhile single player campaign, then things might change.

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void announcements

It's been nearly two years since the release of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, but finally Blizzard have announced the third, and final installment of the StarCraft II trilogy; Legacy of the Void.

I still haven't gotten around to playing the previous games of the StarCraft II saga, but now that the story is being wrapped up with the release of the LotV 'expansion,' hopefully it wont be too long before a StarCraft II: Battle Chest is announced. That is something I will definitely buy, especially if it has a few extra goodies, like strategy guides, soundtracks, etc.

Blizzard's venture into fighting games, and other stories from today

Sorry if the title got your hopes up, but today is 1 April. As such, here is a collection of three of my favourite pranks from this morning:

1. The League of Beers - Craft beer syrup

"Thought of dappling in some home brewing? It just got a whole lot easier with our new syrups. Carbonate your own craft beer in the comfort of your own home. Go on what are you waiting for?"

This idea might actually work for non-alcoholic beers, but who drinks non-alcoholic beers anyway? 

2. Kulula.com - Braai in the sky

"Straight from the flames onto your tray with kulula’s in-flight sky braai! We are proud to announce another world-first from kulula.com. We’re taking South Africa’s favourite pastime to new heights. Going forward, our customers will be able to select their fav meat or veggie skewer and have it braaied in the sky."

Who doesn't enjoy meat cooked over an open flame? Kulula is renowned for their sense of humour, as well as being "the most South African airline." What better way to make a flight more South African, than with an on-board braai, or barbecue for those not in the know?


3. Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Outcasts: Vengeance of the Vanquished

"We're proud to announce Blizzard Outcasts - Vengeance of the Vanquished! Watch the trailer →"

Blizzard are known for their elaborate April Fool pranks, and this year was no different with the announcement of a new game and optional controller, complete with a video and website filled with character biographies and concept art. Clearly a lot of thought and effort was put into this.

Heroes of the Storm Beta sign up available

Blizzard Entertainments's new mulitplayer online brawler, Heroes of the Storm, has opened a period of beta sign up for those wanting to get stuck into the game early. While I'm not a fan of always online games, I am a huge fan of all three of Blizzard's gaming universes. Heroes of the Storm will literally see these universes collide, allowing for epic battles such as those seen in the trailer below. 

Heroes of the Storm will feature several classes of hero (Assassin, Warrior, Support, Specialist), including several favourites from Blizzard's catalogue. The appearance and abilities of heroes will be customisable, allowing for a variety of playing styles.

While the cinematic trailer looks incredible, as does the gameplay video, I think what has interested me the most about Heroes of the Swarm is the inclusion of Nova from the indefinitely postponed project, StarCraft: Ghost. Given Nova's repeated appearances in StarCraft II releases, I wonder if there is still a plan to complete and release SC: Ghost? I was genuinely disappointed when SC: Ghost was announced as a console exclusive. With development on the game having gone on for such a length of time, perhaps this is one title better left incomplete, and unreleased, to prevent it from being another Duke Nukem Forever. However this is Blizzard we're talking about, and they're capable of miracles, as seen in the recent console release of Diablo III.

Anyway, I've signed up for the Heroes of the Storm beta, and if granted access I now exactly which heroine I shall choose. Yup, you guessed it, Nova!

Diablo III coming to consoles

Despite still having quite a few unfinished, unplayed, and even two unopened PlayStation 3 games, I've just pre-ordered the console version of Diablo III. I'd heard of Blizzard's intention to make a console version of the game some time ago. I'd even seen several advertisements at retailers offering the 'Infernal Helm' as a pre-order incentive. But the thought of buying the console version of the game had never crossed my mind. That was until I watched a trailer showcasing the game-play of the console version of Diablo III.

This was enough to peak an interest in watching a few more Diablo III videos on YouTube, and I eventually found myself on the Diablo III website, where I found an updated list of pre-order content. I'm not entirely certain these will be available for South African players, but I had a look at the two South African retailers anyway.

What I found, one retailer is offering the 'Infernal Helm' and a Diablo III keyring, while the other is offering the 'Infernal Helm' and an art book as pre-order incentives. While I have a fairly large collection of keyrings, and the retailer offering the keyring may be slightly cheaper, I'd much rather get my heretical hands on the art book. So that's it, I pre-ordered Diablo III, not because of the game, or the bonus in-game content, but for a book full of pictures of various monsters from the gaming realm of Diablo.

Now to wait until 3 September, and hopefully by then I will have gotten my girlfriend into playing PS3 with me through either Portal 2 or Borderlands.

The Swarm approaches...

Blizzard Entertainment have announced the release date for the next instalment of the StarCraft II saga. On 12 March 2013 Sarah Kerrigan will make her return, along with a whole host of other nasty creatures.

The bonus content included with the Collectors Edition looks amazing. I really like how Blizzard ties their major titles together by releasing exclusive in-game content for the Diablo III and World of Warcraft realms with this release. I play neither of those though, and haven't even played StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty yet. 

I had initially intended to wait until the release of all three StarCraft II titles in a Battle Chest, but I feel that it could still be quite a long wait. Since the Zerg were my favourite race to play as in StarCraft, and considering the vast number of hours of my youth I spent playing StarCraft instead of doing school work, perhaps it is time that I re-familiarise myself with the franchise.