Gaming

You know those evidence-gathering scenes in 90s and 00s tv shows and movies that treat looking at photographs like a particularly shouty spectator sport? Where stern-looking people tap magical “enhance” button or tell the computer they intend to zoom in and “clean up” the image? You know, that old chestnut? Someone made a game out of that. Hate spammy ICOs and crappy cryptocurrencies? So do we. VISIT HARD FORK The game is called Enhance.computer, and it’s a browser game in which you yell commands at your screen to direct a photo-examining program. Shouting “enhance” clears some non-specific static off the image, because you have to have an “enhance” command in there somewhere. It might take a few tries to get it to work. I had to refresh the game several times to coax it to move off of the loading screen and into the actual game. Also, for those of you not used to using a microphone with a browser, make sure you’re using … [Read more...] about ‘Enhance’: Browser game mocks Hollywood hacking tropes

The future of esports is looking particularly bright these days. Not only are live events drawing record crowds, but millennial are putting them on even grounds with more traditional sports in terms of what they plan to watch on a given evening. There’s even talk among officials with the Olympic Committee to see if esports is a viable candidate for inclusion in future Olympic games. One of the most recent, major events to draw the eye of both fans and curious onlookers was the Overwatch League finals. Airing on ESPN, it was both an event and an experiment with bringing competitive gaming to an audience that hadn’t yet experienced it — Wired called it a potential “crossover moment.” Hate spammy ICOs and crappy cryptocurrencies? So do we. VISIT HARD FORK I had the opportunity to speak with Jon Spector, the Director of Franchises and Competition with the Overwatch League, about the future of esports and whether it has a place in the Olympics. The … [Read more...] about We talked to Overwatch League’s franchise director about the future of esports

The saga of Sony and its policy on crossplay continues. The latest party to express an opinion about the company’s strict policy of no crossplay with other console makers is none other than gaming juggernaut Bethesda, who’ve issued a very soft, implied ultimatum to Sony — an ultimatum I can almost guarantee won’t work. The game serving as the carrot in this scenario is Elder Scrolls: Legends, the digital card game based on Bethesda’s unbelievably popular fantasy series. Speaking with GameInformer at this year’s QuakeCon, Pete Hines, Bethesda’s VP of global marketing said of Legends: It is our intention in order for the game to come out, it has to be [both cross-platform play and cross-platform progress] on any system. We cannot have a game that works one way across everywhere else except for on this one thing. The way the game works right now on Apple, Google, Steam, and Bethesda.net, it doesn’t matter where you buy … [Read more...] about Bethesda won’t change Sony’s mind on crossplay — but gamers can

It seems like every game company wants to prove it has a better take on the battle royale genre than PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite. Hi-Rez Studios is one of those companies. Earlier this year the company behind Paladins and Smite introduced Realm Royale. Now, following widespread criticism, Hi-Rez has announced today a studio called Heroic Leap Games devoted specifically to making Realm Royale. Heroic Leap Games will be a "new studio under the Hi-Rez Studios publishing group," the company said in its announcement, with the hope being that establishing a new studio will allow the team "to stay hyper-focused on continuing to improve Realm Royale with our community." It's not clear how much freedom Heroic Leap Games will have from Hi-Rez or what changes players can expect after the new studio's creation. We first checked out Realm Royale in June. At first it seemed like a refreshing take on the battle royale genre because players have to choose between unique classes … [Read more...] about Hi-Rez Gives Controversial Realm Royale Devs Their Own Studio

Previous Next 1 of 4 World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is the long-running MMORPG’s seventh expansion, and with it comes a new type of progression and artifact system that changes things up significantly. The previous artifact system has been altered so that, instead of progression being limited to one item, a new artifact known as the Heart of Azeroth will level up as you work your way through the game and power special Azerite Armor, imbuing it with Azerite Traits, which you’ll earn depending on which class you’re using, among other details. How does the new Heart of Azeroth work, and what can you expect from levels earned with it? What is the Heart of Azeroth? The Heart of Azeroth is a new artifact that’s introduced in the first few moments of Battle for Azeroth. You’ll first earn it after you complete the quest “The Heart of Azeroth,” following “The Battle for Lordaeron.” Without spoiling too much for … [Read more...] about ‘World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth’ Azerite Armor Guide