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Valve updates 'Dota' card game with open tournaments and chat options
Valve has delivered the first large upgrade to Artifact since it premiered in late November, and it's clear there's lots of headroom for the Dota card game to grow. The 1.1 update adds short Open Tournaments that anyone can join. You don't have to chat up players or advertise them on social networks -- you just have to hop in and wait for Valve to pair you with an opponent. There's also a Free-for-All tourney mode that asks you to play as many people you can within three hours, awarding the win to whoever wins the most games in that time span.
'Gwent' revamp will help it take on card game rivals
You'd think that CD Projekt Red would have locked in Gwent's mechanics with an expected launch just months away, but not so -- if anything, it's ready to toss out what many are already taking for granted. The developer has unveiled a revamp (nicknamed Gwent Homecoming) that could shake up fundamental aspects of the game. The initiative will push for both a "complete overhaul of the visual experience" (including a tone more consistent with The Witcher) and, more importantly, key changes to gameplay.
'Hearthstone’s first big expansion of 2018, ‘Witchwood,’ is live
With the release of the Witchwood expansion just now, Blizzard's card game Hearthstone has officially ticked over into a new year. That means all of the cards from 2016 have rotated out of the competitive Standard mode -- good riddance, Yogg Saron and Barnes -- to make room for new ones. As was the case in previous years, this first new set of cards for the year is the best time for interested players to get in the game.
A ‘Warhammer’ AR fantasy card game is coming to PC this year
Gamers may know Games Workshop's popular tabletop game Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (the fantasy counterpart to Warhammer 40,000) is getting its own card game for PC later this year -- and it'll benefit from augmented reality. Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Champions, as it's called, includes physical cards, a digital game and an augmented reality engine to animate the former.
First 'Hearthstone' expansion of 2018 delves into ‘The Witchwood’
Weeks after laying out this year's plan for Hearthstone, Blizzard has announced the first expansion of 2018: The Witchwood. Once it lands, the Year of the Raven will begin -- and all of 2016's cards will be retired from the main Standard format. The haunted forest-themed set will introduce 135 cards and several card types that introduce new styles of play. And like the last two content additions, players will get solo content for free. The announcement didn't give a release date, but if the last two years are any indication, The Witchwood will likely drop next month.
Some 'Hearthstone' cards will be phased out with April's expansion
Blizzard has solidified Hearthstone's annual flow of retiring old cards and welcoming new ones: For the third year in a row, a new expansion will come in April that signals a sea change in the digital card game. While we don't know the title or flavor of Hearthstone's next set, we do have a list of changes and new features that will arrive when 2017's Year of the Mammoth gives way to 2018's Year of the Raven.
'Hearthstone’s ‘Knights of the Frozen Throne’ expansion is live
Blizzard's digital card game Hearthstone's newest full expansion is now live. Knights of the Frozen Throne brings 135 new cards and free solo content to the title and a couple new mechanics, which will shake up the game's competitive meta. Sure, it's a lot of what we've come to expect from a Hearthstone expansion, but who can complain about new additions to tried-and-true gameplay?
‘Hearthstone’s next expansion adds undead fun in icy Northrend
Digital card game Hearthstone started off a new year of themed expansions with April's Journey to Un'goro, adding 135 cards and introducing new concepts to refresh the game. Last night, studio Blizzard announced the second new content block for 2017, Knights of the Frozen Throne, which will launch in August.
First 'Hearthstone' expansion of 2017 adds dinos and adventure
The long-awaited first expansion of 2017 for Blizzard's Hearthstone is finally here. Journey To Un'Goro adds 135 cards (gallery here) to the game with fun new functions, but the first content of the year will also retire all of 2015's cards out of the main Standard format. That means saying goodbye to some old frenemies (adios, Ragnaros) and hello to a refreshed meta, a Wild West of untested deck concepts and synergies. A digital cardscape where dinosaurs rule.
'Hearthstone' gets first expansion of the year in early April
It doesn't take much to set video game fans down rumor rabbit holes these days, but in this case, hints about Hearthstone's first expansion in 2017 were correct. Blizzard has officially announced that Journey to Un'Goro will be the next content block added this year, bringing dinosaurs and new mechanics to the digital card game when the set launches in early April.
Blizzard's next 'Hearthstone' adventure is a magical disco party
Even though Blizzard's light-hearted digital card game, Hearthstone, just got a new expansion back in April, rumors of new content just around the corner have been proven true. At an event in Shanghai, China, the studio announced a new adventure, One Night In Karazhan, that will add hours of single-player content and 45 new cards to the mix when it launches on August 11th. Best of all, the first prologue mission is free for everyone.
'Exploding Kittens' is now on Android
Exploding Kittens, the most-funded game ever to cross Kickstarter's funding goal line is now available on Android. The multiplayer card contest, illustrated by The Oatmeal, works a lot like another classic party game: Russian Roulette. Each of the up to five players takes turns pulling cards from a central deck. Whenever someone pulls an Exploding Kitten card, they have to use another card from their hand to defuse it before the cat goes kablooey. Whoever is left standing last, wins. The game is available for both iOS and Android for $2 and can be played across platforms.
Microsoft marks 25 years of Solitaire with a tournament
Microsoft Solitaire, aka Windows' biggest productivity killer, is turning 25 this year -- and the team in Redmond is going to mark the occasion in style. The company is starting with an internal tournament this month that will determine who rules the roost within its own ranks. You'll get to participate in June, when the company releases the tournament's challenges to the public through its Solitaire Collection. If you've spent years mastering the art of ordering cards, your finely-honed (if not exactly practical) skills are about to pay off.
Blizzard's 'Hearthstone' card game lands on your smartphone
There goes your hope of staying productive at work. Blizzard has updated Hearthstone for Android and iOS to support smartphones, so you can indulge in its Warcraft-themed free-to-play card gaming while you're stuck in your cubicle. You shouldn't lose any content in the translation, but there's an "all-new" interface designed for smaller screens. Just be sure to exercise some restraint -- it could be tempting to squeeze in one more round before that big meeting.
'Cards Against Humanity' brings the raunch to the web in unofficial app (update)
Cards Against Humanity is already the naughtiest, nastiest, most hilarious card game for terrible people in physical reality, and now all of that fun is alive in the digital world with Cards Against Originality. It's a free, unofficial web app for phones, tablets and desktops designed by Dawson Whitfield, and it contains every Cards Against Humanity card, including all five expansions. Cards Against Originality is meant to fill in for actual cards if you forget to bring your big, black box to a party -- you still have to be near your friends in the real world to play. Simply start a new game, share the link and get rolling. Plus, it's all completely cool under the original game's Creative Commons license, according to Cards Against Humanity creator Max Temkin.
Blizzard's Warcraft card game is getting an undead single-player expansion
Were you hoping for a single-player campaign in Blizzard's Warcraft-themed card game, Hearthstone? Well, you're getting one. The outfit's announced Curse of Naxxramas at PAX East, and, in addition to fresh challenges and more than an entire deck's worth of shiny cards, there's a new Adventure mode en route for solo players. As Joystiq has noticed, Naxxramas also features a new game-board based on Warcraft's floating necropolis of the same name. The first area, subtly named Arachnid Quarter (gee, wonder what's lurking in there?), is free for everyone and will roll out simultaneously across iPad, Mac and PC sometime later this year. If you want to complete the expansion's other successive areas as they release, you'll have to buy-in either with in-game gold or your hard-earned meat-space ducats. Still not sure what the hype is about? Well, the game doesn't cost a thing, so there really isn't much risk in giving it a shot for yourself. It'd probably be a good idea to start practicing ahead of Naxxramas' ambiguous release date, anyhow.
Blizzard takes a stab at mobile gaming, brings its free card game to the iPad
Blizzard hasn't really had a presence in mobile gaming... not unless you think the Battle.net Authenticator is rip-roaring entertainment, anyway. However, the developer is giving the category an honest try today by releasing Hearthstone for the iPad. Much like on the desktop, the free-to-play card game lets you fight both real and virtual opponents as you build up a collection of Warcraft-themed minions and spells. Decks sync between devices, so you won't have to start from scratch. The title is currently available on the App Store in Australia, Canada and New Zealand; more countries are coming soon, and those using Android, iPhones and Windows tablets can also expect to play in the near future. The iPad app isn't likely to replicate the off-the-charts success of Blizzard's PC titles, but the company has to start somewhere. And besides, we've seen the problems that some major game producers have faced after downplaying the importance of phones and tablets -- Blizzard may be wise to cover its bases.
Mojang's Scrolls launches in open beta today, $20 gets you access
Mojang's best known for the indie blockbuster Minecraft, but today heralds the launch of the open beta for its new game, Scrolls. It's been a long time coming, and the title itself was the focus of a courtroom squabble, as much as Notch would've liked to hash out the early roadblock in a rocket-filled arena. While it's admittedly not "feature complete," you can test your card-battling skills in casual and ranked online match-ups. The card trading forum is up and running, as is the in-game store for bolstering your deck using gold earned through triumph, and "shards" purchased with real dough. You can tweak your deck using the builder and 25 trials are available off the bat to school you in strategy. Access to the open beta will cost you $20, £13 or 15 euros, but really, you're buying the full game early, as all future updates will be free to beta adopters. The purchase page isn't live just yet, but it'll be available to download for PC and Mac at some point today. Hit the source link to brush up on the mechanics if you can't wait to attack the trials, or check out the trailer below for a quick fix.
Dominion officially coming to the App Store this week
My favorite card game to play with friends right now is called Dominion. It's a game that's set off a "deck-building" craze in the board gaming world, in that you build up a deck to play with as the game goes on. It's inspired quite a few games on the App Store already (including the excellent Ascension), and there has even been an officially-sanctioned fan version of the game previously released. But that fan version disappeared a while ago, and that's because we're finally getting a full, official version of Dominion to play on iOS later on this week. Rio Grande has promised to make a full version of the game for a while, and as of this Thursday, we'll have it. The game looks and sounds great: free play of the base game, and then in-app purchase access to the game's expansions as they're released. You'll be able to play by yourself against bots, online with friends, or even in a new "adventure mode" that turns the game into a single-player title. The new app is essentially a frontend for an HTML 5 version of the game being worked on by a company called Goko, but as long as it's Dominion and it works, no worries, right? We'll find out how faithful this version is when it comes out on Thursday. [via Pocket Tactics]
Magic 2013 now (finally!) available on the iPad
The wait is over: Wizards of the Coast has finally brought an official, real version of Magic: The Gathering over to the iPad. Magic 2013 is now available on the App Store, and while there have been plenty of Magic-style card games before, and even an official Magic tracking app from Wizards, this is the first time that we've been able to actually play the real Magic game with official cards and everything. This version of the game is modeled after the very popular XBLA Duels of the Plainswalkers titles (and in fact, there's a new one of those out today as well), so it doesn't offer full control over your decks. Instead, cards are divided up into decks for you, so you can only customize your decks inside of the offered options. But that's not a huge problem: This is still full-on Magic play, with a single player campaign, three decks, and the option to play Plainchase mode for free, and then lots more via in-app purchase, including more decks, challenge modes, Two-Headed Giant and custom game modes, and even, yes, online multiplayer. It's been a long time coming, but we finally have a nice full version of Magic: The Gathering on iOS. Magic 2013 is a free download, and additional functionality can be purchased inside the app. If you're a Magic player, you've probably already headed to iTunes to grab it.
