General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


You'll Need a Burly PC to Run Watch Dogs at Ultra Settings

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 11:35 AM PDT

Watch DogsWatch Dogs creative director confirms specs for running title at Ultra settings

The minimum system requirements to run Watch Dogs on a Windows PC makes the game pretty accessible to anyone with a relatively modern PC (we're talking Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 or AMD Phenom II X4 940 era hardware). However, the recommended system requirements are quite a bit more demanding, and if you want to run Watch Dogs with Ultra settings, you'll need a GeForce GTX 780 graphics card.

Watch Dogs creative director Johnathan Morin took to Twitter to announce the beefy hardware you'll need to run the game in all its visual glory.

"Ultra specs: Intel Core i7 4770K with a GeForce 780. The PC video was recorded on an Intel Core i7 3930K with a GeForce Titan IIRC," Morin said.

As for the minimum requirements listed on Steam, you'll need one of the aforementioned processors or higher, 6GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 460 / AMD Radeon HD 5770 or higher, and 25GB of hard drive space. For the recommended requirements, hardware gets bumped up to an Intel Core i7 3770 / AMD FX-8350 X8 or higher, 8GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 560 Ti / AMD Radeon HD 7850 or higher, and the same amount of hard drive space (25GB).

Watch Dogs will be available to play May 27, 2014. You can pre-purchase the game for $60, or snag the Deluxe Edition for $70.

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Microsoft's Offers Developers Early Look at Windows Phone 8.1 Update

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 11:10 AM PDT

Windows Phone 8.1Windows Phone 8.1 Preview is available for developers

Wondering if Microsoft's Cortana virtual assistant software will live up to the hype? You can find out by downloading the Windows Phone 8.1 Preview, which is now available for third-party developers. This isn't intended for the general public, though if you just can't shake that curiosity and want to be one of the first to try out the new software, you can apply the update without writing apps. Here's what you need to know.

Before you can download the update, you must be a registered developer or be running a "developer unlocked" phone. To become a registered developer, you need to fork over $19 and publish apps in the Windows Store, or register as a developer with App Studio.

If you're going the "developer unlocked" route, you'll need to download the developer tools to register and unlock your handset.

Keep in mind that you risk voiding your phone's warranty by fooling around with the preview update. You also need to be aware that the update only includes Microsoft's portion of the software -- mobile operator and OEM driver updates will be available when the official update for your phone is released.

Finally, bear in mind that there's no going back. Microsoft says you can't revert or return to a prior OS release after you've updated your phone to a preview update.

If none of that scares you away, you can download the preview update here.

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T-Mobile Chief Challenges Wireless Competitors to End Overage Fees

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:41 AM PDT

T-MobileSelf-proclaimed "Un-carrier" pats self on the back, dares other carriers to stop charging overages

T-Mobile, the fourth largest wireless carrier in the U.S., is hoping that an impassioned blog post by its Chief Executive Officer will convince other wireless carriers to put an end to the tyranny of overage charges. Company CEO John Legere said that any big change that's ever led to lasting good started with a single person standing up to point out a wrong, and that he's more than willing to be that person.

"Today, we're capping off several days of major announcements by launching a broad social campaign to abolish domestic overage penalties and begin a national conversation," Legere stated in a blog post. "The Un-carrier is eliminating one of the most widely despised wireless industry practices for all of our T-Mobile customers on consumer plans. And I'm also laying down a challenge to my counterparts at AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, to do the same."

T-Mobile's made a series of announcements during the past few days. It started with the announcement of its Simple Starter plan (a value plan for budget shoppers) followed by the launch of its Operation Tablet Freedom, which allows customers to add a tablet to a postpaid voice plan for free.

"But today is different. Today, we're taking the change to a whole new level. We're capping off these past few days by ending overages for all customers on T-Mobile consumer plans," Legere added.

Rather than charge an overage fee for going over your data allotment, T-Mobile will throttle down data connectivity to 2G speeds. To encourage other wireless carriers to do the same, Legere posted a petition on Change.org.

Image Credit: Flickr (JeepersMedia)

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Rumor: Microsoft Prepping a Surface Mini Tablet

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:41 AM PDT

Microsoft SurfaceA smaller size Surface device may be in Microsoft's future

The neat thing about Microsoft's non-RT Surface gadget is that it's not solely a tablet, but also a full-fledged notebook PC, provided you connect it to a keyboard. Would the dual-form factor approach work on a smaller size display? Perhaps we'll get an answer to that question, as Microsoft is rumored to be working on a "Surface Mini" to compete against the iPad mini and other 7-inch class tablets.

According to Neowin, the shrunken Surface will be a 7-inch or 8-inch class device with "proper" pen support, meaning this should include Wacom digitizer support as well. The ability to take notes will be an important feature that Microsoft intends to tout on the Surface Mini.

Microsoft recently upgraded its Surface family with the Surface 2 launch. The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 both feature an improved kickstand with "dual angle" support, faster hardware, and longer battery life. It's not yet clear if a kickstand is in the cards for a Surface Mini model, or what kind of hardware it will have inside.

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IRS to Spend $30 Million on Upgrades and Post-Retirement XP Patches

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:13 AM PDT

IRS IRS is paying Microsoft to recieve custom XP patches after failing to upgrade in time

Microsoft put the whole world on notice that it intended to end support for Windows XP, and as the deadline came closer into view, Redmond's attempt to get users to upgrade intensified. Unfortunately for taxpayers, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ignored the warnings and watched the deadline come and go. As a result, the IRS will pay Microsoft hundreds of thousands of dollars to continue receiving out-of-retirement security patches for another year.

An agency source told Computerworld that the amount it's paying Microsoft for its Custom Support option is "less than $500,000" and not in the millions of dollars range as originally reported. Computerworld had come up with a much higher estimate based on analysts saying Microsoft typically charges around $200 per PC for the first year of Custom Support. At that rate, the IRS would have been on the hook for $11.6 million for a single year of XP support for its remaining 58,000 XP machines. Apparently the IRS negotiated a much lower rate in the neighborhood of $9 per PC.

In addition to post-XP support, the IRS still has the cost of migrating to Windows 7. Between the two, the IRS will spend $30 million. The good news for taxpayers is that none of this will affect tax filings or processing refunds.

"None of our filing season systems or other major business operating systems for taxpayers use Windows XP," an IRS spokesperson said Friday. "The IRS emphasizes the situation involving Windows will have no impact on taxpayers, including people filing their tax returns in advance of the April 15 deadline."

The migration to Windows 7 is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

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Newegg Daily Deals: G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-2400, WD Black 3TB HDD, and More!

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:15 AM PDT

G.Skill Trident Xnewegg logo

Top Deal:

Imagine what you could do if you owned all the RAM in the world! You could tie them together and build a raft, build them up into stacks for a makeshift version of Jenga. The possibilities are almost endless. One thing at a time, however. Your path to owning every single memory kit on the planet starts with today's top deal for a set of G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-2400 RAM for $152 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [NEPAXEAST7). As an alternative use to the suggestions above, you could pop these sticks into your PC. Too tall? The fins are removable!

Other Deals:

WD Black Series 3TB 7200 RPM 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $180 with free shipping (normally $195 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWW96])

MSI R9 280X Gaming 6GB Video Card for $400 with free shipping (normally $430 - use coupon code: [NEPAXEAST18])

Western Digital RE 2TB 7200 RPM 3.5-inch Enterprise Internal Hard Drive for $155 with free shipping (normally $170 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWW26])

Intel Core i5-4430 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $175 with free shipping (normally $185 - use coupon code: [EMCPFWW28])

PAX East 2014: 65 Pictures

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:13 AM PDT

amumuOver 60 pictures of cosplayers and more!

We had the opportunity to attend PAX East 2014 at Boston this year and the show was huge for PC gaming. As a matter of fact, besides at the Xbox booth, we didn't see a single console in sight. In addition to many upcoming AAA PC titles like Evolve and Wolfenstein: The New Order being showcased, a whole slue of PC vendors like Intel, Nvidia, Corsair, and Cooler Master were there. 

But of course, PAX East is definitely known for the amount of great cosplayers the show brings out and this year's event was no different. League of Legend cosplayers stole the show but there were a bunch of other awesome costumes from other games as well.

Check out the exhaustive gallery below and let us know who had the best costume!

PAX East 2014: Gigabyte Shows Off Nvidia GeForce GTX 800M-Powered Notebooks [Video]

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:37 AM PDT

Even as rivals opt for higher-res options, Gigabyte sticks to full HD

When Nvidia launched its latest GeForce GTX 800M Series GPUs last month, Gigabyte wasted little time in announcing an entire lineup of gaming notebooks built around the new mobile graphics cards. Maximum PC's Jimmy Thang found Gigabyte parading some of the new notebooks at PAX East.

Gigabyte P25X v2: Starting at $2,099, the 15.6-inch P25X v2 is a high-end gaming laptop that packs quite a powerful punch with its Intel Core i7-4810MQ CPU and GeForce GTX 880M GDDR5 8GB graphics card. Other specs include full HD IPS matte display, tri-storage slots with RAID 0 support, backlit gaming keyboard, subwoofer, and Blu-ray writer. It is expected to begin shipping later this month.

Gigabyte P35W v2: Like the P25X v2, this one also sports a 15.6-inch full HD display. The P35W v2 has enough room in its 20.9mm chassis to accommodate a quad-core Core i7 CPU, GeForce GTX 870M GDDR5 6GB graphics card, two 512GB mSATA SSDs and as many 1.5TB hard drives. It is expected to hit the market later this month starting at $1,599.

Gigabyte P34G v2: The smallest of the three notebooks sighted by us, this upcoming thin and light (20.9mm and 3.57 lbs) notebook features a 14-inch full HD TN matte display, Intel Core i7-4700HQ CPU, GeForce GTX 860M GDDR5 4GB GPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD and 128GB SSD. The P34G V2 starts at $1,499.

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PAX East 2014: HyperX Enthralls Attendees with Extreme RAM Overclocking Demo [Video]

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:27 AM PDT

HyperX RAM Overclocking Demo

Uses liquid nitrogen (LN2) for cooling

HyperX recently launched a new line of memory sticks dubbed Fury for entry-level gamers and enthusiasts. To celebrate the launch of its new memory line, which offers automatic overclocking, HyperX decided to try and furiously overclock some memory at the PAX East conference for the amusement of visitors to its booth. One such witness to HyperX's memory overclocking antics happened to be Maximum PC's very own Jimmy Thang.

Apparently, HyperX was targeting a 4000MHz speed as part of its extreme, liquid nitrogen-fueled RAM overclocking demo. Here is the video dispatch Mr. Thang sent us from the company's booth at PAX East:

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MMO Updates

MMO Updates


The Mog Log: More time in Final Fantasy XIV's 2.2

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , , , , ,

Writing ahead to not get blindsided by PAX, it's witchcraft!
I was pressed for time when Final Fantasy XIV patched at just the wrong time. I'm on a schedule, you know. My first impressions of the patch were far less comprehensive than I would have liked, although I did try to fill in the blanks as best I could down in the comments. But that was two weeks ago, and you doubtlessly expected that by now I would have gotten through the rest of the patch for more impressions.

Honestly, I could probably spend quite a bit of time talking about all the various aspects of the game altered by this particular patch, but I'd prefer to narrow my focus slightly and zoom in on the most immediately relevant bits. So let's talk a little bit more about 2.2. Let's talk about the dungeons I didn't cover last time, the quest lines, the big battles (sometimes on a bridge), and a couple of problematic elements that have cropped up.

Continue reading The Mog Log: More time in Final Fantasy XIV's 2.2

MassivelyThe Mog Log: More time in Final Fantasy XIV's 2.2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    CCP shuttering World of Darkness

    Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:30 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , ,

    World of Darkness
    After a weekend full of Reddit rumors, CCP has formally announced that it is ceasing development on World of Darkness.

    The company laid off 56 employees from its Atlanta-based studio and will now focus exclusively on games set in its EVE Online universe. "To our current and former employees and fans of World of Darkness, I am truly sorry that we could not deliver the experience that we aspired to make," CEO Hilmar Petursson said in a statement. "We dreamed of a game that would transport you completely into the sweeping fantasy of World of Darkness, but had to admit that our efforts were falling regretfully short. One day I hope we will make it up to you."

    MassivelyCCP shuttering World of Darkness originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    New Black Desert trailer boasts formation-based combat

    Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , , , , , ,

    Black Desert group
    Last month we learned about Black Desert's formation-based combat gameplay. While it sounds slick and -- dare we say it -- innovative, it was greeted with a healthy amount of skepticism by Massively commenters.

    To recap, Black Desert eschews traditional trinity roles for combat formations. For example, a group that arranges itself in a circle will boast higher defenses while a straight-line formation will boost the DPS of the lead avatar. If you're still not convinced, well, that's probably why Pearl Abyss has released a new party-based gameplay trailer. Give it a look-see after the break!

    Continue reading New Black Desert trailer boasts formation-based combat

    MassivelyNew Black Desert trailer boasts formation-based combat originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Here's FFXIV's PS4 launch trailer

    Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , , , , ,

    Final Fantasy XIV cutscene
    It's Final Fantasy XIV's launch day... on the PlayStation 4. Square's fantasy MMO reboot -- and Massively's 2013 MMO of the year -- has been dazzling gamers on the PC and the PlayStation 3 for some time now, but a new trailer reminds us that next-gen console owners can now join in the fun.

    You can view the clip in its entirety after the break.

    Continue reading Here's FFXIV's PS4 launch trailer

    MassivelyHere's FFXIV's PS4 launch trailer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    LotRO's new class is the Beorning shape-shifter

    Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:30 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , , , ,

    LotRO logo
    Turbine surprised us with its recent announcement of a new class coming to Lord of the Rings Online. This morning executive producer Aaron Campbell revealed that new class to be the Beorning. Campbell says that it is "a light armor casting class with a focus on control of the battlefield."

    "When a Beorning gathers sufficient rage, they may transform into a mighty bear," he continues.

    The post contains a few other nuggets, among them the fact that a housing revamp is officially off the table, at least for 2014.

    [Thanks Darasimi!]

    MassivelyLotRO's new class is the Beorning shape-shifter originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Pantheon slows development, cites lack of funding

    Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , ,

    Pantheon
    After Brad McQuaid's Pantheon Kickstarter campaign fell short of its $800,000 goal in February, Visionary Realms said that development would continue. But today we've gotten word that it will slow until further funding is secured.

    "The downside now is that our initial resources have depleted," a post on the official site states. "Which regrettably means that development is going to slow down until finances can be secured. It's not something we want to do by any means, but as we cannot guarantee paychecks to the team, they each need to be able to spend time on other things to pay the bills."

    The post goes on to say that all donations at this point will be used for website maintenance and not development until a large enough investment is made to get studio space. Check out the official announcement on Pantheon's main site for more info.

    MassivelyPantheon slows development, cites lack of funding originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Do you feel pressured to level faster?

    Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , , ,

    ESO Redguard Nightblade
    I've been playing Elder Scrolls Online pretty much daily since early release, but I just now dinged level 25 on my main character. I'd probably be a bit further along if I hadn't been consumed with altitis and some early-game decisional paralysis, not to mention I've spent a significant chunk of time crafting.

    I'm seeing a bunch of level 50s, though, and even though ESO is one of those rare themeparks that offers incentives for exploration and things to do off of the beaten paths, I'm feeling somewhat envious of all these higher-level folk.

    What about you, Massively readers? Do you feel any pressure -- either from yourself or from others -- to speed up your leveling process?

    Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you feel pressured to level faster? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      MMO Week in Review: PAX East 2014

      Posted: 13 Apr 2014 06:00 PM PDT

      Filed under: , , , , ,

      Blizzness
      At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

      Massively took on the wilds of PAX East 2014 this weekend. Here's what we've seen so far:
      PAX East 2014: WildStar's panel was all about the endgame
      PAX East 2014: First impressions of Warlords of Draenor
      PAX East 2014: Landmark's current tools and future crafts
      PAX East 2014: The Repopulation's Josh Hall on the future of the game
      PAX East 2014: Hands-on with Infinite Crisis
      PAX East 2014: State of Decay eyes multiplayer, stays offline
      PAX East 2014: Guns of Icarus Online's expanding environment
      PAX East 2014: PlanetSide 2's Matt Higby on weekly updates
      PAX East 2014: Hearthstone reveals Naxxramas single-player adventure
      PAX East 2014: Star Citizen and the DFM are 'more than just PvP'
      There's more to come over the next few days. Read on for the rest of this week's top stories!

      Continue reading MMO Week in Review: PAX East 2014

      MassivelyMMO Week in Review: PAX East 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Apr 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        EVE Evolved: Anatomy of a mining op

        Posted: 13 Apr 2014 04:00 PM PDT

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        EVE Evolved title image
        When EVE Online was first released in 2003, it was designed as a massive universe of competition and conflict between space-faring megacorporations in the distant future. Players bought into the premise completely and soon set about building their own empires and waging wars with neighbours. Corporations ran regular mining operations for resources to build frigates and cruisers for their members, and some of the larger corps co-operatively mined to build the first ever battleships in the game. The mining op has been a staple activity in the game ever since, providing a way for groups to work together on large manufacturing projects or just make some ISK during their down-time.

        Mining gets a lot of flak for being one of the most boring and least profitable professions in the game, but that's not exactly true. Solo mining can be a great way to spend your downtime while doing other activities, and it ensures that you're online when something exciting happens like a live event, your wormhole system being invaded, or a titan being tackled by your alliance. Co-operative mining ops also offer the social value of bonding with your corpmates when there's nothing else going on. Some players even run dozens of accounts at the same time to turn this ordinarily placid activity into an intensive profit-making activity focused on efficiency and organisation skills.

        With mining due to make a resurgence in the summer expansion, this edition of EVE Evolved is dedicated to the humble mining operation. I'll take a look at the various options for mining ships, the different haulers available, and the four different areas you can mine in.

        Continue reading EVE Evolved: Anatomy of a mining op

        MassivelyEVE Evolved: Anatomy of a mining op originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Apr 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          SMITE brings out the Hindu god Kumbhakarna

          Posted: 13 Apr 2014 02:00 PM PDT

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          SMITE
          The Sleeping Giant, Kumbhakarna, is the latest god to enter into SMITE's cage match pantheon.

          This Hindu god might not be the most nimble or even the most awake, but he has power nevertheless. Kumbhakarna doesn't die when he hits zero hit points; he falls asleep and eventually wakes up at 25% health. He can also throw back enemies, root bad guys with a smash, and... yawn for a mez. You can check out his moves in the god reveal after the break.

          [Source: Hi-Rez press release]

          Continue reading SMITE brings out the Hindu god Kumbhakarna

          MassivelySMITE brings out the Hindu god Kumbhakarna originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Apr 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            WoW Archivist: WoW's talent system has come full circle

            Posted: 13 Apr 2014 12:00 PM PDT

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            Circle of Healing
            WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on April 11th and is included here by permission.

            The Warlords of Draenor patch 6.0 notes have revealed the latest changes to WoW's ever-evolving talent system. Talents have remained a core system in WoW since its earliest days; it's the primary method that allows players to make their characters distinct.

            In the beta for WoW and throughout vanilla, talent trees were a bit of a mess, as Archivist covered. Today, we'll examine how those early trees came to be expanded, refined, and then scrapped for a very different system. We'll also look at how Warlords is bringing back the earliest version of talent trees in a brand-new way.

            Continue reading WoW Archivist: WoW's talent system has come full circle

            MassivelyWoW Archivist: WoW's talent system has come full circle originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Apr 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              MMORPG News

              MMORPG News


              General: This Week's Live Stream Schedule

              Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:14 AM PDT

              This Week

              We've posted this week's Live Stream schedule to give ample time for you to plan which events to attend. Check out the list below and mark your calendars.

              Heroes of the Storm: PAX East Panel Recap

              Posted: 13 Apr 2014 10:58 PM PDT

              PAX East Panel Recap

              The panel featured Heroes game director Dustin Browder, senior producer Kaeo Milker, and senior artist Phil Gonzales. Things kicked off with a short trailer that gave fans a look at the stuff Blizzard has been working on for Heroes in the intervening months since the game's unveiling at last year's BlizzCon.

              Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen: Development Slows As Initial Funding Dries Up

              Posted: 13 Apr 2014 04:56 PM PDT

              Development Slows As Initial Funding Dries Up

              Brad McQuaid has posted a short note on his Facebook page that reveals the news that development on Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has slowed. According to McQuaid, initial funding by the team to develop Pantheon has dried up and until further funding is secured, the slow down in production is required.

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