A Surrender Option Might Be Presented In Dota 2

Dota 2 has a lot of great qualities. The lack of a surrender option isn't one of them. 

Rival MOBA League of Legends lets teams surrender after 20 minutes, roughly the halfway point for matches. Valve hasn't shown any desire to incorporate a similar feature into Dota 2. Director Erik Johnson explained the decision in an interview a couple years back (via Reddit):

One of the things we never want to lose is the amazing comeback, like the game we just played - both sides probably would have surrendered in that game at certain points. That would have been a robbery of fun.

Also Check: eSports made a Curious Comeback This Week for Dota 2 Hero Alchemist

This is a compelling arguments. Any MOBA veteran has seen their share of comebacks and knows they feel incredible. There's nothing better than hanging onto a game by your fingernails and then clawing your way to a victory. Even when you're on the losing end of these types of matches, you have to appreciate the roller coaster of emotions. 

Let's be real, though: some bad games start bad and end bad. Dota 2 and other MOBAs reward players that are doing well with experience points and gold, allowing them to out-level and out-gear their competition. In addition to playing better, the winning team becomes objectively stronger than the losers. The odds are stacked in their favor. This is especially true in Dota 2, where players lose money from dying.  

Yes, a group of skilled players can overcome these long odds by working together and not losing their cool. However, you can't count on having teammates like that. Some players don't have the knowledge or talent to turn a game around. Others will quit as soon as the game sours. Even the players that do stay around until the end might decide to just berate their teammates or feed kills to the enemies. Then there are the people who genuinely disconnect or remember they've got class in 20 minutes. With teammates like this, you're not going to mount some kind of miraculous comeback. 

In short, some matches are hopeless. Dota 2, however, makes you stay until the end out of principle. The lack of a surrender option means you have to endure an extra 20 minutes or so of the enemy team smashing through your defenses, swatting away your counterattacks and eventually leveling your base. If you're unlucky, your opponents will be the sort who hang out in your base and wait for you to come out of your spawn point so they can score some easy kills. 

There's no one in this situation that wouldn't benefit from a surrender option. The losing team would be able to concede and save themselves some aggravation. The winners still get the satisfaction of a win without the tedium of mopping up opponents that can't muster competition. Everyone saves time. 

Comebacks are a satisfying part of any MOBA but they still exist in games that let you surrender. Will players potentially bow out of games they could've turned around? Sure. But they'll definitely escape games that they had no chance of winning. The reason that comebacks are such satisfying games is that they're balanced. Each team has a shot at a win and knows that the match could hinge on the very next play. A surrender option lets players leave the hopeless matches behind and potentially find one of those legendary bouts decided in the last five minutes. What's so bad about that?

Main Source: cinemablend.com

Facebook launches Messenger on the Apple Watch FINALLY!

After teasing it at the Apple Watch event in September, Facebook has finally delivered the watch version of its Messenger app.

The social network quietly rolled out the Apple Watch app in an update to the Messenger app Thursday. The update also adds support for iOS 9 features, including universal search and multitasking for iPads.


The watch version of the messaging app supports watchOS2, the latest version of Apple's software for the Apple Watch. It actually manages to squeeze in quite a bit of Messenger's functionality into it.

You can't type out full responses to messages but you can choose from a list of canned answers, send your location, "like," post stickers or record a voice message with the watch's built-in microphone. On the receiving side, you can also check out photos, videos and voice messages.

Though the app supports Facebook's stickers, animated stickers and animated GIFs will only appear as static images on the watch app.

While not technically Facebook's first watch app — that distinction belongs to Instagram — Messenger will be a welcome addition for many users. Apple teased what appeared to be a watch version of the main Facebook app back in March, but such an app has yet to appear.

For Android users, Messenger is also compatible with Android Wear. The Android Wear app, which rolled out earlier this year, also allows you to record and send voice messages and send "likes" from your wrist.

Sony Reduces PS4 prices to $350 Including Games

Sony has dropped the price of the PlayStation 4 in the US from $400 to $350, and that includes a copy of either Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection or Star Wars Battlefront.

Starting Friday, the PS4 will be on sale at the new price, which will put Sony's console at the same price as the Xbox One in plenty of time for Christmas.

The price drop was expected, given that there was a similar cut in Japan in September. Sony says it has nothing to announce regarding prices in the UK, elsewhere in Europe or Australia. The Japanese company will have a presence at the Paris Games Show later this month, which it could use as an opportunity to address regional differences in price.


Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's Xbox One both made their debuts in November 2013, and the two consoles have been in fierce competition with one another ever since. From April this year onward, the PS4 has been outselling the Xbox One, GameSpot reported last month, but the run-up to the Christmas holiday is the most important time of year for console sales.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has been busy packaging up Xbox One bundles. In August, the company said, Xbox One sales in the US rose by 26 percent compared with the same month a year earlier.

Several other console and game bundles have also seen reductions in the US. The PS4 with Limited Edition Call of Duty: Black Ops III or NHL 16 will set you back $430 and to get hold of Limited Edition Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars or Star Wars Battlefront you'll have to shell out $400.

Main Source: CNet.com

eSports made a Curious Comeback This Week for Dota 2 Hero Alchemist

This past weekend saw Dota 2 descend on New York City’s Madison Square Garden theatre for the eSports tournament ESL One. One thing that surprised a lot of Dota 2 fans was the return of Alchemist, a hero who hasn’t had a huge impact on the game’s pro scene for a while now.

Alchemist is a melee fighter in Dota 2 who was recently buffed in a curious way. The humongous 6.84 patch that was released back in April gave him a unique and very powerful method of using one specific item in the game known as “Aghanim’s Scepter.” Normally, the way Aghanim’s Scepter is it supercharges their abilities. It’s the same effect when Alchemist has and uses the scepter, the only difference that was introduced in 6.84 is that he can cast it on his allies as well as himself.

Alchemist is one of the best heroes in Dota 2 when it comes to farming gold, meaning he can accumulate a lot of currency in a (relatively) short amount of time if he wants to and then use it to buy himself bigger and better in-game items and equipment. The idea post-6.84, then, was that Alchemist players could potentially outfit their entire team with crazy aghanim’s buffs.

Or at the very least since Aghanim’s is relatively expensive (4200 gold), Alchemist could strategically apply it to his teammates that he knows would use it most effectively.

You can see how Team Secret used this exact technique to their benefit in one of their games against CDEC this week at Madison Square Garden, as captured in this highlight video by the YouTuber NoobFromUA:


The specific highlight comes very late in the game, when team Secret is chasing after a single hero named bristleback who looks sort of like an angry, anthropomorphised porcupine:

Notice how the commentators shout excitedly that the kill is proof of “the late game potential of the Reaper’s Scythe with the Aghanim’s upgrade.” The Scythe is a powerful stun move used by an undead hero named Necrophos that adds 30 seconds to an enemy’s death timer if they’re killed with it. Already a pretty killer move, right? But when it’s upgraded with Aghanim’s Scepter, it becomes bonkers: An opponent who’s killed by a Scythe can’t buy themselves back into the game, which makes the supercharged special ability absolutely devastating late in a game when everyone’s death timers are already super long and being a man down can make the difference between victory and defeat.

The tl;dr version of this that I had my Dota 2-playing friends explain to me in painstaking detail is: Alchemist’s upgrade for Necrophos let him take an opponent out of the fight for a whole two minutes late into the game, a play that the commentators described as basically sealing the deal for Team Secret’s victory.

It’s not like a single pro game or individual hero pick is going to change the course of the entire pro Dota 2 meta, so I’m not sure how much of an impact Alchemist will end up having. The other major game from this past weekend that featured Alchemist didn’t go as well for Invictus Gaming, the team doing the picking, as it did for Team Secret. 

They ended up losing the match to Vega Squadron, who emerged as the tournament’s champions at the end of the weekend. And there’s always the possibility that Dota’s next game-changing update, which is expected to come out soon, could end up knocking Alchemist down a few pegs before he ever has a chance to become a top-tier character — if he’s even capable of such a think in the first place.

Giving a MOBA hero an ability to essentially donate an ultra-powerful item to even one of his allies strikes me as a ludicrous thing to do, but I’m looking at this from the perspective of playing a whole lot more of League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm than I have Dota 2. Adding to an enemy’s death timer would also seem like an insane thing to introduce to League or HOTS as well, I’m sure. So if you’re a seasoned Dota 2 player and eSports fan, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what Alchemist’s performance this past weekend could mean.

Main Source: kotaku.com.au

NEW UPDATE: Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Zombies mode! Crazy

CALL of Duty news this week includes Advanced Warfare's latest update that brings changes to Zombies mode and some rather unusual new content for fans.

Advanced Warfare is getting a new patch that will help bring fixes for a range of COD game features, including the popular undead spinoff.

Exo Zombies Updates revealed by developers Sledgehammer Games (fixes):

Weapon upgrade cost shown wasn't being subtracted correction in Double Feature mode on the Descent Exo-Zombies map.
The music when attempting the Easter Egg on the Descent Exo-Zombies map was not present.
Map exploits where players could remain in place and not be attacked by zombies on the Descent Exo-Zombies map.

Other game modes, map exploits and scoresheet updates have also been added and can be found here for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Fans on last-gen consoles will have to wait longer for their own platform fixes.

Today also saw the release of the new M1911 & MP40 weapons in Supply Drops and Advanced Supply Drop on Xbox One.

Coming later to PS4 and PC, Sledgehammer decided to go back to the roots of the Call of Duty series to introduce the new secondary pistol as well as the returning SMG.

Advanced Warfare fans should also be on the lookout for the new Legendary gear that has been added to the game, including five new sets.

Want to look like you're fresh out of a shark tank? The Combat Diver has you covered, you can also check out the Bomber, Bank Heist and Pilot gear that has been included with a steampunk inspired 'Proton' suit.

Sledgehammer say they're committed to providing fans with new content like this well into the future but have drawn the line at providing it for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

NOW LIVE: Exclusive New Gear + New #AWLegendary available in #AdvancedWarfare’s Advanced Supply Drops on @Xbox! pic.twitter.com/vVNSmKj4iR

— Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) September 29, 2015

Explaining why it isn't possible to continue supporting the last-gen devices, studio head Michael Condrey explained: "We have hit a hard memory limit on last generation consoles. This memory limit prevents us from adding more weapons to those platforms.

"We don’t like it any more than you, because we care about Advanced Warfare players on all platforms, but it's a limitation that is outside of our control.

"People far smarter than I spend a lot of energy trying to solve this hard development limit, and we simply can’t deliver new content at the rate we’re currently producing it for next generation devices (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC)."

NOW AVAILABLE: M1911 & MP40 in Supply Drops and Advanced Supply Drops on @Xbox One: http://t.co/xj5Q3q9IaE pic.twitter.com/Fc47qIcK7B

— Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) September 29, 2015

Main Source: Express.co.uk 

Halo 5 To Land It Self A Teen Rating.

The ESRB has ruled, and somehow, some way, Microsoft’s Halo 5: Guardians has landed itself a Teen rating. While it seems logical for the largely gore-free Halo series, it is the first Halo game ever to land itself a T-for-Teen instead of M-for-Mature from the ratings board.

What’s different this time around? See if you can tell:

“Players use pistols, machine guns, grenade launchers, and futuristic weapons to kill alien and human enemies in frenetic combat. Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, explosions, and occasional blood-splatter effects. Characters can also use ‘assassinations’ to kill characters by snapping their necks, or by stabbing them with bladed weapons.”

Yup, pretty much nothing is different from past games in the series. Either it’s possible the ERSB finally realized they were being overly harsh on Halo, a series that has always been on the very, very light side of an M-rating compared to most mainstream shooters. Or, enough tiny things were taken out to make a difference. Perhaps what little blood splatter there had been in the game has been toned down further, and the complete elimination of the Flood could have something to do with it as well. While not specifically “bloody” the Flood taking over the bodies of the dead and being blown apart by the player may have been enough to make past Halo games rated M on occasion, but then again, what goes on in the minds of the ESRB is a mystery, most of the time.

The question is, does it matter?

For sales? Almost certainly not. I’ve pointed out time and time again that ill-informed parents have made the M-rating almost meaningless in video games, compared to the R-rating of movies which is well known to (often) curb box office receipts over PG-13. Instead, parents will buy M-rated games for their kids like practically any other title, and mainstream T-rated games are often few and far between. The most recent example of a prominent game being rated Teen is Destiny, which again, was also a surprise at the time given its similarities to Halo.

But in the grand scheme of the gaming industry? There are few barriers to M-rated games being huge sellers. The top 20 best-selling video games of all time contain all E and M titles, and no teen games. M-rated games like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty and Diablo adorn the list, and the first T-rated game I can even find is The Sims 2 in 29th place.

All this is to say a Teen rating isn’t likely to boost Halo 5’s fortunes on Xbox One any more than an M-rating would, though I don’t think the scaling down will work against it either. Halo isn’t Doom or Gears of War. Visceral violence and gore aren’t really innate to the series (and needless to say, neither are sex and cursing in the campaign). I don’t foresee a “PG-13 Expendables” style backlash in this case.

What a Teen rating might provide is an easier avenue for Halo 5 to become a mainstream eSport. 343 is clearly making a play for the competitive Halo scene to come roaring back, building in spectator casting tools directly into the game including instant replay and those little arrows you see on football broadcasts that show where players are heading. They’re throwing a million dollar tournament, and it’s clear they want to bring Halo back into the competitive scene, as it’s been dormant for a very long time.

A Teen rating can help with that, though it’s not a magic key unlocking the doors of eSports success. Obviously other shooters like Call of Duty and CS:GOare successful eSports despite an M-rating. But a T-rating will make it easier to attract a wider array of sponsors who may shy away from more violent games. It also will potentially allow a Halo tournament to show up somewhere like ESPN, where broadcast TV would be far less likely to show an M-rated game for legal reasons. Ever seen an MA-rated show on ESPN? Certainly not often, if ever.

While COD and CS:GO are rated M, the biggest eSports in the world fromStarcraft to Hearthstone to League of Legends are all rated T (I couldn’t tell you why Hearthstone is rated T instead of E, but again, that’s the ESRB for you). DOTA 2 doesn’t have an ESRB rating, but it would likely be Teen as well, as it features minimal violence from a traditional zoomed out MOBA perspective. These games are more attractive to advertisers and broadcast partners, even if normally M-ratings of games mean practically nothing.

Ratings in these games are often hilariously arbitrary, especially so when the caveat “Online Interactions not rated” is factored in. League of Legends may lack nudity and gore meant to corrupt young minds, but can turn a child into a toxic, hate-spewing troll after interacting with other players in chat. And you can experience enough cursing over your headset in one match of Halo to bump that T to an AO very quickly.

Halo 5 likely deserves to be rated Teen, but then again, so did most of the other Halo games before it. It’s going to be a huge-seller for Microsoft either way, but the T-rating may open up a few more doors in the eSports realm, despite how illogical all of this sounds.

Main Source: Forbes.com

Resident Evil 2 Remake

The producer at R&D Division 1 at Capcom "Yoshiaki Hirabyashi" has annouced early the new plans for the remaking process of Resident Evil 2. Due to large request for remaking the old famous game, Yoshiaki Hirabyashi declared that the company is willing to remake the game and it granted permission to forward with the development.

The remaking of the Resident Evil 2 might involve some updates  , while capcom didn't mention any further details about it or about what are the platforms that it's going to be published on, but it shared a couple of HD photos of the Game on PC in January this year.

Check out the following photos from Capcom about the new Resident Evil 2 Remaking!