Dota 2 Is Guiding New Players With Friendly Matchmaking, Hero Choices

Dota 2 is a notoriously hard game to learn. Figuring out how the game works will take more than a couple of games, and figuring out how to get good at it can take a lifetime. In time for the game's annual International tournament (which starts next week), Valve is taking a few steps to help bring new players into the fold.

First, the game will now limit new players from selecting all but 20 of the game's 113 heroes, all of which have simple abilities and mechanics and should emphasize learning the ins and outs of a the game itself rather than how a character works. Valve previously attempted something similar with its "Limited Heroes" mode, which had its own matchmaking pool but could also be played by higher-tier players. This hero limit will last for a player's first 25 matches.

The game will now also attempt to find nicer players for newbies to play with. Over the course of a match (or shortly after), players can commend or being nice or helpful, or report them for being mean or intentionally playing poorly, leading to players who have higher "behavior scores" than others. New players will now be matched with players of their skill level who have consistently high behavior scores.

As a third prong in its strategy to attract new players, Valve will also have a newbie-friendly stream of the International, which will focus on explaining various characters' abilities and the flow of the game.

[Source: Dota 2 Official Blog]

 

Our Take
I think a more expanded tutorial could help even more, but the character restriction is smart. As a side effect, it may also curb "smurfing" (where experienced players make new accounts to play at lower matchmaking tiers), since anyone who wants to abuse a more complicated hero for easy wins will have to play 25 matches as other heroes first. If you're thinking of jumping in now, be warned: even with this gentler slope, learning Dota 2 will still be quite difficult, but not having some idiot yelling at you the whole game should make things much more pleasant.

from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/07/29/dota-2-is-guiding-new-players-with-friendly-matchmaking-hero-choices.aspx

Tekken 7 Players Can Grab Eliza, Free Taiko: Drum Master Cosmetic DLC

Tekken 7 is a great fighting game, and part of what makes it great is its diverse cast of characters and astounding amount of character customization. Those who didn't pre-order the game can now expand the game's roster by one, and everyone can add a few more cosmetic items.

Eliza, who was previously only avaiable through pre-order, is now available to everyone for $5. Additionally, a set of cosmetic items based on Namco's Japanese drum rhythm game Taiko: Drum Master (which is fairly popular in Japan but only got a single release in the U.S.). This includes several of the series' adorable drum characters as characters who hover around you in battle, as well as shirts, effects, health gauges and more.

from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/07/29/tekken-7-players-can-grab-eliza-free-taiko-drum-master-cosmetic-dlc.aspx

Report: Capcom Preparing More Switch Games After Ultra Street Fighter II Success

During its latest financial report brief, Capcom revealed Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers sold above the company's expectations. As a result, the company plans to start preparing more Switch titles.

As The Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki reports, the updated, $40 port of Street Fighter II (which was a decent one) sold over 450,000 copies during the first quarter of the financial year, according to the company. In its official earnings report, the company says the game "made an excellent start and proved to be a smash hit."

Because of the title's unexpected success, the company is "starting to prepare" additional Switch games. Whether this means it will begin porting more of its past games to the console, develop ports of its current titles, or create new games is unclear.

Recently, the company revealed it had hidden Shin Akuma in the game, who could be unlocked with a secret code.

[Source: Takashi Mochizuki on Twitter]

 

Our Take
SNK's been running circles around Capcom when it comes to bringing its older fighting games to the Switch (though the quality of the ports themselves has varied), so it's good to see Capcom wise up to the platform's potential. I'd personally love the chance to revisit the Street Fighter Alpha series, as well as Street Fighter III. Outside the fighting realm, I wouldn't mind the chance to replay Resident Evil 4 for the umpteenth time.

from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/07/29/capcom-preparing-more-switch-games-after-ultra-street-fighter-ii-success.aspx

Titanfall 2 Is Free To Play This Weekend

If you're interested in playing Titanfall 2's new four-player co-op mode and have never played the game before (you should), now's your chance: Titanfall 2 is free-to-play on consoles and PC until tomorrow, July 30.

The free-to-play portion of the game includes a short sample of the game's single-player campaign, as well as a few of the game's multiplayer modes. Additionally, this is a double experience weekend for the game (until July 31), so anyone who hops into the game now will level up and receive rewards much more quickly.

Finally, the game is on sale on the PlayStation Network store, where the standard edition of the game is $20, while the deluxe version will run you $25.

from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/07/29/titanfall-2-is-free-to-play-this-weekend.aspx

Niantic Delays Upcoming Pokémon Go Live Events In Europe

Niantic has postponed four in-person Pokémon Go events in Europe, the company announced today on the official Pokémon Go website. The "Safari Zone" events scheduled for August 5 in Copenhagen, Denmark and Prague, The Czech Republic and August 12 in Stockholm, Sweden and Amsterdam, The Netherlands have been delayed until "later in the Fall," according to the company.

In its statement, the company said the delay was "In order to guarantee the best possible gameplay experience for European Trainers." The news comes in the wake of the Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago, in which attendees were unable to play the game they came for, were offered refunds and $100 in in-game coins for traveling to the event, and for which Niantic is being sued by a number of dissatisfied attendees.

The company also stated it will not be offering "compensation for arrangements people may have made to attend the event." Although the events will no longer be taking place in early August, "rarely seen Pokémon will still appear in certain European cities for a brief time."

 

Our Take
At least Niantic is getting out ahead of potential issues this time. Still, the timing is terrible; once again, people who like Pokémon Go enough to travel to another city (potentially internationally) for the event are left in the lurch, and will have to see if they can get a refund on their flight ticket on relatively short notice (which, from my experience, is unlikely).

from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/07/29/niantic-delays-upcoming-pok-233-mon-go-live-events-in-europe.aspx

What To Watch This Weekend: Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Super Smash Bros. Melee, And Call Of Duty

This weekend is light on the esports, but that won't last. Next month will host both the Call of Duty World League finals and Dota 2's International, so we'll have more than our share of things to watch in the coming weeks. Still, Defend the North and Get On My Level should have something to keep anyone into fighting games entertained all weekend long.

This weekend's Defend the North is the first major post-Evo FGC tournament, so make sure to catch Street Fighter V, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Injustice 2, Tekken 7, and more in New York this weekend. (Streams and Schedule)

If Super Smash Bros. is more your thing, this year's Get On My Level tournament is your go-to event this weekend, as major talent for both Melee and For Wii U. will be in attendance. (Stream / Schedule)

The Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Global Pro League is having its last-chance qualifier this weekend, and will be the preamble to the World Championships this August. (Stream and Schedule)

The third season of the Overwatch Apex series comes to a close this weekend, so if you want to see the current state of competitive Overwatch ahead of the World Cup next week, this is your best bet. (Stream)

The League of Legends champion series group stage rages on, as we get ever closer to the playoffs. (Stream and Schedule)

That's it for this weekend! Let us know if we missed an event, or if there's a scene you'd like us to cover, in the comments below.

from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/07/29/what-to-watch-this-weekend-ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3-super-smash-bros-melee-and-call-of-duty.aspx

Replay – Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

We've been wanting to do a PSP-focused episode for awhile, but were held back by a barrier we thought was insurmountable: I had to order a new battery for the handheld. Once we worked out those complicated details, however, we decided to dive into Sony's first handheld with one of its best games and follow-up with another game that probably would never appear on any PSP best of lists.

Join Andrew Reiner, me, the voice of Leo Vader, and resident Kingdom Hearts expert Kimberley Wallace as we play Birth by Sleep, talk about the series, make our predictions for the future, and try to get a date (this will make sense later, I promise).

You can find our original review of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep by heading here. As always, thanks for watching!

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