Tag: Hearthstone

Game of the Year 2014: #1 – Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a game I can’t stop coming back to. I’ve put a disgusting number of hours into this silly card game in the last year. No week has gone by where I haven’t played or at least thought about Hearthstone, or more likely found myself awake at 4am begrudgingly taking down another Handlock deck. Hearthstone is a very special game to me, and it brings back a genre I never thought I’d find myself interested in again.

Most card games are hard to get into, with hours of preparation needed before you can want to play competitively. In Hearthstone, once you’ve completed the 30 minutes tutorial, you know the rules. Sure, there’s way more to learn, but you can understand the basics. It’s digital, so all of the math and keeping track of card abilities is always done for you.

Everything you need to know is easily visible and comprehensible. Where something like Yu-Gi-Oh manages health in terms of 1000s, a game of Hearthstone uses only one and two-digit numbers. Magic players build 40 and 60 card decks, while all Hearthstone players use only 30 cards. While Hearthstone may seem more limited at a glance, there are seemingly infinite possibilities that can still come from this smaller set of rules.

You can play Hearthstone with a room full of friends, online against strangers, or anything in between, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a good time. Cracking open new packs with friends had led to some of my favorite gaming moments of 2014, and seeing the golden glow of a legendary card is exciting even when it’s not your own. I’m always a fan of local multiplayer, and Hearthstone has been there many times when friends come to visit.

The community is great as well. As with Dark Souls, the game is so substantial that it supports multiple discussion forums and podcasts, and I’ve spent a fair share of time with them as well. The Angry Chicken and Happy Hearthstone shows have become regular listens during my daily drive, and I look forward to new episodes each week. There’s just so much to discuss, and I’m happy to engage in Hearthstone as much as I possibly can.

I’ve spent more time with Hearthstone than any game in 2014, the year before, and possibly any other game ever. I’m still constantly having great experiences with it, and I can’t stay away. There’s so much personality in every card, every menu. Every card’s voice acting is just as memorable as the outstanding soundtrack. Hearthstone colorful, full of joy, and every piece of design has a reason to exist. Blizzard has poured a lot of love into Hearthstone, and I haven’t seen a better crafted game in a long time.

Hearthstone is a thing I didn’t see coming. I haven’t been into collectible card games since middle school, and have never been a Blizzard loyal. But it’s just so damn good. Hearthstone is a master at never getting old, and even when it feels like you’ve fallen into a groove, they announce a new expansion. Just in the first year, the game has grown by over 150 cards, and there’s no way they’ll be stopping anytime soon.

Hearthstone is an astounding success, and I’m glad to have had been able to play it all year long. Here’s to another.

January 13, 2015
Game of the Year 2014: Best Song

It feels like we’ve been able to say this a lot lately, but this was a great year for game music. Since Hotline Miami 2 didn’t make it’s way out the door, everyone else had to step up their game and make up for it. My favorite game music tends to be upbeat and catchy, so when you’re favorite orchestral scores aren’t mentioned here, you’ll know why.

#3 – Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc – “DANGANRONPA”

The first track you’re introduced to in Danganronpa sets the tone for what’s to come. Vying for Soundtrack of the Forever, Danganronpa uses music like a central character in its stories. The intro song, appropriately titled “DANGANRONPA” hooks you in with a catchy beat, and fades in and out of wistful vocals before the tune ends. That intro beat, wind up, and release in the first 20 seconds strikes all the right musical places, and lands the track a solid spot among the year’s finest. It’s tough to pick just one song from the series though, so go listen to this, this, and this before moving on, your ears are worth it.

#2 – Bayonetta 2: “Moon River”

While the main theme “Tomorrow is Mine” isn’t as catchy or memorably as the original game’s “Fly Me To The Moon”, the re-imagining of “Moon River” brings back that personality in style. Poppy renditions of 1960’s classics seem to find a good home in the chaotic world of Bayonetta, and “Moon River” sits easily as favorite track from either game. Singer Keely Bumford‘s vocals overflow with Bayonetta‘s pep and sass, and the beat provides the rhythm of the chaos unfolding onscreen. If Bayonetta 3 ever gets made, I hope they can find a way to outdo themselves once again.

#1 – Shovel Knight: “High Above the Land (The Flying Machine)”

Propeller Man’s stage is the best level in Shovel Knight, largely because of this song. The entire Shovel Knight soundtrack is among the best video games have seen in years, but this one song along with the stage it’s on made me respect Shovel Knight even more than I already did. After bouncing through the sky on a ship flying past the setting sun, all while listening to this song, I knew Shovel Knight was a classic. The song hits every note of the upbeat Mega Man music formula, but goes beyond simple rocking beats while communicating a range of emotions in a span of less than two minutes. Shovel Knight‘s composer, Jake Kaufman, is a musical genius, deserving the top spot in 2014’s year of great tunes.

Honorable Mentions:

Hearthstone: “Two Rogues One Mark”

An impressive song in another of the year’s great soundtracks. I’ve probably heard it a few hundred times in the past year, and still enjoy it every time. Other than the title theme, this is the song I think of when remembering Hearthstone.

Dark Souls 2: “Majula”

Returning to Majula is the beginning and end of every new adventure in Dark Souls 2. Majula is your home. You’ll come back here again and again, and you’ll miss it when you’re gone. It’s the one place where you’re almost entirely safe from harm, and this track lulls you into bliss before your next inevitable, dark journey. The simple chimes are some of the only welcoming sounds you’ll hear in this overwhelmingly unwelcoming world.

January 5, 2015
Hearthstone: Favorite Naxxramas Cards

Now that we’ve all had a while to experiment with all of the Naxxramas cards, which are the best? Here’s a collection of my favorite cards in the set, and how I like to play them. If your favorite cards don’t show up here, that doesn’t mean I think they’re bad, I just haven’t found a deck that I love playing them in.

Mad Scientist

This card is amazing, but I bet it won’t be forever. Mad Scientist is such a good card, I feel like it’s begging for a nerf. It’s a great play on turn 2 with decent stats, and it works well with Undertaker combos in the early game. As soon as you play this card on turn two, you’re probably getting ahead of the other player. As soon as they reluctantly kill it, a secret is pulled straight from your deck, and put directly into play. That’s just… mad. It’s amazing in Hunter decks, as you get a free Explosive or Freezing Trap on turn 3 or 4. If that isn’t value, nothing in this game is. FOR SCIENCE!

Undertaker

If you’re not running this in speedy Deathrattle decks, you’re missing out. Throw this guy into a Tempo Priest or Hunter deck, and watch him grow. This guy instantly raises the value of all those other Naxxramas Deathrattle cards, because he’s just begging you to play them and make him bigger. Play this guy on turn one with a coin and a Leper Gnome, then a Mad Scientist, a couple of Zombie Chow or a Loot Hoarder on turn two, and you’re opponent better think of something fast. Oh…goody!

Sludge Belcher

Combos with Undertaker? Check.

Comes with Taunt, and spits out another Taunt when he dies? Check.

Usually the best turn 5 you can ask for? Check again.

Yeah, Sludge Belcher is one of the best cards in the game, and if you’re ever happy to see your opponent play one of these, you’re in a pretty good spot. This guy stops your opponent right in their tracks. Sure, this guy’s a pretty big target for a Silence, but after they waste that you can play something even bigger, and a 3/5 on the board still isn’t bad. Or just play that second Sludge Belcher that you’ve been holding and start it all again.

Dark Cultist

Priests needed this. It’s hard to ask for a better turn 3, especially if you’re playing a full Deathrattle Priest with Undertaker. But even if you aren’t, it still has useful Deathrattle and good stats for 3 mana. As long as you’ve got someone else on the board, they get a 3 health buff. It can be easy for your opponent to play around, but on turn 3 it’s usually tough for them to get 4 damage off before you can heal or drop a taunt. Priests are finally back in a big way thanks to Naxx, and this card is one of the reasons why.

Death’s Bite

You gave Control Warriors a weapon with Whirlwind? Death’s Bite only makes a good class stronger, by giving Warriors one more way to hit a bunch of creatures at once. Whether they need to activate a Frothing Berserker, Armorsmith, or Acolyte of Pain, they’ll have fun doing so with a cheap 4 mana weapon, all while smashing 4 damage into your best minion.

Webspinner

This little spider has gotten me out of some tight spots. While the text’s effect may be random, its real effects are purely strategic. First, it can buff your Undertaker. Second, it can proc your Starving Buzzard for a free card. Third, your opponent is scared that it’s going to give you a free King Crush. Whatever card you actually draw is a free 31st card that you didn’t have to put in your deck, so you’re never losing anything by getting it killed. At its worst, it’s something to play on turn one to take out a Leper Gnome. At its best, two of them let you end the game with a couple of King Crushes one after another.

Zombie Chow

While this is a very situational card, you can always play this card smartly to your advantage. Play it on turn 1, and it’s cheap removal for your opponents starting minions. Save it until later, and then toss out an Auchenai Soulpriest with a Circle of Healing, and you’ve got a versatile Mind Blast for 1 mana. Have a Baron Rivendare out when you do that combo with 2 of this guy? That’s a 20 damage blast for 6 mana, and you’re opponent will never underestimate Zombie Chow again.

Naxxramas brings a lot of changes to Hearthstone, and a lot of really fun decks. If you haven’t tried building a deck around Undertaker and Deathrattles, I really recommend it. It took me a while to learn how good those early combos can be, but it’s awesome when you pull it off. I’ll continue updating this page as I find new cards to play and build new decks around different ideas. With just 30 cards changing the game so much, I can’t wait to see how much the new 100+ card expansion will change things. Expect another card roundup when that hits too!

September 18, 2014
Games of the Month – April 2014

Yeah, so this one’s a little late. With the amount of games releasing lately, it’s hard to find the time to play everything that’s on my plate, and fairly judge them comparatively in these “best of” posts. The plus side of this taking so long is, well, there’s a ton of awesome games out right now. Between April and May, I’ve had just as much to play as almost any other time this year. There have been some incredibly surprising games that came essentially from out of nowhere, and ended up taking up a ton of my time. And of course there’s still Hearthstone, which I think I’ve played almost every day for the last few months, but I digress.

Mibibli’s Quest

Take everything you love about Mega Man, make it a whole lot weirder, and you’ll have Mibibli’s Quest. The tight platforming through varied stages rivals anything we’ve seen in the genre in the last few years, and the huge amount creativity carries you through a dozen or more hours of excellence. I love the original Mega Man games, and this comes almost as close as MegaMan Unlimited to bringing back that feel, and then adds its own madness on top.

The Wolf Among Us: Episode 3

Everything is picking up steam, and we’re finally starting to see some of the real players behind this story. Scene after scene, I was being bombarded with action, character development, and more twists and turns. After the excellent reveal of the second episode, this episode starts and barely ever lets up. By the last hour, I was literally on the edge of my seat, awaiting the next choice I was going to be forced into. I love this series so far, and the relationships between each character feel realer than ever in this one; I can’t wait to see how they grow after this.

Trials Fusion

In what feels like a mix between BADLAND and Donkey Kong Country Returns, the newest Trials game is the best in the series I’ve played yet. Each level is brilliantly designed around setpieces, and has the pacing to make you want to binge the whole thing in one sitting. The level designs are varied throughout, and there’s always a punchline at the end, whether you’re abducted by aliens out of nowhere or a giant sand monster drags you to its depths. The creativity on display here is matched by few other frantic platformers, and it’s a shame that the last couple hours shed the high speed races for slower, physics based puzzles that the series (for some reason) seems to pride itself on. It’s a blast for those first several hours though, and I’d gladly play through them again.

Honorable Mentions:

Monument Valley

In case you missed the first time I talked this game up, it’s a beautiful, brief experience that builds a better world and characters in an hour than many games do in twenty.

Hearthstone

Hearthstone makes one of these lists again because it’s on iPad now, and I’m still playing it every day since like five months ago. Help.

June 1, 2014
Games of the Month – January 2014

It’s halfway through February and I’ve already played a ton of great games. February has kept me plenty occupied, and March looks like it’s going to be insane with all of that great looking stuff coming out, but let’s hold off and see what all was worth playing at the very beginning of this year. January was packed with all kinds of games, and I’ve only now been able to catch up to most of it. If awesome games keep coming as fast as they have this year, we’ll have more than enough to keep us busy. (I’m also trying out a new format for Games of the Month this year. Starting with this post, the I’ll list my three favorite games of the month, in no particular order. Typically if I number stuff this early after playing it, the comparisons don’t usually last too long after I’ve had time to let my thoughts settle. After the top three, you’ll find the honorable mentions, as usual.) (more…)

February 14, 2014