It’s no secret that Valve’s annual The International competition is one of the biggest events in eSports. 20 million viewers can’t be wrong . Valve has slowly but surely built up the world championship for Dota 2 into an annual spectacle with a prize pool worth millions of dollars. With that said, Dota 2 arguably doesn’t have that big of a footprint the rest of the year, at least compared to some other eSports titles. For example, Blizzard’s Starcraft II and Riot’s League of Legends hold multiple regional events every year ahead of each game’s world championship that get a lot of attention. Dota 2 tournaments not named The International are out there, but usually don’t generate as much interest as the main ev
Anybody who has ever attended a gaming or comic convention knows that the world of cosplay is no joke. Cosplayers spend countless hours planning and building insane costumes every year, just to parade them out during convention season and show them off. Unless you’re a part of the scene, you might not realize just how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into every project. We sat down with one of our favorite cosplayers this week to chat about the work that went into her League and Legends and Diablo 3 proje
“This was a project full of firsts for me. It’s been incredibly frustrating and educational trying to finally accomplish this cosplay. This was my first time making armor with Worbla, and I only have one burn scar… so far! In fact, this was my first time using automotive primer, Bondo, silicone molds, resin casts, and a whole lot of other stuff. I’m a kinetic learner, so the only way I really get a handle on stuff is by getting my hands on it and going for it. I messed up a lot, but I learned a lot. You really just have to take every little thing in stride. I had been pushing to try and get this cosplay ready for a specific convention, and nearly drove myself mad trying to do it. Instead, I’ve learned now to just sit back and enjoy the experience. It’ll be done when it’s done, and I’ll be proud of the finished produ
“I think it’s something that I’ve always been interested in, but it wasn’t until I got into college and met some people doing it that I actually took the plunge. I’m not even sure if I can classify my first “outing” as a cosplay, I threw some stuff together and did a Lady Vader back in 2012. I had fun though, and got a good look at what other people were producing, asked a lot of questions, and thought ‘yeah, I really need to do this right
Because The CW typically airs its crossovers at the end of November, Crisis on Earth-X debuted only 10 days after Warner Bros. and DC Films’ premiered their own massive team-up event with Justice League . While the reviews for Justice League were undoubtedly an improvement upon previous DC Films entries Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad – and the film topped the domestic box office in its opening weekend and performed well overseas – the dominant narrative has been that it didn’t quite meet expectations. Certainly, the movie has its fans, and redeeming qualities, but Justice League wasn’t as big of a success – critically, financially, or with fans – as many were hop
Certainly, at the end of the day, movie and TV viewers can – and should – like what they like. In terms of which event, either Justice League or Crisis on Earth-X, was more successful in achieving what they set out to do, however, the Arrowverse crossover clearly pulls ahead. It’s much more consistent in tone than Justice League , a surprising feat given it unites four different TV shows, and ups The CW’s superhero MOBA game Walkthrough, improving upon crossovers that came before it. All in all, Crisis on Earth-X is a better, more cohesive team-up event than Justice Leag
But that might change soon thanks to an announcement a few days ago from Valve. The Dota Major Championships are coming, and will now organize the competitive Dota 2 calendar into seasonal action across four major tournaments , including The Internatio
The two (former) professionals are Olzhas “Naiman” Batyrbekov and Dan “Alchemixt” Walton. The two lesser known players were only identified by their gamertags, XzaM and Damnery. While Blizzard has banned players for offenses like botting and win trading in the past, this is the first time they have publicly named the players. It seems like they’re stepping up their efforts to clean up the professional scene as Blizzcon gets clo
While Legend of Solgard ‘s genre-fusing gameplay will feel refreshing to capital G gamers, I can’t help but think that the more casual Candy Crush crowd will inevitably fall off the wagon. Despite Snowprint’s commendable effort to hold players’ hands during the first few stages of the campaign, the game inevitably introduces deeper mechanics and more complex strategic elements that may be off-putting to less-seasoned gamers. Throughout my time with Legend of Solgard , I often used my father’s fascination with Candy Crush and other similar mobile games as an impromptu litmus test. Every time the game introduced one of its new mechanics, whether it be a character’s unique ability, mana, or Sun Gems, I kept asking myself, “would my dad continue to play th
