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All Articles: Overwatch
Blizzard introduces Sombra to Overwatch in a new animated short
Blizzard has been dropping hints about Sombra, Overwatch‘s newest Hero, for months. Today, the character made her debut at BlizzCon in a brand new animated short.
One of the world’s most notorious hackers, Sombra uses information to manipulate those in power.
Long before she took up the alias “Sombra,” XXXXXX was among the thousands of children who were left orphaned in the aftermath of the Omnic Crisis. With much of her country’s infrastructure destroyed, she survived by utilizing her natural gifts with hacking and computers.
[…]
She later reemerged as Sombra, upgraded and determined to find out the truth behind the conspiracy she had uncovered. Sombra launched an even more audacious string of hacks, and her exploits earned her no shortage of admirers, including Talon. She joined the organization’s ranks and is believed to have contributed to its massive cyberattacks against corporations with strong ties to their governments. These efforts incited a popular revolution in Mexico against LumériCo and breached the security of Volskaya Industries, the manufacturing arm of Russia’s anti-omnic defense.
Like the title of her animated short, Sombra is someone who’s skilled at “Infiltration” and manipulating technology for her own gains. The Offense character can get close to her enemies with “Thermoptic Camo” to go invisible for short periods of time and she can escape with her “Translocator,” a beacon Sombra can instantly return to as long as it’s active. Once she’s in, her “Hack” ability can stop opponents from using their abilities, while her “EMP” disables barriers and shields in the blast radius.
Sombra will be available to download for PC players using the Overwatch Public Test Region next week, and she’ll be accessible by all sometime in the near future. In the meantime, you can learn more about Sombra on PlayOverwatch.com.
Sports! NBA 2K17, Madden 17, FIFA 17, NHL 17 are the best-selling games in September 2016
Football season is in full swing, and the NBA season is getting ready to tip-off this weekend, so it’s a great time to check out this year’s newest sports simulations. Gamers definitely agreed, as four sports titles were at the top of September 2016’s sales report from The NPD Group.
2K’s NBA 2K17 was #1, and it was followed by three from EA Sports: Madden NFL 17 (#2), FIFA 17 (#3), and NHL 17 (#4). Shooters dominated the rest of the list with BioShock: The Collection rounding out the Top 5, and Destiny: The Collection (#6), Overwatch (#8), and Call of Duty: Black Ops III (#10) all in the Top 10.
Believe it or not, Minecraft failed to find a place in the Top 10 for the first time in nearly a year. Perhaps this is why hardware, software, and accessory sales totaled $838.2 million last month, which is down from September 2015’s $1.09 billion tally. But the NPD is pinning the blame on the PS4 Slim and Xbox One S.
“Spending on software, hardware, and accessories declined by 23% compared to this time last year,” NPD Analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz. “The release of the PS4 Slim and the second month of the Xbox One S was not enough to stimulate total hardware spending and this month’s new software releases could not compete with last year’s stronger slate of new games.”
The full Top 10 from September 2016 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged BioShock, BioShock 2, BioShock Infinite, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, FIFA 17, Forza Horizon 3, Grand Theft Auto V, Madden NFL 17, NBA 2K17, NHL 17, NPD, Overwatch
Blizzard launches a new seasonal event for Overwatch… “Halloween Terror”
Blizzard has announced that “Halloween Terror,” the latest seasonal event for Overwatch, began today. Players who take part in the horror-themed contest will be able to jump into a unique PvE scenario, and collect special “Halloween 2016” items like “profile icons, sprays, victory poses, emotes, highlight intros, skins, and more!”
According to the Overwatch Blog, players will get to blast “zomnics” in a special Horde Mode that feels a bit like Army of Darkness:
As told in our “Junkenstein” digital comic, this terrifying tale follows Dr. Jamison Junkenstein, an inventor and scientist who was once employed by the Lord of Adlersbrunn. Junkenstein’s dream was to create artificial life, but the Lord of Adlersbrunn mocked the scientist and his creations, calling him a fool and dismissing him from service. Slighted, Junkenstein vowed to prove the lord wrong, and when an unexpected visitor showed up and offered the key to perfecting his creation, Junkenstein’s Monster was born.
Now Junkenstein plans his revenge against the Lord of Adlersbrunn, and only four heroes stand in the way.
Players will choose from the Alchemist (Ana), the Archer (Hanzo), the Gunslinger (McCree), or the Soldier (Soldier: 76) and defend Adlersbrunn castle’s doors against Dr. Junkenstein’s onslaught! Heroes will need to work together and develop strategies to withstand not only the advances of his macabre entourage, but also wave after wave of zomnic attacks.
“Halloween Terror” will be available until November 1, and Blizzard plans to seal the “Halloween 2016” item collection in the vault after its conclusion. So don’t hesitate to try it out if you’re interesting in obtaining some terrifying (and terrific) new loot for your favorite Overwatch character.
Madden NFL 17 rumbles its way to the end zone as the best-selling game of August 2016
A trio of new releases stood atop the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games of August 2016, but Madden NFL 17 unsurprisingly took the top spot.
EA’s juggernaut is almost always unstoppable during the calendar’s eighth month, but it was equally unsurprising to see No Man’s Sky and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided take up residence at #2 and #3, respectively.
NPD analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz: “The release of strong new titles such as Madden NFL 17, No Man’s Sky and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided bolstered console software dollar sales by 8%.”
The remainder of this month’s best-sellers included the usual mix of big titles from 2015 and 2016, with some Grand Theft Auto V (#4) and Minecraft (#9) tossed in for flavor.
A full look at August 2016’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Almost three years after its release, GTA5 was NPD’s best-selling game in July 2016
With a sweltering Summer in full swing, game publishers mostly skipped the month of July. And nowhere is this more evident than the monthly NPD ranking of best-selling games, which was topped by Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, a game that was originally released almost three years ago. The only new release to crack the top ten in July was Capcom’s Monster Hunter Generations, which claimed the #4 spot.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD analyst Sam Naji said: “Lack of strong new titles for the month resulted with poor comparison with last July’s Batman: Arkham Knight with consumers spending 14 percent less year-on-year on hardware, software and accessories. However, the release of Monster Hunter: Generations and the price drop for the 2DS helped to bolster spending for 3DS and 2DS hardware by 44%”
While brand new titles were a rare sight in the NPD’s July 2016 top ten, new-ish titles like Overwatch (#2), Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (#3), and Doom (#8) continue to be popular with shoppers.
The NPD Group continued their foray into tracking sales of digital downloads last month, though Capcom, Mojang, Bethesda, and Blizzard (for Battle.net sales) chose not to participate.
A full look at July 2016’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Get a box of tissues ready for the latest Overwatch short… “The Last Bastion”
Bastion is a fairly divisive character in the Overwatch community. While the robot has a lot of fans, other players are less than thrilled to be matched up against a character that’s basically just a walking machine gun.
But Blizzard wants to rehabilitate his reputation with the latest animated short, “The Last Bastion.” Taking a few cues from The Iron Giant, “The Last Bastion” shows the robot rebelling against its programming and becoming something more than a living weapon. It’s a little manipulative, but it also totally works.
Overwatch is now available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And in case you missed them, be sure to check out Blizzard’s other animated shorts for Overwatch: “Recall,” “Alive,” “Dragons,” and “Hero.”
Overwatch climbs to the top of the NPD’s list of best-selling games for June 2016
June is typically a slow period for new game releases, but The NPD Group’s look at last month’s best-selling games proves just how slow it was. According to tracking firm, consumer spending on games was down 20% from last year, when Batman: Arkham Knight launched to strong reviews and even stronger sales.
To make matters worse, the only new release to crack the top ten were Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (#3) and Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst (#5). But that means the path to the top of the list was clear for Overwatch, which rode a wave of support from fans to become June 2016’s best-selling game. Grand Theft Auto V (#2) and Doom (#4) rounded out the top five.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom in June, as NPD Analyst Liam Callahan told GamesIndustry.biz: “After 32 months since the launches of the PS4 and Xbox One, the combined cumulative hardware sales for these two consoles exceed the sales of [the PS3 and Xbox 360] by 40% at the same point in their lifecycles.”
However, the biggest news this month might be the new way that the NPD reports their monthly sales data. Provided a publisher supplies the numbers, the company has agreed to begin integrating digital sales into their monthly tally. Most publishers have already signed on, though Bethesda, Sony, and Mojang remain holdouts, and Blizzard has decided not to share sales data from Battle.net.
A complete look at last months top ten best-selling titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Destiny, Doom (2016), Grand Theft Auto V, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Minecraft, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, NBA 2K16, NPD, Overwatch, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Blizzard unveils Overwatch’s first post-launch Hero… “Support Sniper” Ana Amari
Blizzard plans to expand Overwatch in the coming months with a number of new Heroes, and the publisher revealed the first this afternoon.
Ana Amari is a “Support Sniper” who’ll be able to revitalize her allies (damage opponents) with darts fired from her Biotic Rifle. The character’s stash of Biotic Grenades will feature similar healing properties when engaged in close-quarters combat.
Overwatch players who want to get a sneak peek at how Ana will operate should check out the gameplay trailer embedded above. And everyone who’s curious about her place in the game’s lore should watch the “Origins” trailer after the break. Apparently, Ana worked closely with the first generation of Overwatch Heroes (including Reaper and Soldier 76), and she’s also known as mom to the offensively-minded Pharah. More details about Ana can be found at the official Play Overwatch site.
Ana Amari, and all of Overwatch’s downloadable Heroes, will be available for free on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime in the near future. (more…)