Hayden Collocott

It's no secret that Mists of Pandaria is not the most beloved World of Warcraft expansion. Many players were disappointed by the game's move in a seemingly less serious direction, especially as it arrived just after one of the darker stories in the game's complicated l

I admit that Dota 2 has the benefit of an established fan base unmatched by almost any free-to-play MOBA Game Meta analysis (League of Legends excluded). Not many games have fans who are willing to pay for something that doesn't benefit them in any way. Taking that into account, though, there still is no good excuse for free-to-play micro-transactions that benefit the company more than the player. Honestly, the solution is just to make your game cost money. Remember that? When games cost a flat fee for the entire thing? This was a largely successful model, and the only reason I can see for the shift is pure greed, especially by a company like EA that already has boatloads of money to roll in.

On a slightly cheerier note, Galactic Cafe's funny and cerebral indie title The Stanley Parable also scored four nominations, as did the dystopian bureaucracy simulator Papers, Please , which is up for a Best Game award. Other nominees for Best Game include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Super Mario 3D World . Tomb Raider has three nominations, as does mobile title BADLAND and Beyond: Two Sou

Although some cinematic trailers aren't any kind of indicator of what a game will be like, a few companies have mastered the art of using trailers to capture the tone and mood of an upcoming project. But when n the realm of CG cinematic trailers, nobody does it better than Blizza

"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

The voice over narration perfectly sets up the conflict that the Horde and Alliance have remained locked in for the last ten years and by focusing on unnamed heroes, rather than icons of the Warcraft world , players are able to imagine themselves as the Orc warrior going berserk or the Dwarf hunter exploring the snowy mountains. Maybe it's just nostalgia taking over, but we're tempted to roll a new character every time the drums of war start beating in this trai

First things first: The CW's attempts at launching characters, subplots, or larger universe-changing factors like superpowers or magic have not always gone off smoothly, often sapping momentum from individual episodes or existing storylines. Thankfully, the decision to introduce Vandal Savage (Casper Crump) - who will soon take the role of 'big bad' for Legends of Tomorrow - in The Flash actually shows the kind of elegant cross-universe storytelling fans have come to hope

Regardless of what the most hardcore fans thought, the Mists of Pandaria trailer became an incredibly popular TV spot in the month's leading up to the game's release. It featured exciting action with its three way battle, but more importantly, showcased Blizzard's sense of humor. The trailer isn't full of jokes at all, but a few well-placed visual gags make it impossible not to love the cinematic introduction of the universe's new r

"So I’m still pretty much a League of Legends fiend, and if you aren’t playing URF Mode right now, you’re missing out on life. Aside from LoL , I’ve been going through Torchlight 2 again and checking out all of the mods people have released for that, it’s almost like a whole new game, it’s a ton of fun. I FINALLY finished all of the Borderlands 2 DLC, I wholeheartedly recommend the Tiny Tina Assault on Dragon Keep. I’m now starting on the Presequal, playing a Guardian, and loving it. I’ve also gotten back into a really awesome Dungeons and Dragons group, which has inspired me to dress up like a Tiefling and run around lighting things on fire. But that’s totally normal, right? All joking aside, I’m not sure what I’ll be up to after Janna. Sometimes a project just grabs you by the ankle and drags you kicking and screaming to some new depth of cosplay madness. I anxiously await the journ

If there's one compliment that can be paid to the braintrust behind **The Flash ** , Arrow and the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow , it's that they aren't afraid of taking on the tasks of universe-building that would frighten off other production teams. It's because of that fact that this week's two-part crossover between their headlining stars begins with full reveal of not one, but three new DC Comics characters (on top of continuing each show's storylines). The result is an episode dripping with fan service - but one that ultimately has far too many masters to serve to ever hope of doing it w