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Tag: Blizzard

  • ‘Hearthstone’ Now on iPad in Canada, Australia

    The April Fools’ Day gags are over and Blizzard is now returning to business. The developer today announced that Hearthstone has been officially released for iPad – but only in certain territories.

    The game is currently available on iPad only in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Blizzard explains this limited release as something of a beta test. Hearthstone fans in those countries will help the developer “make sure [the game is] awesome” before it rolls out across the world. Blizzard does promise, though, that fans in other territories won’t have much longer to wait to get their hands on the mobile version.

    Hearthstone is Blizzard’s attempt at a fully-digital collectible card game. It is Warcraft-branded, featuring villains, heroes, enemies, and other characters from the popular World of Warcraft MMO. The game is free-to-play and features microtransactions that players can use to purchase card packs and entries into Arena mode.

    The PC version of Hearthstone was widely tested in beta form during 2013 and was released in its final form just last month.

    The game itself features mechanics similar to the popular Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, but with a few differences. Hearthstone is tuned for faster-paced gameplay and more direct player confrontation that is emphasized by the game’s animations.

    As anyone who has played Hearthstone will know, the game was quite obviously designed with mobile platforms in mind. The game is played on PC using only a mouse and the cards, numbers, and buttons are all large – design decisions that will translate well to tablets.

    The iPad version functions almost identically to the version players have gotten used to on PC. All modes, including ranked games and Arena are available in Hearthstone for iPad. The mobile version also syncs with other versions of the game, allowing players to pick up where they left off on whatever device they choose, complete with their full collection of cards. The iPad version is still free-to-play with the option to buy card packs or Arena sessions.

  • New ‘Diablo III’ Class Previewed, With Trailer

    The first expansion for Diablo III, Reaper of Souls, is now less than two weeks from release. Already the add-on has had a significant impact on the game with patches overhauling Diablo III‘s loot system.

    Another important change coming with Reaper of Souls is the addition of the new Crusader class. Blizzard this week revealed a bit more about the Crusader and its abilities in a new video preview. The class is depicted as very melee-focesed with tank-like abilities and sacred buffs for co-op gameplay.

    The narrated trailer explains that Crusaders are defenders of Zakarum faith in Diablo lore. The characters are partial to heavy weapons and even heavier armor. The cursaders’ beliefs tie-in significantly with the story of Reaper of Souls, which sees the Black Soulstone stolen by former Archangel Malthael.

  • ‘Hearthstone’ is Officially Out of Beta

    ‘Hearthstone’ is Officially Out of Beta

    Just hours after issuing the latest patch for Hearthstone, Blizzard announced that its online collectible card game (CCG) is officially out of beta in the U.S.

    Hearthstone is a free-to-play card game similar (but different in significant ways) from popular CCG Magic: The Gathering. Players take turns drawing cards from their pre-built decks and playing cards onto a field where the creatures on those cards battle it out for victory. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that and exceptional players have shown that the microtransactions built into Hearthstone are not needed for even top-tier Hearthstone players.

    For a game that has become consistently popular on game streaming site Twitch the switch from beta to full release was greeted with surprisingly little fanfare. Blizzard’s announcement thanked beta participants for their feedback and invited even more players to try out the game. As Hearthstone is styled after the locations, heroes, and enemies of the Warcraft series, the developer is also offering World of Warcraft players an epic flying mount called the “Hearthsteed” to use in the MMO after they play a few Hearthstone matches.

    The final Hearthstone beta patch was also relatively demure, making some final slight tweaks to the game before its release. The most important new features added include new golden hero portraits awarded for playing 500 ranked games, new card backs for participating in ranked play, and a system to separate previously high- and low-ranked players at the start of new ranked play seasons. Two highly-used legendary-level cards were also altered (“nerfed,” in gaming parlance) to make them less essential in ranked play.

  • Al Roker Berates Mayor De Blasio Via Twitter

    New York City experienced blizzards on Thursday, and schools were kept open by the NYC administration. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was criticized for not following New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s lead, when Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency.

    Elected officials and teacher’s unions called de Blasio’s decision to keep schools open a mistake, as the city was preparing to be engulfed in more than a foot of snow. Al Roker, the NBC weather anchor, published tweets complaining about this, even while he was busy covering the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

    The Today show weather anchor started with a tweet where he questioned why the other schools surrounding NYC were closed. He also expressed worry that a child may have to be hurt in the blizzard before NYC changes their “goofball policy”. His next tweet was addressed to New York City schools and the New York City Mayor’s office, and he mentioned that his daughter’s NYC public school was being let out, and he ended with asking NYC schools and the NYC Mayor’s office if it was worth endangering the children?

    Mayor de Blasio stated in a press conference Thursday morning that New York is unlike other cities, and it doesn’t shut down in the face of adversity. He defended his decision to keep the schools open, by explaining the State’s declaration. He explains that when NY Gov. Cuomo declared the state of emergency, it meant that the state and the city is allowed to do certain things regarding the situation. He continued by saying that with the information that they had, they knew clearly that the city was functioning properly, and that city agencies were doing their job.

    With all of this information, the Mayor’s office decided to keep schools open, since parents would need their children in school so they could go to work.

    Roker tweeted a forecast, predicting that de Blasio would only have one term in in office as New York Mayor.

     

     

     

    Image via YouTube

  • I-94 Pile-Up: Over 40 Vehicles, 3 Deaths, 20 Injured

    On Thursday afternoon, a massive pileup on Interstate 94 near Michigan City, Indiana killed three people and injured more than 20 others.

    The pileup was caused by an afternoon blizzard, which limited visibility and caused icy conditions on the road. More than 40 cars and semi-trucks were involved in the crash, which closed the highway down for nearly 18 hours.

    Conditions very quickly changed from clear to near-whiteout at the time of the crash. State police Lt. Jerry Williams said there was a sudden burst of heavy lake-effect snow that took everyone by surprise.

    The injured were rushed to the hospital and an immediate search for cars that might be stuck under 18-wheelers began. The highway was a mangled mess of crumbled metal and debris.

    “They’re getting to them as quick as they can, with cranes, wreckers, extrication,” LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan said. “There’s just so much destruction, they have to tear apart those vehicles and semis and move them little by little to see if there is a car underneath them or under a trailer.”

    Tow trucks, cranes, and crews worked rapidly to clear the highway, partially reopening it for traffic on Friday morning. I-94 is a major throughway connecting Chicago with Detroit.

    Among the fatalities was Jerry Dalrymple, 65, of Chicago, who was pronounced dead at the scene. His 7-year-old black Labrador, Sparky, was also killed.

    The others who didn’t survive were Marilyn and Thomas Wolma, 65 and 67, husband and wife from Grand Rapids, Mich., who the coroner believed were killed by blunt force trauma.

    There were at least twenty people injured, some severely enough that they were airlifted to the hospital for immediate treatment.

    “Lucky we didn’t have 10 more, you know, from looking at it?” the coroner said. “Thank God we didn’t have any more.”

    “It was such a devastating scene, you don’t know where to start,” said Mick Pawlik, a fire chief with the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department. “It was tough out there, especially for a fireman … trying to prioritize who you extricate first. It’s hard to leave one person, and go to check on someone else, but I tell you everybody that was out there worked as a well-oiled machine.”

    Pawlik said it took more than four hours to remove all the victims, including one man who rescuers worked on for three hours to remove from a “pocket of vehicles.” He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., in critical condition.

    Image via YouTube

  • Winter Storm Hercules Wreaks Havoc On Northeast

    Winter storm Hercules swept across the country and left a trail of snow, sleet and ice behind it. While some parts of the country only saw a coating of snow, the Northeast was hit much harder. Blizzard conditions were predicted along the Northeast coast and many areas received several inches of snow.

    The snow is not the only thing that make Winter storm Hercules dangerous, the strong winds and extremely low temperatures could make it deadly. Some areas of the Northeast are expected to see wind chills drop as low as 25 degrees below zero over the weekend.

    Many meteorologists are saying this weekend’s weather could be the coldest since 2009. While some areas are not expected to see any more snow over the weekend, Blizzard warnings are still in effect and many experts are warning that travelers and residents in the Northeast should not let their guards down just because they do not see snow.

    “A blizzard occurs when snow reduces visibility to less than a quarter of a mile for more than three hours, accompanied by winds of 35 miles per hour or more. So it is possible for a blizzard to occur even when snow is not falling, as long as snow that is already on the ground is being whipped by fierce winds, thus reducing visibility,” said Weather Channel meteorologist Stu Ostro.

    If you are or were in the storm’s path, make sure all roadways are safe before you travel on them, stay inside as much as possible to avoid exposure to the cold and remember to check on your outdoor pets often and add hay, straw, blankets or heat lamps to their kennels to ensure that they are warm.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Winter Storm Hercules Heads to the Northeast

    Before Winter Storm Hercules is finished with the US, roughly 1 in 3 Americans will have seen snow in the early days of 2014.

    The massive storm dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the Midwest on New Years Day, and is now slamming the Northeast.

    According to meteorologist Chris Dolce, Hercules could reach blizzard proportions in some areas: “The Northeast I-95 corridor will feel the worst impacts from Hercules Thursday evening into Friday morning. Gusty winds will combine with the snow to produce poor visibility and dangerous travel conditions. Localized blizzard conditions are possible on Long Island and in coastal parts of southeast Massachusetts.”

    Illinois saw at least six inches of snow on Wednesday, with some areas reporting up to a foot. The storm caused delays into and out of Chicago airports.

    According to the Chicago Tribune, it’s the most snow the city has had since the blizzard of 2011 – and it’s still snowing. Thanks to lake-effect snow, totals could reach two feet before the snow stops overnight.

    The Indianapolis area has received more than five inches of snow since this morning, according to the Indianapolis Star. Weather conditions are responsible for multiple traffic accidents throughout the state.

    As Hercules moves out of the Midwest, the Northeast is buttoning down in preparation.

    “This will be a full-blown Nor’easter,” said winter weather expert Tom Niziol.

    Image via Twitter

  • ‘Diablo III: Reaper of Souls’ Expansion Coming March 25

    Back in August Blizzard announced the first expansion for Diablo III. Titled Reaper of Souls, the expansion promises to be another suitably hefty old-school PC game expansion of the type Blizzard is known for.

    Today Blizzard announced that Reaper of Souls will be released on March 25, 2014. The expansion will cost $40 for the standard digital edition of the content, but a “digital deluxe” edition of the game is also being offered for $60.

    Reaper of Souls expands Diablo III with an entirely new act involving an angel known as Malthael and the theft of the black soul stone that houses Diablo’s essence. The game’s level cap will be expanded to 70, the new “Crusader” class has been added to the mix, and all classes have gotten new skills and abilities.

    The digital deluxe version of Reaper of Souls, of course, comes with a bunch of in-game exclusive items. Fans who purchase the more expensive version will get exclusive transmogrification recipes, a “Spectral Hound” minion, three extra character slots, some Battle.net portraits, and some decals for StarCraft II. A special “Treasure Goblin” pet for World of Warcraft is also included.

    With its March 2014 release date, Reaper of Souls will be out around the same time that many big games are scheduled to hit store shelves. Titles such as Titanfall, Infamous: Second Son, and Dark Souls II will provide plenty of competition for Blizzard’s Diablo III expansion – especially considering its premium price point.

  • Blizzard’s ‘Heroes of the Storm’ Previewed, Beta Sign-Ups Live

    Blizzard Entertainment, one of the most popular video game publishers in the world, is holding its annual BlizzCon event this weekend. The publisher is known for making big announcements at the events, and this year is no exception.

    Blizzard has finally taken the wraps off its new MOBA game, previously codenamed Blizzard All-Stars. The title is now Heroes of the Storm.

    Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard’s take on the DOTA-style MOBA genre, which began as a mod for Blizzard’s Warcraft III. Though Valve has taken up the DOTA brand and Riot Games’ League of Legends is the most popular in the genre, Blizzard’s Heroes is, perhaps, the only one of many recent MOBA games that stands a chance of developing a competitive audience.

    The game will feature characters from Blizzard’s biggest franchises – Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. Characters include World of Warcraft‘s Malfurion Stormrage, Starcraft‘s Sarah Kerrigan, and Diablo himself. The multiplayer maps will also be taken from various locations in those game franchises.

    Blizzard is already taking beta sign-ups for Heroes of the Storm at the game’s new website.

    Blizzard today also released three video previews of Heroes of the Storm. The first is a classic high-quality Blizzard cinematic trailer, featuring plenty of action and animation that rivals Pixar:

    The second video is an actual gameplay trailer for Heroes of the Storm. Unsurprisingly, it looks an awful lot like DOTA:

    The third is a behind-the-scenes look at Blizzard’s development of Heroes, detailing some of the decisions they’ve made about how the game will play:

  • South Dakota Blizzard Devastates Livestock

    South Dakota has recently experienced a horrible blizzard, which is affecting the cattle and many farmers in the state. While much of the country is still having summer or early fall-like temperatures, South Dakota has been hit early with the nasty weather that usually does not come for another couple months. Tens of thousands of cattle have been found dead, huddled and frozen, after the shocking storm that hit South Dakota earlier this month.

    Due to the government shutdown, many of the farmers are not able to get help and the 6,000 ranching operations that have been hit do not have any safety net. Mile after mile, half-buried by snow, the dead animals lay huddled in groups. Carcasses by the dozens strung out along field fences and packed into ditches, black hooves poking up through the drifts like macabre stakes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

    In what is being called the state’s worst economic disaster in decades, officials are saying that the storm has ravaged South Dakota’s $7 billion livestock industry. NPR reports that the cattle, who were grazing in their summer pastures when the blizzard hit, and had not been able to build up a thick winter coat of fur yet, causing them to have disastrous results as soon as the storm hit.

    Many, disoriented in the blizzard, wandered to exhaustion and fell victim to hypothermia before suffocating under the snow drifts. The number of casualties to the livestock is hard to determine still, partly due to the fact that the federal agency in charge of tallying the loss of livestock after a disaster is closed during the government shutdown.

    For those that say that the government shutdown is not having an effect on regular American people, these cattle ranchers would certainly have something to say about that.

    The cattle that has been lost could be a heavy blow to South Dakota’s economy, as they rely on the cows for their beef. It is predicted by the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association that the state lost at least 5 percent of its cattle. The South Dakota blizzard is proving to be very disastrous for the livestock and the farmers all over the state who depend on them to make a living.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfdxsL9S6UU

    Image via Youtube

  • Diablo III Hits Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

    Diablo III Hits Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

    As announced back at this year’s E3 conference, Diablo III has now made its debut on consoles. The game is out now for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Blizzard also announced today that a downloadable version of Diablo III will be available via Xbox Live on October 4. As is custom for Blizzard games, Diablo III still retails for its full launch price, $60.

    Diablo III has been changed quite a bit for consoles. The game’s graphics have been locked at console levels, and controls have been significantly to incorporate controllers. The interface has been changed to reflect the new controls, and new tweaks such as a “dynamic camera perspective” and dodge move have also been incorporated to help players deal with the lack of mouse control. Enemies in the game have also been changed for the console versions.

    “In bringing Diablo III to consoles, our main focus has been on making sure we deliver a really fun experience for up to four friends online or on the same couch,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “The game looks and plays great on PS3 and Xbox 360, especially with the new direct-control elements and new interface. We know players will have a blast battling Diablo on their big-screen TVs.”

    Like the PC version of the game, Diablo III on consoles supports four-player online co-op gameplay through Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. The console versions, however, also include a local four-player co-op mode. The new visuals and features were previewed in the below video, which was released back in March:

    Blizzard recently unveiled the first expansion for Diablo III, titled Reaper of Souls. The developer has not yet announced whether the expansion will be coming to consoles in the future.

  • ‘Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls’ Expansion Announced

    It’s been over one year since Diablo III was released on PC. The game enjoyed massive sales, but upset early players with half-baked always-on DRM. Now, with the game is set for release on current-gen consoles in less than a month, Blizzard is announcing its first expansion for Diablo III.

    Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will add a new act and a new playable class to the game. In addition, the level cap for the game will be raised to 70. The story of the expansion involves an angel, Malthael, stealing the black soul stone that houses Diablo’s essence.

    The new playable class will be the Crusader, a melee character in heavy armor and shown wielding a flail. In addition, existing classes will be getting new powers, abilities, and spells to help them through the new content. Loot has also been tweaked for Reaper of Souls, and items are now more customizable. The game’s Paragon system has gotten an upgrade as well, and two new game modes will be added: “Loot Runs” and “Nephalem Trials”.

    Along with the announcement, Blizzard has released two videos previewing Reaper of Souls. One is the opening cinematic for the expansion, another in a long line of award-worthy Blizzard CG creations:

    The other is a gameplay teaser that previews the Crusader, new enemies, and the setting of Reaper of Souls:

  • Here’s What Diablo III Looks Like On The PS3

    During Sony’s big PS4 reveal show, Blizzard popped up on stage to announce that it was returning to console development. The prolific developer announced that it would be porting Diablo III to the PS3 and PS4, thus crushing my hopes of ever seeing a return of The Lost Vikings.

    Casting my own bitterness aside, I recognize that Diablo III coming exclusively to Sony’s platform is a big deal. As such, there will be a lot of scrutiny applied to the project as many PC players didn’t exactly have high praise for the title. The game was already suspected of being built around consoles, however, so console players lacking a PC gamer’s superiority complex may get a kick out of it.

    In other Blizzard news, the developers crushed the dreams of Warcraft fans everywhere by announcing a trading card game instead of a proper installment of the venerated real-time strategy series.

  • Blizzard Returns To Warcraft With A Trading Card Game

    For years, fans of the Warcraft franchise have pestered Blizzard for a new entry in the real-time strategy series. After nine years of World of Warcraft, Blizzard is poised to deliver a non-MMO title in the Warcraft franchise, but it’s not exactly what fans are expecting.

    Blizzard announced today at PAX East that its new Warcraft game will be titled Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. It’s a free-to-play collectible card game for PC, Mac and iPad. The game will be supported by the sale of booster packs for players to expand their digital card collection.

    If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, check out this making of video:

  • Check Out StarCraft II: Heart Of The Swarm’s Launch Trailer

    For the past several weeks, Blizzard has been showing all the new features that will make their way into the upcoming StarCraft II expansion – Heart of the Swarm. Now the game is almost upon us, and Blizzard has just one more message for its fans. It’s time to get hyped.

    Players can look forward to playing through Kerrigan’s, and by extension the Zerg’s, campaign on March 12. Blizzard will be hosting launch parties around the world for the game’s physical release. Those who purchased the game via Blizzard’s online store will be able to start playing at midnight.

  • Diablo 3 PS3, PS4 Releases on the Way

    One of the most surprising moments of last night’s big PlayStation 4 unveiling was when Chris Metzen, SVP of story and franchise development at Blizzard Entertainment, took the stage. Though he wasn’t at the presentation to announce a new franchise, since Blizzard has been producing PC-exclusive content for years now, his announcement was one that is sure to shake-up the gaming community.

    Diablo III will be coming to both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles. Metzen mentioned that the game is already up-and-running on the PS3, and that a playable version will be featured at PAX East.

    “Diablo III looks and plays great on the PlayStation,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard. “We put a lot of care and thought into the PlayStation version to make sure it would deliver an authentic Diablo gaming experience, and we’re really pleased with the results. We can’t wait for players to try it out at PAX East.”

    The user interface for the game will be very different in the PlayStation versions, adapted to suit a console controller. The game will also feature a “new dynamic camera perspective” for console gamers. The local and online co-op will be available and some of the newest additions to the PC game, such as the Paragon leveling system and epic Legendary items, will be included.

  • Blizzcon Returns To Anaheim On November 8

    Blizzard fans were understandably distraught last year when the beloved developer announced that Blizzcon had been canceled for the year. Some feared that the annual show was done for good, but fortunately, that is not the case.

    Blizzard announced today that Blizzcon is coming back in 2013. The show invites Blizzard fans from around the world to the Anaheim convention center on November 8. The event will promises to be bigger and better than ever, with fans of the company’s franchise, except for Lost Vikings, invited to take part in all the fun.

    “BlizzCon gives us a chance to connect with our players and share our latest projects in a very personal way,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Members from all of our gaming communities have helped make this event bigger and better every time, and we look forward to meeting up and celebrating with them in November.”

    Blizzard is remaining mum on the specifics of Blizzcon 2013, but fans can expect to see the latest and greatest games from Blizzard. There might even be some unannounced games shown off as the developer doesn’t really have much beyond the third StarCraft expansion and the codenamed Titan MMO in their official pipeline.

    Those interested in Blizzcon will want to keep their browsers pointed at the event’s official Web site. Tickets to the event in 2011 sold out in seconds, and that’s likely to be true again this year.

  • Blizzard Talks Up New Features In StarCraft II: Heart Of The Swarm

    StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, the next game in the StarCraft II trilogy, is quickly approaching. Some players may be content to keep playing Wings of Liberty, but others will want to jump on board the latest title to see where the story goes or check out the newest additions to competitive multiplayer. Those who fit into the latter category will want to check out all the new features coming to matchmaking as detailed in a new trailer.

    In a new “Ways to Play” trailer, Blizzard walks players through all the new features coming to matchmaking in StarCraft II. This is what players will be spending most of their time in. As such, Blizzard wants to make it super accessible for new players, while keeping the same highly competitive environment that made Wings of Liberty so popular.

    Competitive players will definitely want to check out next week’s video as Blizzard will be going through all the enhancements its making to the multiplayer portion of the game, as well as what it’s doing to support the eSports community.

  • Nemo Blizzard To Blanket the Northeast in Snow

    Forecasts for a potentially “historic” winter storm in New England have not improved since yesterday’s winter storm and blizzard watches. More severe warnings have been issued for a wider swath of the Northeast, including New York City.

    The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) is warning that the storm will blanket the Northeast in snow, including states from the Great Lakes area to New England. The storm will begin sometime today, Friday, and continue well into Saturday. Some counties in Massachusetts are predicted to receive as much as three feet of snow . The NWS warns that whiteout conditions are anticipated and that travel will be severely impacted.

    From an NWS forecast:

    The pieces will come together for a major…maybe even historic…snow storm across the lower great lakes and new england states during the short range period. Energy from a surface low crossing through the Ohio Valley should begin interacting with energy from a costal low tracking Northeastward along the mid-Atlantic coast early Friday. As the systems merge…conditions will quickly deteriorate over the Northeast on Friday while the costal low rapidly deepens offshore. Widespread heavy snows and strong winds will expand across the region and should last through Saturday morning. Heavily populated areas from New York City to Boston could measure more than a foot of snow from the event…with locally higher amounts possible.

    Though yesterday New York City was under only a winter storm warning, that has now been upgraded to a blizzard warning that expires at 1 pm on Saturday. The NWS forecasts that the city and costal portions of Northeast New Jersey could see strong winds and heavy snow – some 10 to 14 inches. Temperatures in the area could dip into the 20s by Friday evening, and the heaviest snowfall will begin at that time.

  • New England Blizzard Could Potentially be “Historic”

    The U.S. National Weather Service is warning residents of New England that a coming winter storm could be a record-breaker. The storm will hit the Northeast and New England sometime on Friday and continue into Saturday.

    The storm will bring heavy snow and blizzard conditions to those areas, and temperatures could drop to 10 or 20 degrees below average. Snowfall rates of up to two to three inches per hour are predicted for some areas of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Wind gusts of up to 60 or 75 miles per hour could also present an additional headache for the transportation and power industries.

    A statement from the National Weather Service in Massachusetts read: “A potential historic winter storm and Blizzrd is expected to drop 1 to 2 feet of snow across much of the region Friday into Saturday.” Winter storm watches are in effect through Saturday afternoon for much of the Northeast.

    In Boston the winter storm watch has been upgraded to a blizzard watch, meaning whiteout conditions are possible. A blizzard watch has also been issued for some parts of New York, though the city is still under a winter storm watch. Six to ten inches of snow are expected in the city along with “a trace of ice” and temperatures in the lower 30s.

  • World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Officially Released

    The fourth expansion for the wildly popular MMO World of Warcraft is now available in North America, Europe, Australia, and select South American countries.

    The expansion chronicles the discovery of a new continent in Azeroth. Players can take on the role of a character of the Pandaren race, fight as the new monk class, and explore the new continent as they level up to the new level cap of 90. The expansion also includes a new type of cooperative PvE trial, challenge modes, and, of course, the new pet battle mini-game.

    “Mists of Pandaria takes players back to the roots of World of Warcraft – exploration, discovery, and the epic conflict between the Alliance and the Horde,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “It also contains the widest variety of content that we’ve ever added in an expansion, and we’re excited to be able to share it with players around the world this week in our first truly global launch.”

    To celebrate the launch, Blizzard held a massive launch party in cities across Europe, including Paris, Moscow, London, Stockholm, and Milan. The festivities were streamed on YouTube, but if you missed the live-stream a replay of the events can be seen below.