jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

Doom SnapMap Looks To Be One Of The Games Coolest Features

Bethesda is pushing the new Doom demon-train hard as they continue to talk about features of the upcoming triple A "demon murder simulator." SnapMap is my most anticipated part of the game as it highlights what I think is a current void in modern shooters. It was very simple back in the DOS based Wolfenstein and Doom days to create a map and share it with your friends. In the modern age of Call of Duty and Far Cry these features have been lost in favor of multiple map DLC packs and very focused multiplayer modes. Doom aims to break with this and take us back to provide players with a great tool to build maps and share them with each other across consoles and PC.

As with when Portal 2 shipped the in game level editor, expect that I will be sharing a few Doom maps. What do you think of this new feature? Will you be creating any Doom maps?

Guild Wars 2 Is Now Totally Free To Play

Arena.net just let loose Guild Wars 2 for free for everyone. This is totally awesome, but why? PCGamer recently asked and I thought the response was interesting.

""We believe that if people love Guild wars 2, they’re gonna buy the expansion pack," O'Brien says when I ask why ArenaNet is doing this. "The expansion pack is such a great value. There’s so much content, not only in the expansion pack but in all the free updates that will come past that." While Guild Wars 2 is now free, it won't receive future content updates—including the newly announced raids. Those are earmarked for Heart of Thorns, which will essentially become the live version of the game"

If you haven't picked up Guild Wars 2, you officially have no excuse. With that, is anyone picking up the Thorns expansion?

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/play-for-free-today/
http://www.pcgamer.com/guild-wars-2-core-game-is-now-free/

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/02/2015 at 04:32am

Well darn. I say that because I paid for it, but I got it at a really great deal, so I don't really have much room to complain. I wonder how much the expansion is going to cost.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/02/2015 at 04:53am

They have a range of pre-purchase options for Heart of Thorns starting at $50 and finally ending up at $100.

http://buy.guildwars2.com/store/gw2/en_US/html/pbPage.heartofthorns?cid=91:5::::Global:166:::

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/02/2015 at 05:28am

Wow! $50-100 for an expansion? No wonder they went "free-to-play." It's been a while since I've played and I didn't get as hooked as Travis. I might play again some day, I'm not sure when. Right now I don't really see the point in buying an expansion, because I haven't fully explored what I paid for. So, maybe a time will come when I decide I want to buy an expansion, but that probably won't be for a while.

Now if only we could get Square-Enix to go free-to-play with Final Fantasy XI.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/02/2015 at 10:20pm

I think I just found something to do this Labor Day weekend when the wife and kid are out school shopping :)

Travis Admin wrote on 09/02/2015 at 10:30pm

Free-to-play accounts are hampered in a few ways to prevent spammers/botters/sellers, so your already purchased version is better than what free accounts have.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/02/2015 at 10:30pm

(and also to make them money by people upgrading, of course)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/02/2015 at 10:44pm

Do you have a link to the freemium restrictions? I'd love to see if they get lifted at some point or are FOREVER locked.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/02/2015 at 10:48pm

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/play-for-free-today/

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/02/2015 at 11:02pm

Awesome, i'll update the post with that link thanks. That said, I don't think this is to prevent botting/spamming but I also don't find it unreasonable either:

"First, free accounts start with fewer character slots and bag slots than the paid version of the game. But they still get the full complement of slots as soon as they buy Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns."

The rest of the restrictions are totally reasonable and if someone wants them lifted, buy full. I think I bought in when the game was $10 and even though it's free now I still think I got a good deal.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/02/2015 at 11:04pm

Some of them are. The lack of map chat, the inability to send gold, and the inability to go outside of certain areas until you get to a certain level are definitely to prevent spam and abuse/trolling. The item restrictions are just to give people a bigger incentive to upgrade or buy the expansion.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/03/2015 at 01:40am

Well freemium limitations makes me feel good that I paid for the game and therefore have none of those restrictions. Being able to remove them by paying for the expansion seems like a good way to get people to buy. I can only imagine and assume that the price of the expansion means a lot of quality content. But, I'm afraid that since I've only just begun (as of a few months ago) and haven't really progressed very deep into the game, that I still wouldn't really see anything from the expansion for a while. I hope that makes sense. I guess I'm kind of envisioning the expansion like the FFXI ones, which I have, but never even really accessed, especially because I was only just beginning. I didn't play very long either.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/03/2015 at 03:40am

Yeah there's not much point in buying it til you're max level.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/03/2015 at 04:09am

I'm not sure what level my one character is, but I believe it's over 10. I still feel like a newb in the game. I still don't think I've decided whether or not I'm into it. So yeah, right now I'm not interested in the expansion, but maybe I will be in the future.

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The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 2D Is An Amazingly Ambitious Fan Project

"OoT 2D is a 2D remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that is styled like ALttP. It has been attempted many times and by many different authors, the first attempt of which was over a decade ago!

This embodiment of OoT 2D will use no already-existing engine and no utilities such as Game Maker. While building it from scratch is slow and old-fashioned, this method of programming will grant full control over everything, resulting in a high-quality product! We hope you all like it!"

Ocarina of Time 2D is a really interesting fan project that seems to be well into development. I tried to download it to run it through some paces but it was taken down on MediaFire due to a Nintendo of America takedown notice. I hope the project lives on as this remake seems to be something i'd love to play. It mashes up the magic of the Link to the Past era graphics with the most beloved entry in the franchise.

http://oot-2d.com/

Unlock Diablo For Free In Heroes Of The Storm

http://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/blog_header/c2/C2VD7XWGNAPE1439515941762.jpg

If you purchased Diablo 3 and play Heroes of the Storm you might want to head back to unlock something neat. Blizzard is handing out the playable hero Diablo for anyone with a valid Diablo 3 license and all you need to do is log in to Heroes of the Storm before September 8th to claim it.

"Immediately following the next Heroes patch, any player with a Diablo III license on their Battle.net account will receive the Diablo Hero in Heroes of the Storm for free. Simply log in to Heroes of the Storm to claim the Lord of Terror and start unleashing hell on your foes. Don’t wait though— this offer ends at 10:00 a.m. PDT on September 8!"

http://us.battle.net//d3/en/blog/19867266

Shovel Knight Plague Of Shadows Update Gets A Trailer And Is Coming Soon!

When Shovel Knight came to Kickstarter it's amazing retro graphics and fun premise catapulted it to much success. So much so that they hit each stretch goal they set. Yacht Club Games decided to ship the main base game and after the initial launch bring a lot of the stretch goal features later. The in-game stretch goals were the ability to play as 3 bosses, gender swap mode, challenge mode, 4 player battle mode, ability to play all bosses in battle mode & the Linux & Mac ports (already released).

From what I imagine is the first of the playable boss modes, Plague of Shadows is coming as a free update and it looks to be a entirely separate story and play experience than the base Shovel Knight game.

"Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows is a free expansion for Shovel Knight, a sweeping classic action adventure game that won over 70 Game of the Year Awards in 2014. You play as Plague Knight, the villainous master of alchemy, in a quest all his own. Using his maniacal scientific mind, Plague Knight is seeking to concoct Serum Supernus, the Ultimate Potion. However, to retrieve these ingredients, he must extract them from his former allies… the villainous knights of the Order of No Quarter! World class platforming, music, storytelling, and art all return in Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows; an explosive quest with a new play style, new story, new bosses, and more!"

http://yachtclubgames.com/plague-of-shadows/

Diablo 3 Patch 2.3.0 Out Now Featuring Ruins of Sescheron, Kanai's Cube, New Seasons & Difficulty Levels

Blizzard isn't stopping the Diablo 3 update train post Reaper of Souls for a very interesting patch 2.3.0. I'll clip out the more interesting bits we've been talking about in the run up to the patch drop.

"The Ruins of Sescheron
The frozen wasteland that is the Ruins of Sescheron are now open for exploration! Filled with new enemies, traps, and environmental hazards, you'll be able to explore the region and learn more about what befell the barbarians of Mount Arreat. Explore the Immortal Throne and obtain the ultimate treasure: Kanai's Cube.

New Feature: Kanai's Cube
Kanai's Cube is a new artisan that offers a slew of new recipes to fully customize your items and catalogue your Legendary powers. Several recipes are available to players immediately upon acquiring Kanai's Cube.

New Feature: Season Journey
Each player approaches a new Season a little differently and we wanted to celebrate individual player successes. Beginning in Season 4, you'll be able to track your personal progress through the Season Journey interface.

Torment VII-X difficulty levels have been added to the game"

For the lowdown on the new armor sets and full blog post and patch notes check the links below. I think this patch will bring me back to the game to check out the new zone and Cube.

New armor sets in this patch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq-SFJ-eG4M

Full patch blog and notes:

http://us.battle.net//d3/en/blog/19859662

Mega Man Legacy Collection Blue Bombs It's Way To PC

If you played a few NES platformers you've more than likely played a Mega Man game. Capcom just released Mega Man Legacy Collection for $15 containing the original Mega Man through Mega Man 6! Capcom is advertising these to be faithful reproductions of the originals and to that they are not joking. They seem to be using some kind of NES emulation and like modern emulators offer very nice upscaled 8-bit graphics and original sound.

Six classic games in one – Play a piece of video game history with the original six Mega Man games and experience the origins of the classic series.

8-bit style with HD flair – The games retain their retro 8-bit style with an added HD finish, giving a crisp, clean look to the charming, classic sprites.

Challenge remix mode for new and veteran players – The robust new Challenge Mode remixes gameplay from all six games for a new type of challenge. It provides both increasingly difficult trials for experienced players and also teaches newcomers to become familiar with the style of the games and tackle some of the trickier areas.

Museum of the era – The Museum Mode features a massive repository of history and art collected from the era of the games in this collection. Take a look back at the history of Mega Man with loads of information, high-res art, concept pieces, sketches and more in the Museum.

Developed with an all-new engine – Using the newly developed Eclipse Engine, Capcom and Digital Eclipse are able to archive these six pieces of video game history with faithful reproductions of the originals for a new generation of gamers.

Leaderboards and video replays – Fans will be able to watch video replays of the top players on the leaderboards, showcasing a whole new generation of Mega Man talent!

$15 dollars for all 6 games ain't bad and if you are looking at capping off your collection this might be the way to do it. Let me know if you plan on picking this up or if you are sticking with your ol' NES carts. The Mega Man Legacy Collection is out on PC, XBox One and PS4.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/363440/

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/26/2015 at 07:09pm

I saw this on the Steam news (that window that pops up when you open Steam and it shows you what's on sale), but I overlooked it as I didn't think it contained the original games. Thanks to your post, I decided to go ahead and buy it. I've played some of the NES games, but particularly I remember having one of them for the Gameboy.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 08/27/2015 at 03:26am

I will probably pick it up in the future. I have too many recent purchases that need some TLC.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/27/2015 at 06:31pm

Yep, me too. I plan on coming back to Mega Man 2 and 3 at some point and when I do will pick this up.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/27/2015 at 08:37pm

I know these games are classics, and the music is iconic, but I wonder how Adult Adam will receive them. I'm sure I'll buy this at some point, but I wonder if Child Adam loved and beat these games because his options were limited. When I run into a difficult section, how many times will I actually replay it, or simply move on to another game?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/27/2015 at 10:58pm

I played a little bit this morning and beat CutMan. I was glad to see that I could use my controller for it. I also noticed that this isn't a simple emulation, but definitely a graphically improved version of the game. What I mean is that in the original game, there were a lot of disappear sprites, but that's not so in this version. I also like that there's an auto-fire button.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 08/28/2015 at 01:37am

@GregoPeck... That is funny that you say sprites don't disappear. Most of the complaints that I have seen have been around performance issues that were most likely in the game to begin with.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/28/2015 at 03:56am

@Will_Ball, I hope you and others understand what I mean by disappearing sprites. If anyone's played an NES for any length of time, they'll definitely see what I'm talking about. This occurs even if you're using an emulator. However, now that technology has progressed, the game no longer has the same sprite limitations as the original hardware.

Steam says I played 11 minutes of the game. I didn't notice any issues at all. I was able to plug in my XBox 360 controller (which I have only for my PC) even while the game was running and it worked right away. This was a feature I was hoping would be included as I prefer to use a controller for these original NES games. That's because if you use they keyboard, the directional buttons (by default) are used by my right hand, not the left, which I didn't enjoy.

I didn't look at the extra stuff very much, but I think it's great that they provided it; original artwork for example.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/28/2015 at 04:42am

Good to hear it worked well for you Greg. I never actually played the original Mega Man but spent quite a bit of time playing 2 and 3.

All 6 in one pack? Mega Man for ages.

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Watch Adam And I Open 55 Grand Tournament Packs - Spoiler Alert One Of Us Gets Justicar Trueheart

When Adam and I heard there was a new Hearthstone release we started hoarding our daily quest gold. When the Grand Tournament launched today I had enough gold saved for 28 packs and he had 27. Adam had the idea that we stream our opening of our packs and the video linked above turned out way better than I expected.

We start the stream talking about some of the more interesting Grand Tournament cards then proceed to the main event, opening packs. I'd say Adam drew a much larger spread of cards than I did but I ended up pulling Justicar Trueheart. He also pulled two balls of spiders to which I pulled none.

http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/22276-justicar-trueheart

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/25/2015 at 04:55am

Adam is no longer talking to Jon

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/25/2015 at 04:56am

Just kidding. It was actually a great time. I'll start rebuilding decks tomorrow and see what happens!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/25/2015 at 04:58am

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/25/2015 at 12:20pm

I see a typo in your post, you put "Grant" instead of "Grand".

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/25/2015 at 01:39pm

Fixed.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/25/2015 at 08:19pm

It's still in the URL. LOL

Bina wrote on 08/25/2015 at 09:50pm

Let me know when you have a verdict on on Ball of Spiders. I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/26/2015 at 05:19am

I didn't pull a Ball of Spiders so I can't comment on it. What I can so far is that i've been mostly playing Shaman and the new cards are a mixed bag so far. I am still tweaking, but so far they are not a slam dunk or anything. I've had some really fun games but few wins.

My Hunter deck is way more versatile but that needs some more tweaking to get it tuned right.

I can't wait to put together a new Paladin deck.

JaBo wrote on 08/26/2015 at 04:29pm

I did like 40-50 of the mage v. hunter brawl to play with the new cards, and I have been doing arena's now (since I had 1400 gold saved up) and I should be able to just do arenas for quite a long time (for instance, spent 150 to enter arena, got to 8 wins and won back 250 gold plus a pack). It's a fun way to play with the new cards too. There's some that are just really good!

Mukala's Champion, really great guy. I had 2 out at once and just was overpowering. https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2015/08/Hearthstone_MuklasChampion.jpg

Lock and Load hunter card was great, I'm def feeling some more powerful burst hunter deck coming

Almost all the new priest cards I love! Those dmg to self and heal ones are great for my heal trigger combo deck. And the legendary is a fun late game card.

This card is bonkers: https://i.imgur.com/Rls4NIJ.jpg I got it an arena match and just cast it ASAP! Boom, whole deck/hand +1/+1.

Boy, so refreshing! Warlock, Shaman, even Rogue looks fun now!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/26/2015 at 05:37pm

I'm enjoying the Tournament Medic in my Warlock deck. Especially when paired with Floating Watcher
http://hearthstone.blizzpro.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/07/Tournament-Medic.png
http://wow.zamimg.com/images/hearthstone/cards/enus/animated/GVG_100_premium.gif?9786

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/28/2015 at 04:41am

I played the Mistcaller in a Brawl match and i'll agree, it is a bonkers card.

I didn't pull a Mukala's Champ but I am seriously considering crafting it.

JaBo wrote on 08/28/2015 at 08:01pm

I'm at 9 original packs, 6 GvG, 4 arena packs and 735 coins to still do more arena with. I'll keep playing until I'm spent then finally bust open packs. I like waiting til there's 10+ as I feel good that I'll at least get 1 card I'm interested in lol

Travis Admin wrote on 08/30/2015 at 06:08pm

So is this expansion only adds new cards, like Goblins vs. Gnomes, right? And expansions are separate from adventures, like Naxxaramas and Blackrock?

I'm getting back into it a little for the first time since right after release. Just unlocked all the different decks, and wow I suck.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/30/2015 at 09:45pm

Hahaha yeah, sucking at start is perfectly normal. I had a post for new players a bit back. Check that out.

The Grand Tournament is a new expansion and not an adventure.

Travis Admin wrote on 08/31/2015 at 12:35am

I'm not entirely sure what adventures are yet, but I definitely know what an expansion is from my time in Magic the Gathering.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/31/2015 at 04:56am

Adventures contain 5 tiers of boss fights where you can unlock specific cards. So far there are just two adventures, Naxxramas and Blackrock Mountain. You can pay $25 for each adventure or unlock each tier 700 gold at a time.

JaBo wrote on 08/31/2015 at 06:01pm

I opened my 27 packs that I accumulated and got 3 legendaries and enough dust to craft another legendary. I then bought 30 packs and got 1 more legendary. So, back to ladder now that I got some of the good new cards. I only have 2 legendary GT cards. The Justicar I pulled (and I like using) and I crafted the priest chick for funs. http://i.imgur.com/vnHeEty.jpg

Was torn between her and this one http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/252/298/22264.png

A neutral legendary is always nicer, but Priest is my fav so I went there.

9 mana gets me her plus a random legendary. I never play her without mana to heal same turn.

JaBo wrote on 08/31/2015 at 06:02pm

Oh also, Murloc Knight is best new card... get 2 and use asap

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/31/2015 at 08:39pm

I've heard that about the Knight and I agree. I pulled one and will craft the other. Murladdin is a very cool new deck type.

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Hearthstone The Grand Tournament Out Now - Inspired Minions Rejoce

I've been spending the last month plus saving up my gold to open Grand Tournament packs and I can't wait for tonight to open them. One of my friends is coming over and we plan to open the packs together and stream it for anyone interested. Please let me know in the comments what cards you've pulled and any new decks you are playing with.

"Joyous fanfare fills the air of taverns everywhere today, which can only mean one thing—Hearthstone’s second expansion, The Grand Tournament, has arrived! Experience all The Grand Tournament has to offer: 132 new cards add a cavalry of noble knights, powerful steeds, potent spells, and more to your collection. A new keyword, Inspire, rallies minions to perform great acts of courage as they fight in your honor for a hard-earned victory!"

http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/blog/19843158/the-grand-tournament%E2%84%A2-now-available-8-24-2015

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/24/2015 at 08:07pm

I'm looking forward to getting some interesting cards! I've played one battle against someone with an Inspire card, but they didn't get a chance to use it (they played it the turn before I won). I think this next week is going to be really interesting as everyone is going to be experimenting with new deck combos!

Bina wrote on 08/24/2015 at 10:40pm

Take a look:
http://2p.com/35698954_1/All-Remaining-TGT-Cards-Revealed---See-54-Brand-New-Cards-by-Corey_T.htm

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/24/2015 at 11:16pm

That's going to be a super helpful link! I want to be surprised tonight when I open my packs, but I'll be coming back to that link to check what I still need!

Bina wrote on 08/25/2015 at 01:28am

I'm still trying to unlock all of nexxramas, so I'm saving my gold for that. I did, however, allow myself to use my gold to purchase one GT pack. Here's what I opened:
Spellslinger x2 (mage class)
Murloc Knight (paladin class)
Bolster (warrior class)
Armored Warhorse (neutral)

I don't think any of these cards fit with my current builds. Next month when I start opening more GT packs, we'll see how they work out.

Bina wrote on 08/25/2015 at 01:41am

Justicar Trueheart- Play with mage class. As we saw with the GT brawl prerelease, doing two damage per turn never gets old. And combo with some of the other mage class cards, this ability gets insane.

Bina wrote on 08/25/2015 at 01:52am

Tournament Medic may be broken when added to Warlock deck. Starting turn 5 draw an extra card without losing health!

Bina wrote on 08/25/2015 at 02:03am

Spawn of Shadows paired with Greater Heal. You deal 4 damage to both heros then heal yourself for 4.
Fallen Hero!! Money. All the way.
Ball of Spiders. It might not be the best, but it's really fun. It's essentially deal three damage and draw three beast cards for six.

Bina wrote on 08/25/2015 at 02:24am

Powershot is crazy useful. Similar to Betrayal.
Sparing Partner is great. Great cost for what it does.
Ancestral Knowledge is only good if you benefit from overload. Otherwise terrible.
My priest deck is going to love Holy Champion.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/25/2015 at 03:26am

Opened 27 packs tonight! I'm going to have to go through these more before I can really comment, but it was a lot of fun seeing all the new stuff!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/25/2015 at 04:56am

Yeah, i'm not in love with ancestral knowledge either. But it's at least some kind of card ramp I suppose?

I agree about Fallen Hero, when wouldn't that be a good card to put in a Mage deck?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/25/2015 at 04:57am

I am thinking the Murloc Knight might be a good card to put into a Paladin Deck. I have a few Murloc cards so it might be worth experimenting with.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/25/2015 at 05:04am

We have to think up cool deck names before others (like zoolock).

I suggest Murladin!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/25/2015 at 02:02pm

Here is a video of someone going lethal with a refreshment vendor because they have the card that makes healing cause damage.

http://gfycat.com/AmbitiousSparklingBison#

Bina wrote on 08/25/2015 at 09:48pm

@jdod That video is too much fun. I watched it on loop about 3 times.

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Half-Line Miami Is a Unique Half-life / Hotline Miami Fan Mashup

Do you love Half-life AND Hotline Miami and ever wonder what a mashup between them would be like? If you are like me then then answer is whaaaa? but that doesn't mean that Thomas Kole's latest game isn't something worth checking out. Half-line Miami is available to download on PC for free, just hit the link below. Or should you bludgeon the link below with a crowbar? It's up to you.

http://stabberthomas.itch.io/hlm

jdodson1

2757 Posts

Doom SnapMap Looks To Be One Of The Games Coolest Features

Guild Wars 2 Is Now Totally Free To Play

The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 2D Is An Amazingly Ambitious Fan Project

Unlock Diablo For Free In Heroes Of The Storm

Shovel Knight Plague Of Shadows Update Gets A Trailer And Is Coming Soon!

Diablo 3 Patch 2.3.0 Out Now Featuring Ruins of Sescheron, Kanai's Cube, New Seasons & Difficulty Levels

Mega Man Legacy Collection Blue Bombs It's Way To PC

Watch Adam And I Open 55 Grand Tournament Packs - Spoiler Alert One Of Us Gets Justicar Trueheart

Hearthstone The Grand Tournament Out Now - Inspired Minions Rejoce

Half-Line Miami Is a Unique Half-life / Hotline Miami Fan Mashup