Tag: Expansion Pack »

For the first time since its release (which has thankfully been a much shorter window for iPad players than their PC counterparts), Blizzard’s wildly successful Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft CCG is sporting some brand new content: the single player “adventure” mode, Curse of Naxxramas. Based on the World of Warcraft raid dungeon of the same name, Naxxramas is divided up into various themed quarters: the Arachnid, Plague, Military, and Construct Quarters, and ending with the Frostwyrm Lair. Naxxramas’ Arachnid Quarter opened up this week and I brushed back the cobwebs to peek inside.

The three challenges of the Arachnid Quarter come in the forms of the Spider Lord Anub’Rekhan, Grand Widow Faerlina, and the giant spider Maexxna - sure to give anyone with arachnophobia a severe case of the creepy-crawlies. Each boss has their own special 2 mana “class” power, from summoning minions (Anub’Rekhan), to sending random minions back to a player’s hand (Maexxna), to firing randomly assigned magic damage based on how many cards the player is holding (Faerlina). There are also Heroic versions of the same fights, where the dungeon bosses start off with a massive 45 life to the player’s paltry 30 - while also sporting enhanced versions of their powers. Summoning a 4/4 minion for 2 mana? Yeah, that seems incredibly well-balanced. Good luck!

There are also two Class Challenges, where players are pitted against Naxxramas’ bosses with pre-built class-specific decks. Rogue and Druid are the two classes on offer this time, with the Rogue facing Faerlina while the Druid takes on Maexxna. Other Class Challenges will unlock as the weeks roll on, of course. It would be nice to see these with their own Heroic variants too, but in some cases that could get dangerously close to overkill.

All of the battles in this wing of Naxxramas feel fresh and interesting. The new graphics for the playing area feature fun little interactive elements and there's a ton of new voiceover work, including new lines for plenty of existing Hearthstone cards. In particular, the running commentary between matches from Naxxramas’ resident Lich Lord, Kel’Thuzad, is funny - almost at odds with the presumed tone of the new area. Then again, Hearthstone has never been afraid to be light and goofy. A lot of the new cards on display bank heavily on Battlecry and Deathrattle effects (SO many Deathrattles!). Also, with a number of new Beast subtype cards, Beast-themed Hunter decks have just received a huge boost.

The other wings of Curse of Naxxramas begin opening, one by one, starting next week with the Plague Quarter. Each wing costs $6.99 (with bundles available at a discounted price) or 700 in-game gold - but, sadly, no bundles), so you’d better start farming those daily Quests for gold now. However, keep in mind Quests only advance via Play or Arena mode - time spent in the depths of Naxxramas doesn’t count toward their completion. So what are you waiting for, adventurer? Get back out there and sling some cards!

Nomad Games, has just released Version 3.4 of Talisman. The update includes a new game setup screen, new font, Language and text fixes, the 'View Board' option, and the Gambler character pack. The Gambler has the special ability to tempt fate by rolling 1 die and add his Craft against another player he lands on. If the gambler’s score is equal to or higher than the other character's score, he gains 1 fate. Otherwise, he must choose to lose 1 fate or 1 life. He can also discard fate after a die roll to reduce the odds.

Recently Nomad also gave us the Frostmarch expansion pack. It included 4 new characters (Necromancer, Leprechaun, Warlock, and Ogre Chieftain), 84 Adventure Cards, 20 Spells, 24 Warlock Quest cards and new alternative ending rules.

You can face the Ice Queen and her frozen minions for $4.99, and snag the Gambler character pack for $0.99.

Three years to the day, after it initially launched on the App Store, it was announced that the Editor's Choice award winning Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer will be getting a brand new in-app expansion pack. As part of an extended partnership between Ascension creators Stone Blade Entertainment and publisher Playdek, the expansion Rise of Vigil is set to debut on iOS this summer.

As part of this agreement Playdek is committed to maintaining the current online infrastructure (no fretting over the possible loss of multiplayer anymore, yay!), including cross-platform multiplayer functionality. But wait, isn't Ascension currently iOS-exclusive, you say? Well our friends over at AndroidRundown have plenty to be excited about too, because shortly after the new expansion lands on the App Store, the title will be launching on both PC and Android for the first time.

For now though, you can brush up on your deck building skills by downloading Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer for free on the App Store.

Spacetime Studios has announced a new expansion - the fifth - for Arcane Legends, called "The Dragon Enclave."

This one takes the player into Lord Rendtail's lair. It sports new player caps, new bosses, and new pets to explore with. There is also new currency, dungeons, armor, and daily quests to keep players engaged.

Legends Producer Alex von Minden likes the continued product. “The Spacetime Development Team had a lot of fun creating the Dragon Enclave and it shows. The art, action and story come together for solid MMORPG experience, all delivered neatly to your mobile device. I’m especially proud of our final boss, the fearsome Lord Rendtail. It is a great boss fight with a unique spin that makes it unlike any other encounter we’ve done before.”

The Dragon Enclave expansion has been submitted to the App Store and should be going live very soon. In the meantime, you can download Arcane Legends for free.

Quarriors! is adding in a new expansion pack called "Quarmageddon" to the game, and to mark the release of this expansion the app is going free for a limited time. The expansion pack costs $1.99, so this means the game and new expansion are available for a total of $1.99 for a short while.

Quarrors! is the mobile version of the board-based dice-building game of the same name. It is a faithful rendition, as our review late last year noted.

The game is available on the App Sore; it returns to regular price ($3.99) next week on March 20.

One of Playdek's most popular iOS card games, Summoner Wars, is going through a few changes this Monday (8/5).

The most immediately noticeable difference will be the price; or rather the inclusion of one. Playdek is removing the freemium model and making the base game $0.99, with online play available right out of the box, so to speak. A "Lore" menu is also being added so that players can look up background and strategy information, and a new AI opponent is being included for those more interested in solo play.

The expansion will be available through an in-app purchase of $2.99 and includes two new armies: the Benders (pyromancers) and the Mountain Vargath (goatmen). The former focuses on controlling the actions of their rivals, while the latter is all about brute strength.

Both factions and new base game features will be available on Monday.