We all have examples of video games we’ve seen sitting on shop shelves or on Steam that haven’t really grabbed our attention enough to spend our hard-earned cash on. But what about those times when we’ve eventually been convinced into buying one and have been surprised by how good it was? Our next series is about exactly that situation: pleasantly surprising video games.
Instead of jumping straight into a game you’ve been looking forward to and finding it a complete waste of time like in our disappointing video games series, why have we ignored a particular game and what convinced us into finally giving it at go? Unlike our previous series we’ll be discussing what actually impressed us about the game whether it’s the story, gameplay or any other aspect which makes it worth your time.
About the game
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a free-to-play online collectible card game by World of Warcraft creator Blizzard Entertainment. The idea of card games can turn most gamers away on the assumption that they are boring games left only for the most nerdy among us which I now know isn’t always true.
After hearing so much about Hearthstone I’m now surprised that I didn’t download it earlier as there hasn’t yet been a game by Blizzard Entertainment that I haven’t enjoyed. So after seeing the 1001-Up.com team (expect for Kim) talk so highly about the game I thought it was time I should take a look myself and I was pleasantly surprised.
Play enough cards to start your own minion-disco!
How was it surprising?
On a quiet day with nothing much else to do I downloaded Hearthstone to give it a try, the tutorial was extremely helpful and the game is naturally very accessible so it didn’t take long for me to get up to speed with the mechanics. As most do I decided against jumping straight online and decided to practise against the computer. Originally I thought playing online and losing frequently would put me in a bad position in the long run but you quickly realise that this isn’t an issue which adds to the accessibility, newbies shouldn’t hesitate to play against other people in order to learn.
If there is one thing to be said about Blizzard Entertainment‘s games is that they are always of an extremely high quality in terms of visual design and gameplay, as well as being really easy to pick up and play. It’s primarily this fact which makes Hearthstone so successful along with the game’s addictive gameplay complimenting the free-to-play model as there doesn’t seem to be any pay-to-win aspect, you can only pay to get new cards and Arcane Dust quicker. I’ve found that winning mostly comes down to luck as well as building a decent deck which is aided by websites such as Hearthpwn.
At first I found myself on a winning streak against both the computer and other players online under the casual mode using cards recommended by the game. Once you begin playing ranked matches strategy really comes into play along with building a good card deck and understanding the benefits of each Hero. It wasn’t long before I began to understand the different terms for particularly powerful deck designs such as the hated Zoo Lock, Miracle Rogue and the Shockadin which are known to produce easy winning streaks. While some people could be put off by the random number generation (RNG) aspect of the gameplay, there is still a lot of room for strategy and thinking a few steps ahead of your opponent. I’m a very competitive gamer when it comes to online multiplayer and so Hearthstone is ideal for me.
Going up against a Zoo Lock deck is definitely a challenge
I guess I still wouldn’t consider playing other online collectible card games but Hearthstone has won me over for reasons that don’t specifically relate to that genre and it’s thanks to Blizzard Entertainment‘s creativity that it has become such a popular game. We were discussing internally here at 1001-Up.com about if it’s possible to review such a game as this because it’s constantly changing; we now have the Naxxramas single-player addition for example. Currently I don’t think any of us are prepared to freeze the game in time by reviewing it right now and because it wouldn’t be long before the entire review would need to be rewritten, but that’s not a bad thing as it leaves more time to play it!
For the last few months I’ve been playing Hearthstone daily to obtain gold and buy new cards, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. For those days when a few rounds to complete a quest isn’t enough I’ll jump into the Arena mode for some extra games and some additional awards. That and the fact it’s also available to play on the iPad has secure this game as a long term addiction for me and I can’t see any other free-to-play game replacing Hearthstone anytime soon.
Try your luck in the Arena for some awesome prizes
So, there you have Phil’s choice for most pleasantly surprising video game. Do you agree or have you played a title that’s impressed you even more? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
