Gaming Geekout: Hearthstone

Gaming Geekout: Hearthstone

Today's Geek Hangout (Geekout) is going to be about the 'new' game Hearthstone by Blizzard. I LOVE THIS GAME! I recently got invited into the closed BETA. I am a fan of the ccg genre both online and with actual playing cards (Magic player from a while back). I think Hearthstone is one of the better collectible card games (ccg) due to a number of reasons which I will discuss below.

Apart from Hearthstone being free to play (F2P), one of the reasons I found it to be one of the better ccg's is because of the really interesting mechanics that the game employs and that it's so easy to learn how to play. 

Firstly is the tutorial, it is 10 games with increasing levels of difficulty and also introduces the different ideas that are in the game ie, abilities, pacing and what is on the card actually means. It makes the intro into the game so easy to understand and actually gets you playing straight away while teaching you the mechanics involved.

Secondly are the mechanics themselves. There are some really cool ideas in this game such as "the Coin" which is a card that gives you the ability to play a bigger card earlier which if used properly can really tip the balance. Unlike games like Magic The Gathering you automatically increase mana (crystals) by one each turn to a maximum of 10, this allows for much closer game play as each player gets the same amount and a player cannot become "mana screwed". Some cards also have cool abilities such as being able to choose what the card can do or be rather than only have one choice, and these automatically get applied at no extra cost (much easier than Magic). These allow for less reading and more game play which leads to a new player having more fun (should be the ultimate aim of any game).

Thirdly and lastly, you can play this and NOT pay anything and still have a chance to win. Unlike other F2P games which become notoriously pay to win, this one does not succumb to that problem. With the basic cards allowing you to win games (I should know havent spent any money and can win some games) and complete challenges (which give you cards, money and packs) these give you some of the higher level cards but without you ever having to spend a single dollar on the game. At last a game which seems to address the pay to win problem (to some extent). This to me is one of its greatest features and one that is sure to entice even more players when it comes out to open BETA (unfortunately this has been delayed).

So those are just some of the reason why I love Hearthstone. See if you can apply to get into the BETA at http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/ (you will need a battle.net account). If you want to see some fun Hearthstone game play visit https://www.youtube.com/user/TotalHalibut on YouTube, his name is +TotalBiscuit, The Cynical Brit  and he does great videos of Hearthstone and other games. 

Let me know what you think of the Blog and if you want me to cover anything in particular. Look forward to hearing from you and having a chat about Hearthstone. Stay tuned for more topics.

The Geek's Hangout