Tag Archive

Gamescom: Arena of Valor Coming To Nintendo Switch This September

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Tencent games confirmed today via an official trailer that their free to play MOBA Arena of Valor (known as Honor of Kings in China) will be officially launching on the Nintendo Switch this September. Features enhanced from the original mobile phone release for this Switch port include enhanced graphics, physical controls via the system’s Joy-Cons and the option to play a single world wide server.

Having played the mobile version of Arena of Valor quite a bit, I’ve found the gameplay to translate fairly well from other MOBAs on PC, which arguably have much more fluid control options than on touch screens. Offering over 30 heroes, several of which are unlockable for free with minimum grind thanks to the ‘Road to Glory’ tutorial system, Arena of Valor does make a genuine effort to make AOV accessible for those of us who do not wish to put down any cash initially.  Each hero has a unique set of abilities and passive traits, as you would expect – from ranged assassins that utilize physical weapons to dangerous spell casters capable of attacking multiple enemies from afar, a lot of different archetypes within the MOBA genre are present and accounted for. One other thing that has stuck out about AoV when compared to other games like Heroes of the Storm or League of Legends is the number of different modes on offer. Only have 5 minutes to play AoV before heading out? No problem there’s a 3v3 deathmatch mode for that! AoV does a good job of offering up a number of different modes that offering varying lengths and objective types.

Arena of Valor will launch on Switch this September.

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South By SouthWest (SWSX) Gaming Tournaments Announced

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

The North American convention circuit is heating up once again with South By South West starting early next month, the Games Developer Conference rounding out March and the PAX East taking place in early April.

South By Southwest is more than a gaming convention – with creative works from the film and music industries also present. In terms of the gaming offerings at the show, SWSX has announced a number of Tournaments, Speakers and panels that will take place from March 9th thru the 13th.

The Discovery Stage is the central hub for SWSX’s gaming panel presence at this year’s convention. Sonic The Hedgehog’s official panel will be taking place on the Discovery Stage, for all of those fans of the Blue Blur. Castlevania Symphony of the Night developer and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night producer Koji Igarashi also has a slot on the big stage as well.

Here is just a small sample of the offerings at the Discovery Stage:

Legendary Koji Igarashi Chats Bloodstained: The Ritual
Emerging Visions: Game Studios of Latin America
Gotta Go Fast: The Official Sonic The Hedgehog Panel
Bringing Internet Culture to Linear Television

In terms of tournaments on offer, one of my favorite mobile games – Arena of Valor, a fast paced mobile MOBA will be taking the tournament stage by storm. I’ve written previously about how Arena of Valor provides an accessible, smaller scale MOBA experience without sacrificing the core gameplay elements and bright / flash graphics that can make MOBA games so addicting and satisfying.

Here’s the official description of Arena of Valor as provided by SWSX PR:

“Arena of Valor is a competitive 5-on-5 MOBA experience perfected for mobile, featuring turbocharged teamfights in quick 10-15 minute matches. A variety of champions fit any play style, making the game easy to pick up and play while still providing depth and complexity. Those who have mastered it will be in the spotlight at SXSW Gaming as they battle for the top prize on the Tournament Stage.”

Header Image Credit: Official SWSX 360 Video on YouTube.

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No Date For NA Arena of Valor Switch Beta Test, Transfer of Mobile Progress Possible

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Popular mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Arena of Valor was originally set to make its debut on the Nintendo Switch in North America last month, needless to say the scheduled beta Christmas time beta test never materialized.  Outlet Comicbook.com got a chance to sit down wth reps from publisher TenCent and get an update on the upcoming Switch port, plans for North American beta testing and obviously quite a few questions about the licensed D.C Comics heroes.

It seems like TenCent will roll the beta version of Arena of Valor in European territories first with North America to follow sometime after. Just as the mobile version on iOS and Android was launched in European territories first, TenCent will start taking applications for Switch Beta testers very soon – with a later, unspecified date, in mind for North America.

“The Nintendo version of Arena of Valor is being handled by a different team at the moment. We’re supporting the Nintendo version with beta testing, branding, and everything company-side. We have the closed beta testing coming up for Europe, and after we have the results from that beta testing, we’ll have a more clear timetable for launches in different regions.”

Comicbook.com also asked a question that I hadn’t considered – would it be possible for mobile players of Arena of Valor to transfer their gold, talent shards and unlocked heroes to the Nintendo Switch version? TenCent says that this is certainly technically feasible but they do have to consider the imbalance that this would create for new players who are just starting out on Switch.  From the sound of things there’s still some deliberation going on about the possibility of porting over account progress from one platform to another.

“We had that discussion earlier, internally. The answer is that the decision is still being made. It is technically possible, but having people on the mobile version and Switch version competing with each other may compromise the arena as a “fair” arena, if you see what I mean. Because they’re using different devices, when they compete with each other we feel it could generate complaints of unfair competition, so we’re still balancing it.”

Lastly, the topic of Monetization has of course came up. Naturally with many calling last year – “the year of the loot box” – it is understandable that potential players might be a little skeptical of a free to play title on Nintendo’s latest platform. From my own personal experience, Arena of Valor is filled with blind boxes (loot boxes)  – both in the “free” daily variety and those paid for with real currency.

“We haven’t made a decision about that. Monetization has never been the “start.” It’s not the major concern early on, for any version of the game. We will have more information after the beta test in EU.”

Arena of Valor will launch sometime in 2018 in both North America and Europe. The free to play mobile version is currently available in most countries on both Google Android and Apple’s iOS platforms. I’ve played a couple hours here and there on my phone and found it to be a competent M.O.B.A experience, even if I don’t really recognize or resonate with many of the heroes on offer.

[Source]

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