SBFord

I’ll admit it: I am a tablet fanatic. I’ve had several over the years simply for gaming on the go or for the ability to store the Library of Congress in a single small package or to browse some of my favorite internet haunts or to watch my favorite streaming networks. I recently had the opportunity to check out the Chuwi HiPad Tablet PC and put it through its paces over the past couple of weeks. This is our review.

Frank Pearce, one of the original founders of Blizzard, is leaving the company in order "to pass the torch to the next generation of leaders". He has been with Blizzard for 28 years, most recently in an advisory position. Pearce wrote of his time at Blizzard and that it "encompasses the entirety of both [his] professional career and adult life". He goes on to thank the community for the memories and tasks J. Allen Brack with defining how the adventure that he started 28 years ago continues.

The World of Warcraft Classic forum has been updated with a brief note to let players know that next week's Global Stress Test has been pushed back to an indeterminate date. However, the team also assured players that Classic is still on track for an August 27th release date, though devs need more time to prepare its "final pre-launch worldwide test".

Warhammer 40K is coming to the small screen thanks to a new partnership between Games Workshop and Golden Globe winner Frank Spotnitz (X-Files, Man in the High Castle). Big Light Productions will be in charge of production that is based on a character named Gregor Eisenhorn, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos.

Pre-orders for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Torchlight II are now officially open. In addition, three console-exclusive pets have been announced: the Molten Imp for Xbox One pre-orders; the Faerie for PlayStation 4 pre-orders; and the Yapper for all pre-orders. Nintendo Switch pre-orders and bonus pet will be announced later this summer.

Novarama's Killsquad hits Steam Early Access today. The game is described by developers as a co-op action RPG, but also has hints of an adrenaline-filled MOBA -- a sort of hybrid of the two in its way. Regardless, my time spent in Killsquad was fun, fast and furious.

On Tuesday, July 16th, Star Wars: The Old Republic will be updated to bring sweeping changes to both the free-to-play and preferred experiences.

If you're looking for a bit of vacation fun, look no further than the Wizard101 Test Realm. The "Sizzling Summer Update," the upcoming patch showcases the Wizard City overhaul, a shiny updated new user experience, improvements to Quick Sell, and several other features that haven't yet been added but are incoming. This includes more Deckathalon fun, a new Spiral Showcase, the "Beastmoon Hunt" event and the brand new Scroll of Fortune. In short, it is jam-packed with awesome sauce!

The Eternal Magic team has announced that closed beta testing will not be coming this week as originally planned. CBT was supposed to have started on July 17th, but in a new post on the game's Facebook page, it has been revealed that testing is being delayed until September 4th.

When Neverwinter: Uprising launches later this month, it will come with a new playable race: The Gith. Originally enslaved by the mind flayers, Gith eventually broke free and became independent, though rival bands emerged that rarely work cooperatively. The Gith will be available to VIP members for 2 weeks after the launch of Uprising and then free to everyone for 2 weeks after that. Once the first month is over, those who missed the login opportunity will have to purchase a pack.

Astellia is a new MMO coming out soon! And it sure is weird. Ugly demons. Creepy puppets. Fish girls. Sounds like a job for TheHiveLeader!

World of Warcraft super-fan "Daniel L" has spent several years recreating some of WoW's most iconic locations in Unreal Engine 4. He gives other fans a peek into a familiar, yet gorgeously rendered Azeroth and perhaps makes a few wistful for a more modern (graphically) version of the game. Daniel L has stitched together several of his recreations of Grizzly Hills, Elwynn Forest, Duskwood, Westfall, and Durotar.

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 players will not be able to kill children or plot-related NPCs. The response came via a Twitter direct message to a user who asked the company whether players would be able to "kill regular people" and "interact with the city in violent ways". CDPR responded by saying that, while players can engage most characters aggressively, "children or NPCs connected with the plot" are off-limits.

Rockstar has sent word about the latest bonuses available for Grand Theft Auto Online players. For the next week, Rockstar is treating Stunt Race participants to double rewards as well as double salary for Bodyguards and Associates. All that helps out when looking for a new hideout or for the latest and fastest vehicles too. This is an especially good week for that as more than a few things are 40% off.

The World of Warcraft Classic forum has a lengthy post by the development team about bugs many players have been reporting about the Hunter class. While many of the bugs are legit and have been confirmed with fixes incoming, at least a half-dozen of the most commonly reported bugs are actually "behaving as expected".