Amazon is one of the many places you can go online if you wish to shop for video games, among other things. They’re huge and usually very reliable – they have a good reputation that keeps people coming back. So when people began to notice that some big-name games were being blocked from purchase unless you were an Amazon Prime member… well, it confused and annoyed a lot of people.

Games including FIFA 16, Far Cry Primal and Battlefield Hardline on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were affected in the UK, and the label was applied to Grand Theft Auto V among others in the US store. This requirement was only in place if you wished to order from amazon themselves though, with third-party sellers still free to use. Either way it was baffling – Amazon seemed to be trying to incentivize their Prime service by removing the option to buy from them.

Moves like this don’t always have the best history. The biggest example of something similar I can think of is when Google tried to get more people to use G+ by making it a requirement for you to have an account in it to comment on Youtube. As someone who spends a lot of time on Youtube I know that the community were vocally against that from the beginning – I haven’t made a video comment in years because G+ just complicated the entire process and I didn’t want to deal with it. Trying to push a service on people by removing their access to things doesn’t always work and often just pisses people off.

Since this happened the block has been removed from listings in the UK store, which suggests either a mistake on their part or a u-turn upon witnessing the reaction from customers. I guess we’ll never really know, but if this is an option that Amazon has ready to bring into use I don’t see it going well for them…

Yesterday at PAX East, Gearbox confirmed what a lot of people had been hoping – yes there will be a Borderland 3 or at least a third Borderlands game developed. Those of you who love the series can rejoice now.

Development won’t actually be started in earnest until after they’re done with production on Battleborn and its DLC though, but a confirmation of it being in the planning stages is a good start to the hype train that’s inevitably going to build over the months.

People confirmed involved already are the art director of Battleborn, Scott Kester (who will be fulfilling the same position for this new Borderlands game too) and Mikey Neumann will be writing it, as well as possibly providing the voice of Scooter if they pop up in this new game. He did talk about a brainstormed character called Scooper (Scooter’s song) who he’d love to see included, but nothing was officially confirmed there either way.

There’s no big details to chew on yet, but confirmation of a game being planned is a lot better than wondering if any small out of place thing could be hinting at it ala Half Life 3.

With the release date of the new Hearthstone expansion Whispers of the Old Gods fast approaching us, it’s time for a round-up of all the cards that have been revealed to us this week.

Firstly though, if you’ve found yourself unable to afford the 50 pack pre-order of the new card packs, no worries. Hearthstone will be offering you ways to earn yourself up to 13 free packs of the new cards when the expansion releases, through a series of completable quests, one of which is extremely easy.

Here’s the run down:

• Log into the game during the game’s first week (starting April 26 in North America and April 27 in Europe, Asia and Australia) – 3 packs
• Complete a quest to win 2 games in the new Standard format – 5 packs
• Complete a quest to win 7 further games in Standard, after completing the last quest – 5 packs

C’Thun and two of the cards that complement it will also be earned by players who log into the game during the opening week of the expansion – meaning that you’ve a chance to get yourself a free Legendary if you take a few minutes to log yourself in during those first few days and if you’re a collector like me… well, Legendaries look good in a collection.

A few cards from the Classic and Basic sets have also had a few changes, mainly to stop the overplay of certain deck strategies:

As you can see, the main strategy that suffers from these changes is the Savage Roar/ Force of Nature combo that many Druid decks are fond of using. Other changes are just seeking to rebalance the cost of Silence, Charge and Stealth abilities.

With the big news out of the way, let’s get onto introducing you to the new terrors about to invade our meta in the next week:

——

Cyclopian Horror

Minion, 3 Attack, 3 Health, 4 mana cost.

Taunt.

Battlecry: Gains +1 Health for each enemy Minion.

Darkspeaker

Minion, 3 Attack, 6 Health, 5 mana cost.

Battlecry: Swaps stats with friendly Minion.

Zealous Initiate

Minion, 1 Attack, 1 Health, 1 mana cost.

Deathrattle: Gives a random friendly Minion +1/+1.

Forbidden Ancient

Minion, 1 Attack, 1 Health, 1 mana cost.

Battlecry: Spends all Mana, and gains +1/+1 for each spent.

Rallying Blade

Weapon, 3 Attack, 2 Durability, 3 mana cost.

Battlecry: +1/+1 to all friendly Minions with Divine Shield.

Blood to Ichor

Spell, 1 mana cost.

Deal 1 damage to a Minion. If it survives, summon a 2/2 Slime.

Evolve

Spell, 1 mana cost.

Transform your Minions into random Minions that cost 1 Mana more.

Journey Below

Spell, 1 mana cost.

Discover a Deathrattle card.

Addled Grizzly

Beast Minion, 2 Attack, 2 Health, 3 mana cost.

After you summon a Minion, give it +1/+1.

Blackwater Pirate

Pirate Minion, 2 Attack, 5 Health, 4 mana cost.

Your Weapons cost 2 Mana less.

Bloodsail Cultist

Pirate Minion, 3 Attack, 4 Health, 3 mana cost.

Battlecry: If you control a Pirate, give your Weapon +1/+1.

Corrupted Seer

Murloc Minion, 2 Attack, 3 Health, 6 mana cost.

Battlecry: Deal 2 damage to all non-Murloc Minions.

Cult Sorcerer

Minion, 3 Attack, 2 Health, 2 mana cost.

Spell Damage +1.

After you cast a Spell, give your C’Thun +1/+1 (wherever it is).

Darkshire Librarian

Minion, 3 Attack, 2 Health, 2 mana cost.

Battlecry: Discard a random card.

Deathrattle: Draw a card.

Disciple of C’Thun

Minion, 2 Attack, 1 Health, 3 mana cost.

Battlecry: Deal 2 damage. Give your C’Thun +2/+2 (wherever it is).

Doomcaller

Minion, 7 Attack, 9 Health, 8 mana cost.

Battlecry: Gives your C’Thun +2/+2 (wherever it is) and if it’s dead, shuffles it back into your deck.

Infested Wolf

Beast Minion, 3 Attack, 3 Health, 4 mana cost.

Deathrattle: Summons two 1/1 Spiders.

Midnight Drake

Dragon Minion, 1 Attack, 4 Health, 4 mana cost.

Battlecry: Gains +1 Attack for each other card in your hand.

Selfless Hero

Minion, 2 Attack, 1 Health, 1 mana cost.

Deathrattle: Give a random friendly Minion Divine Shield.

Silithid Swarmer

Minion, 3 Attack, 5 Health, 3 mana cost.

Can only attack if your Hero attacked this turn.

Twilight Darkmender

Minion, 6 Attack, 5 Health, 5 mana cost.

Battlecry: If your C’Thun has at least 10 Attack, restore 10 Health to your Hero.

A Light in the Darkness

Spell, 2 mana cost.

Discover a Minion. Give it +1/+1.

Divine Strength

Spell, 1 mana cost.

Give a Minion +1/+2.

Feral Rage

Spell, 3 mana cost.

Choose One: Give your Hero +4 Attack this turn OR Gain 8 Armor.

On the Hunt

Spell, 1 mana cost.

Deal 1 damage. Summon a 1/1 Mastiff.

Power Word: Tentacles

Spell, 5 mana cost.

Give a Minion +2/+6.

Primal Fusion

Spell, 1 mana cost.

Give a Minion +1/+1 for each Totem you have.

Shadow Strike

Spell, 3 mana cost.

Deal 5 damage to an undamaged Character.

Shatter

Spell, 2 mana cost.

Destroy a Frozen Minion.

Stormcrack

Spell, 2 mana cost.

Deal 4 damage to a Minion.

Overload: (1)

Aberrant Berserker

Minion, 3 Attack, 5 Health, 4 mana cost.

Enrage: +2 Attack.

Am’gam Rager

Minion, 1 Attack, 5 Health, 3 mana cost.

Bilefin Tidehunter

Murloc Minion, 2 Attack, 1 Health, 2 mana cost.

Battlecry: Summon a 1/1 Ooze with Taunt.

Bladed Cultist

Minion, 1 Attack, 2 Health, 1 mana cost.

Combo: Gains +1/+1.

Bloodhoof Brave

Minion, 2 Attack, 6 Health, 4 mana cost.

Taunt.

Enrage: +3 Attack.

Bog Creeper

Minion, 6 Attack, 8 Health, 7 mana cost.

Taunt.

Carrion Grub

Beast Minion, 2 Attack, 5 Health, 3 mana cost.

Darkshire Alchemist

Minion, 4 Attack, 5 Health, 5 mana cost.

Battlecry: Restore 5 Health.

Darkshire Councilman

Minion, 1 Attack, 5 Health, 3 mana cost.

Gains +1 Attack after you summon a Minion.

Duskboar

Beast Minion, 4 Attack, 1 Health, 2 mana cost.

Eldritch Horror

Minion, 6 Attack, 10 Health, 8 mana cost.

Evolved Kobold

Minion, 2 Attack, 2 Health, 4 mana cost.

Spell Damage +2.

Faceless Behemoth

Minion, 10 Attack, 10 Health, 10 mana cost.

Fiery Bat

Beast Minion, 2 Attack, 1 Health, 1 mana cost.

Deathrattle: Deal 1 damage to a random enemy.

Flamewreathed Faceless

Minion, 7 Attack, 7 Health, 4 mana cost.

Overload: (2)

Grotesque Dragonhawk

Beast Minion, 5 Attack, 5 Health, 7 mana cost.

Windfury.

Hooded Acolyte

Minion, 3 Attack, 6 Health, 4 mana cost.

Whenever a Character is healed, give your C’Thun +1/+1 (wherever it is).

Nerubian Prophet

Minion, 4 Attack, 4 Health, 6 mana cost.

At the start of your turn, reduce this card’s Cost by 1 mana.

Psych-o-Tron

Mech Minion, 3 Attack, 4 Health, 5 mana cost.

Taunt.

Divine Shield.

Southsea Squidface

Pirate Minion, 4 Attack, 4 Health, 4 mana cost.

Deathrattle: Give your Weapon +2 Attack.

Squirming Tentacle

Minion, 2 Attack, 4 Health, 3 mana cost.

Taunt.

Twilight Geomancer

Minion, 1 Attack, 4 Health, 2 mana cost.

Taunt.

Battlecry: Give your C’Thun Taunt (wherever it is).

Twisted Worgen

Minion, 3 Attack, 1 Health, 2 mana cost.

Stealth

Usher of Souls

Minion, 5 Attack, 6 Health, 5 mana cost.

Whenever a friendly Minion dies, give your C’Thun +1/+1 (wherever it is).

Shifter Zerus

Legendary Minion, 1 Attack, 1 Health, 1 mana cost.

For each turn this is in your hand, transform it into a random Minion.

Princess Huhuran

Legendary Beast Minion, 6 Attack, 5 Health, 5 mana cost.

Battlecry: Trigger a friendly Minion’s Deathrattle effect.

Dark Arakkoa

Minion, 5 Attack, 7 Health, 6 mana cost.

Taunt

Battlecry: Gives your C’Thun +3/+3 (wherever it is).

Anomalus

Legendary Minion, 8 Attack, 6 Health, 8 mana cost.

Deathrattle: Deal 8 damage to all Minions.

Fandral Staghelm

Legendary Minion, 3 Attack, 5 Health, 4 mana cost.

Your Choose One cards have both effects combined.

Malkorok

Legendary Minion, 6 Attack, 5 Health, 7 mana cost.

Battlecry: Equips a random Weapon.

Nat the Darkfisher

Legendary Minion, 2 Attack, 4 Health, 2 mana cost.

Your opponent has a 50% chance to draw an extra card at the start of their turn.

Twin Emperor Vek’lor

Legendary Minion, 4 Attack, 6 Health, 7 mana cost.

Taunt

Battlecry: If your C’Thun has at least 10 Attack, summon another Emperor.

Forbidden Ritual

Spell, 0 mana cost.

Spend all your Mana and summon that many 1/1 Tentacles.

Blade of C’Thun

Minion, 4 Attack, 4 Health, 9 mana cost.

Battlecry: Destroy a Minion and add its Attack and Health to C’Thun (wherever it is).

Crazed Worshipper

Minion, 3 Attack, 6 Health, 5 mana cost.

Taunt

Gives your C’Thun +1/+1 (wherever it is) when this Minion takes damage.

Smite commentator and streamer Brandon “DM Brandon” Nance is resigning from hos position with Hi-Rez Studios. This comes after he reacted to a viewer’s donation message talking about his struggles with suicide. Since joining the studio as a tournament caster in March 2013, Nance has become well known in the Smite community. He has nearly 80,00 followers on Twitch and also co-hosted Hi-Rez’s caster search “So You Think You Can Cast” last year.

After receiving the donation, Brandon launched into a rant about suicide and depression. While he has long been known as being outspoken- even saying once “I have always been loud, abrasive, and I don’t know how to change it. I don’t know that I would.”- many felt that the rant was extremely inappropriate. While there is video of the incident, we have chosen not to include it. However, some excerpts follow.

“There are a lot of streamers out there who would appreciate that message, I’m just going to call you an asshole. It’s a selfish, stupid thing to do.  “Everyone has loved ones. Family. Parents. If you kill yourself with another person on the planet that cares about you, you’re being a selfish prick, plain and simple. If you don’t like my opinion about that you can find somewhere else to watch who’s going to tell you that killing yourself is okay. Go fuck yourself, kid.”

Nance then went on to talk about how he’s tired of “this constant, ridiculous self-pity bullshit like ‘I have depression I can’t do anything in life.’ Everyone has fucking depression and anxiousness. Everyone has a hard time fucking waking up, and still a lot of us do it without putting the burden on a lot of other people. There is therapy, there are friends and there are people to help you.”

Needless to say, this has not been received well. In a statement posted on Twitter, Nance stated that while he could deal with the hate caused by his comments, he didn’t think that Hi-Rez studios (his employer) should have to deal with it. In his resignation message, he stated that he will continue streaming and focus on his charity works. He also plans to move from Atlanta back to New Jersey.

Kotaku also reported on this story and  reached out to Hi-Rez Studios president Stew Chisam who gave them the following statement:

“At Hi-Rez, we care about our community deeply and we take topics like suicide, depression and mental illness not lightly. All our employees are free in their opinions, but when people don’t respect the values we stand for as a company, we treat it seriously.

“If any good comes from this episode, we hope it shines a light on mental illness issues, and the need for broader education, support and open conversation about how these devastating illnesses are perceived and discussed in our society. All of us have important people in our lives that have been touched by mental illness. How we talk about these diseases is important.”

Bethesda and id have brought back DOOM, one of the most revered and respected arena shooters from the beginnings of PC gaming. With the multiplayer beta weekend recently completed, we’re ready to give you our thoughts on the game.

DOOM’s multiplayer is developed by Certain Affinity who have previously worked on the multiplayer for Halo and Call of Duty. Many of these games have clearly had an influence on the new iteration of DOOM. The new game includes loadouts, unlockable weapons, customizable armor and in game perks that reward you for dying to much.

While the new DOOM engine has a certain shine to it, there are many problems with the multiplayer, both in terms of balance and in terms of the basic design of the game. We’ll show you the ins and outs of the loadout system, customize some hideously ugly armor for you and then jump into a team Deathmatch as well as the new roving capture point type Warpath. During the matches, we’ll discuss the problems with the game. So click that play button!