Dreamhack Montreal 2019 - Overview

The Beginning

From September 6-8 I was in Montreal for Dreamhack and I wanted to talk about the event. First thing is first, if readers have never been to a LAN or a Dreamhack event, I highly encourage everyone to do so because there are a lot of benefits to attendance.

For one thing, spectators can meet their online friends in person. When I first went to an event, I met some of the people that I moderate for. In fact, I met a lot of Starcraft people since that is why we were there. Awesome people like Temp0, Eseipha, ZombieGrub (who wasn't an official Blizzard caster at that time), Rifkin of BasetradeTV, and WinterGaming were all there that year. It was definitely an event that I'm glad I had the opportunity to make. This was also the first time I had KBBQ, which was a fantastic experience.

I would say the second thing that people go for is the atmosphere. Drawing a comparison, the esports scene is very much like a comic con. People are there for the same reasons as you, and they tend to be quite knowledgable about the game. Also, it's great to be able to nerd out about the things you enjoy, regardless of your level of play.

The last thing I will touch on are the promotions that vendors have. Sometimes there are discounts on merchandise like at Canada Computers that are only available during Dreamhack. Other vendors will host other types of giveaways. Even further than that, each year there is a treasure hunt that people can participate in.

While there are many benefits to attending an event like Dreamhack, there are certain things that are staple to the experience.

BYOC

The biggest attraction for many people in the gaming industry are the BYOCers. These people bring their rigs to the event to participate in the open brackets. At the back of the stadium, there is an entire large section devoted specifically for the BYOC players. In fact, they are allowed to sleep at the event and as such, there is a dedicated area where they cannot be disturbed. I've never had the pleasure of being part of a LAN where I wasn't working in some capacity, so I can't elaborate more on that.

Indie Zone

James "Kaelaris" Carrol being funny

I would say the next biggest thing about Dreamhack would be the Indie Zone. Many game developers will showcase their games at Dreamhack and they offer players a chance to play. Not only do people get to play the games that might not be out, but they get the opportunity to speak query the game devs. This is a great way to engage with the prospective community, and for players, it's a great way to discover upcoming games. Once in a while, games that are already released are showcased at Dreamhack Montreal. I say this because it's the second year in a row that I've been meaning to play A Hat in Time and keep getting side tracked by other things. Whoops! Other games like Tech Support Unknown or The Darwin Project (which I did get to try out) have been featured at Dreamhack. As a person in the media, I love being able to discover new games in this way.

Cosplay Contest

The Rocket League Production Team

Of course, no event is complete without a cosplay competition. Each year I setup to record the cosplayers because they are amazing. This year, one of my personal favorite cosplayers was the gentleman that showed up as Cayde-6 from Destiny 2. While I didn't get everyone that was on stage, I did get several pictures and some clips for you guys to see that are included in my video below. Part of the reason I enjoy watching the cosplay contest is because people choose to showcase all kinds of characters, be it from movies or video games or anime. I also enjoy it because of the performances that people have. This year we had two fighting characters, a female Thor, and a brilliant cosplayer that portrayed Hellblade Senua. Not only does it take a lot of work to make these costumes but the performance adds to a cosplayers score. In the end, there are first, second, and third place winners. I'm sad that Cayde didn't win any of them. (It was all because he didn't have a crucial item to the character, imo. Watch the video to understand why.)

Major Esports

Jessica "ZombieGrub" C. and Nathan "Nathanias" Fabrikant

At every Dreamhack, there are various esports that can be seen. Not only do gamers get to see their favorite esport live, but they get to see the pro players. Sometimes, they can get autographs too!

The major esports shown at Dreamhack were games like Rocket League, Starcraft 2, Rainbow Six Siege, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Brawlhalla, Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat 11, Street Fighter Arcade, and Super Smash Bros Melee. There were areas dedicated to Clash of Clans and a stage devoted to a show match between Team Livid and Miss Harvey in CS:GO. Also, there was a Beat Sabre invitational that I sadly missed watching.

Each esport has their own brackets and Dreamhack had streams set up for many of them. Check out the various Dreamhack Twitch channels to catch up on the games from the last weekend!

Vendors

I can't write up something about Dreamhack without talking about some of the vendors and sponsors. As always, Dreamhack is sponsored by Omen, who always has an epic pillar which made me laugh for reasons I'm not going to go into. Also present were staple names like Canada Computers, MSI, Corsair, NVIDIA, Fire and Steel, and Monster (which you could get free drinks), just to name a few.
Of course, Loto Quebec has been apart of Dreamhack for quite some time because they sponsor the Indie Zone.

Left to Right: Me, FauxPawRL, and Liefx

And if I could say more more thing about the indies featured at Dreamhack, it would be that some of the showcased games can win awards! One title that had previously won the Pitch Championship is titled Mythic Ocean and they proudly tweeted about it in July 2018. For more information about the types of games that are on the list, please take a look at this site. Also note that on the list is a little game called Buoyancy which we recently reviewed.

Anyways, there are a ton of other vendors like ones that can customize any type of mousepad, pop culture LED lighting, and ModMyMods who have a prototype gaming desk specifically for streamers. A picture of that 300lbs desk is shown in the video below (with three monitors).

Overall Thoughts

I think this year I had the best time at Dreamhack. That may have been influenced by the fact that I had a lot to do, and I was able to watch Rocket League live, for the first time. (I've never made it to an RLCS or anything like that - shameful, I know.) I was glad to finally meet a bunch of people in the RL community.

As I said before, if Dreamhack has never been on your radar before, I highly encourage you to attend one. It's a fantastic time because you will be able to meet your online friends and perhaps chat with some of the pro players!

Check out Dreamhack's website, Twitter, and Twitch pages to keep up to date on the largest LAN event.




Article by Susan N.

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The Surge 2 Launches September 24th

September 13, 2019 - The Surge 2: Experience the beginning of the end for Humanity in the new Story Trailer

In The Surge 2 on September 24, life on earth as we know it is coming to an end. Deck13’s latest hardcore action-RPG entry begins after the deFrag nanovirus strikes following the launch of a Utopia rocket. In Jericho City, one lone warrior - you - must fight through hell, high water, and amnesia to discover the truth about the virus, the city, and much more. Experience the start of this story in the new trailer, released today.

Here, we meet our hero, and many of the inhabitants of Jericho City. Nano-cultists run rampant through the streets, harvesting everything they can from the environment for their mysterious ends. The government forces of A.I.D attempt to maintain a stranglehold on the city with violent means. All the while, Athena, a girl with whom you have a special connection, leads you through the streets to a destination unknown.

This mystery accompanies gameplay that refines and enhances the Surge formula, bringing new weapons, new gadgets, enhanced ranged combat, additional implants, and much more. Dismemberment and limb-targeting still form the backbone of how you fight, loot, and choose your loadout, but with more options than ever before.

Pre-orders are now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and come with the URBN Gear Pack, which includes a new armor set, two new weapons, and other cosmetics and equipment. The Surge 2 releases September 24.

About the game

After the success of The Surge, the hardcore Action RPG released in May 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, Focus Home Interactive and Deck 13 are happy to announce the renewal of their partnership and the development of The Surge 2, with a release date planned for September 24, 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The Surge 2 keeps what fans and critics loved about the original – hardcore combat utilizing a unique, dynamic limb targeting system and deep character progression – while also expanding greatly upon the formula. The Surge 2 takes place in a brand new environment: a sprawling, devastated city with larger and more ambitious level design, made possible by Deck13’s upgraded and improved engine. Combat is more brutal and tactical than ever, with even more options thanks to an expanded limb targeting system. In addition, more abilities, weapons, implants, and drones give players a vast arsenal to build their character with, in their fight against the array of diverse new enemies and bosses.

The Surge 2 will release on September 24, 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Key Features

• New entry in the acclaimed Action-RPG franchise.
• Hardcore, brutal, and unforgiving melee combat.
• Spectacular fights against deadly foes and colossal bosses.
• Improved loot, limb-targeting, and progression mechanics.
• Hundreds of ways to customize your character and their exo-rig.

About Deck 13

Deck13 Interactive is one of Germany’s leading developers with more than 18 years of experience. With over 60 employees located in Frankfurt, Deck13 Interactive has developed upwards of 20 titles, including major releases such as The Surge and Lords of the Fallen. Currently the team is working on The Surge 2.

More information on the website: www.deck13.de      

About Nvidia

NVIDIA's (NASDAQ: NVDA) invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI -- the next era of computing -- with the GPU acting as the brain of computers, robots and self-driving cars that can perceive and understand the world. Today, NVIDIA is increasingly known as "the AI computing company."

More information on the website: www.nvidia.com          

About Maximum Games

Maximum Games ranks as a top 15 global video game publisher of interactive digital entertainment spanning all genres and supporting multi-platforms. The company's mission is to provide a proven and strong hands-on approach to publishing, marketing and distribution. Established in 2009, the company is led by female entrepreneur Christina Seelye, a seasoned executive of digital consumer products and channel marketing. Under Seelye's leadership, the company has been recognized with numerous awards such as “Fastest Growing Tech Company” by American Business Awards, and has made the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies for the past two years. Maximum Games has offices in both the US and UK, and continues to expand its scope of global publishing and distribution via direct reach and strategic partnerships.

More information on the website: www.maximumgames.com

About Focus Home Interactive

Focus Home Interactive is a French publisher based in Paris, France. Known for the quality, diversity and originality of its catalogue, Focus has published and distributed original titles (A Plague Tale: Innocence, Vampyr, Farming Simulator, Call of Cthulhu, Insurgency: Sandstorm, MudRunner, GreedFall…) that have become benchmark titles worldwide, available both in store and for download across the world. Focus publishes games on all major platforms, consoles and PC. The publisher's catalogue will get even richer the coming months and years with eagerly awaited games such as The Surge 2, SnowRunner and many more.

More information on the website: www.focus-home.com
   


Article by Susan N.

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