Morning DLC: Video Game News & Rumors 2/11/2016

"In just a few short weeks of being available in the West, Blade & Soul has already surpassed 2 million players. The martial arts MMO has proven wildly popular in Asia, encouraging NCSoft to announce the game’s localization last year. The title finally saw its release last month and the servers were instantly filled up. Many people have already gotten their chance to experience the new free to play game everyone’s been talking about, but many more haven’t been quite so lucky. To celebrate Blade & Soul‘s popularity and to keep players interested, NCSoft West has released the title’s first content update.NeoSeeker"

It sure didn’t take them long to make the jump from one to two million–wow. It’s too early to start the speculation that it might overtake WoW (I doubt it), but if the precedent they are setting for regular content updates is maintainable, they might win plenty of people over during WoW’s six-eight month content drought before Legion. I played after the update last night, and while the Valentine’s Day stuff is fair, the QoL changes were a breath of fresh air. I’m looking forward to trying out Bloodshade Harbor soon!

"Dark Souls fans are trying to win $10,000 by making videos attempting to explain the game’s confusing narrative, and a few of them are pretty brilliant.The “My Dark Souls Story” contest, which concluded last night, is supposed to help explain Dark Souls 3 to a player who hasn’t played the previous two games. As someone who has dumped hundreds of hours into the Souls games, I barely grasp what’s happening because narrative has never been at the series’ core.Kotaku"

These are pretty awesome, and may even help people who played the first two games but maybe didn’t delve into the game’s intricate lore, largely told through optional dialogue and information on item menus. My favorite by far is the “mockumentary” telling, which may not quite fit the tone of the Dark Souls games, but gosh it’s enjoyable to watch.

"Right on schedule, the closed beta for Blizzard’s new shooter Overwatch started back up again today. “Break’s over, team–it’s time to get back out on the battlefield,” Blizzard wrote on its blog.The beta started back up today, February 9, in the Americas and Europe. Provided you’ve been granted access (it’s a closed beta), you can start playing again and check out some new maps, a new game mode, updated custom game options, and a new player progression system.GameSpot"

Overwatch has gotten an overhaul over the holiday break, and a necessary one, at that. I played Overwatch for a beta weekend last year, and while the game is a blast to play and feels very polished, there just wasn’t enough content then to give the game longevity. A progression system, more maps to play, and more game modes will help draw players back in again and again, and the promise of free updates in the future is equally enticing. The game already felt shiny when I tried it, so hopefully we’re due for a hard release date soon!