GamesBeat weekly roundup: World of Warcraft: Legion launches, and new 3DS games

Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! This time, we’ve been doing a daily journal of our experiences with World of Warcraft’s new expansion, Legion. Also, Nintendo announced Super Mario Maker and Pikmin for the 3DS, and esports revenues are on pace to grow.

Happy reading, and have a great weekend!

Pieces of flair and opinion

• The DeanBeat: Let the shooter wars begin
• World of Warcraft: Legion Day 3 journal — it’s all about that class
• Hearthstone’s One Night in Karazhan guide: How to beat The Spire
• World of Warcraft: Legion Day 2 journal — loving my first zone and dungeon
• PlayStation Now on PC feels like an evolution for console gaming
• How Blizzard should prepare for next wave of DDoS attacks
• 10 tips for staying alive in the Battlefield 1 open beta
• World of Warcraft: Legion Day 1 journal — digging into artifact weapons and class halls
• Dead or Alive’s VR groping is uncomfortable, but virtual sex is only going to get messier
• Our editor is livestreaming an indie developer’s tour-bus ride
• Fallout 4: Nuka-World — watch us play the final expansion
• Legion already made World of Warcraft better even before it released
• Attention, space startups (or sci-fi fans): Russian telescope detects a sign of alien life
• Why Luigi wears green and other trivia

Above: Pikmin for the 3DS.

Image Credit: Nintendo

News

• Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 2 releases on September 20
• OSVR developer fund releases 15 new VR games
• Razer announces ManOwar 7.1 wired gaming headset
• 14-inch Razer Blade gets more power, 1080p matte display, and a lower price
• Razer Blade Stealth gets Kaby Lake, more RAM, and improved battery
• Alienware launches a laptop that wakes when it sees your eyes
• Logitech Prodigy brand targets peripherals at mainstream PC gamers
• PlayStation Network is down for many
• Nintendo allegedly files DMCA takedown notice over more than 550 fans games
• Nintendo Direct trailer roundup: Mario Maker 3DS, Pikmin, and more
• Hearthstone’s final Karazhan adventure episode is live
• Pikmin is becoming a 2D sidescroller for 3DS
• Yoshi’s Wooly World is coming to 3DS
• Zelda celebrates its 30th anniversary with new Amiibo and Skyward Sword on Wii U
• Super Mario Maker is coming to 3DS
• Nvidia releases mod kit for its zany VR Funhouse game
• China’s Smart X launches its smartphone-controlled Galaxy Zega tank battle game
• Newzoo: Esports revenues are on pace to grow 52% this year
• Nvidia is making a Fallout 4 mod to promote its new graphics cards
• Eve Online gets a free-to-play option a mere 13 years after its original release
• HTC invests $5 million in VR studio from Pixar and Lucasfilm veterans
• 2K enters the VR scene with Carnival Games
• Cyberattackers spoil World of Warcraft: Legion launch with DDoS attack
• Google’s game pioneer moves on to an ed tech startup
• Here’s the sidescrolling No Man’s Sky clone starring Mario you’ve been waiting for
• Monster-raising adventure Legend of Lumina is Square Enix’s next crowdfunding nominee
• Battlefield 1’s open beta takes you to one of World War I’s lesser-known campaigns: the Sinai Desert
• Nintendo Direct on September 1 will talk 3DS, but don’t expect NX news
• Brianna Wu’s Revolution 60 gets Special Edition release on iOS and Steam
• Minecraft gets a deadly minigame on consoles for free
• Gran Turismo Sport is delayed to 2017
• Intel launches its 7th-generation Core processors for the 4K and VR era
• Valve: No Man’s Sky is not exempt from Steam’s 2-hour refund policy
• The NPD Group buys EEDAR to make an even bigger game-market research juggernaut
• World of Warcraft: Legion’s launch trailer shows Azeroth’s peril
• Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six: Siege SWAT team shooter gets its third Pro League season
• Genvid Technologies raises $1.5 million to make esports broadcasts more interactive

Mobile and social

• Android developers can now nominate their apps and games for Google Play Early Access
• Sphero launches Star Wars Force Band wearable to control BB-8 droid
• Microsoft’s Solitaire, the most boring game ever, tops 100 million users
• Google debuts In Apps search, a feature to find content across your Android apps
• Candy Crush Saga’s $1,400 whales are popular: TV, film, and music want their cash, too
• Google Play unveils indie festival featuring 30 new games
• Minecraft will get bosses for iOS, Android, Samsung Gear VR, and Windows 10

Above: It’s inevitable you’ll be surrounded in Horde 3.0 in Gears of War 4.

Image Credit: Microsoft

Previews, reviews, and interviews

• 5 things you should know about Ark’s Scorched Earth expansion
• Gears of War 4’s Horde 3.0 co-op mode features new emergent gameplay
• Abzû has beautiful underwater exploration, but it’s too much like Journey