Cloud Strife will face off against Weiss the Immaculate in the forthcoming DLC for PS5’s FF7 Remake: Intergrade, a fight that Final Fantasy 7 fans have been waiting for. In context, FF7 received two sequels: Advent Children, a film, and Dirge of Cerberus, a third-person shooter.
Vincent Valentine starred in Dirge of Cerberus, a film about a growing military organization known as Deepground. Hojo continued to exist as artificial intelligence, and he was utilizing Deepground as part of a scheme to awaken the Omega Weapon, which would collect the Lifestream and transport it to another world.
Due to his immense physical strength, Hojo decided to summon Omega using Weiss the Immaculate. Vincent defeated Weiss and suppressed Omega Weapon with the influence of Chaos. Genesis from Crisis Core appeared and assumed Weiss’ body in a hidden ending, but we never learned what occurred next.
Weiss and Deepground will be back this summer as part of the DLC for the PS5 edition of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Cloud Strife would have a chance to combat Weiss in the DLC, according to co-director Tetsuya Nomura, who originally wanted this for a hidden boss match in FF7 Remake.
Cloud never got the opportunity to battle Weiss in Dirge of Cerberus since the rest of Avalanche was preoccupied with grappling with Deepground’s high-ranking representatives during the game’s final hours. Cloud’s last canonical fight in the original FF7 sequence was against Rosso the Crimson, a Deepground member. Weiss was Vincent’s adversary, but Cloud never had a chance to attack him. Since they’re both swordsmen, fans have argued for years over who will prevail in a battle between the two.
Weiss was expected to face Yuffie in FF7 Remake after seeing him in the trailer for her DLC episode, but it appears that may not be the case. The hidden bosses in Final Fantasy VII Remake were a letdown, and fans hoping to see one of the Weapon monsters were disappointed. Longtime FF7 fans can eventually get the fanservice-laden boss fight they were waiting for in FF7 Remake with the Yuffie DLC.
Overwatch has 32 playable heroes, each one with their own unique backstory, personality, and lore. However, while they’re all very interesting and lovable in their own ways, the real darling in Overwatch is arguably Pachimari. Some say it’s an onion, while others argue it’s a radish—either way, what we know for sure is that Pachimari is adorable, and at some point in time, it took the Overwatch community by storm.
During the early days of Blizzard’s team-based first-person shooter, Pachimari was simply a bunch of stuffed toys found in a claw machine on the map known as Hanamura. It has a big white head with a shape that’s similar to an onion, and it has a green body that makes it look like either a plant or an octopus. Pachimari sports a wide cheerful smile, has black, bead-like eyes, along with a cute pink blush on both cheeks.
If you jumped into the Hanamura map and proceeded to break the glass of the claw machine, you’ll find a bunch of Pachimari stuffed toys spilling out of the machine. It’s truly adorable and a sight to behold. Other than being an onion or a radish, some fans have speculated that Pachimari is a steamed bun, or even a baby squid. Blizzard said in the past that Pachimari also has its own lore, but until now, fans are still waiting to learn more about this strange yet adorable Overwatch creature.
Arnold Tsang, the assistant art director of Overwatch, said to Kotaku that “I don’t think we ever intended it to be as big or as popular as it is now.” Pachimari’s existence simply began because Blizzard needed toys to put in the UFO catchers in the Hanamura map. David Kang, the concept artist for Overwatch, was the one who originally thought up Pachimari’s design. Apparently, he found inspiration from the Korean word for “onion,” which sounds a lot like “pa.”
It’s difficult not to fall in love with Pachimari instantly, especially if you’re the type who adores adorable mascots or cute things in general. The character is charming enough that it can capture the hearts of even the most level-headed gamer. Seeing as Pachimari is more or less a background object, it’s easy to imagine that it fits in anywhere and everywhere.
After the first few months of Overwatch’s release, there wasn’t a lot of Pachimari merchandise available yet. After all, Blizzard didn’t expect it to grow a fanbase. But as time passed, more and more fans were requesting for plush toys, stickers, and other products. Of course, talented fans got to work right away—on shops such as Etsy and RedBubble, you’d find all kinds of Pachimari items there, such as pins, embroidery, shirts, planters, and more.
Eventually, Blizzard released an official Pachimari plush. There’s a wide variety available on the Blizzard Gear Store now, such as Pachimummy, Pachilantern, Snorkelmari, and more. From being an unassuming background object in the Hanamura map, Pachimari has become an iconic part of Overwatch and will probably remain so for a long time—unless Blizzard introduces another mascot that’s just as cute.
Back in August of last year, Amazon Games revealed that it would be working together with developer Smilegate, publishing different video games from the Korean developer. Among the different titles that Amazon will publish in the West is Lost Ark Online.
In case you’re not familiar, Lost Ark is an MMORPG that has been released in Korea for a few years now, later becoming available in Russia and Japan. Seeing as it looks like an interesting take on the genre, it unsurprisingly caught the attention of many Western fans, particularly in Europe and North America. Despite its growing popularity outside of Korea, Smilegate didn’t make the move to release the game globally.
As such, fans have spent years trying to figure out when Lost Ark Online was heading to the west, if it was getting released there at all. Fans were at a lost until last year, when Smilegate and Amazon announced the partnership.
In Amazon’s official announcement, it didn’t mention Lost Ark. It simply stated that Amazon will bring one of Smilegate’s “AAA games to Western players.” However, Smilegate’s official announcement on GameMeca specifically stated that Lost Ark is included in their deal with the publisher. What’s more, the announcement even mentions that the MMO will be launched in Europe and North America some time in 2021.
Seeing as we’re on the third month of 2021, this means we can look forward to a Lost Ark global release some time soon. If not, then either Amazon or Smilegate will most likely offer some kind of update to see how things are going. Although, it’s worth keeping in mind that the original announcement on GameMeca is in Korean and had to undergo Google Translate, so there may have been some details lost in translation.
To be more specific, the Google translated statement says that “the company’s flagship game, Lost Arc[sic], will be officially released to users in North America and Europe by 2021.”
Even though there are already countless MMORPGs available in the industry, fans are looking forward to Lost Ark Online because it has a unique element to it that makes it stand out from others. Namely, it’s a game that has been likened to the critically acclaimed Diablo.
Other than Lost Ark, Amazon Games has other titles up its sleeve. The publisher has been internally working on another MMORPG entitled New World, which was recently pushed back once again. Given the current circumstances, what with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it would make sense if Lost Ark Online’s global release would be pushed back too.
Either way, it’s still a win for gamers. After all, the MMO is confirmed to be in the pipeline for Western fans, so it’s all about remaining patient. Fans should look forward to some kind of announcement anytime soon—whether it’s a good or bad one, we’ll have to wait and see.
Without a doubt, D.Va has been one of the most popular heroes in Overwatch since her initial release back in 2017. So much so that if you haven’t played Blizzard’s team-based first-person shooter yet, you’d still probably know who she is or have heard her name at some point. If not, you’ve probably at least seen some fan art online, amazing cosplay, or screenshots of her cute skins.
Seeing as she’s an iconic character in the franchise, she often receives skins that are good and well-received by fans. However, back in 2018, Blizzard released a black cat gothic lolita-like Legendary for D.Va—and not everyone was pleased. When equipping this skin, D.Va and her trusty mech, Tokki, both wear matching gothic lolita apparel.
She becomes a blonde instead of having black hair, and Tokki even looks like it’s using one of those once-popular headphones that look like cat ears. Overall, fans were unhappy with how Blizzard completely took away everything that made D.Va who she was.
For a little context, D.Va is canonically Korean in the Overwatch universe—her real name is Hana Song, she’s based in Busan, South Korea, and she’s affiliated with the Mobile Exo-Force a.k.a the South Korean Army. So, why does any of this matter?
Well, for one thing, gothic lolita isn’t really a big thing in Korea. If they gave this kind of skin to a Japanese hero, then perhaps it would make more sense. Despite being inspired by European Victorian fashion, the lolita aesthetic in general is more common in Japan. Overwatch is home to well-researched cosmetics, like Hanzo’s Kabuki skin, so some fans were quite frustrated when Blizzard released a D.Va skin seemingly because it was cute and vaguely Asian.
When the D.Va Black Cat skin was released, it was joined by other Legendary skins of other heroes. Now, what bothered the fans even more was the fact that the other skins represented some part of their heritage—meanwhile, D.Va simply got a gothic lolita outfit that didn’t even represent the Korean culture in any way.
Some fans voiced out their two cents about the matter, stating that they would have liked it better if the hero got a bunny skin or if Blizzard took inspiration from Korean street fashion or K-pop. Back then, there were already K-pop groups that were already stealing the spotlight, so it would have been more preferable if they took inspiration from the dazzling costumes the artists wore in music videos. Imagine D.Va wearing a sailor outfit similar to the one from Girls’ Generation’s Genie.
I just flat-out thought back to the 'Welcome to the NHK' scene where they just kept grab-bagging the lowest common denominator moe tropes and shoved them all into one nightmarish package.
While the skin is admittedly cute to some degree, it’s just unfortunate that D.Va could have had so much more, but this particular skin reduced her to a blanket Asian hero in a video game where the characters’ varying cultures play such a significant role in their lore, backstories, and personalities.
But then again, other characters have had bad skins too. Let’s take Pharah, for example, who has Raindancer and Thunderbird skins even though she’s Egyptian. However, it appears that Blizzard has since backtracked and officially made Pharah part Native American through her dad.
Of course, these thoughts aren’t echoed by the entire Overwatch community. Some fans actually like D.Va’s Black Cat look, so much so that they’ve created cosplay looks and fanart of it.
Many players would agree that roulette is the most iconic casino game created, it looks unique and no other game plays as it does. Roulette as you may know is a table game, it features the famous roulette wheel, and the idea of winning is all about predicting where the ball will land within the wheel. There are many ways to bet with roulette and it is that simple a game.
However, there isn’t just one form of roulette, as you might already know, you can enjoy games of American Roulette, European Roulette, and French Roulette both online and inside of land casinos. But still, the options of roulette gaming stretch far beyond these options and we’re going to introduce you to six of the best.
The Variants of Roulette You Never Knew About
There are approximately 20 different roulette variants online and, in this regard, we found the knowledge of Orla Byrne, who is Editor-in-Chief at BetinIreland.ie, indispensable. She helped us understand exactly how widespread and diverse this game is, explaining that these features are exactly what attracts the majority of players to pages like betinireland.ie/casino/games/roulette.
“In Ireland, roulette is a very common game to play and in general, for many new players looking to experience a casino game, roulette is often the first because of how easy it is to play. We provide free gaming for the Irish market and roulette is one of the most popular options because it presents dynamic gameplay and because of the different variations available to play. Roulette didn’t come to Ireland from Europe or the UK, we picked it up from the US when migration happened back and forth in the late 19th Century.”
So, why are the variants not more well-known? It comes back to supply and demand. Many players do not know of these variants, so the demand isn’t as prevalent as other variant games across the gaming menu online. There is a benefit to this, however, because with few players accessing these games, you stand a better chance of winning real money, especially when it comes to the Jackpot variants!
Must-Play Variants of Roulette
Of the 20-odd variants found online, we present to you six of the best must-play games. Some are odd, some dynamic, and others that for the first time allow you to win a single jackpot from the game.
All games are available online and can be accessed in free demo games at BetinIreland.ie.
Marvel Roulette
If Superheroes are your thing, then check out this stunning all-action roulette feature based on the comic heroes of Marvel. Developed by Playtech, this roulette jackpot game links to their mega progressive jackpot slot machines. This was a first for the industry that ties slots with table gaming via the same cash prize jackpot feature.
Accessing the jackpot round is done so by landing on the blue bonus pocket of the wheel. This gains you access to the progressive jackpot round that can lead to one of four different jackpot values to be won. A win is guaranteed, but the amount comes down to pure luck. This game is just one of a series of Marvel-based games that Playtech has created. If you wish to enjoy more official Marvel casino games, then you can enjoy Ironman 2 video slot, the Avengers slot, and if you’re more of a DC fan, they also did Dark Knight and The Justice League.
Pinball Roulette
Yes, this variant of roulette looks as it sounds, and oddly plays as it sounds. This incredible and unorthodox variant of roulette was created by Ash Gaming. They removed the wheel and put in its place a classic pinball because, why the hell not?
Pop, the ball from the projectile feature, just like a pinball machine and watch the ball ping against the bars and pegs, whilst the roulette numbers roll along the bottom of the game, where the ball finally ends up.
It’s definitely an extravagant way of playing roulette, but despite the peculiar nature of it, it actually works as a feature of play. In fact, it might actually add more tension than the traditional roulette wheel.
The rest of the roulette gaming rules and how you can bet still all remain the same.
Age of the Gods Roulette
Where Marvel ends, Age of the Gods continues. This Playtech development gave players another opportunity to win progressive jackpots that were tied in with the whole Age of the Gods slot series.
Betting on the bonus round paid off an amount of 100x the wager placed on the bet and you would also gain access to the four-tier jackpot bonus round.
This is, of course, a feature that is only accessible within online casinos that are able to provide Playtech games and software.
Double Ball Roulette
Developed by the masters of live game streaming, Evolution Gaming presents us with double ball roulette LIVE! Double the balls, double the fun, and double the chances of winnings. The variant can be played on both the European and American wheels should a player have a preference. The difference being that the American wheels have an extra number, the double-zero.
The gaming rules are the same as traditional roulette, but because two balls are involved, there is a special payout for the player lucky enough to land both balls in the same pocket. Spin and land two balls on the same number and you will get a payout of 1,300 to 1! This is the biggest gaming odd of any casino game or variant ever created!
Multi Wheel Roulette
If you thought it couldn’t get any crazier then why settle for one roulette wheel when you can have eight of them. This gaming colossus by Microgaming doesn’t hold back and with 8 wheels, players are presented with a fantastic opportunity of landing multiple wins. This variant of roulette is only available in a virtual format, the logistics of this as a real game just wouldn’t be viable with how online live games are streamed and presented. A tip for those that do opt for this game, pick outside bets like color or highs and lows to build your multiple wins.
Lightning Roulette
Of all the live variants online, this is the most popular, Lightning Roulette. Another creation from Evolution Gaming kickstarted the company’s live game show features, this flying the flag for new gameplay online. The new roulette option is very basic, the game of Lightning Roulette plays like a normal European Roulette game, except that throughout your time gaming, random lightning strikes will add multipliers to certain numbers. The multipliers can reach as high as 500 times the bet placed on the number. It is a gigantic upgrade in odds and has helped this to be one of the most successful live games of all time.
As mentioned, all these games can be accessed via BetinIreland.ie. and we thank Orla Byrne for her time and helping us put this list together of the must-play roulette variants that you didn’t know existed.
Around 73% of Americans two years and older play video games, accounting for 17% of entertainment and 11% of total time spent on recreation. Gaming has many benefits, including brain stimulation, stress relief, and improvement of problem-solving skills. Among children with cerebral palsy (CP), gaming can become a form of rehabilitation therapy. It offers enjoyable opportunities to participate in physical activities, improves hand dexterity, controls body movements, and develops social skills. If regulated properly, gaming therapy can become an effective method of enriching the quality of life of young individuals.
Motor Skills And Muscle Development
Cerebral palsy affects the motor skills and muscle tone of children, preventing coordinated and purposeful body movement. Therefore, it is vital to identify activities for kids with cerebral palsy that target muscle tone, coordination, balance, strength, and flexibility. Gaming is one form of physical therapy that can enhance the motor skills and hand coordination of children with CP. However, one of the main considerations when introducing a child to video games is to choose the appropriate gaming system.
For example, movement-based or active video gaming systems are suitable for kids with CP. They encourage your kids to do repetitive movements and keep them engaged due to the rewards they expect to receive when unlocking new levels or games. In addition, your child is going to improve hand dexterity and motor coordination when they use controllers, swing their arms, dance to music, or play sports. In other words, kids who participate in virtual gaming therapy can enhance their motor skills performance through increased intensity, frequency, and duration of movements.
Social Skills And Independence
Another significant benefit of playing video games is the development of social skills. When playing with siblings or friends, your kids are encouraged to talk and communicate with others. Whether conversing about strategies to get more points or simply sharing a few laughs, gaming is a pleasurable activity for children. Above all, playing video games can enhance their social and speech skills.
Furthermore, physical therapy through gaming can also help develop their independence if they are able to do things on their own. Controlling a mouse, standing, balancing, and coordinating movements in relation to a game give your children opportunities to develop their physical condition, imagination, and creativity.
Gaming therapy can become an effective and complementary rehabilitation treatment for children with cerebral palsy. It improves motor abilities, balance, dexterity, and coordination, as well as helps in cultivating social and speech skills.
Dafran may be a familiar name to those gamers who are either into Overwatch or enjoy keeping up to date with the Pro scene. Born in Denmark, Daniel Francesca a.k.a Dafran is a former pro Overwatch player and was once a full-time streamer. He was quite active in the competitive scene in the past, which is why he got recruited in 2017 by Selfless Gaming.
However, only more or less 5 months after he was picked up, Dafran was suspended from playing competitively in any of Blizzard’s events for most of June 2017 because of griefing in ranked games during the fifth season. Of course, while it’s not completely unheard of for professional players to be upset during matches, he later confessed that he did all that on purpose because he no longer wanted to be a competitive player.
In his statement, he even mentioned that he “wanted to get out for a long time, competing and scrimming made me very depressed and bored.” Eventually, Dafran moved on to try out streaming, but he was recruited once more to become a competitive player in 2018. This time around, he was picked up by the Overwatch League team, Atlanta Reign.
After yet another 5 months of being with the team, Dafran once again retired from being playing competitively. Even though he seemingly disliked being in the Pro League, it can’t be denied that Dafran is an incredible player. In fact, he almost always finished with a skill rating of over 4500.
In the latter half of 2020, Dafran announced to the public that he was going to become a farmer, but he still continued to stream during his spare time. If you’re a fan of Dafran, especially his style of playing Overwatch, then perhaps the first step to becoming as good as him could start from copying his settings.
Below you’ll find Dafran’s computer settings when he plays Overwatch. Of course, this is primarily his personal preferences, and you can adjust the settings as you see fit.
Graphics Settings
From what we can glean from Dafran’s graphics settings, it’s clear to see that there’s a balance between performance and quality. The monitor he uses is a 240 Hz one, which means that by using his preferred settings, his monitor is able to achieve 240 frames per second.
It’s worth noting, however, that it’s best if you lower some of the settings found below if your monitor has a high refresh rate and it doesn’t seem to have enough frames in order to fully make the most out of your refresh rate.
Display mode
Fullscreen
Refresh rate(Hz)
240
Resolution
1920×1080
Field of view
90
Aspect ratio
16:9
V-sync
Off
Tripple buffering
Off
Reduce buffering
On
Display performance stats
On
Display system clock
Off
Render scale
100 percent
Texture quality
High
Texture filtering quality
Medium – 2x
Local fog detail
Medium
Dynamic reflections
Off
Shadow detail
Low
Model detail
Low
Effects detail
Low
Lightning quality
Medium
Anti-aliasing
Low – FXAA
Refraction quality
Medium
Screenshot quality
1x resolution
Local reflections
On
Ambient occlusion
On
Mouse Settings
Of course, it’s important to remember that your mouse’s sensitivity settings will always depend on what kind of gaming mouse you have. That said, it’s recommended that your polling rate should always be at 1000. If you do this, you can rest easy knowing that you have the lowest possible input lag, and you’ll be thankful for this every time you do something in a game with your mouse.
With that in mind, the following are Dafran’s mouse settings:
DPI
400
Sensitivity
6.36
eDPI
2544
cm = 360 degrees
54.46
Zoom sensitivity
44
Polling rate (Hz)
1000
Dafran and Valorant
These days, it appears that Dafran has moved on from Overwatch and instead, has been enamored with Riot Games’ multiplayer tactical first-person hero shooter, Valorant. Released only last year, it’s the only game that Dafran has been streaming these days.
The first few months that the game was launched, it was clear to see that Overwatch fans were feeling the pressure of Valorant’s popularity. Not only that, it’s quite obvious that Dafran is having a good time playing Riot’s take on the first-person shooter. In fact, he banned one of his viewers in the past for constantly pestering him to go back to streaming Overwatch.
During that time, the streamer was playing as Sova, who is an agent who plays very similarly to Overwatch’s Hanzo. It makes sense too, given the fact that Dafran is known to be a good DPS gamer. Instead of enjoying his stream, however, the viewer was frustrated that the streamer was playing Valorant in the first place.
“Valorant will last less than 10 minutes. It’s shit,” said the two-year subscriber. His stream’s chat proceeded to go on a heated debate about Valorant and whether or not it’s overhyped. After all the hubbub that ensued, the streamer decided to call out the viewer and told him to “go back to Overwatch.”
Sadly, this didn’t stop the viewer from ranting and voicing out his frustration. As such, Dafran had to ban him, saying that “it’s going to be a Valorant stream for a long time” and that fans who don’t like it can just unsubscribe from his channel. It doesn’t seem like Dafran will stop streaming Valorant anytime soon. In fact, he previously said that the only time he’ll stop Riot’s first-person shooter is if or when he reaches a point where he can no longer improve.
Other than that, it seems as if the former Pro League is having a lot of fun in his agriculture career—from what we can see from his Instagram page. Switching over to playing Valorant may have been a good idea on his part, too, especially since it has become such a big game at this point.
Of course, that isn’t to say that Overwatch has become stale. This team-based shooter is still as popular as ever. As a matter of fact, Blizzard Entertainment recently revealed details about the highly anticipated Overwatch 2 during the recent BlizzCon Online event, with the sequel receiving a variety of new features and content for dedicated fans to enjoy.
If you do it right, there’s so much you can do as Moira. Not only is she a formidable damage dealer, but she’s also a healer who doesn’t need a lot of careful aiming in order to be successful. What’s more, she’s capable of outputting a significant amount of health points—even more than Mercy and Lucio, who are the more popular healers in the community.
Despite these positive elements, there’s a lot you need to juggle if you main as Moira. For one thing, you need to know when it’s time to heal your team and when it’s time to deal as much damage as possible to enemy players. You could end up losing the match if you’re not healing enough of your teammates, but at the same time, you could also lose if you’re not doing your part in dealing damage.
So, how do you know when to do either one?
Abilities
Before deep diving into Moira’s role in Overwatch, let’s discuss her abilities first to give you a good grasp of what she can and can’t do. This is the first step to becoming an efficient Moira user.
Biotic Grasp
Similar to the hero Ana, Moira’s Biotic Grasp is capable of doing two completely opposite things depending on whether you use her primary or secondary fire. If you choose to heal, which is the primary fire, Moira will be able to heal allies up to a whopping 80 health points per second. In comparison, the popular Mercy can only heal 50 points per second.
In addition, the Biotic Grasp’s healing beam is able to reach up to 15 meters, healing any ally that it passes through. However, the catch is that this ability can only be used as long as Moira has Biotic Energy, which is a meter that can be found near the hero’s crosshair.
In order for you to increase Moira’s Biotic Energy, this is where her secondary fire comes into play. Unlike the primary fire, this secondary one deals damage to enemies. Since it’s a damaging beam, this means that Genji won’t be able to deflect it and that D.Va’s Defense Matrix won’t be able to gobble it up.
The range of this secondary fire is quite long, reaching up to 20 meters. When you’re successfully dealing damage to an enemy player using this ability, the Biotic Energy will refill more or less 10 units per second. As such, always try to make an effort to deal damage in order to refill the meter after healing your allies.
Biotic Orb
The Biotic Orb is a bit similar to the previous ability in that it’s still capable of either damaging or healing players. With Biotic Orb, Moira is able to send out a ball-like projectile that can bounce off walls. Depending on who it can connect to, the orb can either damage enemies or heal team members.
The healing aspect of the Biotic Orb can reach as much as 300 health, while damage dealt can reach up to 200 damage. It can be tricky at first, but with enough practice, you’ll be able to master throwing the projectile in a way that it heads towards enemies or allies (or both). Biotic Orb has a cooldown of 10 seconds, so keep that in mind.
Fade
Fade is perhaps one of the best abilities in terms of movement in Overwatch. With only 6 seconds needed for cooldown, Moira is able to teleport quickly, albeit for only a short distance. Nevertheless, it’s an excellent ability to have if you want to either escape from imminent danger, or swiftly get close to an enemy as possible to deal critical damage.
Coalescence
Moira’s Ultimate ability is a marvel, and can really come in handy during team fights—if you know how to use it, that is. When you activate Coalescence, Moira will send out a massive 30-meter-long beam that can both deal 70 damage per second as well as heal 140 HP per second. In order for you to utilize this Ultimate to the best of its ability, you need to situate yourself in a way where you know you can hit both allies and enemies. Moira’s Ultimate charges quite fast as well, which means you’ll be able to use it often.
Should You Damage or Heal?
When you’re a Moira user, there’s one thing that you’ll keep wondering throughout the match: should you heal or fight? As you’ve surmised by now, these are the two things she’s good for after all. Not only must consistently heal your team to keep them alive, you also ensure that you don’t stop dealing damage as well, especially since this is how you increase your Biotic Energy.
On technique we’d like you to incorporate in your Moira gameplay is this—you should simply tap her healing abilities instead of holding down the button. Then, simply use her secondary fire after every healing done. By doing so, you won’t heal allies with more points than they actually need, and you’ll be absorbing Biotic Energy as well.
That being said, here’s the best way to go about this. You should deal damage to the enemy team only when you know your team overpowers, if not outnumbers, them. Once you’ve already been able to eliminate at least two to three enemies, don’t hesitate to keep fighting back, especially if there are targets who are low on health.
Of course, you need to focus more on healing if or when your team is on the losing end, or if a couple of your teammates have suffered damage. Your goal is to keep your team alive and strong enough to fight back, especially if there’s still a chance for your team to win the match. The same strategy applies to the hero’s Biotic Orbs ability.
Where to Position Moira
You’ll find that Moira is the most efficient when she’s either situated behind her team or generally near them. It’s best to be around team members who have grouped together, especially since Moira’s abilities are able to pass through her allies. Make use of this fact.
At the moment, Moira is perhaps one of the most underrated heroes in Overwatch. It’s quite unfortunate too, especially since she holds so much potential as a damage-dealer and healer. Hopefully, this guide will have given you more information about Moira and what to keep in mind during a team fight.
Ever since its initial release, which was all the way back in 2007, Ubisoft has taken the Assassin’s Creed franchise and its players to all kinds of places. Usually, the developer released a new mainline game for the series every year, with the exceptions of 2016 and 2019. Since Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest entry, was launched last year, this has led fans to believe the next game to follow will release some time in 2022.
If you base on the previous games, Assassin’s Creed titles are usually set in locations that offer a rich narrative, especially places with incredible history, political strife, and lore. So far, fans have been taken to a variety of places, from the Caribbean to ancient Egypt, and more. Assassin’s Creed games are incredibly immersive, and offer players with an authentic piece of history, allowing them to learn more about others’ cultures.
The latest installment sent fans back to Europe, during the time of the Vikings. Now, fans of the franchise can’t help but wonder where the next game is going to take place. There are thankfully still a handful of potential locations that fit the criteria.
India
It would make sense for Ubisoft to choose India for the next Assassin’s Creed game. After all, you’ll find one of the oldest civilizations in this country. There are several centuries that would offer interesting gameplay and plot too. If set in the 5th century—the Golden Age of India—players could explore the Gupta Empire. If in the 9th century, players might get to meet the famous mathematician, Mahāvīra, as they traverse and do a variety of quests in southern India.
To make things even more interesting, players might even get to do quests wherein they must find the legendary rainbow fish that swallowed none other than Buddha. Needless to say that India is not lacking in interesting history, and would be a perfect fit for an Assassin’s Creed game.
Mesoamerica
The pre-Hispanic peoples of both Central and South America didn’t really leave a lot of written information, so we’re not completely sure what took place during most of early Mesoamerican life. However, the few details that we do know are quite intriguing and would make for a great story.
Mesoamerica is ripe with interesting areas that would no doubt look incredible in an Assassin’s Creed game. Imagine this: the main protagonist exploring the walled city of Tulum or perhaps Chichen Itza. It would be easy to incorporate mythology into the game’s narrative as well, similar to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Assassin’s Creed Origins and how they were able to implement this into their respective lore.
It would be excellent if Ubisoft could add the Mesoamerican ball game into the mix as some kind of mini-game. If not, it would be interesting to see an Assassin’s Creed game try to explain why 2012 is so significant in the Mayan calendar.
Russia
If players want a location that’s full of intrigue and drama, imperial Russia’s Grigori Rasputin and the Romanov family would definitely tick the box. As such, this would definitely be a great potential location and time period for the next Assassin’s Creed. There’s political intrigue, significant changes to how society works, and there might even be some supernatural elements in the mix.
There are so many possibilities story-wise, especially if Anastasia Romanov played the role of a main character or even as the player character. Perhaps she was able to escape execution and later on joined the Assassins and their constant fight against the Templars.
Ireland
We can’t make a list about compelling history and lore without adding Ireland, of course. Ancient Ireland has a mythology so rich that we’re quite surprised that Ubisoft hasn’t developed an Assassin’s Creed game yet that’s set there. From the legendary land of Tír na nÓg to the mythological fairy-like race called aes sídhe, there’s so much lore that players can immerse themselves in.
Besides, Ireland’s megaliths would be great places to explore for a mission or quest. And even though the Celtic invasion during the 5th century BCE is something that many historians argue and debate about, it’s a potential plot point that would fit well in this franchise.
Polynesia
For fans who like the sailing aspects of Assassin’s Creed titles, they may want the next game to be set somewhere like Polynesia. The game could take players back to either the 9th or 10th century, where the main protagonist could be a wayfinder. With the help of the stars’ guidance, players will be able to sail to different islands and interact with the various people and cultures there.
Perhaps Ubisoft could add in Polynesian lore as well, so that Assassin’s Creed players will be able to experience a completely different side of Maui.
Japan
Japan is one of the most obvious choices out there, but it may be just too obvious for Ubisoft. In fact, Assassin’s Creed 3 creative director Alex Hutchinson said back in 2012 that he finds the players’ suggestions to be boring. Namely, “WWII, feudal Japan and Egypt” were the “most wanted” Assassin’s Creed locations. To Hutchinson, however, “they’re kind of the three worst settings for an AC game.”
Of course, the release of Assassin’s Creed Origins proved him wrong, since a major plot point of this entry takes place in Egypt. To spice things up, why not choose a time period in Japan other than feudal Japan? An era that not only had samurai, but incredible conflict in both society and the government. These are two factors that would work extremely well in Assassin’s Creed.
For instance, there’s the Meiji Restoration from the 1860s, which was a significant time where the Shogunate ruling system was abolished. This greatly changed the role of samurais, downgrading them into administrative roles. Not only that, their customs and weapons were even prohibited.
If turned into an Assassin’s Creed game, it would be interested to see the main protagonist—who takes on the role of a samurai—fight and resist against the government who has been manipulated by the Templars.
One thing that fans really love about Assassin’s Creed and the franchise as a whole is how versatile it is, and how one can really immerse themselves in the games’ narrative. These are only theories for now, and all we can do is wait for Ubisoft to reveal more information.
The game of blackjack is so famous that even those that have not played it know what it is. However, there are those that have played it and assume that it is the only single form of blackjack that exists. This is wrong. There are numerous variants of blackjack and we are going to present them to you.
Blackjack is a card game that has span centuries of time and during this, it has evolved into various forms that allow players to approach the game differently and yet, still win with the same gaming rules.
We will be presenting 5 blackjack variants that you can easily play now if you have already played blackjack before. If you are new to the card game, then you’ll be able to easily learn and understand these variant games.
Presenting Blackjack
Blackjack holds iconic status and is perhaps the best casino card game created and apologies if that upsets any poker players reading this. Blackjack is not a single game, there are roughly 18 different variants out there in the online world and we will be presenting 5 of the best.
The rules of blackjack remain simple and for all variants, the principles are the same: Aim for 21 and do not go over and bust.
All the usual gaming moves still exist, so anyone with an ounce of knowledge on how to play blackjack can easily experience and play the following five variants we are presenting.
But Why Blackjack?
There is only one real reason why blackjack is the choice of professionals and it all comes down to the game’s fairness. We spoke to Charlotte Fitzgerald, Editor-in-Chief at Casimoose to discuss the success of online blackjack in Canada and why blackjack attracts such a strong online response among players on the site.
“Blackjack has a very low house edge, and if there’s one thing Canadian players love, that’s an advantage! I guess it’s the same for online players everywhere, to be fair, because we notice that this game is also popular with players from outside of Canada. Blackjack offers the lowest advantage to the casino of all casino games. There is only a 1.48% margin, so it’s an almost 50/50 split on winning.”
Variants of blackjack
There are numerous variants and although we are presenting five of them, there are many others you can find online. The games we picked are mainly found within the virtual gaming options. We will discuss live gaming after the variant review because online games are forever evolving and variants will respawn inside of new formats and one day this will all lead to the development of VR Blackjack in the near future. Until then, here are the five of the best online blackjack variants that you can play right now, and that you might have not known existed.
Perfect Pairs
This variation of the blackjack game subtly introduces a side bet feature which is the Perfect Pairs. The base game is the same as standard blackjack with these minor alterations:
Players can perform a split with any card pair that are of the same value. If you perform a split, you are allowed to double down within the split on cards of 9, 10, and 11. This variant also allows splits on aces. As with most other variants, the dealer must stand should they present a soft 17. Perfect Pairs is played with 6 decks of cards.
Playing the side bet is all based on being dealt matching valued cards between 2 and 9.
Perfect Pairs Side Bet Odds:
Mixed Pair = 6 / 1
Same Suit = 25 / 1
Same Colour = 12 / 1
Atlantic City Blackjack
As the name indicates, this variant sprang out of Atlantic City and gives players a different approach to playing traditional blackjack.
As usual, if the dealer holds a soft 17, they must stand. For players, a split can be actioned with any two cards, and from them, you can perform double down moves. Players can split up to four times with their hands, with this, ace cards are exempt from being split.
With Atlantic City Blackjack, you can play the insurance game if your dealer’s face card is showing an ace. You can also call surrender later in the game as well, meaning you forfeit have your wager. This variant is also played with 8 card decks.
Vegas Strip Blackjack
No prizes for guessing where this variant came from. Vegas Strip holds a number of similarities to other variants, yet there are two distinct changes, and it comes down to the number of card decks used and the player cannot opt to surrender, so you’re in this to the end.
The variant is played with four decks, the dealer holds on soft 17, and players can take the insurance option if they wish, this is all depending on whether the dealer is showing an Ace as their face card. Splits can allow players to also double down. You can split up to four times and splits on ace cards can only happen once in the game.
Pontoon
Pontoon is actually a popular game for kids and teenagers to play and is most likely the variant of blackjack you first played without you knowing it was originally blackjacked at the time. This is the UK version of blackjack and is played with only a single card deck. The game presents the five-card-trick feature, which is getting to the sum of 21 with a 5-card hand or under. When playing this variant, the split rules are more strict, as only ace cards can be split. Another tougher rule is that players can only stand when the hand has a minimum value of 16. In normal blackjack games, it would be 15. All other traditional rules apply to this UK variant.
Free Bet Blackjack
See the words free bet and it’s a draw for any player and it’s true, this variant of blackjack allows you to make moves within the game without needed to raise stakes placed on original bets. Should you perform a split and double down within the splits, the cost is covered by the house. What this leads to is a greater increase of winning and fewer risks. The benefits of this variant come with a few rules.
Splits can only be made with matching pairs of cards. You can only double down within a split if the hands are pairs of 9, 10, and 11 where there are no aces. Players are also unable to surrender.
Live Blackjack Gaming
Amongst the variants found within the virtual realm of gaming, there is also an alternative format. Live casino gameplay is a live streaming development by Evolution Gaming. Players are able to watch live streaming broadcasts of real casino games being played in real-time and hosted by live dealers. This gaming interaction is a whole different way of experiencing blackjack and should only be taken on by players that are comfortable with the rules.
Live blackjack offers an immersive format of gaming that can allow players to also experience a number of alternative variants of blackjack.
There are a number of online casinos that offer promotions on live blackjack games with rewards for consecutive blackjack wins returning one-off cash prize payouts.
As you can see, there are numerous ways of experiencing blackjack and they can all be tested for free within many of the demo games you can access from Casimoose where Charlotte Fitzgerald works.
