I'm primarily a PC gamer with a library slowly approaching 1,000 games on Steam. While I have sometimes bought games through the other storefronts like Blizzard, GOG, Uplay, and EA Origins, I never really invested significant time in them to the point where I don't keep track of what is in those libraries. Suffice to say, I thought that I was so entrenched in Steam that I couldn't possibly play in another storefront for any meaningful amount of time.

This has changed for the past year. I hopped on one of those deals that gave me access to Game Pass since Microsoft added all the Bethesda games and partnered with EA Play. And I gotta say, I'm invested now. Invested so much that I bought a Series X despite having zero interest when the new generation of systems was announced. Game Pass on Xbox is an even better deal than Game Pass on PC. The library is larger and for the games that are Play Anywhere, I can continue my save file on my PC when my living room TV is unavailable.

I really think that Microsoft has a winning strategy with Game Pass this generation and it really surprised me how my attitude to the Xbox ecosystem changed this year. While I think both Sony and Nintendo have great exclusives, the value proposition for me of convenience and a rotating slate of quality games will likely keep me invested and subscribed, moreso than Xbox Gold or PS+ have in the past.

Figured I'd start putting together a thread as the flood of announcements and articles start coming out from this year's BlizzCon.

The site, where you can pick which streaming "channel" to watch: https://blizzcon.com/

Full schedule: https://blizzcon.com/en-us/schedule

Opening ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyApQc-ZmSA

Diablo IV

• Blizzard on Diablo 4's Rogue and how PvP works within the open world
• Diablo IV: What's Next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO3LQqpiBvQ

Diablo II: Resurrected

• Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRP62MGOrUo
• Interview on Eurogamer: The big Diablo 2 Resurrected interview
• Some more details on Ars: Diablo II Resurrected tops BlizzCon announcement flurry
• Diablo II: Resurrected - Deep Dive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3dL7ZeIAsE

World of Warcraft

• World of Warcraft Classic will be extended to include first expansion The Burning Crusade this year, along with paid character cloning and boosts, and "pre-nerf" raid bosses.

Overwatch 2

• Behind the Scenes of Overwatch 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRj-GotnNaQ

I've been curious about making a switch for ergonomics and just lack of space on my desk.

• Do you recommend it for gaming? Any guidance on genres that do or don't work? I mostly play real time and turn based strategy games or point-and-click style games such as Diablo on my computer. I don't generally go in for twitchy FPSes, but I'd like the option.

• Opinions on index vs. thumb?

• How long was the adjustment period to get used to it?

• Any recommendations on good ones to buy?

• Are there any advantages I'm not thinking of besides just being better for my wrist?

• Disadvantages besides, potentially, being less precise than a mouse?

• Are there any tradeoffs with going wireless?

Some of you may have heard that the bright minds behind Risk of Rain have made their next effort with the help of an added dimension. Risk of Rain 2 released on Early Access lately, to many peoples' surprise and joy. I played a decent bit of the original, but never managed to get into it. Something about 2D scrollers like that puts me off hard, but I respected the hell out of the awesome art, fantastic music, and neat synergies/shenanigans throughout the game.

Risk of Rain 2, so far, has been an absolute blast and I'm super happy for the devs. They received way more support than they initially expected upon launch, and the buy 1 get 1 gift key strategy did wonders for them. I've been steadily playing this game with friends and after the initial Diablo 2 loot stealing shenanigans, we've all managed to memorize items, learn builds, and work out what survivalists we like. This game is a killer time-killer; I've spent what I thought was 10 minutes in one match only to glance at the timer and read that 70 minutes have passed. This game almost feels like it's a finished product, and the devs aren't even done yet. I'm super psyched for all the new stuff we'll get to see and experiment with.

I'm also curious as to what anyone else thinks. Has anyone played enough to share their opinions? Did anyone not enjoy their time with the game? Please share!