This week in video games, March 26, 2018: Dota 2 championship tournament takes over Rogers Arena

Esports are a big deal these days, and two of the biggest events are coming your way. Plus, Dark Souls gets remastered, and the spring melt brings a host of new releases for you to play.

World’s biggest global esports event coming to Vancouver

Every day, millions of players across the globe play Dota 2, a free-to-play game published by Valve on its Steam platform. It’s a team-based game where players defend their base while trying to destroy their opponents.

Every year, teams gather and compete in the International, one of the world’s biggest esports competitions. Last year, the prize pool topped US$24 million.

This year, the tournament is being held in Vancouver. From August 20 through August 25, the International will take over Rogers Arena.

Tickets were priced at $125 for the midweek preliminaries, with finals tickets costing $250. But they sold out last Friday (March 23), on the day they were released.

Seattle to host Call of Duty world championship

Meanwhile, Major League Gaming is bringing the 2018 Call of Duty world championship to Seattle for the first time.

From April 20 through April 22, teams will be playing Call of Duty: WWII and seeking a piece of the US$200,00 prize pool. Tickets for the event cost $51.50 for the three days or $191.50 for a “prestige pass”, which comes with extra perks, including a hoodie and access to a private lounge and dedicated seating.

Dark Souls slides its way to Nintendo’s Switch

The first game in this role-playing series that takes pride from making things difficult for players has been remastered with updated graphics. And although it’s available for PS4 and Xbox One, if you want your dungeon danger to be portable, you’ll appreciate that it’s also coming to the Switch.

This new edition also includes the Artorias of the Abyss expansion. Be patient and practise. There’s a reason this game has been described as being “punishing”.

Games released or releasing soon

• Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, for PS4 and Windows, is set hundreds of years after events of the first game and revolves around the conflict between the cat and mouse tribes.
• MLB The Show 18 for PS4 gives you a chance to take the Blue Jays, or whatever team you want, through to the World Series.
• Far Cry 5, for PS4, Windows, and Xbox One, is the latest open-world experience from Ubisoft, this time set in the heartland of America.
• A Way Out, for PS4, Windows, and Xbox One, is a split-screen story designed to be played by two.