StarCraft II’s opening cinematic set the BlizzCon 2008 crowd afire when Blizzard unveiled a teaser video of the intro to their highly anticipated RTS sequel. Even though the scene was simply a teaser, and not the entire sequence.
But once again Blizzard impresses with some mighty fine CG that is quite simply as top-notch as you can get. Although the opening cinematic isn’t as action packed as I thought it would be, given that this is StarCraft II. But regardless, the teaser video definitely has a very cool, Aliens-esque cinematic feel to it that is definitely worth checking out. And fans will be in for a treat.
Blizzard dropped a bomb on fans of StarCraft II at BlizzCon 2008. They announced that StarCraft II will be split into three separate games, one for each campaign, and will serve as a sort of trilogy!
The reason behind this split is due to the fact that Blizzard wants to pack each version of the game with as much content as possible and allow for as much customization and player choice as possible, in addition to fleshing out the storyline and world as much as they can. In the original StarCraft, there were 32 missions total: 12 for the Terrans and 10 each for the Zerg and Protoss. Each version of StarCraft II will have over 30 missions, so more than double.
The first game in the trilogy will be StarCraft II Terrans: Wings of Liberty. The second will be StarCraft II Zerg: Heart of the Swarm, with the third and final installment of the main trilogy being StarCraft II Protoss: Legacy of the Void. Additionally, each game will be released at a separate time. The Terran campaign is by far the furthest along, so it will most likely be released first, with the others to follow. Although they may not make release during the same year.
Thankfully, each version will contain a full multilayer component that allows you to play as all three races, the split is just for the single-player.
IGN has much more information on the split in their interview with Rob Pardo, the executive Vice President of Game Design.
New gameplay videos for StarCraft II have been revealed from BlizzCon 2008!
While the Tokyo Game Show may be getting all of the attention over the past week, Blizzard also has it’s own show that is taking place today and tomorrow known as BlizzCon where we may see some new developments and reveals of games like Diablo III and, of course, StarCraft 2.
Lo and behold, check out some new gameplay footage from StarCraft II that includes battles between the Zerg and Terran and between the Protoss and Terran.
In this latest StarCraft II video interview Blizzard Lead Producer Chris Sigaty discusses the long awaited RTS. Take a look at the latest build of the PC game.
Click on the bottom-right corner arrow to view it fullscreen.
Blizzard talks in this video interview about recapturing the magic of StarCraft 2. Making sure this sequel lives up to the standards and expectations set by the first game is a huge priority.
In this interview Blizzard’s lead producer Chris Sigaty continues his talk about the game by comparing it to other RTS series from the company. Check out the differences between Starcraft II and Warcraft III, and find out why the game goes away from a lot of the Warcraft mechanics that had been added in.
Lastly is a look at the Zerg evolution, who burned a path of annihilation across the stars…
After the previous unveilings of Starcraft 2’s Protoss and Terran, the first PC & Mac RTS gameplay footage of the Zerg has now been shown by Blizzard.
The Zerg are relentless and attack without mercy, do the Terrans have any hope of survival?
Here’s all the Zerg info you need in one huge fact sheet:
Welcome to the Zerg press tour for StarCraft II; you are among the first in the world to see the Zerg faction in StarCraft II. This fact sheet will serve as a basic overview to the Zerg units you’ll be playing with during today’s hands-on multiplayer sessions. Please keep in mind that StarCraft II is still in development. This means that all of the units and abilities you see described below are subject to change over the course of development.
Drone
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic
Description: The Drone is the Zerg’s worker unit, used to gather resources such as minerals or Vespene gas. They are also used to morph into various Zerg structures.
Zergling
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic
Description: The Zergling is the most basic combat unit for the Zerg faction. Zerglings are fast-moving ground units with a melee attack, and are typically used en-masse. They can be morphed individually into Banelings.
Overlord
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic
Description: The Overlord is the Zerg’s basic command and control unit. As in the original game, it is a slow flying unit with no attack, but as your army grows, you’ll need to create more Overlords and keep them protected. What’s new to this unit in StarCraft II are a couple of special abilities. The slime ability allows the Overlord to disable resource nodes and neutral observatories. Overlords can also create a small, temporary patch of creep for the Zerg to build on.
Overseer
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: Individual Overlords can be upgraded by the player to Overseers, which serve as airborne detector units. Overseers lose the slime and creep abilities of the Overlord, but gain a larger sight radius and give the player the ability to see cloaked and burrowed enemies.
Queen
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: The original StarCraft had a units called Queens, but the Queen in StarCraft II is so different, that its form and function do not at all resemble the Queens from the original game. The two units merely share a name.
In StarCraft II, Queens are birthed directly out of the Hatchery, and you can only control one at a time. The Queen is a powerful fighting unit, but more importantly, she orchestrates the defense of Zerg bases by using a number of unique abilities. Queens can create special structures that expand the base of creep, or act as stationary defense turrets.
Also, as Queens evolve, they can gain new abilities such as Deep Tunnel, which allows the Queen to instantly move to any of your buildings on the map. The Toxic Creep ability makes a small area of creep damaging to enemy ground units standing on it. Swarm Infestation lets the Queen temporarily turn any Zerg building into a defensive turret that shoots at enemies, while Regeneration lets the Queen quickly heal any damaged Zerg structures.
Hydralisk
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic
Description: As in the original StarCraft, Hydralisks serve as basic foot soldiers for the Zerg, with the ability to shoot at ground or airborne targets. Hydralisks can also morph into Lurker units.
Roach
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: The Roach is a specialized ground unit with the unique ability to very quickly regenerate damage. Used properly, Roaches can absorb tremendous amounts of damage and can only be killed with concentrated and heavy fire from enemies.
Mutalisk
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic
Description: Mutalisks are the Zerg’s primary flying unit. As in the original game, they use a special Glaive Wurm attack that bounces twice from its original target, doing damage to up to three units with each shot.
Baneling
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: The Baneling acts as a rolling bomb that explodes on contact with an enemy unit or building. Groups of Banelings can quickly cut a swath through enemy infantry and even take down structures when fielded en masse. Banelings can be morphed from Zerglings.
Lurker
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic from StarCraft: Brood War
Description: Lurkers make a return in StarCraft II. As in StarCraft: Brood War, Lurkers are morphed from Hydralisks and can only attack while burrowed. They can devastate packed groups of infantry as they attack in a line with their subterranean spines.
Nydus Worm
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: The Nydus Worm puts a new twist on the Nydus Canal mechanic from StarCraft II. Nydus Worms can move to create an entry/exit point anywhere on the map, allowing the Zerg army a means to almost instantly funnel ground troops from one side of the map to the other.
Infestor
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: The Infestor is the primary support unit for the Zerg in StarCraft II. It doesn’t possess a direct attack but its unique abilities make it a fearsome sight on the battlefield. Dark Swarm creates a smokescreen for units to hide under, protecting them from ranged attacks. Disease targets a single enemy, giving it a damaging aura that hurts surrounding units. The Infestor also has the Infestation ability, which temporarily infests an enemy structure, causing it to produce Infested Marines. Finally, the Infestor has the ability to move while burrowed, making it useful for sneaking in under enemy base defenses.
Infested Marine
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic
Description: The Infested Marine is produced by any enemy structure that’s been afflicted with the Infestation ability. Infested Marines move slowly but act and shoot much like a regular Terran Marine.
Corruptor
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: The Corruptor is the Zerg’s dedicated air-to-air unit. Corruptors don’t immediately destroy their targets. Instead, the targeted enemy becomes corrupted, becoming a stationary turret that fires at other nearby enemies. In this way, Corruptors can quickly overcome large groups of enemy fliers, turning them against one another.
Ultralisk
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic
Description: Arguably the Zerg’s most intimidating unit, the Ultralisk is back in StarCraft II. Ultralisks can engage and attack multiple ground units in front of it with its scythe-like Kaiser Blades. They also possess a large number of hit points, allowing it to absorb lots of damage as they lead Zerg charges.
Swarm Guardian
Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New
Description: As with the Guardian in the original StarCraft, the Swarm Guardian in StarCraft II is morphed from the Mutalisk, and serves as the Zerg’s aerial siege weapon. The Swarm Guardian possesses a long-range, air-to-ground attack that hits for a good deal of damage and also spawns small broodlings that can attack for a short period of time.
Blizzardhas canceled more games than you’d think. The publisher revealed a list of titles that it has canceled for one reason or another at their DICE seminar called “From Developer to Worldwide Publisher“, where Blizzard execs Mike Morhaime (CEO & co-founder), Rob Pardo (Senior VP of Game Design) and Frank Pearce (Executive VP of Product Development) talked about the history of the company and how it got to where it is today.
While Blizzard is well-known for a number of high-quality titles, from World of Warcraft to Diablo to StarCraft and Warcraft to it’s earlier hits like Blackthorne and The Lost Vikings, it wasn’t known exactly how many games got the ax in those 17 long years.
Here’s the list of canceled Blizzard games that they revealed:
* Games People Play
* Crixa
* Shattered Nations
* Pax Imperia (released by another developer)
* Denizen
* Warcraft Adventures
* Nomad
* Raiko
It’s interesting to note that StarCraft: Ghost did not appear on the list, which may be an indication that the long-delayed game is still on the backburner and planned for eventual release. Hopefully before StarCraft II comes out. — Via Kotaku
Blizzard has canceled more games than you’d think. The publisher revealed a list of titles that it has canceled for one reason or another at their DICE seminar called “From Developer to Worldwide Publisher“, where Blizzard execs Mike Morhaime (CEO & co-founder), Rob Pardo (Senior VP of Game Design) and Frank Pearce (Executive VP of Product Development) talked about the history of the company and how it got to where it is today.