Starcraft II: The Full Scoop
Since Blizzard’s announcement on May 19th that they would finally be releasing the long-anticipated Starcraft II, gaming fans have been abuzz with excitement. When will it be released? Will there be new races? What will be updated and improved?
Blizzard’s original announcement of the game did not include a release date but Blizzard Vice President Rob Pardo recently revealed that the game would not be available until 2008 at the earliest. He stated that some game production companies set a date and then release the game on that date whether the game is ready or not. Blizzard takes the opposite approach, choosing to release their games when they believe the game is perfect and fans will be 100% satisfied. While this left some fans a little disappointed, it did not lessen their excitement. Here are some things that gaming fans can expect when Starcraft II finally does hit stores, hopefully sometime next year.
Fans should not expect any new races introduced into the game. The familiar Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races will return, but with some changes. They will be further distinguished, each race taking on even more characteristics that set them apart from the others. Each race will be outfitted with new units, and some of the original units will be equipped with new capabilities. All-told, while the main features of each race will stay the same, each will have plenty of new nuances to become acquainted with. Gamers will not feel like they are controlling the same old actors.
Developers said that Blizzard has increased its focus on multiplayer gaming in Starcraft II. With the recent surge in multiplayer gaming around the world, this should not come as a big surprise. In fact, it should be welcome, as the original game has often been faulted for lacking in multiplayer capabilities. However, the focus on multiplayer gaming may have come at a price. Designers said that the single player storyline had been more or less put on hold in an effort to continue working on the multiplayer aspect of the game. However, they did say that the storylines of many favorite characters, such as Jim Raynor, Kerrigan, and Zeratul would be furthered in Starcraft II.
Finally, the game play itself is an area many fans are wondering about. Initial footage from Starcraft II released by Blizzard appeared to be equipped with significantly better graphics, but some fans were concerned that the footage resembled that from the original game a little too closely. Pardo responded with what seemed to be an admission that there was some truth to that statement, saying that innovations were being made at the unit and UI levels, making the strategy of the game that much more rich. He also highlighted some new display options, saying that it would now be possible to view detailed units and massive armies on-screen at the same time, a feature that was not possible in the original.
There is already a plethora of information and media about Starcraft II. Visit www.starcraft2.com for Blizzard’s official website on the game or YouTube for some video footage of the game.
=
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment