Slashdot Mirror
Blizzard Announces New Starcraft Game
About a zillion readers wrote in to tell us about all the commotion over at the Blizzard site. Following a countdown, they've announced the latest Starcraft game, Starcraft: Ghost. Note that this game will be console-only, and the FAQ is very adamant that this is not a Starcraft 2.
Q: What is StarCraft: Ghost?
A: StarCraft: Ghost is a tactical-action console game set in the StarCraft® universe.
Q: How will StarCraft: Ghost be different from other tactical-action console games?
A: StarCraft: Ghost will be different from other tactical-action games in many ways. Taking on the role of Nova, the game's elite Ghost operative hero, players will be able to:
Utilize a Wide Range of Elite Ghost Abilities
Outmaneuver your enemies at sonic speed
Infiltrate bases and sneak past guards using the cloak ability
Lock down vehicles and electronic devices to immobilize them
Engage in both face-to-face firefights and planet-scale warfare
Leverage the Resources of an Entire Army
Call down massive Battlecruiser and Siege Tank strikes
Take control of familiar StarCraft vehicles
Wield a variety of familiar weapons, such as the Gauss Rifle and Perdition Flamethrower
Join your allies in battle and do your part to ensure mission success
Experience the World of StarCraft in 3D
See the world of StarCraft on a personal level
Visit familiar planetary settings
Explore 3D environments designed for strategic interaction
Use the camera to find unique strategic possibilities
As Nova, players will be able to scale fences, hang from wires, climb poles and scale walls, and negotiate tightropes
Unveil the Next Chapter in the StarCraft Saga
Experience story-driven missions complete with multiple plot twists
Play a crucial role in the rich StarCraft history
Engage in combat with a variety of fully rendered units from the StarCraft universe, including the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss
Q: Is this StarCraft II?
A: No.
Q: Will there be a StarCraft II? When?
A: Although we have not made any announcements and do not have a development or release timeline, we do fully intend to revisit the world of StarCraft on PC at some point in the future.
Q: Why is Blizzard Entertainment® entering the console arena?
A: We began our early development efforts in console gaming, and we have always been excited about returning to this arena. Additionally, we've wanted to revisit the StarCraft universe for some time. With StarCraft: Ghost, we are able to do both. Also, due to the game's control interface and tactical-action nature, developing this title for the next-generation console systems makes the most sense. In addition to expanding StarCraft's rich storyline, the game gives players a chance to experience the sci-fi universe from an all-new perspective.
Q: Does Blizzard plan to develop any other console games?
A: While we have not made any announcements, we are considering future console development plans.
Q: What is the relationship between Blizzard and Nihilistic Software, Inc.(TM)?
A: Blizzard and Nihilistic are co-developing StarCraft: Ghost.
Q: Why did Blizzard choose Nihilistic as a development partner?
A: Nihilistic Software, Inc. is made up of a talented group of developers. We chose them because they share our vision and focus in developing games. Their team members have worked on several great titles, and we are very pleased to be expanding the StarCraft universe with them.
Q: What is the relationship between Blizzard Entertainment and Capcom?
A: Blizzard and Capcom are co-publishing StarCraft: Ghost in Japan.
Q: Why did Blizzard choose Capcom as a publishing partner in Japan?
A: Blizzard has a longstanding relationship with Capcom. We chose them as our publishing partner because we have a great deal of respect for the company and their products.
Q: When will StarCraft: Ghost be released?
A: We expect to ship StarCraft: Ghost in late 2003.
Q: What rating do you expect for StarCraft: Ghost?
A: We expect StarCraft: Ghost to receive a Teen rating from the ESRB.
Q: On what platforms will StarCraft: Ghost be available?
A: We are currently developing the game for multiple console systems. Further details regarding platform/country specifics will be released in the months ahead.
Q: Will there be a PC and Mac version?
A: No. StarCraft: Ghost is only being developed for console systems.
Q: How many copies of StarCraft have been sold?
A: To date, the StarCraft franchise has shipped over 6 million copies.
Everyone was wishing/hoping for Starcraft 2, but then they announce a cool-sounding game thats not going to even come to PC?
Insert Microsoft payed them off conspiracy here.
Most disappointing thing i've ever heard. Console game. Who cares?
Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
Someone please mirror some of the content of the post here. You'd think Blizzard would know a little about handling large spikes in traffic.
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
Blizzard Entertainment® Announces StarCraft: Ghost(TM)
Blizzard unveils plans to bring the legendary franchise to console gamers
MAKUHARI, Japan - September 20, 2002 - During a press conference today at the Tokyo Game Show, Blizzard Entertainment®, a studio of the games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, unveiled StarCraft: Ghost(TM), a tactical-action console game set in Blizzard's epic StarCraft® universe. StarCraft: Ghost is currently under development and is scheduled for a worldwide release on multiple console systems. The game will be co-published by Capcom and Blizzard Entertainment in Japan; further announcements regarding platform/country specifics will be announced in the months to come.
In StarCraft: Ghost, players take the role of Nova, a lethal Ghost operative skillfully trained in the arts of espionage and tactical combat. Twenty years of ruthless physical conditioning and techno-psychological instruction have made Nova a being of terrifying potential. With the help of a determined group of allies, players follow a series of story-driven missions, engaging in a deadly mix of planetary battles and dangerous solo operations. To complete their mission objectives, players must execute intelligent tactical decisions while mastering an advanced arsenal of sophisticated weaponry.
"We're very excited about returning to the StarCraft series," stated Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. "Our roots are based in console gaming, and we look forward to developing this universe for the next-generation console systems."
Key features in StarCraft: Ghost include:
Revolutionary new style of gameplay featuring enhanced physical and psionic abilities
Hostile Environment Suit designed to magnify strength, agility, and speed
Over-the-top special effects offer stunning visuals and unparalleled tactical realism
Immersive 3D environments showcase rich textures and highly stylized character models
Unique Calldown abilities allow players to target large-scale attacks from the ground
A deeply evolving storyline set in Blizzard's gritty sci-fi StarCraft universe
As the story unravels, players find themselves traversing uncharted terrain and battling adversaries never before seen by followers of the series. Bold 3D graphics give players a new, in-depth perspective on familiar planets and former battlefields from the legendary universe. A dynamic 3rd-person camera view displays dramatic lighting, startling detail, and a blend of realistic and fantastical design. Co-developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Nihilistic Software, Inc.(TM), StarCraft: Ghost is scheduled for release in late 2003. Since its debut in 1998, the #1-selling StarCraft series* has won industry acclaim and has shattered sales records worldwide with over six million copies shipped. Blizzard continued the series with the critically acclaimed StarCraft: Brood War(TM), which won multiple Expansion Pack of the Year awards and is still considered by many critics to be one of the best add-on products to date. Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft,and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment (www.blizzard.com), a studio of the games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes seven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service Battle.net® reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.
I forget, do we like or despise Blizzard this week?
Well, I'd say this should be the nail in the coffin. The site was basically unusable about 30 minutes ago and they had to shut down the forums completely. I'm guessing this story making the front page of slashdot isn't going to help too much. oh well, Ghost doesn't sound that great anyway, a metalgear-like game from Blizzard?
Q: Will there be a StarCraft II? When? A: Although we have not made any announcements and do not have a development or release timeline, we do fully intend to revisit the world of StarCraft on PC at some point in the future.
So fear not, though THIS game is not for the PC, there will be another. I think that the type of game they describe will work very nicely on a console.
I'll make sure to tell my grandkids..
-ashot
The last time Blizzard tried to make something with another group of developers, it turned out to be such crap that they canned it...
Tim
Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
Screenshots and the press release are attached to the story at Shacknews.com.
Mod parent up! Blizz's sites have been hammered and down for the last 2 hours or so, before the slashdot post. Its almost impossible to get there.
Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
Sounds a lot like Command & Conquer: Renegade to me.
I just hope they do a better job with the storyline. God, that sucked. A few missions in and suddenly... what? I'm done already?!? LAME!
Even Unreal Tournament had a better story arc, and that's really saying something.
Dragging people kicking and screaming into reality since 1996.
"Starcraft Ghost will be out late 2003"
So we can expect it sometime in 2006.
Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
Ok, i'd really like to be convinced otherwise, but i really can't see how this can't suck compared to what
:)
it could have been like if it was a fps PC game.
I mean, i tried The Thing and i was screaming "I want
first person perspective!" at the damn thing for 20 minutes before giving up.
The background story is great, but without a mouse to aim..
A couple years ago or so, when many were heralding the imminent doom of PC games when the next-generation consoles (X-Box, PS2, Gamecube) came out, I sneered and jeered along with the rest of them. PC games, affected at all by these upstart consoles? Ha-ha, ho-ho, it is to laugh!
Now comes Starcraft Ghost, and I'm no longer laughing. Sure, they may turn it out for the PC at some point (maybe), but it's obvious the console gamers are now getting first pick at Blizzard's new titles. And this isn't some new Mario title or kart-racing game that I couldn't give a tinker's damn about -- this is Starcraft. That's a big deal.
Not that it will be a selling point for me -- unfortunately, the disposable income to keep up with the technology curve on both the console and PC front is not a luxury I have right now. And so I find myself reacting to the release of a new Starcraft title not with the excitement and joy that I'd hoped, but with mixed disappointment and dread. Gee, thanks, Blizzard.
About a zillion readers wrote in to tell us
Whoa! Karma inflation!
I knew I should have gotten in on the ground level. Tomorrow my Excellent is going to be Can't Buy A Stick of Gum No More (mostly affected by moderation done to your comments)
They just gave a slap in the face to StarCraft fans, adding insult to injury. I think most StarCraft fans are disgusted at this announcement, as am I (And judging from the outcry on sclegacy).
It was bad enough that this game was not SC2, yet in the SC universe (This means SC2 will be even MORE delayed than had the game been in another universe), but furthermore they're making it console only. I don't know ANY SC fan who would buy a PS2 or an XBOX just to play this game.
Regards, Guspaz.
Now I know why I can't get into http://www.blizzard.com, http://www.battle.net or http://www.ign.com.... I feel the suffering of numerous gamers screaming in frustration at not being able to read about the game.... ;)
Good ol' /. effect
Insert Sig Here
So, the new game is basically (give or take) this?
I once shot a man in Reno 'cause they cancelled Firefly.
so in this case if the site gets terminally slashdotted, is it a zerg rush?
News for Geeks in Austin, TX
Both the FAQ and the press release fail to mention which console Starcraft:Ghost is being developed for.
Does anyone have any further information?
Nothing, not even a Blizzard game, will compell me to buy an XBox.
Sounds all very... Metal Gear Solid. Hmmm. I've never been a big fan of Starcraft (but most RTS's don't put wind in my sail).
And now Blizzard is going to go from their gold standard (the RTS) into unfriendly waters (the Tactical Sim)? Of course they can never go long with this dialogue:
Ghost: "The truck have started to move!"
Templar: "I feel asleep!"
What is music when you despise all sound?
"We began our early development efforts in console gaming, and we have always been excited about returning to this arena. Additionally, we've wanted to revisit the StarCraft universe for some time. With StarCraft: Ghost, we are able to do both."
n _ghost_character.
Translation: We wanted to use Blizzard's name and a great game title to enter into the console market.
I'm not meaning to flame here... But it looks like that to me. It could turn out to be a great game. However I do question how much it will be starcraft and how much it will be star_based_game_set_in_space_with_aliens_and_huma
If It's good (which I do hope. I've always supported Blizzard), I guess I'll have to buy a console.
So is it just another third person game on the market like Star Fox Adventures will be? (Another game which has changed format) I suppose it has the world advantage and probally a good story line. I'm not sure that's gona be enough to get the better of the other games in the same market.
I also liked the cinematics (esp. those in Broodwar); I felt combination of events and score worked really well together.
So, let's hope we have another winner here -- I need something to play when I'm on a long flight (and as such deprived of a good broadband connection).
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
http://www.blizzard.com/ghost/screenshots/ss01.sht ml
Is it me? Or is she squatting completely naked with a look of mischief in her eyes?
Nevertheless, Starcraft2.com is up.
irony
Pronunciation: 'I-r&-nE also 'I(-&)r-nE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -nies
Etymology: Latin ironia, from Greek eirOnia, from eirOn dissembler
Date: 1502
1 : a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning -- called also Socratic irony
2 a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance
3 a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play -- called also dramatic irony, tragic irony
[/Pedantic]
I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.
Blizzard origionally was a console company. What is now known as Blizzard was once Silicon & Synapse. One of their more popular games was Rock & Roll Racing, which, if memory serves, was produced for Nintendo. There have been rumors of them returning to their console roots someday, and with everybody and their brother making consoles these days, it's not surprising that they'd want to "re-expand" into that lucrative market.
As for me, I'm not excited really, because I'm not a console gamer, and because Blizzard's handling of the BNETD situation left a bad taste in my mouth. But, they do have a rep for making good games, so I guess we'll see how well they do on this one.
And if you click on your player repeatedly, she will turn around and shout at you "Stop touching me!"
The Pjammer Chronicles --
Check this out.
I only have one thing to say : Holy mother of god, I want this game!
Check it out
Looks can be deceiving. Or CAN they?
To see if this xbox "emulator" is really viable.
OK, emulator is maybe the wrong word, I guess it's really an implimentation of the xbox libs (XTLs) under win32; ala what WINE is for Linux and the Win 16/32 enviroment.
The author did mention that he intends to make cxbx open source in the future. OK, there's the info, is it viable?
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a brutal anal raping at airport security
I'd say "sucks to be you, Starcraft Fan", but then you'd just retaliate with "sucks to be you, Starcraft Hater", and then this would all just degenerate into pointless namecalling and inane arguments.
Hrm.
Sucks to be you, Starcraft Fan!
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
Uh, how can you have a FAQ when :
a) They just made the announcement an hour or two ago.
b) The site is so hammered you can't find out what they hell they announced, let alone frequently ask questions about it.
I knew Blizzard was high on themselves, but jeez...
Ahem -- I suppose I could learn to spell. That would make the Preview button just a tad more useful. Apologies.
How depressing that bringing down a funny script with halfassed 3D graphics is "a new level." Not necessarily a better level, I guess! Gimme pixelated sprites any day.
mini-preview for the project at IGN, here.
their partners in this venture, Nihilistic, seem fairly competent. Besides, one of the founders of Nihilistic was a former Blizz employee who worked on Starcraft (page 3 of the IGN preview). So this partnership should be about as successful as possible...
This is clearly another game like Halo that benefit hugely from the high-resolution and vivid color that a PC can provide and a "next-gen" console cannot. [i]Bummer[/i].
Nice to see that Nihilistic is finally producing something new, though... that's a talented crew.
// I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
Ok, I understand that a good chunk of the slashdot posters only want to play games once and a while, this post is not for you.
I know there are some of you out there that are self proclaimed "gamers", yet have an extreme aversion to consoles. I am a gamer who really likes both PC and console games almost equally, each having its strenghs and weaknesses, of course.
I don't buy Doom and Quake or other FPS's for my consoles any more than I would buy Frogger 2 for the PC when I could play a good Mario platformer on my gamecube.
Why the aversion to consoles on slashdot?
1. Is it a money issue?
2. Does it have to do with the companies selling the consoles?
3. Do you only prefer the genres PC's excel at (FPS, RTS, basically any game that needs a mouse rather than a controller)
4. Some other reason, and I'm just not thinking of it right now? Multiplayer on a scale larger than 4 maybe?
Please respond if you have any insight, this has nagged at me for awhile.
I donno, i just thought that this was very similar to what they did with command and conquer when they turned it into that 3d FPS -- which incidentally i thought was pretty cool. It wasn't 'the best FPS i've every played' by any measure, but it was kinda nifty seeing the vehicles from command and conquer in an fps--and being able to pilot them too.
mov ax, 13h
int 10h
when you see "Console Only" and think "COOL! Finally, ASCII art is making a come back!"
Snarkiness is inversely proportional to wisdom because it emphasizes feeling right rather than being right.
http://www.nihilistic.com/images/starcraftghost/
I hope that this dose set back the release date for SC2
I played and finished WC3.. and what a HUGE disapoint it was.. it was more of a Roleplaying game than RTS Battle Game
Hope they dont make SC2 into a Roleplaying game.
The More Knowledge you have the Luckier you Get- J.R. Ewing
wow, i remember Rock & Roll racing on the SNES, i never knew it was blizzard
This is not the greatest sig in the world, no. This is just a tribute.
Consoles are good for : fighting games, sports games, racing games... that's about it really. Some people swear by Goldeneye and its clones, but.. FPSs are made for a mouse, no console controller will ever be as good.
:p
As for this type of third person thing.. some people have been comparing to MGS, but I've never played that, so I can't say. I trust Blizzard to make a good game though. (I still would have loved to have gotten to play Warcraft Adventures..)
As long as they don't fuck up and release only on the XBox. I have a lot of friends with consoles, *none* of them have an XBox, or even remotely considered getting one when they were deciding which to buy. I guess *someone* must be buying them, since games are apparently still coming out, but I don't know who. (Possibly this is the same phenomenon as the fact that no one I know uses anything but AIM for instant messages, but apparently there are lots of people that use the Microsoft and Yahoo ones..)
Anyway, my personal preference is Gamecube over PS2, but the PS2 isn't too bad either.
Of course as other people have mentioned, the actual time until it's released will be whatever they've announced times 3 (at least), so by the time it's out, we'll be up to PS4.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
If it's at least as fun as MG:S, I'll count my money and my hours well spent.
Give the multitude of Tactical Rip-Off Action games that have come and gone since Metal Gear Solid, there's only a very slim chance that this game will be nearly as fun as its predecessor. SO far, none of the dozens of MGS rip-offs have come close to the original.
this isn't the first Starcraft for a console - they put one out for Nintendo64 before
that was just a port though
Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
Blackthorne also made it to the SNES Console.
Putting the romance back into necromancer.
Man, I think I must have been using Linux for too long, I read that title as that the game is being released for the "Console", I had visions of little ascii space ships on the screen.
NZ Electronics Enthusiasts: Check out my Trade Me Listings
The reason's I don't like consoles.
1. The price is too high.
2. You can't upgrade them, you have to buy a whole new one, you can't just upgrade 1 part of it like a PC.
3. Piracy is harder (although not impossible)
and the biggest reason of all:
4. I can't convince my parents that I need an X-box to do my homework!
I suspect you may have been doing that to be cute. Its not, so don't do that again. And the first Blizzard game I can recall was Blackthorne, it was an action game, not a RTS or some such...and it still rocked. Its unfortunate you can't appreciate a decent FPS - live, and don't try to claim there's nothing of value. I dare you to make the game they're trying to implement and preserve any decent portion of the strategic value of the original. Anyway, the use of the word "Gay" died a year ago. Please move on to better bitching.
About a zillion readers wrote in to tell us about all the commotion over at the Blizzard site. Following a countdown, they've announced the latest Starcraft game, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Starcraft 2.
Starcraft 2?!? Where?!?
excellent original background - check
sexy, tough, butt kicking heroine - check
great 3d graphics - check
story driven action - check
support for the platform I just spent $2000au for - DOH!!!
I've experiments to run, there is research to be done on the people who are still alive.
Vivendi needs the help of every upstanding American to help FUND THE WAR ON FREEDOM!
Call (206) 338-5780 COLLECT for information about a genuine BA, BS, MA, MS, MBA, or Ph.D.
since the Blizzard/Bnetd thing is resolved happily.. no wait.. it isn't
One thing that many PC gamers tend to not realize is that a Console game will almost always make more money then a PC game. Even a mostly crappy console game sells more copies then some of the best PC games.
If you take that into account, there is no reason not to do a Console game. And at least they are doing this the right way. Unless I am severly mistaken, the console ports of Warcraft 2, Diablo, and Starcraft have all sucked.
END COMMUNICATION
I mean, really... I have never seen one single game with like "Hey this looks like my friend's mom" women in them. and they are always lightly dressed and no matter how advanced the the physics engine is, they *always* malfunctions on the chest department...
Actually I had a friend whose mom looked like a chick in a game... but see -- that's the wrong way around.
For once, man... somebody make a game with realistic people in them, huh?
I mean, after all they did such a wonderful job modelling the zerg after the cockroach under my stove and such....
My life in the land of the rising sun.
*Someone call for a doctor?* just doesn't match her height and build...
Etc, etc, ad nauseam, and so on and so forth.
And I've never even USED bnetd. That's how upset what they did makes me.
This is excellent news! I have been waiting for a new game set in the StarCraft universe for 2 years. Now loyal fans can finally go back to it! Any true gamer has all the systems and a computer, so I am all set. If it comes out on X-Box, Gamecube, Playstation 2, whatever, I will get the best version. I am going to go play some emulated Rock and Roll Racing to celebrate! Ciao
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtian!
From the looks of releases such as the ign review, it really does look like it's real Starcraft. The characters and vehicles are all from Starcraft, haivng all the Starcraft abilities (eg. Yamoto and seige tank strikes, vulture bikes). Also, the personalities and for the most part voices look like they are straight out of the original.
Taking just the Ghost herself, her abilities inclue ALL the ghost's abilities from the game including lock-down, the shotgun, and the ability to call in a primed nuclear strike. Yes, she has more abilities/weapons, but without these the options and tactics would severely limited.
Add to this the history of the Starcraft universe, and what looks to be an appropriate story tying in the large-scale battle background, I don't see how much more Starcraft you can get.
I personally don't really do console games, but this looks about as promising as it gets at this stage.
Looks to me like they've done a good job so far.
Noims.
This is not the greatest sig in the world. This is just a tribute.
[root@mike pts/1 root]# whois starcraft2.com
*snip*
Domain Name: STARCRAFT2.COM
Created on..............: Fri, Sep 24, 1999
Expires on..............: Wed, Sep 24, 2003
Blizzard's had this name for over two years. That's pretty standard practice, to grab domains you think you might use.
...Blizzard did it again. Anyone else notice the Brittany Spears resemblence to the main character?... Unleash the conspiracy theories..
No one ever said it wasn't starcraft. It's a game in the starcraft universe for sure. But it's not "Starcraft 2", which by all accounts should and WILL be another RTS. It's just too soon for them to release another RTS to compete with WC3.
I know more than you drink.
The screen shots on the blizzard site look like they are in a wide screen format. Does this mean it will play nice with a 16x9 HDTV?
Starcraft Ghost: *Did somebody call for an exterminator?*
I should have known better than to try to fire off a witty comment. There's no way I'd ever be able to execute.
Etc, etc, ad nauseam, and so on and so forth.
Still waiting for the Diablo 2 1.10 patch.
Alas I was hoping they would be on to it with the release of WCIII, but no, now they get distracted with some other project.
More Rune Items!
i am endorsed for the carrying of dangerous goods, please be giving me your depleted uranium
Their servers (and ign's) have been busy all night. I couldn't get www.blizzard.com to load for an hour after the announcement (to see what it was), and that was before there was any kind of slashdot effect.
I imagine that the slashdot effect turned what was already a major server rape in to an all out gang rape.
www.warcraftiii.net was pretty bad, too. Pretty much anything affiliated with Blizzard was hit pretty hard tonight.
BlackGriffen
Maybe when they stop trying to kill the bnetd project I'll consider buying from them again.
I can't help it. I just have a hard time giving my money to a company that is trying to kill a great open source project by using the DMCA.
So until they stop what they're doing to the bnetd group, I say fuck 'em!
The race isn't always to the swift... but that's the way to bet!
that and WC3 is beginning to suck only two days after I bought it... not a good Blizzard week all around.
Just registering my disgust on the internet.
sic transit gloria mundi
Yeah yeah, offtopic, mod me down, but the intersitial ad under the story was from MS...
"Get Microsoft behind your business"
Is that so they can more easily fuck you in the ass?
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
Duke Nukem Forever is taking well,... forever, but in the mean-time they released a fully 3-D rendered Duke game, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project. This game featured the physics and side-scroller play of the first Duke games, but featured killer 3D that beat Duke Nukem 3D's sprites and 2.5D engine.
;-)
A) It was fun for those of us who still enjoy and get nostalgic about those good old fashioned side-scrollers.
B) It keeps the buzz over the game alive and kicking, so the fan base doesn't forget the excitement. Think about a movie you loved as a kid, but by the time a sequel came out, you just weren't as jazzed anymore. Doom still holds a special place in my heart, but might not impress me much in 5 years.
Unfortunately, if a lot of the StarCraft fanbase is like myself, they won't have the right console, or a console at all, and will continue waiting for PC ports or the real sequel...
late 2003 is a long time but with Mario, Star Fox, Metroid, and Zelda to keep me busy I think I can wait.
Anyone remember the X-Com first-person shooter? It basically had nothing in common gameplay-wise with the highly successful X-Com games; it was just an FPS in vaguely the same setting taking advantage of the X-Com name. It was not very successful.
My tentative prediction is that Starcraft: Ghost will fare similarly.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Nintendo put out a lot more "risky" games then most companies.
Pikmin and Animal Crossing are Nintendo brand titles. Are there any "risky" licensed titles for GameCube?
Will I retire or break 10K?
If It's good (which I do hope. I've always supported Blizzard), I guess I'll have to buy a console.
I can't help but imagine that the sales for this game will be heavy, as more people own consoles than PCs (for gaming). Also, I bet Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are paying Blizzard a heap of cash to have the game on consoles in general and their consoles specifically. Sigh. Oh well, this one's not for me I guess.
This is not the greatest sig in the world, no. This is just a tribute.
Besides, it's being developed for MULTIPLE PLATFORMS.
By "multiple console platforms", do they mean "multiple DVD/miniDVD based console platforms, that is, only for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube" or do they include Game Boy Advance? Because if it's available on GBA, it's available on Windows and Linux: just buy the cartridge, plug it into your Visoly linker, and run it in VisualBoyAdvance.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Actually, the insistence that this isn't "Starcraft 2" should be a strong clue that PC gamers aren't really missing out on "the next big thing" from Blizzard. This sounds much more like a completely different game, trying to cash in on the popularity of the Starcraft name.
If you were laughing before at the suggestion that the PC game market would dry up with the new generation of consoles, keep on laughing. Unreal Tournament 2003 will be out for the PC before XBox or PS2 has it. Starcraft 2 is still slated to be on the PC first, from every indication they've given.
If you take that into account, there is no reason not to do a Console game.
Except that you can't find a publisher. This late in the game, if you're developing for a DVD/miniDVD console system, you need to find a publisher to take your title even before you start developing your game, so that you can have access to development hardware.
The GBA, on the other hand, is pretty much wide open by now.
Will I retire or break 10K?
to see "Starcraft" and "console only" and think of some half mix between a MUD and bad ascii art starcraft units?
..........P.P..PPM ...BB..BM.P......P ..BG.............. ..ZZZ....Z........ ..BC..*..E.E.E....
Game: You NEW level one probe was just producted!
You: Command Probe 34 to Mine A11
Game: Probe 34 has now benn sent to mine map coords A11 and will arrive in 13 seconds.
Game: We have detected enemy troop movement in area e15, Press A to zoom to, B to zoom to unit being attacked or C for a general overview.
You: C
Game:
a:
b:
c:
d:
e:
f: BCBC*....eE.EE....
Your comment uses the poetic device of parallelism to equate video game production in Russia with video game production in Japan. The difference here is that the North American console gaming population is much more familiar with Japanese video game culture than with Russian video game culture (excluding one particular Russian game).
Will I retire or break 10K?
Instead of trying to go for the UT-type play, why not work with Capcom on a Resident Evil kind of game? Since Capcom's busily catching the Gamecube up to the PS2 for RE, I'm sure they'd be happy to do a game for PS2.
Zerg can be freakier than zombies (maybe I read the manual wrong, but don't Hydralisks open their chests and shoot spikes out of their ribs?), and the Protoss aren't exactly cuddly, either.
And whenever Blizzard chooses to make StarCraft II, they'll have to do it right - almost every RTS these days is compared to either Age of Empires II, or StarCraft. In fact, I feel sorry for Blizzard, because StarCraft II will probably have to be perfect to live up to most gamers' expectations.
The world can be wrong today for once.
I'd guess Nintendo isn't paying them a dime, but that's just a guess.
After all the Doom and Duke Nukem versions were just flat out pathetic.
Don't you disrespect Doom Advance. Even though it runs in 120x120 resolution, it preserves almost everything that was good about Doom for PC, and a GBA is much lighter (i'm talking mass not brightness), provides more battery power per charge (even with the Pelican cover/light turned on), and costs a lot less than a typical used late-486 laptop. And you don't have to play on a steenkin keyboard.
I'll agree that Duke Nukem 64 by 2D Realms was no fun (having to walk through a wall to beat the early "prison" level smacks of trolling for 1-900 hint line revenue), especially when put up against Rare's Goldeneye.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I own a PS2 and a Dreamcast, yet when I read:
Note that this game will be console-only
My first thought was "Cool! A text mode game!".
I maintained this foolishness, even trying to figure out how they could make a first person 3D game in 80x25. I am ashamed.
This sig is part of your complete breakfast.
Look at the screenshots and imagine how immersive and beautiful it will be.
Look at the FAQ and imagine how expensive it will be, alienating many Blizzard fans who buy games with an allowance from their parents because they aren't yet old enough to circumvent somewhat oppressive child labor laws. Not only will it cost $60 for the software plus more for service^W expansion packs, it looks like at least $10 per month for an account.
It gets even worse for Final Fantasy XI, which (in addition to a PS2) effectively requires the Linux Kit (for the hard drive and broadband adapter), plus the game, plus a subscription for each character. Imagine paying real money for a Phoenix Down to revive your characters.
Will I retire or break 10K?
i wonder if anyone has ever thought about using starcraft to represent sysadmin things like people have done with doom.
I'd bet people have, but Blizzard's parent Vivendi Universal is much more closed about its older game engines than id Software is.
Will I retire or break 10K?
My friend just got that. We used to rent it years ago and spent the time since then looking to buy it. It was probably a 3 year project to find the actual cartridge at a good price (not a full time search though). I loved that game.
Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
[o]_O
Yes, they are two first party titles. Anything Nintendo develops is going to be a first party title.
I was rebutting an attack against Nintendo's lack "risky" games, not the games others develop for the system.
Nintendo can't choose what their third parties develop. If third parties keep creating out 'boring' games, it's hardly Nintendo's fault.
Yeah! It's the return of text-based games!
Oh, that kind of console game...
// file: mice.h
#include "frickin_lasers.h"
I hope you're right. And that is a good point -- if they are continuing the Starcraft license, there may be hope for a SC2 on the PC at some point in the future.
And yes, I am definitely looking forward to UT 2003 on the PC. (I can't understand how anyone can play a FPS on a console. I've tried it, and it's just alien to me.)
Back to the roots? How does it look like?
An enemy is approaching at 1453, 345
# attack enemy(1435, 345) with rocket launcher
Enemy not dead yet.
#
I am not sure i want this game.
However I do question how much it will be starcraft and how much it will be star_based_game_set_in_space_with_aliens_and_human _ghost_character.
t ml
Well, the IGN preview should have your answer, but here's a copy and paste of the actual paragraph that answers your "question" if you don't wanna read the whole article.
While Nihilistic is doing most of the coding and artwork on the project, the collaborative work on the game between Blizzard and Nihilistic sounds to be pretty well balanced. And if you're worried about Nihilistic keeping true to StarCraft, you shouldn't be. As Bill told us, "one of things that's really nice about [the partnership between Blizzard and Nihilistic] is Rob Huebner, one of the guys that started [Nihilistic], used to work for us. He actually worked on StarCraft, so they are very much into, and very knowledgeable of the way that we like to work on things, the amount of time we take, the amount of iterations we demand, and those kind of things."
And there's the link to the actual page of where i got that from:
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/371/371543p4.h
(sorry bout the poor format, i'm not too good with html)
This message was brought to you by the death of 30 brain cells.
Come on guys, it's not that hard.
Warcraft 3 is the fastest selling PC game of all time. It continues to top the charts since its release. In fact, this week is the first time it wasn't #1.
With those kinds of numbers, its obvious Blizzard will do an expansion for it - its easy money!
Now imagine they announced Starcraft 2 would be out next year. That would cannibalize sales of Warcraft 3, and kill any opportunity of an expansion. Everyone would be waiting for Starcraft 2 instead.
This is why they didn't announce Starcraft 2 today. In fact, the PR guys confirmed several days ago that Starcraft 2 isn't even in development - they are focused on making as much as they can from Warcraft 3 right now.
Who knows what will come after the Warcraft III expansion - something with Diablo? Something new? But I don't think we will see Starcraft 2 for at least 3 years.
Or maybe you're forgetting Rock'n'Roll Racing, done by our good friends at Blizzard a decade ago.
How about The Lost Vikings?
Blizzard was doing console gaming long before they were a big PC name.
"Rock N' Roll Racing may very well be my favorite racing game of all time.
Created in 1993 by Silicon and Synapse (the guys who also made Lost Vikings
1 & 2 for the SNES, and who turned out to be Blizzard Entertainment, makers
of Warcraft I, II, & III, Diablo I & II, and Starcraft for PC),"
Console gaming has always been the arena of true gaming, and will always be so because a dedicated machine engineered to game will always have greater market penetration than a general purpose machine which can play games.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
You could've made +5 if you'd said:
"Slashdot: News for Zergs. Stuff that mutates."
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
So they got ahold of Voyager's Warp Reactor. So what?
Apparently, Blizzard's planning on gaining more sales by having their female lead not wear any pants. Brilliant!
It's funny. Laugh.
I still can't understand why people are so religious about using only one platform.
:) ).
:)
These days I play games only on the PC, but years ago I bought a PSX, at about the same time Final Fantasy 7 came out. Bought that game (and loved it), bought a lot of "party" games, played it a lot with my friends, then gave it to my younger brother.
And I had a lot of fun with it.
I'm thinking of buying an X-Box until the end of the year. Doubles as a second DVD player, has fighting games (which I miss on the PC), and will have games like Molyneux's Project Ego and now Starcraft: Ghost (I actually predicted that name yesterday, during the countdown... but nobody will ever believe me.
Anyway, a console is not so expensive. It doesn't have to REPLACE the PC, it's just a way to have more choices. And you can play much more "sociable" (or "party") games in a console... Get some friends, a big couch and some dozen beers, and...
The Tlog - a technology blog
Since you mention the three major players, I just hope the rights to console publishing don't get bought out by any particular company. I'd hate to have yet another reason to buy an X-Box, and the target audience for the GameCube just doesn't cut it. It's nice that they're targeting the console from the get-go on this game, as many PC games ported to consoles have been just a shadow to their PC counterparts (with the exception of many of EA's games--including NFS--which have separate development teams for console and PC).
Screenshots? How do you get screenshots from a console game? Im glad people are finally going back to console games. Now I wont even need to install X to play games!!
/usr/games/fortune
Just this once I think that the comment:
News for Zergs. Stuff that splatters
truly is more appropriate
Is this not the 100,000,000,000 time someone has said that? It's not funny. Never has been. Stop karma whoring.
As the AC points out nicely it's not a single point of view. Secondly, some of us can seperate art and politics. I can hate a company's tactics and yet still like what the produce. I am not a single state machine.
I mod down any one who says "I'm sure I will get modded down for this"
I think you're missing something.... the awesome protoss in 3D. If you are a Starcraft fan and prefer the Protoss, you can't expect me to believe that you didn't drool all over your keyboard.
I wrote a bunch about it in my journal. Basically, its started off as a countdown timer on the blizzard site without any background (started at 10hours, I recall).
Each hour, during odd times, the clock flashed green for a second. People took down the time, noticed all numbers were between 0-25. They translated it to letters, then turned it around, and it made words that terran ghosts said when you clicked on them in starcraft ("Somebody call for an exterminator", etc...).
Each hour, the picture got more in focus.
Eventually, people started understanding that it had something to do with starcraft, so it moved to StarCraft2.com.
Now, everyone started looking at the 'fading in' picture, and trying to determine what it would be (there were two popular ideas, one was kerrigan, queen of the zerg, the other was a protoss-zerg hybrid).
Eventually, the time came up, found out it was a console shooter, and a million fans turned livid with the disappointment that SC2 still isn't even a thought at blizzard (yeah, they say they are gonna revisit it, but they've said that for YEARS).
It really puzzels me that Blizzard is putting it off. StarCraft is STILL one of the most popular online RTS's. Its not like they are still making money on SC anymore.
Why not just make a second one off the WC3 engine???
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
They poked fun at Blizzard a few months ago.
Excerpt:
"I can be self-referential if I want to," said Tom, swiftly.
We wanted to use Blizzard's name and a great game title to enter into the console market.
I'm not super excited about this title, but if you knew anything about the last generation of consoles you would know that Warcraft II and Diablo came out on a number of platforms, including the PSOne. This is not Blizzard's first console game at all.
Why did they have to release bnetd to the general public then? They could have developed it and kept it to themselves for their own use only. That way Vivendi would have never had known and there wouldn't be this big legal matter to deal with.
And it doesn't really matter if they were trying to profit from it or not. Even for purely altruistic uses you can't just go around screwing around with a company's copywrited and patented IP as if it were your own.
Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
Sucks to be you, Starcraft Hater!
-Well, you did ask for it!
Thankfully my fears have been allayed.
Note that this game will be console-only,
Big deal. After two stinkers (Diablo II and Warcraft 3) in a row for which I ran to the store on the first day they were available, and paid dearly for, I am hardly holding my breath for the next Blizzard release.
They had my brand loyalty with Warcraft I/II and Diablo, and their associated expansion panks. They lost it with Diablo II and Warcraft 3. Here's hoping that Ensemble Studios doesn't let me down with the new Age of Mythology, or I don't know where my gaming dollars will go.
Sicko HTML voyeur... You need counseling!
Murphy was an optimist.
Is it possible for a person to get into console programming without a company or large amounts of money? I assume there are necessary devolopment packages, and maybe hardware. Basically, I'm interested in getting my hands on such things, and want to know if it's realistic.
Science may someday discover what faith has always known.
This has that lara croft feel. Good looking female heroine, 3rd person action, multitude of weapons, 3d environment... makes you wonder.
Many game vendors do this, hopefully blizzard will/can be pursuaded to do the same thing? I would think any company would want to maximize it's profit on such an endeavor, and as such, leaving out such a huge demographic would be just plain stupidity especially considering the fact that their original fan base for this series is pc based.
I agree, if it wasn't for the gimpy limit on the max units, WC3 would have been much better. As it is, it all revolves around the hero character. If they'd have just left the supply cap high and left "upkeep" out of it, it would have been decent. Unfortuantely, that crap killed the game even though they had some nice new features, like auto-spellcasting.
Murphy was an optimist.
Blizzards always been console friendly, considering they started out developing for the consoles. It's about time they did another console game but I was hoping for a PS2 port of Diablo 2. I really liked the PSone port of Diablo, good game even with same screen multiplayer. I haven't played the PSone port of Warcraft to see how good it was. Blizzaard did do one thing dumb, port Starcraft to the N64, a console without an RTS fanbase (every other console RTS was on the PSone), a mouse , or a link cable. It always annoys me when PD developers ignore the consoles, take Ion Storm for example. They create what is essentially a console RPG/homage to Squaresoft in Anachronox and they DON"T port it to the PS2, a machine with a huge RPG loving fanbase? That's just plain stupid, Anachronox would have sold a lot more copies to the RPG gamers on the PS2 than to the console hating PC gamers.
"I still can't understand why people are so religious about using only one platform."
:)
Me, personally, I'm only willing to buy one console shortly after release. Other consoles come about when the price dips to around $100, interesting games permitting. So it's in my interests to have the games I want on the console I want. I dun wanna pay $200 for a game system so I can pay $50 for a game.
Any thoughts on if Blizzard's goal might be to get console players into the world of SC so they will buy and play SC and SC2 (when available) as opposed to getting SC players into consoles?
It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, The hands acqui
Point proven.
...who the fuck do you work for? you've got pro-dmca posts all over this thread.
Talk about letting down their PC audience/fans. What a bunch of dicks.
Games are more fun to run on PC...the graphics are better, the controls are simpler, among other things. I've pissed off everyone is moving to console and leaving PC behind.
Magius_AR
The faq on Blizzard's website says that it will be a console game only--so they're not planning on a PC port at this time. The also state that the game will be available on multiple platforms. Of course, this could mean just two. I don't think this is going to be an exclusive though, or at least they're claiming for now that it won't be.
This is not the greatest sig in the world, no. This is just a tribute.
you are missing the point totally... it dont matter if its lame.. its Starcraft.. man what dont you understand.. Starcraft owns.. and bascially.. this has its name and so it must own too... im gonna be forced to buy a console now.. go SC
The word "community" might signify a greater amount of people then were actually "slapped in the face" as you put it. I don't think there was more than a few hundred people involved in this entire Bnetd thing. When you add in the number of SINCERELY sympathetic Slashdot posters who will follow thru with an actual boycott that might bump the number up another 100.
Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
Gaming != game.
Gaming, as a user experience, is vastly different between PCs and dedicated gaming machines. The experience (general case) is better with consoles, which is why the gaming industry makes more money than Hollywood or the record labels.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Leaving out the technical arguments about working with a fixed platform versus multiple possible platforms, each bringing its own (incomplete) implementation of a standard (see Carmack's own comments about this), and how you can get such things as Doom 3 running on a lil' ol' Xbox:
Gaming, as a user experience, is vastly different between PCs and dedicated gaming machines. The experience (general case) is better with consoles, which is why the gaming industry makes more money than Hollywood or the record labels.
I really don't understand how you could've read my description of market penetration as somehow being a way of saying that consoles are "more powerful" than computers. If you'd like to explain how you made the:
Step 1: consoles have a better market penetration
Step 2: ???
Step 3: consoles are more powerful than PCs
jump, I'd like to hear it so I can warn other people to not follow a similar jump of logic.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Big Doc smith fan?
Damn your eyes! Now I'll have to get into an inane argument with you!
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
you are missing the point totally... it dont matter if its lame.. its Starcraft.. man what dont you understand.. Starcraft owns.. and bascially.. this has its name and so it must own too... im gonna be forced to buy a console now.. go SC
Actually, I understand that perfectly. I also understand that because it is a horribly unoriginal game with some recognizable characters and elements tacked onto it, it will suck about as much as I expect Starfox Adventures to suck.
Then why's it at starcraft2.com?
I think you're missing the point. While I am indeed upset it is not SC2, that is not to say this won't be a good game. If this game were to be released on the PC, I'd probably purchase it. But 400$ is too much to spend on a single game, seeing as how I'd have to purchase a console and the game. It's been said before... They're making this game for the xbox, a PC port should be trivial.
Regards, Guspaz.
aw c'mon give it a chance ... i mean do it for Kerrigan.
Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that very few games by themselves are worth buying a console for. The only way I could justify my PS2 was because I knew of 4 or 5 games I wanted to play on it, I needed a cheap DVD player, and I was reasonably confident that more worthwhile games would be published in the future.
But I think you must live on some strange, faraway planet, where people tell you that Starcraft:Ghost (or any other game) is worth $400, and where game consoles cost much more money than they do here.
Come visit Earth, my friend, where the PS2 is $199, and the Gamecube is $149.
Finally, don't forget that the article is very vague about what platform they're developing for. As others have pointed out, it's likely to be released for one or more next-generation consoles. Blizzard hasn't even come close to committing to the Xbox.
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
I live in Canada. A PS2 costs 299$ (And a DVD player goes for 120$, so the PS2 would be an overpriced DVD, not a cheap one). An XBox costs 299$ (If you look at the images of Blizzard's presentation, the xbox logo is quite prominent) A GameCube, which due to inferiority I'd not buy anyhow, costs 229$. These are prices quoted (http://futureshop.ca), not made up. I don't see how I can get any closer to "earth".
Now, do the math. The console is 299$. A console game goes for ~80$. That's 379$. Now add tax, which is 15.025%. The grand total is the tidy sum of 435.95$. You may now remove your foot from your mouth my friend.
Regards, Guspaz.
Well put.
But I hold fast to my belief that Canda is, in fact, another planet.
Let me see... that works out to roughly $250, in American dollars (paying American prices, not converting Canadian money). All things being equal, that's not so bad. However, I don't think SC:G is the game to buy a console for. If you've got one already, then SC:G might help the console work off its debt, but obviously we won't know that for a while yet. I hope so, though.
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
LOL, I often believe that myself...
No, it's not that bad. But I don't own any consoles, and I already own a computer. Therein lies my problem.
Regards, Guspaz.
Once upon a time, when I was training to be a mathematician, a group of
us bright young students taking number theory discovered the names of the
smaller prime numbers.
2: The Odd Prime --
It's the only even prime, therefore is odd. QED.
3: The True Prime --
Lewis Carroll: "If I tell you 3 times, it's true."
31: The Arbitrary Prime --
Determined by unanimous unvote. We needed an arbitrary prime in
case the prof asked for one, and so had an election. 91 received
the most votes (well, it *looks* prime) and 3+4i the next most.
However, 31 was the only candidate to receive none at all.
41: The Female Prime --
The polynomial X**2 - X + 41 is
prime for integer values from 1 to 40.
43: The Male Prime - they form a prime pair.
Since the composite numbers are formed from primes, their qualities
are derived from those primes. So, for instance, the number 6 is "odd
but true", while the powers of 2 are all extremely odd numbers.
- this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...