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.
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?
I'll make sure to tell my grandkids..
-ashot
Screenshots and the press release are attached to the story at Shacknews.com.
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.
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)
so in this case if the site gets terminally slashdotted, is it a zerg rush?
News for Geeks in Austin, TX
Its gamecube and X-Box, not ps2.
But i agree. This will cause a violent reaction among some of blizzard's loyal fans. While i don't begrudge them trying to make different games and reaching a different audience, not developing it for pc is a major, major oversight.
Everyone who plays pc games knows blizzard, and they would have instant sales in the pc area. Cutting it off to consoles is a slap in the face to loyal fans, and really there is no excuse. Their developing it for x-box, why not the pc?
Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
You hear me? ;-)
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.
Warcraft Adventures or something like that. It was supposed to be an RPG/Action type of game featuring a young orc. They ended up using a lot of the storyline in WC3.
I know more than you drink.
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.
The last time Blizzard tried to make something with another group of developers, it turned out to be such crap that they canned it...
Don't worry. Nihilistic are a class act.
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.
Nevertheless, Starcraft2.com is up.
You're totally wrong.
Blizzard developed Warcraft Adventures themselves. It was the graphics that were outsourced to a Russian animation house. Russian. As in, halfway across the world, different language, different time zone.
There was a requested scene that got mangled in the translation so badly that it ended up with a dragon smoking opium instead of billowing fire. (It was funny enough that they planned on using it anyway!)
Anyway, when Warcraft Adventures was canned, it was already "release-quality" by some companies' standards. If it had come out a year earlier, it would have been a great game. But Monkey Island 4 had just come out, and it had advanced the adventure genre to a new level. Blizzard's latest-and-greatest didn't look so great anymore with flat 2D graphics and linear playstyle. So they scrapped it rather than get a "That game is soooo last-year" reaction.
From the FAQ posted above:
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.
--------
They are developing Starcraft: Ghost for the PS2, XBox, as well as the cube. It's not really a Microsoft conspiracy then, is it? It's better than their normal games which are released only to Windows PCs and Macs (2 architectures 3).
I know more than you drink.
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.
"Rest assured I was on the internet within minutes registering my disgust throughout the world."
-- Comic Book Guy
Check this out.
I only have one thing to say : Holy mother of god, I want this game!
FPS games generally don't have a very good story and the game play is boring, unless multiplayer. with a 3rd person view, you get access to all sorts of special moves and such, much more fun. think metal gear
--fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
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...
One word: Halo
And another one word (although should be two)
: Goldeneye
And then there's daikatana.. DOH!
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a brutal anal raping at airport security
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.
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.
Are you listening to yourself? It's a GAME. I consider myself a hardcore gamer but damn, lay off the Dew.
Your post screams "I'm in my parent's basement!" like no other before it.
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
Are you guys thinking of World of Warcraft?
"If he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he's sorely mistaken." Bush on bin Laden
Maybe not. Hmm. INGORN thsi POAST!!!
"If he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he's sorely mistaken." Bush on bin Laden
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.
And I've never even USED bnetd. That's how upset what they did makes me.
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.
The story wasn't bad, but look at average story, quake3, UT, RTCW(atleast this one had a story.) Anyways, you get guns, then bigger guns, and tougher bad guys, and more bad guys. with 3rd person you have much more interaction with the enviroment around you. the player charcter have more movements, and combinations. platform games, generally speaking, have the opportunity for much better gameplay, and being less repetative than a fps
--fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
[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.
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.
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
"Also, in the console market the big players (Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft) are less willing to endorse innovative risky games and game ideas."
You're right. There was nothing at all risky about games like Pikmin or Animal Crossing, was there? They're both just your typical gaming fare, aren't they?
Insult Microsoft and Sony all you like for taking no risks. Like them or not, like the games or not, but Nintendo put out a lot more "risky" games then most companies.
Accusing Nintendo of not trying new things is ludicrous.
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
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
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?
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?
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?
[o]_O
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.)
"Nintendo can't choose what their third parties develop. If third parties keep creating out 'boring' games, it's hardly Nintendo's fault."
Oh yes they can.
They can refuse to sell development hardware to a company if they don't like the title.
And they can refuse to license it, if they don't like the title.
In practice, this isn't done all that much, but make no mistake about it, a console manufacturer VERY MUCH controls the software on the console.
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.
FOOLS! Know you nothing of the amusment tools created by the god of life beknownst to all as Blizzard? Surely thou hast testified to the very first Warcraft. Where our bretherin fought hard against the green skinned monsters of the dreaded Portal. T'was after a unrelented berating, fom my tool of control, that my lacky, the footman, said to me "stop touching me" and after that, when i commanded the great armies of the Alliance, yet another one of my many loyal men, angered by my constant clicking, boldly stood forth and asked "are you still touching me?" Tis a pity, though, for the tradition wasn't continued by the footmen of the new alliance, rather our forsaken enemies, of whom were were forced to create an unholy alliance to save our very existance. As i recal, after many a prodings at one of my orc underlings, he told me something that took me quite aback "i'm not that kind of orc" he said. I was unsure, of course, as to how to respond to this, i merely just kept touching him. It was wonderful. Alas, a simple straght forward answer to your question, the quote of witch you speak of is from the game that spawned it all, the very first, the classic, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans.
This message was brought to you by the death of 30 brain cells.
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.
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).
Your post screams "I'm in my parent's basement!" like no other before it.
That's an UNFAIR GENERALIZATION!
He could be in the attic.
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
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.
-- Support Ometz le-Serev.
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.
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.
So they scrapped it rather than get a "That game is soooo last-year" reaction.
You mean like Diablo 2? No, wait, that game got a "That is soooo 1997" reaction....in 2001.
Will that be a new Protoss unit in the game, I wonder? :-)
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.
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.
As far as your "more movements" theory, name one move that you can do in 3rd that you can't do in first with practice...
Murphy was an optimist.
I'm afraid not. I think it will be one race, you build no structures, in fact I'll be suprised if it is even multiplayer. :-(
Murphy was an optimist.
"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.
Point proven.
I do not know how many people ran the BNETD software, but if it was that few I don't think da BLiz would have bothered with it. :-)
I'm weak, I'll admit it, I bought WC3. Now I regret it, though, 'cause the game bites and I still need to contribute $50 to the FSGS/bnetd defense fund to even it out.
Murphy was an optimist.
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.
Blackthorne rocked?
You must have ADD. It was fine for a while, but it got repetitive fast.
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.
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.
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.