Blizzard Announces StarCraft 2

We'll be returning once again to the world of StarCraft, it appears, and not in the form of a Massively Multiplayer game. Blizzard has announced StarCraft 2 at their packed event in Seoul, South Korea. IGN is liveblogging the event, describing gameplay footage being played as well as full cinematics. From the description of ongoing events there are massive changes to the way the game plays, new units, a physics system within the game engine, and the capability to show over 100 units onscreen at a time. "Showing gameplay footage - Looks like protoss ships - floating over asteroid/ base structure - entering protoss ase - similar looking buildings - vespene gas still in the game - character pane shows up on right side - some protoss guy - shifts to terran bases floating on rockets over same type of territory - sill collecting crystals as resources - marines load out. Dustin is actually playing the game - nothing in the game is final." Additional coverage from Milky at 1up.

Comments

we need more than eye candy

[acidrain]

Or will it have an entirely new hook?

After RTFA it sure doesn't look like it. StarCraft was one of the best games of all times, but I'm totally disappointed that Blizzard would roll out the same RTS (with a few new units granted) yet again. Practically all of the major RTS games have already been serving up this same tired formula, on the heels of StarCraft's success, and as a player who loves strategy games, I have to say this is pretty damn' depressing.

Blizzard is actually one of the few remaining games companies that should have the freedom to innovate and also have the time to get it right. I wonder if this is Vivendi's meddling. I totally understand why they are doing it, in financial terms, but this is just a cash grab.

Re:Interesting

[WarwickRyan]

> NFL introducing Football 2.0

From the US perspective, 'they' already have introduced a vastly improved game. You call it 'Soccer'.

Hopes and Dreams

[Vertana]

The ONLY thing I truly wish they include is... Linux support. Not many games ahve that and if Starcraft 2 had support for Linux then it could be poised to be one of the top selling games of all time. Here's to Linux support and the dumping of IPX ^^

Re:Starcraft 2

[solios]

While the gameplay was more accessible - which I have no complaint with - the game itself seemed designed to piss me off. An extremely predictable story focusing on very unlikeable characters? An extremely predictable story focusing on very unlikeable characters that I'm forced to plod though and can't avoid? SIGN ME UP!

If I want a predictable story and unlikeable characters, I'll play one of the PlayStation Final Fantasies. If I want an RTS, there's a nice list of options, virtually none of which try to jam a story up my nose.

Game? Fine. Story? Could have been much better. Characters? My own extras are more interesting.

Re:Starcraft 2

[aliquis]

Made his native language isn't english, idiot.

Who knows, maybe he even couldn't care less about how to write things correct in the language of retards.

Re:Fuck Blizzard.

[joshuapurcell]

The reason may not be laziness, but that still doesn't mean that it's not 2007, and I have to think the game marketshare of Linux is running neck and neck with Apple systems. Blizzard is showing that it is worth it to port to MacOS, so why don't they also feel the same about Linux? It's pathetic considering Blizzard is probably the biggest gaming developer out there... if anyone has the resources then they do.