StarCraft II: The Response

Dan, Steve, and Charles chat it up about the recent StarCraft II announcement. Straight from the mailbox to the website.

[source: ign.com]

So obviously the StarCraft II announcement was a big deal judging by the ridiculously huge amount of reader traffic that tried desperately to break the site. Unfortunately for Steve and Dan, the announcement was made in Korea so they missed out on the pomp and circumstance. Luckily, Blizzard was kind enough to provide Charles with a good amount of information that he was able to turn into a live update, art preview, gameplay preview, and unit overview based on what was shown. Blizzard also provided plenty of screens and a bunch of videos to get everyone excited, and I think for the most part that it worked. We're officially excited. Shortly after Dan returned from vacation and email thread started between all three of the IGN PC editors about StarCraft II spurred on by the simple question "What'd you think of SC2?" While there's a lot of things we ended up talking about like the new Protoss units, what we think the campaign might be like, where the story is going, the art and engine, and any speculation on the new Terran and Zerg units, we started with Blizzard's decision to stick to the tried and true that they've been perfecting for so long.
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Official Gameplay Video

A 20 minutes video showing off several new units and abilities featured in the upcoming StarCraft sequel... Must watch!™

[source: StarCraft 2 Movies]

GAMEPLAY VIDEO (1280 x 768)

# Date added: 5.20.07
# Format: DivX
# Requires: DivX for PC or DivX for Mac
# Size: 449mb
# Download:

GAMEPLAY VIDEO (720 x 404)

# Date added: 5.20.07
# Format: DivX
# Requires: DivX for PC or DivX for Mac
# Size: 268mb
# Download:

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Tychus Findlay Limited Edition Starcraft 2 Statue

[source: irserious.com]

Action figures were sooo yesterday. For Starcraft 2, Blizzard, with the help of Sideshow Collectibles, is offering an 18-inch statue of the terran marine - Tychus Findlay. This isn’t some cheap plastic model though. The final statue is expected to weigh in at a whopping 17 lbs! and will sale for $249.99. It isn’t available yet, but on Blizzard’s website, it lists the ship date as October 2007.

To commemorate the announcement of the highly anticipated StarCraft II, Blizzard Entertainment is proud to present the Tychus Findlay Limited Edition Statue. This collector’s item is a product of a collaboration between Blizzard Entertainment’s famous cinematics team and the incredible sculpting of Sideshow Collectibles. Players can now own a piece of StarCraft history with this highly detailed, 18-inch tall statue of Terran Marine Tychus J. Findlay standing atop a freshly dispatched Hydralisk. Cast in high-quality polystone and hand painted to exacting standards, the power of the Terran Marine Corps stands triumphantly in this beautiful museum-quality piece.

Start saving your pennies now boys and girls.

Read full article: Tychus Findlay Limited Edition Starcraft 2 Statue

Artwork

[source: starcraft2.com]

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Screenshots

[source: starcraft2.com]

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StarCraft II Official Press Release - StarCraft II Unveiled

[source: The official SC2 press release]

Blizzard Entertainment® announces highly anticipated sequel at 2007 Worldwide Invitational event in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea – May 19, 2007 – Blizzard Entertainment® today unveiled StarCraft® II, the sequel to its award-winning real-time strategy game StarCraft, at the 2007 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event in Seoul, South Korea. The announcement took place inside the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, in front of thousands of attendees, who received a presentation that included a StarCraft II cinematic trailer and a gameplay demonstration by the development team.

Designed to be the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game, StarCraft II will feature the return of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races, overhauled and re-imagined with Blizzard's signature approach to game balance. Each race will be further distinguished from the others, with several new units and new gameplay mechanics, as well as new abilities for some of the classic StarCraft units that will be making a reappearance in the game. StarCraft II will also feature a custom 3D-graphics engine with realistic physics and the ability to render several large, highly detailed units and massive armies on-screen simultaneously.

"With StarCraft II, we'll be able to do everything we wanted to do with the original StarCraft and more," stated Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We recognize that expectations are high following the long-running popularity of the original game, but we plan to meet those expectations and deliver an engaging, action-packed, competitive experience that StarCraft players and strategy gamers worldwide will enjoy."

StarCraft II will include a unique single-player campaign, as well as fast-paced online play through an upgraded version of Blizzard's renowned online gaming service, Battle.net®. In addition, the game will come with a powerful, full-featured map editor that will put the same tools used by Blizzard's designers into the hands of players.

Blizzard is developing StarCraft II for simultaneous release on the Windows® and Macintosh® PC platforms. Further information about the game, including details on the single-player, multiplayer, and map-editor features, as well as system requirements, pricing, and availability, will be announced in the months ahead. To learn more about StarCraft II, please visit the official website at www.starcraft2.com.

About the StarCraft Series
Since its debut in 1998, the original StarCraft has won unprecedented critical acclaim and has remained a staple of tournament gaming worldwide. The game's expansion set, StarCraft: Brood War, also released in 1998, is still considered by many to be one of the best add-on products ever created. To date, the series has sold more than 9.5 million copies worldwide. StarCraft's gritty sci-fi universe has also spawned numerous complementary products, including several novels and action figures, as well as a pen-and-paper role-playing game.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users. In South Korea, Blizzard is regarded as having played a major role in bringing about the birth of professional gamers and game broadcasting. Furthermore, its games are acknowledged as one of the key drivers behind the popularization of South Korea's PC game room business.

Read full article: StarCraft II Official Press Release - StarCraft II Unveiled

StarCraft II Unveiled!

[source: Blizzard news]

We're pleased to announce our latest project: StarCraft II! The epic interplanetary battle between the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg will take on new dimensions in this sequel to the classic real-time strategy original. With new units and functionality for each race, upgrades to several familiar units, and a powerful 3D engine that supports explosive fast-paced combat between massive armies, StarCraft II will be the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

Highlights of StarCraft II include:

* Tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the magic of the original game
* New units and gameplay mechanics that further distinguish the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races
* An all-new 3D engine that supports fast-paced play with realistic physics, massive units, and massive army sizes
* A groundbreaking single-player campaign that continues the epic StarCraft story
* A powerful map editor that puts the tools used by the game's designers into the hands of players

We'll be revealing much more information about our plans for StarCraft II in the months ahead, so please stay tuned to www.starcraft2.com for the latest updates. In the meantime, you can check out the announcement press release here for further details.

Read full article: StarCraft II Unveiled!