More Thoughts on StarCraft MMO...

[source: stroppsworld.com]

...

There was a lot of speculation that Blizzard would announce Starcraft 2 as a MMO rather than as a RTS, and I’m rather glad that they didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the Starcraft universe would likely make a great setting for a MMO, but not every game can be a MMO and Starcraft works really well as a real time strategy game. I’m hoping that Blizzard doesn’t change the formula too much though, like was done with Dark Reign. The first Dark Reign was a great and innovative RTS, and even though Dark Reign 2 was one of the first fully 3D RTS’, it lacked much of the fun of the first game. However, I think I’ll give Blizzard the benefit of the doubt for this one.

No date was given for the release. It was, as usual, given as "when it’s done." I expect that it will probably be before the end of the year, in time for the Christmas season. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like Blizzard have been working hard at it for quite some time. Here’s hoping anyway. My friends have already indicated that a LAN party during the Christmas break is in order.

This just leaves one more thing up in the air. I’ve heard some rumours recently that Blizzard has been developing a new MMO. Maybe these are just rumours and have no real substance. Given the Starcraft 2 announcement, that may very likely be the case. On the other hand, it’s a pretty good bet that Blizzard developers are feverishly working on Diablo 3, sweating away in the darkest dungeons of Blizzard. Maybe Diablo 3 is that new MMO that Blizzard is developing.

Read full article: More Thoughts on StarCraft MMO...

Does Starcraft 2 mean no Starcraft MMO?

This guy seems to be very optimistic about potential "World of Starcraft"... Maybe he's right? Time will show...

[source: relmstein.blogspot.com]

Starcraft 2 was announced last Saturday and most gamers around the world took notice of the event. Blizzard especially made sure everyone who played World of Waracraft was aware by including several advertisements on the WoW homepage and login. While some people were annoyed by the promotional announcements most players were happy to hear about the sequel. Even if a gamer isn't a fan of the RTS genre they will still probably pick up a copy of Starcraft 2 due to the buzz about the game. Blizzard redefined the genre when the released the original version and the sequel looks like it will also have a huge impact.

The week before the announcement had seen a lot of rumours flying around as people speculated the nature of Blizzard's new game. The two most popular rumours were claiming it was either Starcraft 2 or a Starcraft MMO. Since the announcement was to take place in Korea, which has a well known obsession with the decade old game, most rumours accurately guessed which Blizzard universe was being revisited. However, just because Starcraft 2 turned out to the be the winner in the rumour contest doesn't mean that a Starcraft MMO is out of the picture.

Look at how Blizzard made use of Warcraft 3 to expand the warcraft universe and add multiple characters and story lines to the franchise. This fleshed out the RTS game with enough background that the transition to MMORPG was possible. The early warcraft games had a nice complicated plot but were missing the massive amounts of names, places, and races that a MMORPG requires. Most MMOs require this critical mass of story lines and characters to construct a tangible fantasy world. Think epic fantasy series like The Wheel of Time, The Sword of Truth or even Tolkien's books which all seem to create a semi-believable universe.

In my opinion Blizzard might have decided to go with Starcraft 2 so that they had plenty of time to add more lore so that a Starcraft MMO would be possible. I'll be keeping a close eye on the plot lines from the single player campaigns to see if it looks like they are expanding the starcraft universe. Already I can see how Blizzard might have different races within the factions of Starcraft. The Protoss are the most obvious since they have very different "light" and "dark" units. The Terran and Zerg are a bit more difficult but could be based around which leader they followed. For example there could be Terrans with better technology from the United Earth Directorate and Terrans with better survival bonuses from the Colonies.

Its all speculation at this point but I firmly believe a Starcraft MMO to be Blizzard's hidden weapon against Warhammer which looks to be a strong up and coming opponent to WoW.

Read full article: Does Starcraft 2 mean no Starcraft MMO?

Macs Going To Get StarCraft 2 Love

[source: news.filefront.com]

As much as macs are widely used by musicians and graphic designers, it seems that when it comes to gaming, macs don't get that much lovin'.

Well, Blizzard feels your pain mac owners. Along with their initial earth shattering announcement of Starcraft 2 being in production, they also announced they are working on a simultaneous release of a PC and Mac version.

President and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Morhaime said,

"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."

So there you go mac owners. It seems you'll be able to battle the Zerg right alongside PC owners when Starcraft 2 is released.

Read full article: Macs Going To Get StarCraft 2 Love

Immortal

Race: Protoss
Type: Ranged Assault Support Walker
Hitpoints: 240
Shields: 100

[source: starcraft.wikia.com]

The Protoss Immortal is a powerful cybernetic warrior formed from crippled warriors.

Before the loss of Aiur, veteran Protoss warriors who had been crippled in battle could volunteer to continue their service by being transplanted into Dragoon exoskeletons. Now, the Dragoons of the past are all but gone. The sacred shrine that was dedicated to the creation of the Dragoons was infested by the Zerg.

The remaining Dragoons have been transformed into Immortals. They are outfitted with twin phase disruptors as their primary attack form; Immortals give critical fire support to legions of Zealots. Their specially hardened energy shields only activate when struck by powerful attacks, but can render the damage of even a Siege Tank irrelevant - unfortunately, this leaves them more vulnerable to the pinprick attacks of lesser foes.

Quotes
# I return to serve.
# It is destined.
# There shall be a reckoning.
# I feel your presence.
# Our cannons shall sing.
# We march to victory.

Read full article: Immortal

Char

Char, viewed from an infested orbital platform.

[source: wikipedia.org]

Char is a planet in the StarCraft universe. It orbits a binary star system consisting of a yellow star and a blue star and is very tectonically active.

Char is one of the richest resource nodes in the sector, as the tectonic activity continually uncovers deposits of minerals and geysers of Vespene. The temperatures on the planet Char can become so intense that large portions of the planet's surface become completely liquefied. During certain times, when the planet is furthest from the twin suns of the system, small islands form on top of these seas of magma. These bits of land are, not surprisingly, replete with minerals and greatly prized as sources of incredible wealth.

When mineral deposits are melted, they can be seen protruding from the obsidian landscape, serving as both landmarks and rich mining fields. While harsh and hot, life does exist on this world, including plant life and the ragnasaur.

Read full article: Char

Zerg

[source: wikipedia.org]

The Zerg are a vaguely insectoid race in the StarCraft universe. The Zerg are separated into a number of broods that are named after monstrous mythological beasts, almost always from Norse mythology. Each brood serves a specific purpose and is controlled by a Cerebrate that is physically incapable of disobeying the Overmind who rules over the Zerg as the leader of the Swarm.
Due to the Zerg's unique use of overwhelming numbers of relatively weak units, rather than smaller numbers of stronger units, the term "to Zerg", (verb) "Zerg Rush" or "Zerging" is the act of using mass numbers to achieve an objective. Furthering this usage of "zerg" is a tactic used by players controlling the Zerg race. Players controlling the Zerg race are able to create massive numbers of "Zerglings", the initial offensive unit, far quicker than most players of other races can produce enough units to counter the "Zergling Rush". It has become widely accepted in a variety of other games, including Planetside, Warcraft III, World of Warcraft, Dark Age of Camelot, World War II Online and other multiplayer games.

Gameplay

The Zerg are played far differently than the Terran or Protoss in StarCraft. Instead of workers constructing buildings (the Terran's method of construction) or the workers warping them in (the Protoss's method of construction), the Zerg gatherer, the Drone, morphs into the soon-to-be structure and it constructs (or perhaps more accurately, grows) the building over a short period of time. The Drone is lost in the process which is unique among the races in the StarCraft universe. When the Zerg need more "control" in order to create more units, they build an Overlord, a unit, instead of a building. In order to build units, a Zerg player must go to a Hatchery controlled by him or her and select a Larva and change into a certain type of unit. After picking the unit to transform into and paying the corresponding amount of resources, the Larva changes into an egg in which, after a short time, the new unit will hatch for service in the Swarm. The Zerg's most popular military strategy is to build far more units than your opponent and overwhelm the enemy with large numbers of weaker units, instead of smaller numbers of stronger units.

History

The history of the Zerg in the StarCraft universe began when the ancestral Zerg species was discovered on the irradiated, unstable planet of Zerus, by the ancient and mysterious Xel'Naga civilization, shortly after they had abandoned the Protoss on Aiur as a failure. The ancestral Zerg organisms were small and weak larva-like creatures, but they contained the purity of essence sought by the Xel'Naga race, being capable of surviving and thriving in a staggering variety of environmental conditions.
With the help of Xel'Naga's gifts of proto-genetic manipulations, the Zerg survived the horrendous firestorms of their world and thrived. As the Xel'Naga pushed their development, they eventually began to develop the ability to burrow into the spinal columns of some stronger creatures on Zerus, parasitically merging with their nervous systems. These new bodies would then be used to manipulate their surroundings as the old bodies once did. The Zerg began to assimilate the genetic strains and processes of these host animals. However, as the Zerg had an undeviating drive to consume only the most advanced species they encountered, they eradicated lesser, weaker species. The Xel'Naga were surprised to find how quickly the Zerg could steer the evolution of their host creatures. Some of the things the Zerg developed in their hosts were armor-piercing spines, razor-sharp limbs, acid attacks, upgrades, and ultra-dense carapaces within only a few generations of controlling new species.
Wary of the chaotic infighting that had enveloped the Protoss, the Xel'Naga created the Overmind, an enormous brain-like entity, to bring order to the Zerg. At first it was only a semi-sentient entity created from the instincts and collective sentience of the Zerg, but it quickly evolved.
The Overmind did not directly communicate orders to its minions. As new species were added to the Swarm, it began to relay orders through Cerebrates, giant versions of the Zerg larvae acting as subordinates to it. Orders were relayed through Overlords, which were then given queens to allow for the Zerg to operate in the most efficient manner possible.

Expansion

The Overmind began to think of its future. In order to continue finding new species to assimilate, it needed to leave Zerus and travel to new worlds. Extending its senses into space, it discovered enormous space-faring organisms. It lured them to Zerus with its psychic abilities and assimilated them into the Swarm as the Zerus races had been. Soon all the Zerg had the ability to travel between worlds with reinforced carapaces to counter the vacuum of space. The Xel'Naga considered this a triumph. The Zerg had not only overcome their weaknesses, but had also retained the purity of their terrible overriding essence.
The Overmind extended itself further into space, becoming aware of the Xel'Naga Worldships in orbit above Zerus. The Overmind then had its psionic link with the Xel'Naga severed — the Overmind effectively hid itself from their view.
The Overmind sent its minions into space, attacking the unsuspecting Xel'Naga. The hapless Xel'Naga tried to pull away from the planet. Despite the ancient race's best efforts, it was overwhelmed as the Zerg crashed into the hulls of its ships, destroying them. Within a few hours the Zerg had laid waste to the Xel'Naga fleet. The greater whole of the Xel'Naga was consumed by the raging, genetic whirlwind of the Zerg, and the Overmind gained their knowledge and insights. Processing thousands of sentient beings into itself caused the Overmind to grow much more powerful. It learned the secrets of the sacred Khaydarin Crystals, and began to incorporate the energies of these Crystals into its own. Through the knowledge gained from the Xel'Naga, the Overmind was able to increase the level of sentience in many of the higher Zerg strains, while still keeping them fully under its control, ironically helping to achieve the goal of the Xel'Naga that it destroyed.
The Overmind dissected the memories of the Xel'Naga experiments with the Protoss, learning of the failure, success, and the great benefit in assimilating such powerful race. The Zerg then devoted their energies to seeking out the powerful Protoss in the hope of absorbing them into the Swarm, uniting purity of form and of essence to create amazing possiblities for development and evolution of the Zerg.

The Determinant

The Zerg did not know the exact location of Aiur, homeworld of the Protoss, but they were able to travel towards it, adding new species (such as the Mutalisk, Hydralisk, Lurker, and Zergling) to the Swarm from various planetary genepools along the way. However, the Overmind despaired; how could it defeat the Protoss with their powerful psionic abilities, when its own were so limited? This question was soon to be answered.

In the shadow of the Protoss lay the Koprulu Sector, a patch of space inhabited by the Terrans. This species had been discovered by Zerg deep space probes. Normally the Zerg would not be interested in such a weak species, but they exhibited a powerful psionic potential. Their probes discovered Terran living on over a dozen worlds.
The Zerg slowly made their way towards the Terran worlds, infesting multiple planets and slowly evolving due to exposure to raw vespene gas. The journey lasted for sixty years, but eventually the massive, extended Zerg Swarm reached the outskirts of the Koprulu Sector. According to StarCraft: Uprising, the Zerg infested a number of Fringe Worlds upon their arrival. The Overmind first subtly infested the surface of the Terran Confederacy colony of Chau Sara with Hive Spores. Then it sent its minions down to the surface to infest the Terran themselves. The Terran were defeated and largely enslaved or killed.
The Zerg were surprised at the Terran response, and were defeated by a sudden attack by the Protoss, led by Executor Tassadar. The Overmind told its minions not to fight back, in order to observe Protoss attacking for the first time. The attack sterilized all life on the surface of Chau Sara, effectively ending the Zerg infestation.
The Terrans did not warn their compatriots on other worlds, enabling the Zerg to infest Mar Sara virtually unopposed. It is at this point that the StarCraft game begins.

New Units

As with the Terran and Protoss, the Zerg gains new units in StarCraft: Brood War.

• Lurker- Evolved from the Hydralisk, the Lurker is a large insectoid creature that attacks with a row of subterranian spikes, causing linear splash damage. Two unique features about Lurkers are that they have the burrowing ability without the player needing to research it first, and that they attack from underground, making them a very ideal as a ground-based defensive unit.


• Devourer- Available as a secondary evolution for the Mutalisk (the other being the Guardian), Devourers are air-to-air units that attack with acid spores. Though slow-firing, the acid spores cause targets to take more damage and have a slower fire rate. Acid spores can also be "stacked", with a single enemy unit having up to as many as nine spores.

Plot advancement in StarCraft

As Episode I begins, The Zerg have infested Mar Sara and are killing the native Terrans. They conquer the planet, but the Protoss fleet under the Executor, Tassadar, destroyed all life on it. Though the Zerg were used by the Confederacy to attack disloyal worlds, the Sons of Korhal turned it against them by using Psi Emitters to attack the Confederate capital world of Tarsonis itself. During the attack, they take Sarah Kerrigan to infest her and turn her into Infested Kerrigan. This ends the Zerg participation in I.
In Episode II, the Zerg take the Crysalis that holds Infested Kerrigan to the planet Char where it hatches. After this, the Zerg destroy most of Tassadar's forces and invade the Protoss homeworld of Aiur. After taking Xel'Naga crystals and gaining a strong foothold on the planet, Episode II ends.
In the final part of StarCraft, Episode III, the Zerg begin to lose ground. They are halted in their advance and have Tassadar and the Dark Templar escape their custody on Char. After this, two of their Cerebrates are killed and next, the Overmind itself. With the death of the Overmind, Episode III and StarCraft completes itself and goes on to StarCraft: Brood War.

Plot advancement in StarCraft: Brood War

The Zerg were originally controlled by the Overmind, who was destroyed by the Protoss, Tassadar (at the cost of his own life) at the end of StarCraft Episode III.
By Episode IV, it was revealed that the Zerg had formed a new, young Overmind on Char, the adopted Zerg homeworld, but it was captured by the United Earth Directorate in Episode V. In Episode VI, the final act to date, Infested Kerrigan, the self-claimed Queen of Blades, a former Terran Ghost telepath soldier who had been infested (transformed) into a Zerg/Terran Hybrid, had the second Overmind killed and claimed leadership over the entire Zerg Swarm.
With the Terran Dominion decimated, the expeditionary fleet of the United Earth Directorate destroyed, the Protoss home world Aiur conquered by the Zerg with the survivors fleeing to Shakuras, and every Zerg under Infested Kerrigan's command, the Zerg currently stand as masters of the StarCraft universe.

Zerg Control

All Zerg are directly subject to the will of the Overmind. In fact, it is a biological impossibility for them to oppose its directives. Only Cerebrates, Infested Kerrigan, and possibly Overlords and Queens, have sentience, and control individual armies (called Broods), using Overlords as lieutenants to directly control the warriors and workers. The lesser Zerg minions are wholly dependent upon the Cerebrates and the Overlords for order. Should a Cerebrate die, its brood may run amok; the animalistic natures of individual Zerg emerge. When an Overlord dies, a Zerg player loses control points and must create more Overlords to replace the loss. Without these control points, additional Zerg units cannot be built until existing units die or more Overlords are created. Even Zerg buildings are living organisms and aren't built but grown. They act as organs in the body of the Zerg Hive Cluster.
Though Zerg are incapable of disobeying their masters, their masters can change. When the Overmind died, the Cerebrates had freedom to do as they please. Though the Cerebrates themselves chose to remain loyal to Daggoth, Infested Kerrigan did not and fought with the Cerebrates for control over the Zerg. However, the minions under each Cerebrate were completely loyal to it and followed all orders even to fight another Zerg.
Zerg's broods are mostly named after Norse mythological monsters (Jormungand, Garm, Surtur, etc.). However, at least two broods have been named from another source. The Leviathan Brood was named after the Leviathan, a Hebrew mythological sea monster and the Grendel Brood was named after Grendel, the evil monster in the epic poem, Beowolf.

Comparison of Zerg to Other Fictional Species

The Zerg share many characteristics to many species in science fiction novels or other computer games. The Zergs' design is most likely based on Tyranids in the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000 which has been around since 1987. They bear strong resemblances in physical form, intelligence, hostility, and hierarchical authority, with the xenomorphs from the Alien film series. They share many characteristics with the Borg of Star Trek in that they roam the galaxy assimilating species they encounter into themselves. Lastly they share a hive mind ruled by the Overmind, much like the Borg Queen, as well as the Formics from Ender's Game.

Read full article: Zerg

StarCraft 2 Preview

[source: ActionTrip.com]

I'm sure you'd all agree that a developer like Blizzard needs no introduction. Neither does their renowned franchise StarCraft. The recent announcement finally exposed a wave of media and information on StarCraft 2, a real-time strategy that's destined to continue the classic from 1998.


What we have here is, basically, a lot of bugs that need to be squashed.


They just keep coming...

Taking Korea by storm, Blizzard's announcement soon echoed throughout the world, probably reaching the eyes and ears of every geek this side of the universe. Before long, the facts were right before us, so let us take a closer look at what the game is all about.

One of the first things Blizzard confirmed at the press conference in Korea is that StarCraft 2 has been in the works since the company released Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne in 2003. Since then, the developers were carefully tweaking and improving upon the game, waiting for the opportune moment. And, as everyone knows, they were also busy with developing and maintaining World of Warcraft (but with a separate, dedicated team).

The single-player campaign in SC 2 features a completely new chapter in the StarCraft storyline, taking place exactly four years after the events of the Starcraft expansion pack - Brood War. As the main story unfolds, you'll get to experience the game through the perspectives of three factions: Terrans (the humans), the swarming alien race called the Zerg and the mysterious Protoss. Every race is governed by a capable leader. Officer Jim Raynor is stepped out as one of the greatest Terran leaders. The Zerg, on the other hand, have their own skilled champion, named Kerrigan, who was once a Terran soldier until she got "infested" by the Zerg. And finally, the Protoss are guided by a "dark templar" called Zeratul.

This time around, you'll march through many uncharted regions and worlds, such as Bel'Shir, the new Protoss refuge, which fell into ruin following the Zerg invasion. Next off, players will be visiting the deep-space Terran base of Braxis Alpha and even recognizable locations like Char, the home planet of the Zerg.

Gradually, you are introduced to all the crucial characters and races. Apart from the Terrans, Zerg and Protoss, another important alien race was mentioned - the enigmatic Xel'Naga. Apparently, their role is essential to the plot. For one thing, the Xel'Naga helped both the Protoss and the Zerg grow into what they are. (Freaking Space Naga bastards. I knew they were building a rocket ship at the Coilfang Reservoir. - 2Lions)

Blizzard was careful not to let any details slip in relation to the single-player narrative. So, at this point, I'm afraid that's all we know about the story and characters.

The meat of the game, of course, lies in the mix of its impressively designed units. Battles are going to require quick thinking and knowing when to make the right move - which units to send against a specific type of enemy, which unit is best suited for a certain type of terrain and so on. The demonstration of the game introduced us to cool new units, such as the huge Protoss Mothership. Slowly advancing across the map, the Protoss Mothership demonstrated its capability of fighting against multiple enemy aircraft. At the same time, it was equipped with powerful rays that kept vaporizing every opposing unit on the ground. Opposing factions are strengthened by their own powerful units, which, unfortunately remain under wraps at this time.

Gifted with the ability to manipulate time and space, the Protoss continue to bewilder their enemies. They use gateways, structures that are capable of opening a spatial rift to transport armies from the base directly into the middle of a distant battlefield. This requires a considerable amount of energy and it can only work if it is powered by the so-called psionic matrix, which, in turn, must be formed by a network of pylons or phase prisms.

There also appears to be a decent unit balance at play. It's going to be up to gamers to combine the unique abilities of all the units, in order to overcome the enemy. Another important point is Blizzard's firm resolve to stick with the traditional gameplay mechanics from the original StarCraft. Factions base their strength on carefully planned out battle plans and, naturally, on sheer unit numbers. More importantly, unlike WarCraft 3, StarCraft 2 will not feature any hero units to boost unit power and help shift the course of battle in your favor. Instead, several other tactical opportunities were shown. For example, similarly to EA's C&C series, players may wipe their opponents clean off the map with the ability to execute powerful nuclear launches.

While they are meticulously designing every aspect of gameplay, the developers are also striving to convey an epic atmosphere, allowing for huge battles and large skirmishes with as many as 300 units onscreen at once.


Behold, the Phase Prism!


This is our rock, so be gone!

As for the graphics, it's obvious, judging from the footage and screenshots, that the designers, animators and programmers, once again, did what they do best. Character artwork as well as the creature designs are excellent and boast the traditional Blizzard coolness. Though it's definitely too early to say for sure, but from what we could tell StarCraft 2 sports a sound frame rate even at this stage, with solid number of highly detailed units on the screen and an equally impressive backdrop. As usual, the splendid graphics are accompanied by first-rate sound effects and a catchy soundtrack that fits perfectly into the in-game ambiance.

Gamers packing next-gen PC graphic cards will be disappointed to learn that Starcraft 2, in its present state, does not support DX10 graphics. However, it does carry all the benefits of DirectX 9.0, such as the Pixel Shader 2.0, HDR lighting, etc.

Blizzard is planning to include a map editor to ensure a growing SC community. Not much is known about multiplayer features, other than the fact that the game will allow online matches via Battle.net.

Presently, the renowned developer has around 40 people working intently on StarCraft 2 and from what was revealed thus far, the game seems to be coming along just fine. They also didn't want to point to any specific release dates. Instead, they prefer to leave things open, saying the game will be out "when it's done."

It's comforting to know that they are taking their time and that the core team isn't pressed with any strict deadlines. What's more, they are concentrating on PC version exclusively, with no plans to bring the game to consoles at this point.

While the dust still needs to settle from the recently held press event Korea, we are eager to bring you our E3 coverage in July, at which time we expect to have a closer look at StarCraft 2.

Read full article: StarCraft 2 Preview

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:

Read full article: Official Gameplay Video

Starcraft 2: Q&A, Unit Preview

[source: insidemacgames.com]

Gamespot and IGN recently released new articles focusing on Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming StarCraft 2. The Gamespot feature covers a Q&A with some of the Blizzard team, while the IGN article offers a run down of the currently known units.

From Gamespot:

Other questions involved the status of Battle.net, Blizzard's proprietary multiplayer service. While the Blizzard representatives said that yes, the venerable system is due for a needed upgrade, they declined to get into specifics. According to Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of the company, Blizzard is planning a massive upgrade to the system to support the release of StarCraft II, as the game was designed primarily as a multiplayer title. In fact, the single-player game has not had much beyond theoretical work completed on it. They also declined to answer whether this upgraded Battle.net service would start charging a subscription fee.
In response to a question about the game's storyline, Chris Metzen said that while the company is certainly invested in the storyline and wants to push it forward, the team's initial focus on multiplayer precludes much work being done on the single-player experience until the last year or two of development. He also said, however, that players should expect to see the next chapters of many of their favorite characters such as Jim Raynor, Kerrigan and Zeratul.
One burning question that Rob Pardo was eager to squelch concerned the long-rumored fourth race (the Xel'Naga or the Zerg/Protoss hybrids hinted at in the first game). He stated in no uncertain terms that there will be no fourth race in StarCraft II. The game will contain the Human, Zerg and Protoss factions and the team is completely focused on getting them as asymmetric yet balanced as possible. The game will also ship with a powerful map editor and should be even more moddable than the first.

From IGN:

Immortal: This unit activates a near impenetrable shield when under heavy arms fire. During the demonstration at WWI, Blizzard showed how Terran siege tanks were nearly powerless against Immortals, since their heavy tank blasts activated the shields. As a contrast, Terran Reapers' small arms fire made quick work of these guys.
Colossus: Think of the recent film War of the Worlds and you'll have a good idea of how this new unit looks. Their long legs allow them to easily traverse tiers of land. Equipped are a set of dual lasers that can make quick work of smaller, poorly armored units such as Zerglings.

Read full article: Starcraft 2: Q&A, Unit Preview

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