I don't envy the team at Blizzard who has to design StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Following up one of the biggest PC games of all time is no easy feat, and the sheer demands of nostalgic fans must be overwhelming. Think about it: If Blizzard were to release a game that was largely the same but with better visuals people would complain they didn't do enough, but if they drastically change the core gameplay elements -- like so many other RTS games have done lately -- franchise veterans would scream and shout that they destroyed all the good things about the original game.
#betawatch
Several readers have pointed us towards the listing for StarCraft II on GameStop's website, where preorders now snag you an invite to the eagerly anticipated strategy game's beta test, as long as you agree not to cancel your order afterwards. More »
#blizzard
Blizzard is still hip-deep in the StarCraft II multiplayer beta, but fans of the sci-fi real-time strategy game should expect a pair of important updates over the next couple weeks, including the release of the game's Galaxy Editor. More »
According to a report by the Korea Times, Blizzard's upcoming StarCraft sequel has been given an Adults Only rating by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, effectively relegating the game to those 18 years old or older. Given the game's enormous popularity in the country -- and the previous "over-15" rating Blizzard received from the same board for SC2 earlier this year with an older build of the game -- the decision comes as a bit of a surprise. Apparently, the company was seeking an "over-12" in the country, and thusly resubmitted the most recent build of the game for rating. The ratings board says of the decision, "Considering that the RC version of the game is closer to what will be sold on the shelves compared to the beta versions, we looked more carefully at the content," allowing that, "this rating is not final, as Blizzard will get the chance to object to it."
For its part, Blizzard's South Korea reps told the paper that an immediate course of action has yet to be decided. "We have nothing to say at this point. We are discussing our official position on the matter as well as what would be the right reaction." We've reached out to Blizzard's US representatives and will update this post if we hear back.
#ratings
The game of StarCraft is kind of a big deal in Korea, the country in which Blizzard opted to announce the highly anticipated StarCraft II in May of 2007. Shame, then, that the PC game has been rated adults only. More »
#clips
If there were ever two things made for each other, that would be real-time strategy game and South Korea. They love each other so much it hurts. More »
#blizzard
Last we'd heard, StarCraft II was playable offline, but the box art for Wings of Liberty clearly states "Internet Connection Required." Has there been a change in plans? More »
#blizzard
Some of you already in the StarCraft II multiplayer beta are about to become more popular. According to some lucky beta testing tipsters, Blizzard is sending out e-mails with extra StarCraft II beta keys to share with a friend. More »
#starcraftii
After several false starts, years-in-development StarCraft II finally began closed beta testing. That probably means the game is still on track for release the first half of this year. Probably! More »
Here's the thing about the StarCraft II beta: you've played this game before. In the time I've spent with the beta over the past 24-plus hours, I've been Zerg rushed, I've had my buildings annihilated by a group of Reapers that snuck through the back of my fortified area, and I've had Protoss ships lay waste to countless heavy Thor units -- which looked like they could take on anything and survive. I absolutely loved every minute of it, as familiar as it was.
The StarCraft II beta is hopefully indicative of the final multiplayer product will be like: fast, pick-up-and-play games where resource management down to the millisecond can spell your doom or give you that one squad of units that brings you back from the brink of all hope being lost. It's an incredibly polished experience, helped along through a clean and efficient UI that doesn't clutter the screen and by simple matchmaking that only requires a few clicks to get into a match or join a group of players.
