Blizzard is without a doubt one of the most popular game studios on the market. Not only do they have World of Warcraft which has long defined the MMO genre but they also have several other games on the market catering to different niches. One such game is Starcraft II which, quite obviously, is a follow up to the highly popular real time strategy title Starcraft.
Seeing how the game is so popular it’s no surprise that its online component has been infiltrated by cheaters who are looking for an easy way to the top while making the experience a crappy one for everyone else. Luckily, Blizzard has just let us know today that they have banned a whole slew of cheating using from accessing Battle.net which means, in theory, that if you were getting annoyed by cheaters online your experience may be getting a whole lot better quite soon.
Blizzard is one game company that can release just about anything and turn it into pure gold. Some of their hardest hitting franchises include WarCraft, StarCraft and Diablo. Currently, games like StarCraft 2 and World of Warcraft are dominating their niches and have millions of dedicated fans. Of course, this success didn’t happen overnight as Blizzard has ben in the game for quite some time celebrating today their 20th anniversary.
If you want to join in on the celebration, Blizzard has posted a video on their website chronicling their entire legacy along with some words from company executives like CEO Mike Morhaime.
Check it out here and let us know what you think in the comments
If you’ve been paying attention you may remember that a clever user-created mod for StarCraft II surfaced that virtually transformed the game into a full fledged MMO. A the time of its original unveiling this mod was to be called World of StarCraft. However, not long after the unveil video surfaced Blizzard claimed copyright and the video was quickly taken down. Luckily, it was not their intention to shut down the project entirely but instead to discuss a name change.
Well, the mod has officially swapped names and will now be known as StarCraft Universe. The mod’s developer, Ryan Winzen, also took the time to give us some insight into the game.
According to Winzen, he is looking to give to give players of the mod the ability to link up with up to 12 players on a single map, customize gear based on accrued loot, save their characters and choose from a variety of different player classes. Sounds like a pretty hefty order considering this mod is being entirely developed by a single person. Let’s hope he gets everything done.
Check out some gameplay from World of StarCraft StarCraft Universe after the break.
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Just about every game that comes out of Blizzard has been a critical acclaim. World of Warcraft topped the charts of the MMO world, Diablo I and II have caused strides in their respective genres and StarCraft has spawned nation celebrities in South Korea.
StarCraft 2 looks to be no different with high ratings across the board. However, seeing how the game is currently still $60 perhaps you’re a bit skeptical over whether or not you actually want to buy it.
Luckily, it was announced today that Blizzard has finally released a demo for the game giving players a look at the first 3 campaign levels completely free of charge. Unfortunately, there is no online play so if you want to try that out you’re going to have to buy the actual game.
Grab the StarCraft 2 demo here.
In the real time strategy genre there are quite a few titles that stand out above the rest. However, on a global scale Blizzard’s StarCraft undoubtedly takes the cake. Their most recent release, StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty is no different with sales numbers to prove it.
While there has been no official word of a release date for the inevitable expansion, Blizzard is giving US StarCraft 2 players a pleasant surprise this morning. The game developer has announced that the United States is now a public test region and will be allowed to participate in patch beta tests. If you’re a World of Warcraft player you’re undoubtedly familiar with the public test realms that give players a sneak peak and what’s to come.
While the public beta test roll out is quite widespread, there are some restrictions in place. According to the FAQ: “players must have an active StarCraft 2 North America game account created before November 11, 2010. The player’s account must not be a guest pass account, suspended, or banned.”
So, who’s pumped for some StarCraft 2 beta testing?
Blizzard has released patch 1.1.2 of StarCraft 2, which brings more bug fixes and balancing issues, most noticeably, it deals wit Zerg balancing issues, once again. This time, Terrans won’t be as effective in rushing due to new upgrades and barracks requirements. On the good side, a few Zerg buildings have had their health increased. Check out the fill list of changes after the break. READ ON »
Whoever said PC gaming was dead and overrun by pirates better think again: Blizzard has announced that StarCraft 2 has sold an impressive 3 million copies worldwide during its first month on the store shelves. God knows how many copies have been pirated so far.
We dunno if its marketing by Blizzard or fan art — which is surely must be, but the StarCraft 2 graffiti is well done. More graffiti here.
StarCraft 2 is already reaching astronomical heights, topping the sales charts and is by far the most played game online these moments. And you can make sure there will be plenty of tournaments, and one of those, Global StarCraft 2 tournament, will offer 64-man tournaments each month for four months, with $125,000 in prizes, each month, for a total of half a million bucks by the end of the year.
Analysts at Webush Morgan, including the famous Michael Pachter, predict that StarCraft 2 might end up being the best selling game this year, with over 5 million copies sold within the first few weeks, and a shopping 6.5 million copies sold by year’s end. That’s a lot, especially for a PC game.
