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Blizzard Announces Plans for StarCraft II

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

May 21, 2007, 11:30 AM

Blizzard plans to release a sequel to the popular WarCraft-based space multiplayer game StarCraft, the company confirmed over the weekend.

A preview event in Korea showed off the new game, however the company remained light on specifics. It will be the first major update for the title since StarCraft was released in 1998.

StarCraft roughly is based on similar concepts to WarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment's award-winning title that has been spun-off into a MMORPG as well as two sequels, featuring three races -- the Terrans, Protoss and Zerg -- in an interplanetary battle.

Blizzard has enhanced the game by further distinguishing the races from one another and adding new units and gameplay, as well as enhancing the original abilities of each race.

Realistic physics and a 3D graphics engine have also been added to allow gamers control large, highly-detailed armies onscreen at the same time. Like the original, StarCraft II will include a single player and multiplayer component.

"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," Blizzard Entertainment co-founder and president Mike Morhaime said in the announcement.

StafCraft II versions for Mac OS X and Windows will be released at the same time. However, it is as yet unknown what Blizzard intends to charge for the game or when it would ship, with the company promising more details to be "announced in the months ahead."

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By zzd

edited Jun 12, 2007 - 1:02 AM

DIABLO III?
(time?)

Score: 0

By ztang

edited Jun 13, 2007 - 10:06 PM

I cannot wait until the beta release and then the game release!!!

Score: 0

By Maymne

posted May 22, 2007 - 6:46 PM

Just as a curiosity... wonder if the SC battle at the end of WC3 was demo-ing the SC2 engine at that point, or if they were just playing and decided to put a few of the SC mobs in.

Score: 0

By AntiochMedia

posted May 22, 2007 - 7:56 AM

> StarCraft roughly is based on similar concepts to WarCraft

For the record, WarCraft was based on Dune II. I wish more people remembered that.

Score: 0

By Tenoq

posted May 22, 2007 - 12:42 AM

"And Blizzard fans worldwide breathed a collective sigh of relief when they found out Starcraft II was NOT an MMO."

Score: 0

By Practice

posted May 22, 2007 - 12:41 AM

Hell, it's about time.

Score: 0

By Secret Agent Man

posted May 21, 2007 - 8:28 PM

There's jedi in this one too, right?

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted May 21, 2007 - 4:47 PM

I thought there will be a 4th race. Isn't at the end of story of SC1, Duran or whatever his name was was creating a superior race?

Score: 0

By Kng_zealouss

edited Jun 12, 2007 - 2:45 AM

I thought so too untill I saw the news about SCII and i guess there wont be. But if you have been a blizz fan for many years you know they always have surprises and silly april fools jokes.

Score: 0

By Maymne

posted May 22, 2007 - 6:43 PM

If you're trying to check this, replay the secret level... not exactly a fourth race, per se... Heh. Though who knows if that oddness will have any basis on SC2.

Score: 0

By evolution76

posted May 21, 2007 - 3:00 PM

STARCRAFT RULES........THANK GOD....they are making another...the frist i still have on my pc and the orginal cds......

Score: 0

By uberfly

posted May 21, 2007 - 1:46 PM

"WarCraft-based space multiplayer game". Well, sort of like that I guess.

They've got to fill out the lore so they can launch into World of Starcraft one of these years. Starcraft 2 should be pretty cool. ...like the teaser says, "bout time".

Score: 0

By PSXp-ONE

posted May 21, 2007 - 12:55 PM

Ugh! Diablo 3 is what I'm waiting for!!! well...maybe this is a sign too that I shouldn't give up hope since many people believed StarCraft had been abandoned =)

Score: 0

By Vimm

posted May 21, 2007 - 2:49 PM

It seems to me like WoW is the natural evolution of Diablo. When you look at Diablo 2 it already has many MMORPG elements, so WoW seems like the natural conclusion. Plus there's already so much overlap regarding classes and abilities... do we really need a Diablo 3?

Score: 0

By Mystiqq

posted May 22, 2007 - 10:22 AM

Natural evolution? It has nothing to do with Diablo, how is that "natural evolution"?

For the record, the world has already enough of godd*** MMORPGs. What we need is a Diablo 3, hackNslash, kill billion monsters etc. Not "walk walk, walk and walk, quest. Walk ,walk, fly, walk, walk, die. walk...kill".

Score: 0

By Skizelli

posted May 21, 2007 - 8:34 PM

"It seems to me like WoW is the natural evolution of Diablo."

No, WoW is the natural evolution of WarCraft.

"do we really need a Diablo 3?"

Yes, we do. Other than some of the RPG elements you speak of, Diablo and WarCraft are nothing alike. I mean, WarCraft is an RTS that evolved into an MMO, and Diablo is a dungeon crawler. Do we need Diablo 3 as an MMO? Hell no. As a dungeon crawler? Hell yes. And I'm hoping if/when it does surface, this is the case.

Score: 0

By Kng_zealouss

posted Jun 12, 2007 - 2:58 AM

everyone knows if blizz came out with a free D3
with simliar game play, but better graphics new items and new story line, EVERYONE would get it.
well atleast thats what i would think
I think D2 was so much better than WoW, its faster, more divers, and you dont have to sit there for 4 hours working with 20 people who bicker over who gets what drops.

Score: 0

By PSXp-ONE

edited May 22, 2007 - 12:53 AM

Yes! true...all three games are different,I mean, I remember playing Warcraft and I didn't like it, then I moved on to StarCraft and I couldn't figure it out, then I tried Diablo and BAM!! there it was! the thrill and addiction to play it over and over and over again. The gameplay was just sooo different to me than the other two. I love the damn dungeon crawler =)

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted May 21, 2007 - 4:49 PM

I hope not. One of the reason I don't like WoW or MMORPG in general is there are just too much running.

Score: 0

By Maymne

posted May 21, 2007 - 3:14 PM

Depends... will Diablo 3 be pay to play, or have free online play like all of the Battle.net stuff used to be? If it's pay to play, like WoW, then no... if Blizzard can keep one MMORPG running well and with the most players, great. If it's free online play, then yes... those of us who won't touch WoW with a 39.5' pole might bite and purchase it.

Score: 0

By PSXp-ONE

posted May 22, 2007 - 12:53 AM

Yeah...I hope that if it comes out, they don't make it a pay-to-play, like WoW, that was another reason (excuse) for me to avoid the game!

Score: 0

By Vimm

posted May 22, 2007 - 12:39 PM

That's true, being free on battle.net does make a big difference. That's the reason I kept playing Diablo 2 even after WoW was out. I suppose their is a gap there for Diablo 3 to fill if they ever do decide to make it.

If you think about it though, if Diablo 2 monsters respawned you'd have all the elements of an MMORPG, only limited to 8 players at a time. The main reason people hopped to new games was simply to force respawns because they either killed everything or someone else beat them to a kill. Diablo 2 had its fair share of mindless walking as well though the portal system helped a lot.

Score: 0

By BklynKid

posted May 21, 2007 - 12:07 PM

WarCraft-based? Huh?

Score: 0

By Maymne

posted May 21, 2007 - 2:06 PM

Well, WC came before SC, and both are RTS, so in that sense, I suppose that their assumption is correct...?

Score: 0

By Vimm

posted May 21, 2007 - 2:46 PM

Starcraft was very much based on Warcraft. If you look at early Starcraft beta screen shots you'll notice it ran using the Warcraft 2 user interface. It could have very easily been called Warcraft 3 had they decided to go that route.

Score: 0

By LuckySword

edited Jun 12, 2007 - 11:57 AM

They did start out writing SC using the war2 engine but ended up scrapping it and writing the SC engine from scratch. SC today hasn't the slightest trace of War2 in it what soever. GG

Score: 0

By Practice

posted May 21, 2007 - 11:29 PM

So is Half-Life 2 Wolfenstein 3D-based?

Score: 0

By Vimm

posted May 22, 2007 - 12:26 PM

I have no idea. Did Half-Life 2 ever run on the Wolfenstein 3D engine during development?

Score: 0

By amroliwala

posted May 21, 2007 - 11:57 AM

Can't wait!!

Score: 0

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