http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2 Starcraft 2 beta emails sent out! Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:08:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If you have signed up for the Starcraft 2 beta, you should be getting an email in the coming days. I'm still waiting for mine but I'm not desperate yet. Yet, if you can offer me a Starcraft 2 beta key, send me a tell! While we're on this note, beware ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-beta-emails-out/ According to Kotaku (and Rob Pardo specifically) you can design your own map and SELL it. Blizzard wants to foster the best mod community in existence, and to that ends they've unveiled plans to single out premium custom-created maps for sales on a StarCraft 2 marketplace. Maps will be split into ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-maps-for-sale/ Patience is such a stupid virtue! Blizzard have finally announced the Starcraft 2 beta test sign up. The instructions are very simple: Sign up for a battle.net account If you have a Battle.net account, login here. You'll see a link "SC2 Beta Profile Settings Download an app that will upload your system specs You're done My ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-beta-test-signup/ There's been quite a bit of speculation about Starcraft 2 release date - as with all Blizzard games. Blizzard's motto - it's out when it's ready - means that exact dates are now known before about a month before. So it's good news that Mike Morhaime said at E3 that Starcraft ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-out-in-2009/ Stand back for the mighty Terra-tron. In Starcraft 2, the whole Terran base comes together at the hour of need in order to create the uber unit - Terra-tron. See Blizzard's April Fool's joke for 2008 - Tauren Marine. http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/terra-tron/ Another batch of videos demonstrating Zerg gampleay... Part I: Zerg vs Protoss Part II: Zerg vs Protoss http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-zerg-vs-protoss/ This is from the 2006 quarterfinals - to be honest, I've never tried countering a 4 drone rush with drones but since it doesn't look it works, I'm not terribly disappointed. http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/classics-zerg-rush/ In the latest BlizzCast (#6), Bashiok goes through a bag of questions from Starcraft fans. One of the more interesting one concerns the role of the anti-armor units in Starcraft 2. Bashiok: Cool. The next question comes from gamer-source.com. With the all the anti-armored units like the marauder and the hydralisk ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/anti-armor-units/ If you think the billions that Blizzard makes on the back of World of Warcraft have made them less greedy, think again. They have just announced (at Blizzcon 2008) that Starcraft 2 will not be a single game but in fact a TRILOGY. There will be three separate campaigns: the ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-costs-100/ For a long time, Blizzard have stated that the new version of Battle.net will premiere with Starcraft 2. So when they say the new version will probably be ready by Christmas 2008, you'd think it might be Starcraft 2 release date too. At the same time, there have been definitive ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-release-date-update/ This is the panel discussion regarding Stracraft 2 gameplay at the WWI in Paris (where Diablo 3 was announced). The video is a bit long but worth it! There's still nothing on Starcraft's release date though - I hope it's early 2009! http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-gameplay/ Here's a Zerg gameplay video... There should be zerglings as well as the new Banelings! http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/zerg-gameplay-video/ Blizzard's Executive VP - Rob Pardo - has confirmed officially what we feared: Starcraft's release date is not on the calendar for 2008! Rob said that the release date has been set for 2009 because the development is still not over. So forget even about beta. He said they're done with ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-release-date-confirmed/ The Terran are desparate! They've recruited Tauren to replace dead Marines. Now, I admit this has to be an APRIL FOOL's unit. It's awesome though, just check the gameplay video below: The only downside is... Blizzard have forgotten about Diablo 3! http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/tauren-marine/ Blizzard has started a podcast (audio only for now). You can get the audio and/or you can read the transcript. In this podcast (a.k.a. Blizzcast), they have two interviews. The first is with Samwise Didier, Blizzard's Art Director and concept artist who has worked on both Starcraft and Warcraft. The second ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/new-blizzcast/ Starcraft2.com has come out with a Terran gameplay video. The whole thing is about 600MB but it's worth it because it's HD (1280x720). You can download it here. Here's a low-res version to keep you occupied while you wait: http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/terran-gameplay-video/ When I did a review of the Protoss Mothership in May, I did it based on the first gameplay video as well as the narration. Now, Starcraft2.com has a dedicated page for the Protoss Mothership. You'll be able to see video clips of all three mothership abilities in action: Cloak Field, ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/protoss-mothership-details/ We had a WOW TCG and now we have a Starcraft board game. Thinking about it, I'm much more interested in a strategic board game... Here's the details: Three powerful alien races battle for control of the galaxy. Whether you choose to lead the versatile Terran, mysterious Protoss, or voracious Zerg, ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-board-game/ This is the follow-up to the Protoss tech tree that was exhibited at Blizzcon. Text comes from Gamespot. Of course, basic units like the marine and the medic are back, though you'll immediately notice the firebat is missing. Other units haven't been completely removed so much as replaced by new, improved ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/terran-tech-tree/ This one surfaced at Blizzcon (to be followed by the Terran tech tree). Text descriptions by Gamespot. New structures included the null circuit, dark obelisk, phase prism, and twilight council buildings which all tied into the new units. We tried our hand with as many of them as we could build ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/protoss-tech-tree/ This bit is courtesy of Kotaku and focuses on the Starcraft 2 single player. The campaign will consist of stand-alone missions that interweave the various plot lines. Hiking back up to the bridge, Raynor checks out the Star Map. This is where you'll choose your missions. They're much more open ended ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-single-player/ Blizzcon first day is over but not before the Terran marines get their much awaited debut. Personally, I'm not a Terran player. I've played Protoss for years and later switched to Zerg (to counter arguments that the Protoss were the "twinky"-est race of the three!). However, let me tell you - ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/blizzcon-marines/ Here's the same game play video (as below) - this time narrated by Chris Sigaty. Note that the current label for Starcraft 2 is "internal alpha". He does mention it will be playable at Blizzcon though and also says there will be a beta (though it might not be a ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/e3-chris-sigaty-interview/ An amazing game play video with more info on the upcoming Protoss units. This is a bit better quality than the ones at Youtube but I hope Blizzard will upload an HD version to Starcraft2.com Words fall short but here's the gist of it: 1) Soul Hunter - ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/e3-protoss-trailer/ Gamespot just released another bit of Starcraft 2 news. They do admit Blizzard are being too secretive because they do not to release info ahead of Blizzcon (remember a Starcraft 2 beta will be playable at Blizzcon). It's mostly about new Protoss units... While Pardo affirmed that previously discussed units such as ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/more-protoss-units/ In his interview, Rob Pardo mentioned that gameplay will be almost exclusively focused on the multiplayer (including a total revamp of Battle.net). He added there will be a several surprises for the Starcraft 2 single-player campaign, so everyone will play it through at least once. I won a couple of Starcraft ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-multiplayer/ Blizzard will be at E3 2007 through July 10-13. Expect to see more gameplay videos from E3. According to Karune: Blizzard will be at E3 this year. Members of the Dev Team for Starcraft II and I will be there showing off bits of the game to the press. Look forward to ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-at-e3/ Despite what Rob Pardo said about the game not being launched this year, there's plenty of evidence that a Starcraft 2 beta will make an appearance at Blizzcon. Here's the gist from WoWInsider: In case you needed any more reasons to want to go to BlizzCon, they've just announced that convention-goers will ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-beta-playable-at-blizzcon/ PCGamer has done an extensive preview of Starcraft 2 - 9 pages in total. There's quite a bit of new information that has surfaced. For starters, the article confirmed that there will be NO HEROES in Starcraft 2. So if you think the marine in the trailer is some kind of ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-preview/ There's a huge interview about the making of the cinematic trailer (i.e. the starcraft 2 trailer). I got the link from my Blizzard insider newsletter, so go and subscribe to it if you haven't already. Back to the interview though, there's a ton of info on the scenes, the creative process, ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/cinematic-trailer/ The Protoss Colossus is probably one of the most recognizable of the new Protoss units in Starcraft 2. It bares a close resemblance to the aliens in War of Worlds. It's a huge walker, so in this respect it has a reference to The Empire Strikes Back. Trivia aside, the Protoss ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/protoss-colossus/ In his Gamespot interview, Chris Sigaty said that Blizzard usually takes "three and a half or four years to finish a game" and that Starcraft 2 would enter alpha testing later in the year. Rob Pardo has poured some cold water on fan's hopes for a Chirstmas release in 2007. In ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-beta/ Once I heard that Starcraft 2 is official I decided I'll go back to Starcraft and I'll play the single player campaign from start to finish. Not only to get through the storyline once more but also to check out some of the in-game trailers. It seems I'm not the only ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-battlechest/ Initially, I was thinking of starting with the Zealot. It made sense to start with the first unit that's coming out of the Gateway. However, the Protoss Mothership seems at least 10 times more exciting, so lets forget about build orders for now. If you interested in how the Mothership fits ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/protoss-mothership/ En Taro Adun! It seems that the Protoss have received most of the attention so far in terms of development. Judging from the gameplay videos (make sure you download the hi-def video), the Protoss have a well-rounded force at all tiers. It's a bit of speculation at this point but the tiers ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/new-protoss-units/ Blizzard has been kind enough to post high resolution versions of the gameplay video we got earlier. I viewed the 1280x768 video on my new 20" LG display and I'm definitely looking forward to more of this! I love the fact Starcraft 2 is now 3D. 1280x768 Resolution Download gameplay video (Windows ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-hd-gameplay-videos/ Gamespot has a detailed interview with Blizzard's top creative talent, including Rob Pardo. Here's some of the key points that have surfaced about Starcraft 2 gameplay, apart from the obvious fact Starcraft 2 is now 3D! 1. Quantity vs. Quality As opposed to Warcraft III where the player controls a few units with ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/top-5-differences-between-starcraft-2-and-warcraft-3/ Take these bits with a grain of salt, though Blizzard are unlikely to deviate from the general Starcraft line so far. The game takes place four years after StarCraft: Brood War, the same time as the storyline of StarCraft: Ghost. StarCraft II will take place both in new worlds and in ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-storyline/ Once you've seen the official Starcraft 2 trailer, scroll down for the gameplay videos. I love it when she says: "Nuclear launch detected!" This game is going to be like a nuclear launch ... especially in Korea. Starcraft gameplay - video 1 Starcraft gameplay - video 2 http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-gameplay-videos/ After all the Starcraft 2 facts in the last post, it's time for some video. Once you view the official Starcraft 2 trailer below, be sure to check the game play videos. Also, see what's different in Starcraft 2. Download the high definition Starcraft 2 trailer: Download trailer ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-trailer/ I've gone through the FAQ at Starcraft2.com. I must say I like what I see! Here's the facts: When is Starcraft 2 being released? As usual, Blizzard is not setting a deadline. I hope they manage to get a beta out by the end of 2007 but based on previous titles, I ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/more-starcraft-2-news/ Blizzard has just announced the sequel to Starcraft. I must say it was about time. The original Starcraft came out in 1998, almost a decade ago. I'm over at Starcraft2.com to go through trailers, screenshots, and other goodies! http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-is-now-official/ A guy (no idea who) has done some amazing work to recreate Starcraft as a 3D game. Below is just one detail (the Nexus), make sure you click on the 3D screen to see the whole thing! Do you think Starcraft 2 will be something like that? Considering Blizzard's resources, I'd be ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-3d-screen/ If you go to Blizzard's site, you'll see a teaser that loads before it loads the homepage. It seems that yesterday, it was stuck showing a Diablo teaser. Today however it's a different story! A lot of people are convinced this is another proof that Blizzard are preparing for a Starcraft 2 ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-teaser/ I just saw this at Kotaku but it originally appeared at CVG. Here's the quote: The long-rumoured new instalment of Blizzard's massive StarCraft series is set to be unveiled later this month - and it's another massively-multiplayer online game in the style of World of Warcraft, CVG can reveal. I think Blizzard ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-a-mmo/ There's been a leak concerning the upcoming Blizzard's World Wide Invitational (WWI) on May 19th in Korea. According to insiders, there's a definite possibility that Blizzard will choose this time to preview some content from the upcoming Starcraft 2. An ex-Blizzard employee has confirmed Starcraft 2 has been in development ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-announcement-korea/ Blizzard should take notice: Starcraft deprivation can lead to some serious consequences. Here's a prime example of what years of waiting can lead to: Starcraft origami. This Terran siege tank is not the only unit this guy has created from paper. Look at the all this craziness below. I could definitely use ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-deprivation-syndrom/ With the finale of the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2006 (Seoul, Korea) come the interviews of the players. Blizzard have the interview out - Nal_Ra (Protoss) answers some tough questions. Download PC version (181MB, requires Blizz downloader). Download Mac version (181MB, requires Blizz downloader). http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-champion-interview/ IGN reports that a Korean site has started a rumor that provides details on Starcraft 2 - a Starcraft 2 beta release by the end of 2007. Here's more: According to Fighter Forum, StarCraft 2 continues the story of the original and adds a new race based on Kerrigan, making a ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/ign-starcraft-2-beta-by-year-end/ Blizzard has been pretty active when it comes to protecting Diablo (see Diablo 3 tradermark activity). Nevertheless, they let a few domains go (e.g. Diablo3.com!). They are not letting it happen again when it comes to Starcraft. They've taken the dot com domain - Starcraft2.com. Here's WHOIS information: Registrant: Blizzard Entertainment Address: ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft2com-coming-soon/ Update: Blizzard have released a Starcraft 2 trailer and several gameplay videos - all in georgeous 3D. The new 3D engine looks similar to Warcraft III, yet the effects look amazing. Specifically check out the Protoss Mothership animations! It's not that I don't like 3D graphic but I value gameplay more. ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-3d/ Now, this could be 100% true but somehow I doubt it. The (un)reliable source of this Starcraft 2 info is Wikipedia. I should add, it was deleted for not conforming to Wikipedia's standards. Information from the creators Hello. We at Blizzard Entertainment like to let the fans know what's going on with ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-wiki/ I have a suspicion that when Blizzard decides to warm up the fans for a game, it publishes a new trilogy. Most recently, it was Knaak who confirmed Diablo 3 is not a dead world, it's a world of dead. Amazon has info on the new Starcraft trilogy which starts with ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/new-starcraft-book/ Starcraft may be in the making but Blizzard are notorious about keeping their cards closer to their chests. I haven't seen any leaked screenshots or videos. Check this out! Before you get overly excited though, it seems this isn't a Starcraft 2 trailer. Most people seem to agree it's from ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-trailer-2/ The recent comments from Blizzard's VP ( and earlier ones by Paul Sams) point towards a sequel to Starcraft. There's one tricky question, though: Is Starcraft 2 going to be an RTS like Starcraft or it will be a World of Starcraft? Below is a mock screenshot of this brave, new World ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/world-of-starcraft/ Blizzard's VP has come out with a statement (a public one to boot). Look at the quote below (IGN) On stage in London for the game launch, Bassat stated, "I'm a StarCraft player myself and I hope it's not a decade, and we launched StarCraft in 1998, before I'm standing here ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-before-2008/ I'm not sure that Blizzard will pay any attention to it but I can't see how it can hurt either. I've signed it and I suggest you do the same. Here's an abstract: This petition is being started in the hopes that we, the people that have played Blizzard entertainment’s Starcraft ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2-petition/ Back in August (2006), Paul Sams did an interview in which he stated that Blizzard has three product announcements in 2007. One of them obviously is the World of Warcraft expansion which hit the stores on January 15. What about the others? StarCraft is my absolutely favorite game of all time. As ... http://www.maxfreak.com/starcraft2/archives/starcraft-2/