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BlizzCon will get back to the classics
Blizzard fans can expect to get an earful at their visits to the World Wide Invitational and BlizzCon this year. The classical orchestra Video Games Live will be performing at both live events in and Anaheim, at no additional cost to attendees. I guess we can call that more bang for your $100 bucks of BlizzCon admission. As nifty a backdrop as this will be, particularly for the WWI and for what I am betting will be a great new Starcraft announcement, I can't help but feel disappointed. I was hoping to be able to hair metal out with my friends to another rendition of "I am Murloc." Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftan, I miss you. I guess I will have to watch my TBC behind the scenes DVD and be satisfied with that. [via Joystiq]
Rob Pardo talks content with Businessweek
Recently Blizzard's Rob Pardo sat down with Businessweek. He mostly talked about the future of the game, the success of The Burning Crusade, and the creative process. Since reading his interview, I have spent a lot of time mulling over what he said. The first thing that stuck out in my mind was his likening the MMO to a television series. "We're developing episodes just like Lost or Seinfeld," he commented, "We're always trying to come up with something that's true to the theory; that's true to the content that people love; but that is new." I never had the chance to look at the development cycle like this. In some ways it explains the company's drive to constantly bring us new content rather than connecting old dots (Uldum anyone?). The designers are looking forward, and as they mentioned at Blizzcon in 2005, more portals will be opening, new worlds for us to explore. And we as gamers are ravenous for this new content. Our expectations are high, and the company is there to try and satiate our ever growing appetite. What this also means is that there is a story arch with which they are working. I know Lost is working on a seven-year story arch. Does this mean that we can expect a grander plotline connecting the expansions together? I for one am eager to find out. I haven't really thought about the game in these terms. My previous experience with MMOs (*cough* Anarchy Online *cough*) has taught me that games are fairly linear. Yes, there might be a new world connected to the old one, but the story pretty much stays the same. Since playing World of Warcraft I have had to reinvent my view of the MMO, and now I, too am one of those ravenous players dying for new stories and new characters to love or hate. This interview has made me wonder where we are going with the next expansions. So I'd love to hear what you think. Beyond the proposed Northrend and Emerald Dream expansions, where would you like to go as the World of Warcraft universe expands into new worlds?
Rumor: Blizzard announces Starcraft 2 in May
Multiple sources, including our buddies at Joystiq, are reporting that Blizzard is bringing a big surprise to their World Wide Invitational event, held in South Korea on May 19. And the rumors say that the surprise is none other than Starcraft 2. As in a new race, lots of changes to existing units, and a glorious return to Blizzard's RTS brilliance.It may not be, of course. Blizzard hasn't confirmed anything yet (of course they haven't), except to say that they will be making a big announcement then. They have talked about Starcraft 2 before, and if they're going to release a new Starcraft anywhere, it might as well be in South Korea. But of course the next WoW expansion has to be announced sometime, and Diablo 3 has been going through the rumor mills for a long time, too.No matter what Blizzard announces, you can bet it'll be seen in some form (hopefully playable... drool) at Blizzcon in August. And then whatever it is, considering Blizzard is making it, we'll probably see it on store shelves in early 2015.
BlizzCon back for 2007!
After the success of BlizzCon 2005, there was much disappointment when everyone discovered that it wasn't meant to be an annual event, and there would be no BlizzCon 2006. Of course, I really can't blame Blizzard for skipping 2006 -- they were busy working on the Burning Crusade! But Blizzard announced today that BlizzCon is coming back for 2007. While they haven't released full event details yet, here's an outline of what you can expect: Discussion panels with Blizzard developers Artist and developer signings Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents World of Warcraft Trading Card Game tournaments and demos Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes Commemorative merchandise and other products based on the Blizzard franchises A silent auction Live orchestral performances of music from Blizzard games And if we're very lucky, we may see the guy in the murloc suit again. Honestly, people -- how can you say no to that kind of entertainment?
Samwise Didier, Warcraft icon
Kaelaiden was mining around Outland, he posts on the forums, when suddenly, in an Adamantite node, this thing on the right pops up. Instead of the normal Adamantite icon, there's some weird guy's face grinning like a fool.If you've been around Warcraft a while, you might recognize it. The icon itself is basically WoW's default icon-- whenever there's a spell or an item that doesn't have an icon associated with it, that guy's face gets put in its place. Usually, it's the icon for spells that players never actually cast themselves, such as quest spells or special item abilities. In this case, it's likely that Kael's client software harmlessly glitched and showed the wrong icon.But who's face is it, exactly? That icon is actually a man who's created a lot of iconic artwork himself-- it's Samwise Didier, Blizzard's longtime art director. He's tons and tons of artwork for Warcraft throughout the years-- a look at his art gallery reveals lots of amazing work from all over Azeroth. He's even done a little voicework, in both WoW and WCIII. He has a thing for pandas-- he actually created the Pandaren-- and there's lots of "SD" and "Sam" in-jokes throughout the games he's worked on.Oh, and he's also the frontman of Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain, the band of Blizzard employees that played at Blizzcon (that explains Drysc's mysterious "L60ETC rocks!" comment in the thread Kael posted). Basically, he's a WoW icon in every sense of the word.
TCG release, Blizzcon card deadline approaches
Well look who showed up in Booty Bay unannounced! That's right, as of the latest maintenance (or maybe the latest patch, I hadn't noticed him before), Landro Longshot, he of the collectible cardgame in-game rewards, is standing by in Booty Bay for your code. He's offering everything they promised he would be, including some cool tabards, a hippogryph pet, and the fantastically awesome riding turtle.And just in time, too, because just in case you've forgotten, we'll remind you that the card game due to come out tomorrow, October 25th. Being a CCG rookie, I have no idea where you'd find such a thing (are there actual CCG stores? Maybe just look in a gaming store), but if you want it, boxes and packs will be there for the selling. I haven't quite decided whether I'm going to pick it up or not yet. I don't have anyone to play with (because card games are for, y'know, nerds), but then again, I'd really appreciate a turtle mount. I guess if I happen to be out somewhere and see them in front of my face, I might grab a pack or two and try my luck.And speaking of upcoming dates and prizes, Neth reminds us all that the Blizzcon gift cards (with beta key and Murky the murloc pets) will expire at the end of the week, on October 28th. If you've still got a card, use it, for Thrall's sakes! And if you're not going to use it, email me, because I'll pay you to ship that thing to me as fast as Fedex will go. Not because I love Murky (I want to drop kick that thing every time my guildie pulls his out), but because I'll take any chance I can get to check the expansion before 2007 shows up.Update: Um, scratch that last note. Zollo provides us with a link (thanks!) that says Blizz is giving everyone plenty of time to turn in their pets at a special page just for redemption. On the other hand, if you already dropped your card in the mail to me, you lost your chance. Sucker!
Burning Crusade Beta Keys For The Rich People
Well, maybe not rich, but certainly willing to spend more on World of Warcraft than most people. If you search eBay for the murloc pet cards handed out last year at Blizzcon, you will see some fierce bidding. Sure, it would be fun to have a murloc pet, but more importantly, that card also includes a beta pass for The Burning Crusade. Not a bad deal at all if you attended Blizzcon and scored a card, but a minimum $300 transaction if you haven't. If you aren't lucky enough to get a beta key through traditional channels, this could be your only hope. If I were a single man, against all my better judgement, I might actually buy one of these. However, my wife most certainly would throw me out of the house if I bought one now. In fact, if I did have one of those cards, she'd probably make me sell it on eBay. She can be mean and practical like that.
WoW Moviewatch: Gamers - Profiles in WoW
Gamerfilms.com has put a preview online of their new documentary Gamers: Profiles in WoW. From the looks of it, it seems the film is made up of interviews with various gamers at Blizzcon. Could be interesting, as long it's not just a long series of talking heads. A series about the Talking Heads would be cool, though...
