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Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void to debut as standalone game
Like two High Templar Protoss merging to form an Archon, the third installment of the StarCraft 2 saga, StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void, will be comprised of two identities: that of an expansion, and that of a standalone game. In non-game jargon speak, this means that although Legacy of the Void will act as a continuation of the series' plot up to now, you'll be able to purchase and enjoy it regardless of whether or not you own Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm. Comparing the new game to an Archon unit is more accurate than you may think though, as the game will feature something called "Archon Mode," where two players cooperatively manage a single base as they face off against another duo of players doing the same. Blizzard revealed the news during the opening ceremony for BlizzCon 2014, which is happening this weekend in Anaheim. [Image: Blizzard]
StarCraft 2 and the quest for the highest APM
A game like StarCraft 2, popular amongst both casual strategy fans and professional gamers, showcases the large divide between playing a game for fun and for competition. There are seven ranked multiplayer leagues per region globally in StarCraft 2, a daunting number of leaderboards that welcome both the infrequent and the dedicated player. The elite players, however, are the Grandmasters – a tiny, region-based pool of StarCraft 2 experts. The road to Grandmaster is not for the weak. One must be willing to 'play' for hours, days, and months – even years – to get better. The learning curve can be incredibly unforgiving towards a beginner. Forget to scan the battlefield? You could lose you entire Marine army to some burrowed Banelings. Forget to build anti-air defenses? A couple of Void Rays could take out your entire base. Forget to build workers? You won't lose the match immediately, but you'll get destroyed once the game enters its middle phase. And then, of course, there's the cheese – the ludicrous, yet powerful strategies that lead to an instant win or loss.
StarCraft II Arcade now free to play
Good news for Blizzard fans looking for more games to play -- the StarCraft II Arcade is now completely free. StarCraft II is not only well known for the game and tournament play, but also for its creative community. The game comes with a map editor that allows you to customize and craft your own creations, using Blizzard art assets and maps to put together whatever game your creative mind happens to dream up. These creations are all available as part of the StarCraft II Arcade, a massive index of player-created games. So what's in the Arcade? Everything from custom maps and missions to StarCraft-themed versions of popular games like Bejeweled and Pictionary. Full access to all games in the Arcade was previously limited only to those who purchased StarCraft II. With the launch of patch 2.1, all games in the Arcade have now been made available to anyone with a Battle.net account -- even games that previously required the Heart of the Swarm. To access the Arcade, simply download and install the free trial version of StarCraft II, no purchase necessary.
Starcraft 2 patch opens up custom maps, dev tools to all
StarCraft 2's "Starter Edition," the limited free-to-play version of Blizzard's popular real-time strategy sequel, receives a substantial today in North America. The update will roll out to other territories as the week progresses. This update brings StarCraft 2 "Starter Edition" up to version 2.1, unlocking all three races (Terrans, Zerg and Protoss) and providing access to custom maps to the entire internet. These custom maps can be accessed through Blizzard Arcade, the free game-hosting platform and editing suite offered by Blizzard through StarCraft 2. So if someone creates the next DOTA, which was created as a custom game type in Warcraft 3 and based on a custom StarCraft map, and publishes it to Blizzard Arcade, then everyone in the world will have access to it – not just those who own StarCraft 2. Head past the break for another pair of videos, produced by Blizzard, going into more detail about Blizzard Arcade.
Blizzard offers deep discounts on World of Warcraft, StarCraft II
There's no need to wait until Black Friday if you were hoping to get a good deal on World of Warcraft or StarCraft II; Blizzard is currently offering both titles and their expansions at a deep discount. New players to WoW can grab the base game, with all expansions up until Mists of Pandaria, for only $4.99. To add MoP to the mix, plunk down another $9.99 for the standard edition or $29.99 for the digital deluxe edition (a savings of $30.00 on each). StarCraft II fans can save twenty bucks and scoop up Wings of Liberty for $19.99 and/or Heart of the Swarm for $19.99 or $39.99 (standard and deluxe editions, respectively). For those who already have the games but want to get friends involved, there is also an option to gift the purchase. However, to take advantage of the deals you might want to act fast -- there's no guarantee that the sale will last.
Starcraft 2 Back to School sale on Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm
Is all that pesky learning getting in the way of your school year? Boy howdy, does StarCraft 2 have a deal for you. Through September 30, grab StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm for 25 percent off and Wings of Liberty for 50 percent off, and enjoy a 100 percent XP boost all week. During the promo, players can also unlock portraits depicting Kerrigan, Raynor and Zeratul in high school yearbook-photo style, exclusive to the back-to-school special. The portraits are unlocked with the You Got Schooled achievement, earned by winning five games in any combination of Arcade, Custom, Ranked, Training, Unranked, or Versus AI online games. So, hit the books. No, really – just take all your textbooks and smack them or something, and then go play StarCraft 2.
MLG Pro Circuit Championship in Columbus drops StarCraft 2
StarCraft 2 is no longer a featured game at Major League Gaming's Pro Circuit Championship event, planned for November 22 - 24 in Columbus, Ohio. MLG co-founder Sundance Giovanni took to Twitter to make the announcement, stating the game "just doesn't fit" into what MLG has planned for the show. Earlier this year, MLG hosted the first season of the StarCraft 2 World Championship Series, which spans 13 events across several regions, culminating in a final event at Blizzcon. Following the first season's conclusion, MLG handed duties over to North American Star League last June, in favor of producing its own eSports competitions. MLG, founded in 2002 by Sundance Giovanni and Mike Sepso, is the most widely recognized eSports league in the world. Supported games include Infinite Crisis, Halo 4, League of Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and more.
Age of Conan composer joins PlanetSide 2 and Starcraft II nominees for music award
Say what you will about the rest of the game, there's little argument that Age of Conan has impressive music. And now, soundtrack composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen joins the list of nominees for the Best Score in a Video Game at the 2013 Hollywood Music in Media Awards. His nomination comes for his work heard in AoC's latest content update, Dragon's Spine, which can be heard in the trailer. Other nominees include Jeff Broadbent (Planetside 2) and Russel Bower, Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, and Neal Acree (Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm), nominated in January and March, respectively. The winner for best score will be selected at the HMMA ceremony at Hollywood's Fonda Theatre November 21st. Interested in listening to these impressive soundtracks for yourself? You'll find selections for both AoC and PS2 (and many more) in our own Jukebox Heroes feature.
StarCraft 2 adds 'spawning' system (it's not as gross as it sounds)
Blizzard has instituted a spawning system in StarCraft 2, granting free access to gameplay features when moochers party up with players who have purchased the game. When you jump into multiplayer, you play the most current version of the game owned by at least one person in the party. If you have the Starter Edition and you're playing with someone who has purchased StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, for instance, you'll both play Heart of the Swarm. The same goes for parties greater than two. Spawning is being rolled out globally today. Not all regions have access to it yet, but Blizzard assures us it's in progress.
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm infects 1.1 million in 48 hours
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, the second salvo in Blizzard Entertainment's three-pronged sequel to the beloved RTS, has managed to entice 1.1 million gamers in its first 48 hours. The 1.1 million figure accounts for sales across both retail and digital.Predecessor StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty managed to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first 48 hours. Both can't match Blizzard's launch of Diablo 3 last year, which moved 3.5 million copies in its first 24 hours and helped Activision Blizzard enjoy historical profits in 2012.
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm review: Zerg rushing towards resolution
In music theory, there's a series of notes called a tritone interval. (I'm a writer and a Rock Band player, not a musician, so bear with me, band members.) The tritone consists of three different whole tones: The first sets the stage, marks the spot on the musical scale that our ear can attune itself to. The second note is actually dissonant – it throws off the harmony, and introduces new elements so distasteful that the chord used to be called "The Devil in Music."The third tone, however, finishes off the chord in exactly the right way, and brings resolution to all of the dissonance. Leonard Bernstein famously put the tritone to great use in the song "Maria" from West Side Story: "Ma-" is the beginning tone, "-ri-" shakes things up with some disharmony, and "-a" resolves the melody, justifying the lead couple's forbidden love.Now, using that theory to talk about Blizzard's StarCraft 2 trilogy is a little unfair. The second campaign, Heart of the Swarm, isn't anywhere near "distasteful." But it does introduce plenty of new elements to the series, spinning off the RTS classic into places that Wings of Liberty never dared to go. And like that second note of a tritone, it makes sure to leave plenty of ambiguity and promise out there, making sure we're all ready for the big finale in Legacy of the Void.%Gallery-176756%
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm server start times
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm launches tomorrow, and in the interest of its international fanbase Blizzard has provided a handy list of server activation times (i.e. when you can connect and start playing), broken down by region. You'll find the list after the break. If you're playing StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty in preparation for the new expansion, you'll have to restart your game once Heart of the Swarm officially launches in your area, ensuring you'll have the very latest patch data upon starting. Changes in Heart of the Swarm includes a revamped replay system and ability to recover dropped games when playing online.
StarCraft: Kerrigan -- Hope and Vengeance free on Comixology
This week, we had patch 5.2 to contend with, but next week it's all about the launch of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm for plenty of players. Blizzard has been slowly releasing promotional material for the new game, including a new cinematic and a pretty fascinating viral advertising campaign called Project Blackstone, which is still being updated as the time ticks down to Heart of the Swarm's launch. And now we have another piece -- a comic about Kerrigan and a glimpse at what she's been through that takes place at some point after she was rescued at the end of Wings of Liberty. Kerrigan -- Hope and Vengeance #0 is a relatively short comic, but the art and writing is top-notch. And here's the kicker -- it's absolutely free. You don't have to pay for the comic, you simply plunk it in your cart, checkout and read. The comic is a fairly brisk 8 pages, but with a story by Cameron Dayton and some really stunning art by Zoddd, not to mention the absence of a price tag, this is a nice treat for StarCraft fans. To my knowledge, this is the first time Blizzard's ever offered a free digital comic of this scope. And it does make one wonder.
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm trailer shows Sarah's vengeful side
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm takes Sarah Kerrigan down a dark path of vengeance, mass murder and blowing up entire cities. But it's OK – she's "not even human anymore," according to the latest trailer. Check it out above. The video premiered during Blizzard's livestream and Q&A session today.StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm drops on March 12, and the public beta ends in just a few days, on March 1.
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Vengeance trailer debuts
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm launches March 12, 2013 -- are you ready for it? If you weren't already hyped for the next installment of the game, Blizzard has just released the new trailer shown above. Heart of the Swarm continues the story where Wings of Liberty left off, and follows the continuing tale of Sarah Kerrigan. Although the Xel'Naga artifact appears to have restored Kerrigan's human form, is humanity where her heart really lies? As usual, the cinematics team have outdone themselves. If there's one thing Blizzard has always excelled at, it's producing some seriously amazing trailers. Check out the trailer in full above, and don't forget to pick up your copy of Heart of the Swarm March 12.
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm lets you recover lost games, take command during replays
StarCraft 2 community manager Kevin Johnson produced the above video, a quick rundown of some major additions to the StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm eSports suite and multiplayer experience. Chief among these new features is "Take Command," which allows you to jump into a replay and take over as any player – you can rewrite history, prove your strategy yields better results or relive the conquests of your favorite eSports match-up.You can now also recover games. No matter how your game ended prematurely, you can round up all the original players and pick up from where you left off. Or not, there's an option to set the start time in the recovered game to whenever you want.Additionally, players can watch replays in a group, and individual units now benefit from new physics – the example above shows a cadre of Terran soldiers being torn apart in rather animated fashion as they fight off some Zerg. Remember, kids: the only good bug is a dead bug.StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm launches on March 12, 2013. The game's ongoing public beta is slated to end on March 1.
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm public beta ends March 1
If you've been enjoying the StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm public beta, then we're afraid we've got some bad news – it all comes to an end on March 1. Blizzard has announced the end of the open beta, which concludes just under two weeks prior to the launch of StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm on March 12. StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is the second volley in Blizzard's planned three-game delivery for the sequel to its highly-regarded real-time strategy series. We were able to spend some time with Heart of the Swarm last month, feel free to read our impressions – or, if you just want something pretty to look at, check out the game's introductory cinematic.
Blizzard's Project Blackstone is a Heart of the Swarm viral campaign
Blizzard Entertainment registered a site called ProjectBlackstone.com late last year, and fans wondered if maybe it might be related to the mysterious upcoming Blizzard project code-named Titan. But no such luck, it seems: The domain went live this week and, soon after that, some crafty Redditors found the password. (It's "Y7_$0>0k_3<$m," if you want to try it yourself). The whole campaign has been revealed as a Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm tie-in.Opening the site up reveals emails between various Terran characters talking about experimenting on Zerg lifeforms and presumably we'll see updates in the future that will fill out the story heading into the new game. Heart of the Swarm, the second part of the trilogy that Blizzard's Starcraft 2 has become, is due out on March 12.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm cinematic intro lives up to Blizzard's pedigree
Blizzard does like to put on a big show with its opening cinematics, and this one for StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is no exception. The expansion arrives on March 12, but in the meantime you can check out Mike Schramm's recent hands-on preview.
Mission to evolve StarCraft 2 with 'Heart of the Swarm'
It was nearly five years ago now that we heard Starcraft 2 wouldn't be one game, but three: The long awaited sequel would become a trilogy, cemented into a three-year release schedule, with each iteration following a new race in the series. Though Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty arrived to critical and commercial acclaim in the summer of 2010, Blizzard is only now making its trilogy concept a reality. Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is almost done, and set to be released this March.Blizzard showed off the first three missions of Heart of the Swarm this past week (and the studio has been running multiplayer beta additions and features for quite some time), and from our experience it's becoming clear the second release in this trilogy isn't a simple expansion pack. With the Zerg-focused Heart of the Swarm, the Irvine-based company has crafted something new within the renowned Starcraft tradition; a game intensely focused on the Zerg, their units and abilities, and of course the story of their Queen, Kerrigan.%Gallery-176756%
