Chris Metzen and Andrew Chambers sat down at BlizzCon to chat about the lore and story behind the universe of Starcraft II. As we saw in the gameplay panel yesterday, Blizzard is aiming to really break a lot of new characters into the foreground using the adventure game-style cutscenes, and Metzen and Chambers seem really excited to bring some new faces into the RTS staple sequel.
To start off the panel, they ran through a few of the folks we'll meet in the Terran campaign. Dr. Hanson is a "Dr. Lady with glasses (so she looks really cute)," said Chambers -- originally she was designed to be a male citizen kind of person (someone the player just helps to make their way through the campaign), but they moved on to try and make Jim Raynor (Starcraft's protagionist) a sort of romantic interest. As much of a romantic interest as a hard-bitten mercenary can have, anyway.
BlizzCon offered up not one but two, Two, TWO comedians for the price of one at the closing ceremonies. We knew Patton Oswalt would be performing, but were weren't aware he'd have a warm-up act. As far as our experience with comedy goes (which is basically reading Ludwig's and Justin's posts), opening acts normally suck. And even though he dresses like a lumberjack and looks much older than the 31 his MySpace page claims, Kyle Kinane was funny as well.
Head after the jump to listen to the full comedy stylings of both Patton and Kyle after the break. You may never go commando in corduroy pants again.
Well, that was fast. With just over a month since Will Wright's Spore was released to the masses, a listing has popped up on Electronic Arts' online store for Spore: Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, something we've known to be coming since our E3 2008 interview. You can currently pre-order the expansion, available as direct download for $19.95 on Tuesday, November 18, though that could change. Are you ready for an onslaught of creepier (and cuter) penis creatures?
Despite what that affront-to-mankind-in-motion-picture-form, Spider-Man 3, may have tried to make you believe, merging with a dreaded symbote doesn't turn you into a mopey jerk with an unfashionable haircut and nightmarish dance moves. We feel that the upcoming Activision web-slinging simulator, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, depicts a much more accurate account of the side-effects of fusion with tar-like alien lifeforms: A widening of the eyes, an elongation of the teeth, and tendrils -- oh, so very many tendrils.
The launch trailer for the aforementioned title, posted above, gives us a good sampling of the symbiotic adversaries we'll be pummeling come Web of Shadows' October 21 release date -- and with a classy touch of Moonlight Sonata to boot. We highly suggest checking it out -- perhaps you'll find some place in your heart that hasn't eternally sworn off games featuring the titular, charismatic wall-crawler.
Yes, we already knew that there would be a demo for Valve's upcoming co-op zombie survival sim, Left 4 Dead. Therefore, we're not terribly surprised by Gabe Newell's comment to Edge that the demo (which will allow one to four survivors to play through an early part of the game's campaign) would be dropping in "early November" -- after all, the game is due out on PC and Xbox 360 on November 18, so a preview period of a couple weeks would have been a logical estimation.
Why, then, would we choose to post on this particular announcement? It's simple, really -- to keep the seemingly inevitable, real-life Zombocalypse at the forefront of your mind. Seriously, it's coming, people. Make your arrangements.
If you've been playing the Wrath of the Lich King beta, then this stuff isn't new to you. However, it sure is pretty. All those lush environments, just waiting to be riddled with the corpses of the vanquished. Straight to you from BlizzCon comes the video above, and the gallery below.
Been itching for some Zerg action? Now you have it, in video form. Check out the new Starcraft 2 video above, and the new screenshots down below, straight from BlizzCon. We'll have a full hands-on with Starcraft 2 and the Zerg experience later.
The big announcement at BlizzCon yesterday was the morphing of StarCraft II into a trilogy. I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the people instrumental behind this change, StarCraft II Lead Producer Chris Sigaty. I spoke with him right after the announcement was made, and we talked about how this will impact SC2, what it will mean for multiplayer games, and what challenges the developers are facing in making SC2 the best game it can be.
One day of BlizzCon is already behind us, and with it came the announcement of the Wizard class for Diablo III, the fact that Starcraft II is going to be a trilogy, and the truism that World of Warcraft players really love their costume and dance contests.
Check out the video of the pants-off dance-off above, hit the links below that for some highlights, and then be sure and crawl through our galleries below for all that we've seen so far. Today brings more panels, more Diablo III news (omg wtf?!), and a closing ceremony featuring Patton Oswalt, Video Games Live, and Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain. We'll be bringing you audio and video, so keep watching.
Were you one of the many who didn't have the opportunity to make it out to Blizzneyland... er, we mean BlizzCon, of course... this year? Never fear, because Joystiq is on-hand to tell you exactly what's happening on the show floor. Enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of your desk chair, away from the lines and the crowds and the delicious Diablo 3 gameplay... but we digress. On with the show. See our live coverage of:
The convention floor, full of all sorts of shiny temptations for your inner fanboy (or girl).
The news that StarCraft 2 was being released as a trilogy (with one game for the Terran campaign, one game for the Zerg campaign, and one game for the Protoss campaign) left some people cold, but we've got to say the gameplay Blizzard is showing off still looks incredible.
Stay tuned for more news from Blizzneyland... er, BlizzCon... throughout the day.
Speaking at yesterday's Diablo III Gameplay panel, Blizzard's Jay Wilson was asked one of the questions that's been hiding in the back of all of our brains, "Is Battle.Net going to remain free?"
His response probably wasn't what you'd want to hear. "We are looking to monetize Battle.Net so that we get to keep making these games and updating features," said Wilson. "We kind of have to." He went on to say that they do recognize that everyone loves having it as a free service, and that they don't have a strong desire to make a subscription-based game.
What does that mean for our beloved free online gaming service? We're hoping to find out when we talk to Blizzard bigwig Rob Pardo later this afternoon.
This might just be the first time in American history when participation in the presidential election overshadows the viewership of Dancing With the Stars, so it makes sense that a game developer would want to capitalize on all the Head of State hubbub -- enter Activision, and their recently announced, bargain-priced shooterSecret Service. The title will pit you, an agent of the esteemed presidential protection outfit, against a number of inimical extremists who attack Washington D.C. on Inauguration Day.
Very few details about the title were shared in the press release the company just dropped, though it was revealed that the story and level design will be crafted by former Creative Director for Naughty Dog, Daniel Arey. Parties who are interested in taking a few bullets for our Commander in Chief will be able to enlist on the Xbox 360 ($39.99), PS2 ($29.99) and PC ($19.99) when the game hits store shelves "later this year".
Rob Pardo and Chris Metzen hosted the Starcraft II gameplay panel here in Anaheim this afternoon at BlizzCon 2008 -- they showed off, for the first time in public, some of the adventure-based gameplay and ingame cinematics that will come with Blizzard's next RTS release (or next three RTS releases, as the case may be).
After the break, what we saw of Starcraft II's Terran campaign, and Rob Pardo explains the reasoning behind Blizzard's decision to turn Starcraft II into three separate games.
Here's the piping-hot new cinematic video for the Wizard class in Diablo III, straight from BlizzCon. This leads us to suspect that each class will get its own cinematic, possibly as they approach the Sanctuary instance near the beginning of the game. There are several Wizard-specific CGI moments and gameplay shots in a sort of "coming up this season on Diablo III" format.
Below you can check out the new gallery of screenshots from Diablo III, featuring new shots of the Wizard, Barbarian, and Witch Doctor. Enjoy the goodies, and keep checking back for more info.
