Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
StarCraft Featured Pic One early single-player mission in StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty challenges the player to safely escort a delivery across dangerous territory.
New Battle.net 2.0 Preview There's an excellent new video and feature article showing off all the goodies headed our way with Battle.net 2.0, brought to us direct from the makers. More >
StarCraft II Beta is Live! The StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Beta test is here! If you opted-in on the Battle.net web site you have a chance to be included in this closed testing phase. Those with keys from BlizzCon events should be receiving their invitations soon. More >
Blur XBOX 360 Beta Join the XBOX 360 racing beta from the makers of Project Gotham Racing.
SC2 Q&A; Session #54 Sharp focus on units, abilities, and consequences. Plus mods and maps, custom launchers.
Battle Report IV Yeon-Ho Lee (Protoss) and David Kim (Terran) face off on the jungle map of Lost Temple in the fourth Battle Report, Blizzard Entertainment's special e-sportscasting featurette showing off the latest look and features of StarCraft II as we wait for the Beta to premier.
Thursday, 4 March, 2010 – Planet Starcraft News
StarCraft II Beta Patch 2 Focuses on Terran, Mothership[ Comment ] 1:48 PST | TheAcolyte | Print News | Category: StarCraft 2 - Beta - Battle.netThe second patch for the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is out and available for players by connecting to Battle.net with the game client. The update focuses on the Protoss Mothership, notably nerfing it a bit. A few Terran changes mostly involve decreased build times for several buildings. On the Zerg side, the Corruptor's attack damage increased slightly.
Protoss
Mothership
The build time for this unit has increased from 120 to 160.
The food cost of this unit has increased from 6 to 8.
The number of shots fired by this unit has decreased from 8 to 6.
The shield of this unit has decreased from 400 to 350.
The health of this unit has decreased from 400 to 350.
The acceleration of this unit has decreased from 1.3125 to 0.3125.
The deceleration of this unit has increased from 0 to 1.
The full list of changes is available after the jump!
The StarCraft IIGhost Messenger Bag that debut and quickly sold out at BlizzCon 2009 is back in "limited" quantity on the Blizzard Online Store. Get yours today for just under $65 plus shipping, limited to two per Battle.net account.
It's also available on the European Blizzard Online Store for �65 or �60, while it appears unavailable on the Korean store's site.
The nylon, cross-shoulder type bag features artwork by Wei Wang that was part of the BlizzCon 2009 logo.
Marines are pretty cheap but they're the only thing you can build at the start without having to dish out extra resources for upgrades or new structures. A few extra supply depots gave me a little more room at the top of the unit cap to fully staff the two bunkers I'd built but before I could manage that, the Zerg marched in and smashed their way through the more distant bunker and made a beeline right for my base. Now not only did I have to divert units back to my main base to eliminate the attackers, but I still had to keep marines heading for the broken chokepoint to stop the Zerg from getting any more units through. And of course, this also meant taking SCVs away from resource collecting to build another barracks and drop down a sensor tower to help give me a little more notice of a future attack.
They've also put up two new videos from the Terran player's point of view.
Early StarCraft 2 Beta Impressions[ Comment ] 5:17 PST | TheAcolyte | Print News | Category: StarCraft 2 - Beta - IGNIGN posted up a quick article on their early impressions of the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Beta. It has lots of little tidbits on what's available, how well it's functioning, and details on system performance as well, so it's definitely worth checking out.
For those who don't want to tangle with ranked play, you can find a custom game option to the side of the button that starts the matchmaking process. Here you can either join someone's custom game or create your own and, if you like, add in computer-controlled opponents. This is probably the best way to go if you want to take it easy and familiarize yourself with how the game works and the best build orders to follow for a shot at a win. It also seems like the AI difficulty is locked on very easy at the moment, meaning it shouldn't be too difficult to secure victory here.
When a match is over you're given a huge amount of information regarding performance. There's the standard score summary and economic breakdown panels, but you also get a build order list that can be customized to compare any one opponent against another. So you have the replay option if you want to take a close-up look at everything going on in a match, and there's the post-match build and production order readout to see everything that happened and when. That's a lot of information, and it's something hardcore real-time strategy players will surely appreciate.
As soon as we're able to get ourselves Beta access we'll have more coverage. If you're currently playing, be sure to leave your impressions on our forums.
There really isn't much new to speak of, but these delve into what's available in the beta including the fact that computer AI is not included. Thus, it's very much a multi-player centered beta, which is no surprise given the importance of it to the series.
�We've had a long relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and we're proud to support the priceless work they do for children,� said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. �This donation also reflects the spirit and generosity of our players � their enthusiasm for World of Warcraft and for supporting a good cause made this possible.�
The donation amount was based on 50 percent of November and December sales of the Pandaren Monk in-game pet from World of Warcraft.
IRVINE, Calif. -- February 17, 2010 -- Blizzard Entertainment announced today that the closed beta test for its highly anticipated real-time strategy game, StarCraft� II: Wings of Liberty�, has begun. Thousands of gamers around the world have started to receive invitations from the company to participate in the first phase of the beta test. In addition to providing feedback on the multiplayer balance of StarCraft II, testers are also getting a first look at Blizzard Entertainment's revamped Battle.net� service, which will be the online platform for StarCraft II, World of Warcraft�, and future Blizzard Entertainment� games.
Congratulations to all those with Beta access coming. Note that Blizzard is giving people access in waves, so even if you're guaranteed access from having attended past BlizzCon events, you may not receive your invitation immediately.
As soon as we get ours, we'll be ramping up our coverage!
Beta Coming Before End of February[ Comment ] 2:22 PST | TheAcolyte | Print News | Category: StarCraft 2 - General Blizzard News - Battle.netDespite recent delays caused by the development of the new Battle.net 2.0 platform, the StarCraft II Beta test is coming before the end of February. Blizzard Entertainment's President Michael Morhaime announced this during the Activision Blizzard quarterly financial conference call, after noting that World of Warcraft's growth has stagnated for the first time.
Not only is the Beta slated for a pre-March release, GameSpy reports that it will be simultaneously deployed to six regions: North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Read more about Activision Blizzard's financials at its corporate site.
Battle.net Project Director Greg Canessa chimes in to talk about and show off the three tenets of Battle.net 2.0, focusing mostly on its highlights for StarCraft II but also delving into those universal across World of Warcraft and future games. These tenets include:
Always connected experience (b.net communication in single-player too)
Competitive arena for everyone (advanced matchmaking and player profiles)
Connecting the Blizzard community (friends features across games)
The video does not discuss what's later detailed in text, the significant campaign creation and distribution features of the Battle.net 2.0 Marketplace. Community developers will have advanced tools for map-making at their disposal and even be able to charge for their creations.
Why it's Hot: The original StarCraft was so awesome that it's rabidly played to this day. While the decision to split the sequel into three chapters has meant a longer development cycle, it also means that we'll get three times the awesome gameplay when it's finally released. Wings of Liberty promises a substantial story, customizable troops, and a mission structure that's more open ended than ever before. Plus, the Battle.Net features are strong enough to turn this game into a wider followed e-sport. The only downside? We still don't know when it'll be released this year.
IGN for Haiti Charity Event 7:45 PST | -1313-Evil_Homer | Print NewsIGN, GameSpy and TeamXbox have rallied the entertainment industry to aid Haiti in its time of need. Today, IGN is broadcasting a 12-hour webathon, beginning at 9am PST and ending at 9pm.
The people of Haiti need your help. You can donate directly to our chosen charity, Habitat for Humanity, or you can jump to the IGN for Haiti eBay page to bid on some amazing auction items. Some notable items include a Life-Size Replica Bayonetta Gun, signed BioShock 2 Splicer Mask, Half-Life Guitar, and over 250 other kick ass items. All proceeds from the auction go directly to Habitat for Humanity to aid the effort in rebuilding Haiti.
Over the course of the 12-hour webathon, IGN editors will be playing a non-stop series of online Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 matches. IGN employees have pledged money for each level earned during our play session. You can find and play with us online all day today. Just look for the "IGN Xbox" gamertag. Help us rack up levels!
Avatar fandom has now reached a dangerous critical mass; so much so that the Mental Health Bureau is actively patrolling the Net for posts that exhibit the new phenomenon actually known as Post-Avatar Depression. It's only fitting then that Avatar should share similarly dangerous and life-inhibiting elements as something as globally addicting as World of Warcraft. They're both so big, and they both involve the audience immersing themselves into a fantastical alien Xanadu, that it would be hard not to find similar elements in both projects. In fact, the entire concept of having an "Avatar" -- a body vessel -- is essentially what people feel, on a smaller scale, when they play Warcraft.
Was World of Warcraft perhaps the source of much of the inspiration, when there are so many similar elements found in the movie?
Juras opened eyes that had not seen for centuries. The engineers had told him that awakening from stasis was unpleasant. They'd lied -- it was horrible.
The story also shows off the game unit in action in video as well as concept artworks.
Tuesday, 12 January, 2010 – Planet Starcraft News
IGN Investigates StarCraft in Seoul[ Comment ] 6:46 PST | TheAcolyte | Print News | Category: StarCraft - Community - South KoreaBlizzard Entertainment continues to have an almost frightening grip on the gaming culture of South Korea, where teenage boys and sushi chefs alike turn to the television station broadcasting StarCraft round-the-clock. IGN's Tim Henderson did some local investigation in the nation's capital of Seoul, which just might indeed represent the spirit of StarCraft more than any other city, and he presents his findings along with photographic evidence.
Blizzard's hold on the Korean PC gaming scene is a stunning thing to witness. The following day, I played hang-man during the closing minutes of one of my classes. The word 'blizzard' was in their vocabulary for the week, and when one of the students figured out the answer, he excitedly proclaimed "StarCraft!" immediately afterwards. I asked another one of the kids about her preferences for playing StarCraft during the following class, and her response that about 90% of the StarCraft she played was played at [gaming and internet cafes called] PC Bangs, and only about 10% was at home. Given the utterly minimal specs needed to run the game, and considering Seoul's broadband penetration, it would appear that Blizzard have really wrestled a dominance over the social lives of many Koreans.
Volume One of StarCraft: Ghost Academy, created and published by TokyoPop in Japanese manga style, is now available via Amazon.com. This issue can be had for US $7.99.
The series joins a number of short novels made in partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, such as the StarCraft: Frontline series and StarCraft: I, Mengsk.
TokyoPop released a promotional video on YouTube which you can view below.
RSS Feeds
