We hope everyone was able to get a StarCraft 2 Beta key. We've got a few thoughts on the beta and some information on the contest they are running now.
Will StarCraft 2 be a good game? Some people would reply: It's Blizzard, enough said.
However, everyone knows that is not always the case. There are companies out there that are known for good games, Valve for example, Blizzard, ID software. They work at their games, perfecting them, and the results are usually more than worth waiting for. However, we can't let this lull us into a false sense of security. While these companies seem to have created a sure-fire system for blockbuster titles, you have to be careful. Stay critical of companies and their products. They are fighting for your money at the end of the day and your time - don't forget that.
The beta has ended but Blizzard has assured us that sometime before the release on July 27th we'll see a "Phase Two" of the beta. This may or may not be a public beta, we aren't sure. These two weeks I suspect the game will have some final balancing tweaks put in but more than anything stress testing for the new Battle.net will be a goal for Blizzard. It has to be ready for the massive influx of players come release day.
Was the beta good? Absolutely. Is it what the hardcore StarCraft junkies want? Maybe. For us, the beta really proved that StarCraft 2 was going to live up to the hype - and that was just in the multiplayer. We can't wait to see the single player campaign. You have new units but favorite old ones, all with generous cosmetic and personality enhancements. Siege tanks, ghosts, carriers, battle cruisers, they all make appearances but new units such as the colossus and thor add great new elements to the game. Recently the custom map abilities of Battle.net were tested and there was no shortage of maps to play - great fun as always.
The new Battle.net has a plethora of new features and while sometimes it takes a little bit to find a game, we've lost chat rooms, and Facebook has become integrated, most the changes are for the better. Achievements, contact system, matchmaking, practice leagues, ladder system, all of these things have been added or improved from the original Battle.net and it is a stellar interface. We absolutely hate the loss of LAN - if it happens - especially because we're nearly certain the code exists within the game for developer testing purposes.
At the end of the day we await eagerly the release of StarCraft 2 and a chance to spit out a 6 pool zergling rush ASAP. There's a lot of time for them to mess the game up and the single player still has to be tangled with but we think the game will not disappoint.
One thing we would like to see is the business model for the trilogy release - will it be in expansions or full game releases? Single player is rumored to be leagues better than even the original StarCraft. That said, with one release per single player we expect a lot and will what we get be worth $30 or $60? We're not sure. If each part of the trilogy comes with new multiplayer enhancements it could still be sold as either. We don't want to pay full game price for only a few new units in multiplayer and a third of the storyline in single player - especially if the storyline is a single story split across three perspectives.
While we wait, we'll be playing the original StarCraft.
Head over to the official StarCraft 2 website to look at their propaganda contest which closes July 8.
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