Thursday, 02 July 2009

• Starcraft 2 Actually Nearing Beta Testing

  

  It's true, and you haven't even jumped three years into the future.  Starcraft 2 is finally nearing Beta testing and all signs point to awesome.
  
  If you're not a strategy fan or just don't enjoy riding bandwagons, Starcraft 2 has been in development for longer than some gamers have been alive.  I kid you not.  Basically, this thing's been in the oven since before World of Warcraft's development surge in 2003, and is only recently progressing to the Beta stage of things.  But for those of us who are experienced in the art of being a Blizzard fan we know that great titles come after great spans of time.  Hopefully this is no exception.
  
  Just to lay my cards on the table, I'm willing to say that Starcraft 2 is going to be worth the wait.  Sure, there will be plenty of angry fanboys complaining about some minor tweak or apparent sellout on Blizzard's part, but for my part and that of many gamers who just want a fun and tactical experience, Starcraft 2 seems set to deliver.  Furthermore, according to producer Chris Sigaty in his interview with 1up, the game isn't simply a fresh coat of paint like many have feared after viewing screenshots and playtests over the last few years.  Yes, Starcraft 2 looks beautiful, but no, the visuals are not the only thing receiving an overhaul.
  

  
  

  
  There are new units for all three factions (Zerg, Terran, and Protoss) but also a fundamental change to gameplay tactics as well.  For those of you who stuck with the original Starcraft and its expansion for all these years, you may need to start thinking about some changes to your usual Zerg rush.  The developers seem intent on shaking some things up this time around by either adding new units to counter old strategies or even revamping the economy systems for all three armies. 
  
  

  
  

  
  Also, it seems like Blizzard is intent on bringing in fresh blood to this Starcraft outing through a new and more noob-friendly Battle.net.  Basically, it seems like Blizzard is streamlining the online matchmaking process to make things easier for those new to Starcraft or even RTS games in general.  Akin to the sort of system found in recent CoD games, Battle.net will aid players in entering matches against equally-skilled opponents.  So now instead of logging on as a wide-eyed deer in the headlights about to face off against an oncoming MACK truck, you can log on as a wide-eyed deer in the headlights about to face off against a slightly irritated squirrel.  Much better.
  
  So how about it, are you ready for Starcraft 2 or have you lost interest after so long?  Or, maybe more pertinently, are you just going to stick with the original RTS perfection incarnate: Starcraft?
  

  • 10:05 AM
  • 1857 Views
  • 42 eProps
  • 22 Comments