Big Announcement

Wow have I got news for you all!

I've bought my very own Suzumiya Haruhi figurines! Thank you, XL shop!



I'm so lucky, considering that I like ponytail Haruhi, and they even have Fang-tan! And let's not forget Mikuru's maid outfit! But Yuki in a swimsuit is a little...

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well actually, there's bigger news...



The sequel to my favourite RTS has officially been announced by Blizzard! Woohoo!

I predicted Blizzard would announce a Starcraft MMORPG, considering their success in World of Warcraft. I mean, if you were the money-minded boss of Blizzard, and you look at these figures:

8,000,000 subscribers x RM 55 per month = RM 440,000,000 PER MONTH!

That figure doesn't even include the ever-growing number of people buying the game boxset! With the growing pattern of game companies caring about money more than the gamers ("ah~ they might complain now, but they will still buy our games!"), I thought it was evident that they would come up with another money-generating MMO.

Very fortunately, I was proven wrong. Blizzard cares about its gamers after all. :D Forgive me, Blizzard! I would not think of you that way again!

Anyway, here are some delicious gameplay details of Starcraft II:

  • "A true sequel to Starcraft", implementing and enhancing mechanics of the original (hooray!). Most of the features below reflects this promise.
  • No hero system, so it'll be more resource-centric than ability-centric (hooray!)
  • Mover-and-shooter style, focused on having abilities that units can perform without much micromanagement (double hooray, coz I seriously suck at micromanagement)
  • Will implement the "hard counter" system, where certain units are meant to counter others (superb!)
  • Three races intact, no fourth race added (a new race would be nice, but I don't mind~)
  • Focuses a lot on strategies that make early game attacks more feasible, such as the zergling rush. Normal games would last 20 minutes, tournaments 15 minutes.
  • A new map editor that improves on the Warcraft III editor (DotA in Starcraft... imagine... :0~whoaaa...)
Many more details in Gamespot's "What we Know so far" article. Click here.

Also, check out the awesome Starcraft II official website! And they have opened up the Protoss profile page! :D Click here.

Release date not confirmed though >_< Can't wait...

Thank you, Blizzard! We salute you! _orz

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah should have seen us hitting the F5 button on every game site before the announcement took place :) Managed to catch the live announcement courtesy of IGN ^_^

Blizzard wouldn't have released a SC MMORPG only because it would tap into their customer base for WoW, something I bet they will save for their other franchise, Diablo :P But the Diablo lore is going to need more fleshing out if they are going to make a MMORPG out of it :)

Though I am excited about the new game, it is tempered with some doubts. First they have admitted that WoW and its expansion pack did take resources from the team, thus delaying work on it though it started after Frozen Throne. Second, while the "cartoony" look may be okie for WoW and W3, I don't think it looks suitable for SC which is meant to be dark and gritty. I hope they make things look more grimy and dark for the final game which knowing Blizzard could be a year or two down the road :P

And the hardcore have already dissected the art trailer and you can see hints of the Zerg/Protoss hybrid that Dark Origins (secret level in Brood War) hints at.

ahbonk said...

Wow eu gin, I didn't you left a comment here. I better make the comment section bigger in the blog >_<

Well I thought that maybe in 2010, WoW would lose its appeal a little, and the bosses of Blizzard thinks that a new boost in the MMORPG realm is needed. Thank god I'm wrong, of coz :D

Yea Daim mentioned this as well, the cartoony feel of the screenshots. I think the buildings should look a little dirty and rusty, to add to the realism.

Yea the Zerg/Protoss hybrid would still be in SC2, just not playable, according to the announcement.

My cousins and I were thinking that maybe a new race should consist of hardcore non-intelligent robots, preferably the ones from the 70s :D hahaha~