Starcraft 2 Game On!

Archive for the ‘Starcraft 2 News’ Category

Everyone can get a free StarCraft 2 Beta key for free when you pre-order the game at Gamestop. http://www.gamestop.ca/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?Product_ID=253908 Enjoy!

Update: Game Stop is out of beta keys, and it’s more expensive. They are giving out free beta keys at Amazon and it’s free shipping.

Today Blizzard revealed the StarCraft 2 Limited Edition for $99.00! It’s pretty awesome, you get a whole bunch of goodies listed below:

• The Art of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, a 176-page book featuring artwork from the game
• An exclusive 2GB USB flash drive replica of Jim Raynor’s dog tag, which comes preloaded with the original StarCraft and the StarCraft: Brood War^® expansion set
• A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, cinematics with director’s commentary, and more
• The official StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty soundtrack CD, containing 14 epic tracks from the game along with exclusive bonus tracks
• StarCraft comic book issue #0, a prequel to the comic series
• A World of Warcraft^® mini Thor in-game pet that can be applied to all World of Warcraft characters on a single Battle.net account
• Exclusive Battle.net downloadable content, including special portraits for your Battle.net profile, decals to customize your units in-game, and a visually unique version of the terran Thor unit

Every time Blizzard releases anything limited edition it usually gets sold out very quickly and most of it shows up on eBay with extremely inflated prices. Starcraft 2 is no exception. This box goes for $99 but you’ll probably see it on eBay for $200+. Scalper’s dream come true whenever Blizzard releases anything.

Blizzard Official Information

StarCraft II Beta – Patch 8 (version 0.10.0.14803)

General

• Korea
• Added support to display the game rating information on the login screen.

Oh sweet! Thor got changed for the better. I’ve been seeing less and less games with the usage of Thors lately. I think the concussive shells for the Marauders is a major downgrade for them. I never really feel they were over powered.

• TERRAN
  • Marauder
    • Concussive Shells now require an upgrade.
  • Siege Tank
    • Build time decreased from 50 seconds to 45 seconds.
  • Thor
    • Build time decreased from 75 seconds to 60 seconds.
  • Barracks Tech Lab
    • Concussive Shells upgrade added.
    • Concussive Shells upgrade costs 100/100 and takes 80 seconds to complete.

Wow, Protoss got a major nerf in air power. Well then again I do agree that Void Rays were just way overpowered. I wonder if I’ll be seeing many Void Rays now. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been following quite a few forums and word has it that we should be seeing an online crack for those who didn’t get a beta key. Obviously, it will not be for Battle.net. It will probably be LAN/TCPIP, so you can play with your friends. I sure am looking forward to this! I am in no way endorsing the pirating of Starcraft 2, but I just think it’s fair for everyone to get a chance at the beta. All download links related to the beta will be removed when the actual game comes out! I’ve already pre-ordered my copy, I’m ready to pwn! Keep checking for my updates on this!

StarCraft II Beta – Patch 7 (version 0.9.0.14621B)

Although, the Thors have their damage reduced, I wonder if the splash damage is worth the trade off. I’m going to have to test this and see. Other than that Terran seems to be intact.

• TERRAN
  • Banshee
    • The health has been increased from 130 to 140.
  • Missile Turret
    • The damage has been changed from 7 + 7 armored to 12.
  • Thor
    • Anti-air damage has been decreased from 10 + 6 light to 8 + 4 light.
    • Anti-air attack now deals splash damage in a 0.5 radius. Read the rest of this entry »

StarCraft 2 Beta Patch 6 (Version 0.8.0.14593)

General

• You can now report misconduct or block communication with a player after completion of a game by right-clicking on the offending player’s name in the score screen and choosing Report Abuse or Block Communication.
• You can now view any player’s profile after completion of a game by right-clicking on their name in the score screen and choosing View Profile.
• Updated unit and ability tooltips to be accurate in all regions.
• Improved the visibility of units on zerg creep.
• Improved the visibility of team colors for protoss units using warp-in to help distinguish between multiple protoss players.
• Improved the system that handles promotion and relegation between Leagues.
• Improved the Favored functionality to more accurately portray Even matches and display properly in the score screen.
• Improved 2v2 arranged team matchmaking so games are found more quickly.
• Improved replay functionality so missing maps will be downloaded from Battle.net when you view a replay.
• Korea: Improved the logic for the age gate functionality. Read the rest of this entry »

What is BlizzCon?

BlizzCon is a celebration of the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises and the communities that surround them. This two-day event will contain Q&A panels featuring Blizzard Entertainment developers, social events for players and developers to meet one another, hands-on gameplay featuring your favorite Blizzard Entertainment games, casual and competitive tournaments, and more.

Where is it?

If you’ve been holding your breath waiting to find out when and where the next BlizzCon would be held, then… you’ve probably passed out by now. But if you’ve just been patiently watching for an announcement, then we’ve got good news for you: BlizzCon will be returning to the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, October 22 through Saturday, October 23! Just as in years past, BlizzCon 2010 will feature an exciting mix of discussion panels, tournaments, hands-on gameplay, contests, and much more. Check out the announcement press release, and keep an eye on www.blizzcon.com in the months ahead for further details, including ticketing information.

Source: Blizzard Press Release and BlizzCon 2010