Fingers, Nemesis and I rolled to Blizzcon 2007 in Anahiem yesterday to mingle with several thousand other rabid Blizzard fans and be amongst the first to play World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King and my personal favorite, StarCraft II.
StarCraft II was running on rows after rows of Intel-sponsored PCs. Anybody could sit down and play either a 20 minute single-player skirmish or a multiplayer battle as either the Terrans or Protoss. And as we’ve come to expect from Blizzard, this first-hands on build, with who knows how many months/years left in development, felt as good as any other developer’s final retail product.
StarCraft’s gameplay is very true to the original. Gone are the hero level characters of WarCraft III or the chokepoints and cover of Company of Heroes. It’s a true back-to-basics approach, fast-paced and simple, that’s sure to sell millions and keep the competitive leagues playing this game for another 10 years.
To my surprise the developer discussion panels were even more in-depth and enthusiastically received than those of the original Blizzcon — I’d say they’re now the biggest fan panels this side of ComicCon.
