STARCRAFT 2 BETA

Happy Holidays from Blizzard!
Blizzard surprised us today with this cute holiday card, an excellent piece of artwork, which has an Orc Santa with a Hydralisk head on the front of his spaceship. Well, what more is to say than Happy Holidays to you too Blizz! And hurry up with that StarCraft 2 launch! What fun is to ride and sing a slaying song tonight... Isn't it? 4 DA HORDE!!!

It's Starcraft Time!
All you StarCraft 2 fans out there, stay with us! as we will unveil some interesting aspects about this highly anticipated game. We will present all new units and structures from Starcraft 2, new characters, StarCraft 2 release date, StarCraft 2 Beta, new features and all the changes that were made to the original StarCraft (with more than 11 million units sold to date).

StarCraft is, without any doubt, one of the most successful strategy game in history, thanks to a combination of endless strategic depth, Blizzard's seemingly continous devotion to its fans and the thrive for excellence. The launch of Starcraft 2 will surely take the world by storm. It would be best not to schedule any important meetings on that day as an influx of coincidental sick leaves will leave managers baffled. The same thing happened with the launch of Halo 3 in 2007.

Starcraft 2 News

StarCraft Mobile Game
If you're a big fan of the original StarCraft and your cell phone has a screen resolution of 176x220, you're in luck! Here's our Christmas present for you: Stargate Ghost (Mobile Game). Download this file and copy it anywhere in your phone, then hit Install. That's it! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

When will StarCraft 2 come out?
Bad news guys! We will definitely not going to play StarCraft 2 this year. That's a shame, because we were really looking forward to get our hands on this game and smash some Zerg heads. While you wait, why don't you change the pace a little bit and relax with a stargate browser game instead? Com'on, Asgard is calling out for heroes! Do you have what it takes?

What's New in the StarCraft Universe
The Protoss, Terran, and Zerg armies have unfinished business and the war is about to start over. StarCraft 2 may have been delayed, but it's certainly not forgotten, as thousands of fans are waiting in the shadows. Blizzard's classic RTS will hopefully get its sequel sometime next year, but how does StarCraft 2 stack up to its predecessor? This week Ten Ton Hammer takes a look at some of the features of StarCraft 2 and what's changed in the sequel.

StarCraft 2 Battle Report 4
What do you know? Another battle report from Blizzard... Man, this wait is taking forever! Anyway, in this video, Terran battles Protoss for control of the re-imagined Lost Temple. Enjoy the Battle Report 4 while you wait for the release of StarCraft 2. One elephant, two elephants, three elephants...

StarCraft 2 Tower Defense
A fan of both the StarCraft universe and tower defense games created StarCraft 2 Tower Defense. The game has almost 50 levels, only 5 towers and it's a little bit difficult for our taste. Besides, we don't understand why Terrans have to shoot Terrans, instead of shooting Zergs for example; but if you'd like to give it a try, be our guest. StarCraft 2 TD uses flash, which means that the game can be played directly in your browser. Enjoy! Or not...

BlizzCon 2009 Documentary
YouTube short documentary on this year's BlizzCon. If you want to see what BlizzCon really feels like, this video is a must watch. There are no StarCraft 2 or Diablo 3 news there though...

BSG's Tricia Helfer to voice Kerrigan
Good news everyone! Battlestar Galactica star Tricia Helfer will be voicing Sarah Kerrigan, Chris Metzen recently announced at BlizzCon. To hear Number Six in StarCraft 2 really pays off. We can hardly wait!

New Wings of Liberty Screenshots
Dozens of StarCraft 2 Wings of Liberty screenshots recently released at BlizzCon and you can check them out at GameSpy. Looking great so far...

StarCraft 2 Wings of Liberty Preview
The first glance at Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty outside of Blizzard headquarters. Looks good, feels good, it should be good! Too bad the release of StarCraft 2 takes so long, probably early next year. Anyway, here's the preview for Wings of Libery, and we look forward for the demo. Enjoy!

Video: Battle Report 3 (June 19)
A Zerg vs. Protoss gameplay demo on a new map called Scrapyard. The Battle Reports show us just how much the game has changed and how much effort is being put into balancing and tweaking. This should be one hell of a game when it will be released! Unfortunately, that doesn't look to be happening any time soon. For now, you can watch the Battle Report 3 of StarCraft 2.

Starcraft 2 Release Date: Sometime this Year (June 18)
In a live interview from DreamHack, the world's largest computer festival, lead designer Chris Sigaty, sitting at Blizzard headquarters in California, answered in front of 7000 people, the eternal question about the StarCraft 2 release date, revealing that they're aiming for this year. And that's news because... "However, we're not going to ship the game if it's not ready," [...]

StarCraft: Why so Dead? (June 15)
Sorry, no good news lately on the upcoming StarCraft 2 Demo. Anyway, here's a good marine parody that supposed to chear you up... for a minute. Where the hell's the release? When will we get an official Starcraft 2 release date?

StarCraft 2 Beta Editor (May 28)
Good news, mappers! The Map Editor will be included in the upcoming Beta. The StarCraft 2 Beta will start out in North America and will be Multiplayer only. By the way, developers say that the final version of Starcraft 2 Editor will have powerful RPG components, which obviously could lead to infinite possibilities. In addition, classic maps are being remade as we speak. Think "Lost Temple".

StarCraft 2 Beta Opt-ins! (May 7)
It's official folks! Blizzard Entertainment just dropped THE bomb over the StarCraft 2 community when they announced, via the World of WarCraft site, that they are now accepting opt-ins for the StarCraft 2 Beta.

StarCraft 2 Activation Code (May 5)
Great news! According to the website U9.com, the official Chinese StarCraft 2 Site, this week a large number of activities are scheduled. Those who participate in these activities will have access to test StarCraft 2 activation code. Therefore, if you are Chinese and want to be among the firsts to get your hands on StarCraft 2, you had better check this out. Learn more...

StarCraft 2 Overall Updates (May 3)
OK, so here are the latest news related to StarCraft 2 Release Date:

1. Widescreen monitors will be able to see slightly more of the battlefield;
2. Currently the Mule mines three times the minerals than a normal SCV;
3. Corruptor kills an enemy air unit; unit will turn into a stationary 'turret';
4. All of the Zerg units and buildings are being updated as we speak (type).

"We hope that the choices we have made will give our players the best possible StarCraft 2 experience." (Dustin Browder, Lead Designer of StarCraft II)

Unit Visual Upgrades (April 30)
"Zerglings develop their wings after the speed upgrade, before that there's no wings because it's part of the evolution look. Similar to banelings crawling on the ground but once upgraded then it will roll, it's all about the upgrade display looks." says Karune. The Starcraft 2 developers intention is to visually be able to show upgrades so enemy players can more easily tell when they are up against upgraded units (such as Zealot Charge, Marine Shields, etc.).

Chinese Websites announce StarCraft 2 Beta (April 22)
The biggest Chinese StarCraft fansites notified their visitors that StarCraft 2 Beta will be released next month, in May. Believe it or not, the Webmasters say they already received the Beta keys from Blizzard's Community Manager in China. The sites in question are Blizzard's certified Websites, so you may want to treat this seriously. Although Blizzard has yet to confirm this, this is really good news. In the mean time, enjoy StarCraft's Battle Report 2.

Second Battle Report Locked & Ready (April 17)
Battle Report 2 is finally out! In this match the Zerg will fight against the Terrans. New additions: destroyable barriers, enhanced minerals, Xel'Naga watch towers and Nighthawks' Hunter Seeker missiles. Also, Infestors are able to spawn Infested Terrans, no infestation required, and Hydralisks seem to have a melee attack mode. GG!

April Fools' Terratron (April 1)
The 'Omega Supreme Defense' is an entire Terran base that transforms into a giant robot, bringing a tear in the eyes of Transformers fans. Watch video.

StarCraft 2 UI Screenshots (March 29)
Blizzard has released another set of screenshots from StarCraft 2, revealing an early version of the replay user interface. The good news is that the interface is designed both to help players improve in StarCraft 2, as well as serve as a platform of statistics for eSports commentary.

Updated Zerg Queen (February 18)
The Zerg Queen has continued to evolve over the last few months. She is a fierce defender of the Zerg and can often be found in small groups defending the larger Zerg infestations in Starcraft 2. In addition to defending her Hatchery from ground and air threats, the Queen has several special abilities. She can:
1. create a cluster of organic tumors that generate additional creep; 2. spawn additional larva from any Hatchery, Lair or Hive; 3. exhale a deadly swarm, very effective against biological targets. Great news!

Protoss Dark Pylon (February 18)
The StarCraft 2 team has made a number of changes in each of the races as the game gets closer to Beta. Here's one: the Protoss Dark Pylon. What does it do? Well, let's see: makes targeted Probes to mine faster for a given time; cloaks a single target; transfers some of its energy to a Protoss caster.

New Zerg Textures (February 16)
The Starcraft 2 art team have been making significant updates to the Zergs, adding various new animations and improving even further on the textures of Zerg units and buildings. Check out the new zergs.

Unit Development
"We're definitely looking at new units for each of the expansions for each of the races. When you get to the Zerg campaign you'll get new Zerg units, new Terran units, new Protoss units." (Dustin Browder, Lead Designer)

Video: '98 vs. '08 Zergs
A comparison video of the Zergs from Starcraft and Starcraft 2.

Put away those 'girly heroes'!
Lawrence Phillips talks about the future of Starcraft 2. An interesting article taking on the concept of the Hero and why Starcraft players hate it. It's time to put away the 'girly heroes' from Warcraft 3 and get back to a man's game.

Units Update: Terran
Reapers are the new kids on the block and probably the most fun in Starcraft 2. Their explosive charges are just too good and they will be very annoying from the enemy's point of view. It's bad enough to have the little buggers jumping off cliffs to run away, but leaving behind bombs? Terrorists! The beloved Starcraft Medic was replaced with fast-healing Medivac Dropship. The Starcraft Thor will primarily be an anti-air unit, but will also be able to attack ground units as well.

Units Update: Zerg
If Starcraft 2 Banelings are lifted up by Anti-Gravity and an air unit kills the Baneling, it will do damage to air units - which will be highly effectively against light units such as Mutalisks. Also, Nydus Worms could be seen while traversing the terrain; you don't need a detector to see them.

Units Update: Zerg Queen
The Zerg Queen, limited to one per player at any given time, can be used to build base defenses on enemy creep in Starcraft 2. The mighty Queen can also regenerate the health of those defenses as well, making it an excellent Zerg vs Zerg rush strategy.

Zerg Revelation Trailer
"We are the Swarm... We burned a path of annihilation across the stars. And then, we vanished. Four years ago we faded into the shadows. We thrived, we evolved...". Watch full video of Starcraft 2 Zerg reveal at GameTrailers.com.

Units Update: Terran
Starcraft 2 Terran infantry will load into a Shadow Ops building, then a Ghost can launch drop pods, which originate from that building. Abilities which require energy usage cannot be casted while in the Null Voids area of effect. The Sensor Tower will reveal all units in the fog of war, including cloaked and burrowed units. Veterancy will be seen in the Campaign, but will not be applied to Multiplayer.

Units Update: Terran
Bunker evolved! Protected Starcraft Medics can heal outside troops (a huge advantage). Also, all units inside a bunker can use special abilities. Starcraft 2 Nomads will deploy Mine Drones (stationary defense structures which places four mines around it), and then immediately cloaks both the mines and the structure. They will also replace the mines after they detonate).

Protoss Leaked Song
Well, that's a powerful Starcraft 2 Protoss theme. Trully inspiring!
Worth the download, guys.

Units Update: Overall
The Starcraft 2 Thor is shaping up to be a monster against other ground units; he was made exclusively anti-ground, as the Viking fills Terran's need for AA firepower. The Viking can shoot both ground and air when in ground mode, and is able to transform into an air to air fighter, for better mobility. The Protoss Phoenix is set to unleash its devastating ability (Overload) even on cloaked units, and the High Templar can now lift enemy units and buildings into the air. Also, the Protoss Immortal won't fire at air units.

The vulture riding bad-ass
Remember Jim Raynor, the vulture riding bad-ass from the original Starcraft? Of course you do. Interested in his biography? Well then, click to learn more.

Protoss Caster
Starcraft 2 Protoss casters will have an ability to transfer energy from one to another. This ability will allow for a lot of micromanagement opportunities to maximize the amount of energy to a single caster, for the maximum number of special abilities casted.

Pre-order now at Amazon
Not surprisingly at all, Starcraft 2 became available for pre-order at Amazon.

Arclite siege tank
The Crucio is the Dominion update of the immensely popular but aging Arclite siege tank. The Arclite was renowned throughout the Confederacy for its devastating firepower and stalwart emplacement / advance tactics. See for yourself: the Starcraft siege tank evolution.

Protoss Units SC1 to SC2
An illustration showing the evolution of Protoss units from the original Starcraft to Starcraft 2. Click for changes to Starcraft Protoss units.

Units Update: Terran
It seems that the Starcraft 2 Cobra is finally out and that the Thor has lost its bombardment ability. This is good news indeed! Anyway, Thor has a good bonus versus armored units on the ground and does well against most (but not all) air units making use of his AA missiles. Presently, he can be countered by range, mobility or certain powerful anti-armor units.

Construct with attitude!
The TF-620 Nomad combines the functions of light manufacturing center and observation post rolled into one. A common sight among the fringe-world colonies, the Starcraft 2 Nomad is a robust, air vehicle built to operate independently in all but the harshest climates. Even more, it seems the Nomad still will have its basic Defensive Matrix ability on top of Nano-Repair, Turrets and Detection.

Units Update: Ghost
The Starcraft 2 Ghost's EMP ability currently affects both building and unit shields, as well as casters energy.

Units Update: Banelings
The Banelings are pretty much the melee killers in StarCraft 2, though they have very little hit points, and are easy to kill from distance. The good news is that they operate on a timer. However, if you are a Zerg player and you would get some of these creatures among the enemy's drones, you will significantly stifle his economy. Just so you know, there is nothing more gratifying than watching a group of Marines walk over a burrowed Baneling. When it unburrows - BOOM!

Units Update: Thor
Did you knew that Starcraft Thor can now attack air units?! Isn't way this too much of an advantage? Anyway, the developers may be adding a new mechanic, in which the Thor could be first immobilized (but still able to fire), and then it could be destroyed. However, while the Thor is immobilized, a SCV can repair it back to full health, having it regain mobility.

Units Update: Overall
The Protoss have new shield-equipped units (the Immortals) who prove resistant to heavy weaponry, making a problem for units like Terran siege tanks. However, their shields are not activated by the relatively weak guns of the Terran Reapers, putting them in disadvantage. Starcraft 2 siege tanks firing from the fog of war, such as on an unseen cliff, will not reveal their location to the enemy. Behold the Siege tank evolution!

Units Update: Reapers
The Reaper is definitely one of the most powerful units in the hands of a skilled player, as its hit and run ability is unmatched in an early Starcraft 2 game. The mines that they drop also do significant damage to enemy structures. Reapers can do a lot more than simply annoy the enemy: they can be efficient scouts, base raiders, hit & runners and they can make use of the terrain to their advantage, firing from above cliffs.

Units Update: Colossus
To deal with the even growing swarms, the Protoss have the Colossus, massive tripod-like units that can wipe out the Zerglings with a laser beam. Again, however, the system is balanced in that manner in Starcraft 2 that the Colossi are vulnerable to airborne attacks and to mutated suicide Banelings. The Colossi are really strong. Also, because of its height, he will be susceptible to anti-air defenses like the Terran Missile Turrets. It is possible for the Colossus to be hit by ground and air attacks at the same time.

Blizzard News

BlizzCon 2009 Tickets Sold Out in Seconds (May 21)
Apparently with Blizzard's new ticket buying system, 30000 fans around the world bought the first wave of BlizzCon 2009 tickets in just seconds from their release. Now on Ebay^®, tickets are showing up, some packages costing as high as $1200. There will be a second wave of BlizzCon ticket sales coming May 30^th (about 10000 more), so keep an eye on the date if you don't want to miss your spot at BlizzCon this year!

BlizzCon Tickets (May 6)
Tickets to this year's BlizzCon gaming convention, being held on August 21-22 in Anaheim, California, will go on sale worldwide on Saturday, May 16 for $125 each, with a second block of tickets going on sale Saturday, May 30. StarCraft 2 will be playable at the Expo so hurry up and grab your ticket now.

BlizzCon 2008 Beta Sign-ups (April 26)
If you are one of the lucky folks to atttend last year's BlizzCon you probable got a code that you can use right now to participate in a future Beta test from Blizzard. Head over here and enter the code along with your email address. Be advised that this sign-up may not be for the next Beta to become available, namely StarCraft 2. Thank you for your interest in testing our games!

Blizzcast Episode 8 Released
Episode 8 (right click, then choose Save Link As...) will explore the special effects that create the visually impressive world of Sanctuary, as well as the latest changes to the UI that are going in to the highly anticipated sequel of Diablo 2.

BlizzCast: Episode 7
Episode 7 (right click, then choose Save Link As...) wraps up the second World of Warcraft expansion with Production Director J. Allen Brack and Lead Game Designer Jeffrey Kaplan. Also in this episode, Crygil sits down with Senior Vice President of Creative Development Chris Metzen to discuss the lore of Wrath of the Lich King.

BlizzCast: Episode 6
In this episode (right click, then choose Save Link As...), we spend a day with a World of Warcraft developer, dig into StarCraft II unit creation, and discuss 'bridging the gap' in Diablo character design. The episode wraps with some community Q&A.

Blizzcon 2008
Blizzard surprised everyone at BlizzCon by announcing that Starcraft 2 will actually be split into three games. Starcraft 2 Terran campaign 'Wings of Liberty' will arrive first. Rather than compromise on the massive vision that was coming together for all three races just to fit a short campaign, it became clear for Blizzard that the right thing to do from a gameplay, story, and design perspective was to go BIG on all three races. Good news for us!

BlizzCast: Episode 5
Episode 5 (right click, then choose Save Link As...) features a brief recap of events at the recent Worldwide Invitational in Paris, along with an in-depth interview with Jay Wilson, lead designer of Diablo III.

BlizzCast: Episode 4
Episode 4 (right click, then choose Save Link As...) covers how the music in World of Warcraft has evolved since the game began and also delves into the current state and future plans for professions. The episode then finishes off with answers to questions from our communities.

BlizzCast: Episode 3
Episode 3 (right click, then choose Save Link As...) of BlizzCast is locked and ready! The first 15 minutes are spent with Karune and Dustin Browder on the development of Starcraft 2 and Wrath of the Lich King.

BlizzCast: Episode 2
The second episode of BlizzCast, a new feature which gives fans a chance to get a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes at Blizzard is ready for download. Grab the news (right click, then choose Save Link As...).

Starcraft - Blizzard's next MMO?
Check out this interesting article at Relmsteinian Blogspot. By the way, which game do you think it's going to be Blizzards next MMO?

BlizzCast: Episode 1
The first episode of Blizzard's official podcast. Go behind the scenes to experience the world of Blizzard game making with Samwise Didier. Get it! (right click, then choose Save Link As...).

Starcraft News

StarCraft SMS (May 27)
Once with the announcement of StarCraft 2 Beta Opt-ins there aren't much news from Blizzard nowadays. However, we thought it would be nice to surprise you with a cool text message alert, starcraft SMS: "Receiving incoming transmission. Com-link established!". Long live StarCraft!

Vespene Laughs Comic Winner (March 29)
Blizzard: Vespene Laughs comic contest winner for February:

Starcraft Tattoos (March 14)
We created a page dedicated to people who got themselves tattooed with Stacraft characters. See the exclusive tattoos and learn their stories.

College Course: Starcraft Theory and Strategy (March 10)
We've got an entire section dedicated to Starcraft College Course that includes documents, replays and videos for your pleasure to download & watch. Next time you hear someone say playing games is a waste of time, you can explain how the game teaches economics and calculus concepts.

Celebrating 10 Years of Starcraft
On March 31, 1998, Blizzard Entertainment released Starcraft,
a revolutionary RTS game pitting three powerful and distinctive races against each other in an inter-galactic epic war for conquest and survival. More than 9.5 million copies of Starcraft were sold around the world since that date making the game a classic of the genre. Happy Starcraft Anniversary!

Zerg Cool Vibes
Here's one freaking awesome Zerg song from Starcraft 2 Zone, track which they intend to use in their total conversion of Starcraft, called Sons of War.

'Starcraft English', the book
Starcraft is pretty popular in South Korea. And by 'popular', you sure know what we mean. So what's the next step for the Koreans' relationship with Starcraft? How about using it to teach people English? A publisher in Korea has actually published a book titled Starcraft English, which runs through every shred of language in the game to help students understand the English language. Speaking of cultural news...

Play Starcraft without the CD
Good news! Starcraft no longer requires CD to play. To play without the CD, you will need the patch 1.15.2 though.

StarCraft: The Board Game
Starcraft 2 Board Game announced! Players hungering for a new StarCraft experience need look no further than StarCraft: The Board Game.

Project Revolution MOD
If you can't wait for Blizzard to release Starcraft 2 or are sick and tired of playing the old 2D Starcraft at a tiny 640x480 resolution, here's something that might raise an eyebrow (or two). After more than three years in development, Snowflake Entertainment shouts the news at us: Project Revolution demo is now downloadable. Get the Project Revolution from FileFront.

Kerrigan, the self-styled Queen of Blades
We all know her, and we all came to love her. She is the undisputed ruler of all the Zerg and pretty much the 'bitch queen of the universe'. Look around, we've got some Kerrigan Queen of Blades wallpapers on this Web site.

Starcraft Two - Starcraft 3 - StarCraft 2 Activation Code

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