Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.

by Jamison DeLorenzo

With all of the interesting things developing in the gaming world over the past month you would think I would have made the time to write about some of them. Instead, thanks to the purchasing of the Civilization IV expansion my time has mostly centered around wreaking havoc on the Spanish (someone care to explain how they became the Zulus for IV?). Sad to say, I have been struggling playing on the mediocre levels of the game. You would think playing these games for over 15 years would hold some value, but the game has changed enough where you do need to learn some new tricks to right the ship.Anyway, the big bombshell that has been looming over the Internet finally crash landed over the weekend. Blizzard has been holding an announcement over our heads for a while with a ton of speculation. It could have been anything from the Warcraft, Starcraft, or Diablo universe from a sequel to another online game. Reading all of the speculation was quite entertaining itself as thousands of people online suddenly became expert industry analysts or were insiders with reliable information. This happens almost all of the time, but it has yet to be anything other than entertaining.

Anyway, I usually do not hold my breath waiting for an announcement from a developer but Blizzard is one of the 3 or 4 exceptions that I have in place because they routinely churn out something that I enjoy. One could argue that after being hopelessly addicted to World of Warcraft for two years and having it nearly completely consume my life that it would be wise to enjoy titles from other developers in the meantime. Considering that the game is probably not going to be ready until at least late 2008 there is plenty of time for other titles. Hellgate, Ratchet & Clank, Metal Gear, Last Remnant, Spore, Ninja Gaiden, GTA, and Forza all have compelling new releases within the year. If all of that doesn’t keep me busy then my bank account is almost guaranteed to be void of money.

When Blizzard announced that their next big project is Starcraft II there were millions rejoicing. International Starcraft tournaments are still going on, which is very impressive for a title as old as Starcraft. Plenty of people have been patiently waiting for what many consider to be the best of the three major Blizzard universes to finally have a sequel. Whatever the wait is going to be, fans can begin to breathe a little more easily knowing that the franchise is not dead. They have only patiently been waiting for over 10 years for it, and now the countdown to the next addiction can begin… only it can’t, because right now there is no release date set anywhere. After waiting for the initially cataclysmic wave of internet traffic barreling its way towards the streamed movies subsided I began to look at them myself. I apologize for any horrific flashbacks to the Day After Tomorrow that may have brought.

An opening cinematic along with some gameplay footage is not nearly enough for me to crow about how exciting this game may be, but if you had any fun with this game before looking at the new screenshots online must whet your whistle. Hours upon hours of fighting people on Battlenet and toying with the campaign editor await once more. I remember the years I spent playing the first game and have nothing but positive memories all around. My VHS tapes of all the battles I recorded are long gone (in case there was any question on my geek factor), but new cinematics can always be had.

There is, as always, a big stumbling block. A lot of the units are still there and mostly the game may not change at all. As such, the question a lot of people ask is why tinker with a formula that works? This is one of the funniest questions as it does touch on the central part of the war between all the current consoles. The fact of the matter is that every console relies on formulae from franchises still working to sell games. Microsoft needs Halo to give itself a big market share. Nintendo needs Zelda, Mario, and Melee to sell big. Sony needs Gran Turismo to succeed. As far as exclusive titles go those are the big ones. With all of the rumors on Metal Gear and Final Fantasy no longer being Sony exclusives it is hard to state with any certainty how Sony can dominate this round of consoles.

Putting the console spin on this issue aside for now, we have to look at Starcraft. What is it about the sequel that is worthy of a ton of attention? Based on the fact that the game has not seen a new release in a long time and it still being very popular is enough to get millions of copies sold. For people who have not seen the game before, or those that enjoy seeing franchises evolve, what is this sequel going to provide to make it worthwhile? Not only that, but what can the game provide the genre? The war simulations have felt relatively stale to me for a while, and, like any other genre, new ideas to maintain freshness are always important in making a game the best it can be.

It’s strange- I really know nothing about the game other than “new units” and “updated graphics.” The critic inside me says I definitely need to know more. The gamer is dying to see more footage. It sickens me that I’ve been pulled in with just a video and some screenshots, but I know I must have it.

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