StarCraft II Announced

Cinematic Trailer

Note: YouTube doesn’t do the videos much justice as the quality is lacking. To see the videos in all their glory, check the StarCraft II website

I became as giddy as a school girl when I found out that Blizzard had announced the much rumored and anticipated StarCraft II! As of now, while the game is still shrouded in Blizzard mystery (unannounced launch date, lack of details on planned game features, etc), the game is far along enough to provide some seriously stunning gameplay videos.

A few things are known about the game thus far: The 3 races that we know and love will be returning (Protoss, Zerg, and Terran). The way Blizzard words the FAQs leaves them open for adding a new playable race, however…that’d be nifty. What it would be is anybodies’ guess. Secondly, we know that Blizzard is stepping it up a notch with collision detection and how units interact with each other. What we see in the gameplay videos made me drool like an excited bull mastiff. Before I get to those, here’s the game announcement on the official site:

StarCraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company’s world-renowned gaming service, with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

Features:

* Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the magic of the original game
* Three completely distinct races: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg
* New units and gameplay mechanics further distinguish each race
* Groundbreaking single-player “story-mode” campaign
* Vibrant new 3D-graphics engine with support for dazzling visual effects and massive unit and army sizes
* Full multiplayer support, with new competitive features and matchmaking utilities available through Battle.net
* Full map-making and scripting tools to give players incredible freedom in customizing and personalizing their gameplay experience

Gameplay Video 1 of 4

Gameplay Video 2 of 4

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Gameplay Video 4 of 4