We were able to play through a large chunk of the single-player game of StarCraft 2 when we visited Blizzard's offices two weeks ago, and the game seemed nearly done; everything looked and played great. So it comes as no great surprise that the release date has been officially announced: you will be able to buy StarCraft 2 on July 27.
The launch also seems to be worldwide, as Blizzard states you'll be able to buy the game in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau "starting" on that date. Here's what you have to look forward to.
"The storyline chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players will be able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign," Blizzard states, describing the single-player game. "Several challenge-mode minigames will also be included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies."
The game will also ship with the newly updated Battle.net, as well as a set of advanced content-creation tools allowing you to create your own StarCraft 2 levels and mods. We were told that these tools may be slightly challenging unless you are already competent at scripting and game design, but they are very powerful; you'll be able to create all new game modes and experiences. To demonstrate what is possible, Blizzard showed off a third-person shooter at Blizzcon, and StarCraft 2 Lead Designer Dustin Browder told Ars he was hoping to see all new games created by fans once the game was released.
The game will be available as a $60 boxed retail copy, as well as a $100 Collector's Edition, with a wide variety of bonus content and goodies. For those averse to boxes and discs, the title will also be offered as a digital download soon after the retail launch.
"We've been looking forward to revisiting the StarCraft universe for many years, and we're excited that the time for that is almost here," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Thanks to our beta testers, we're making great progress on the final stages of development, and we'll be ready to welcome players all over the world to StarCraft 2 and the new Battle.net in just a few months." Judging by the reaction of our readers whenever we post Starcraft 2 news, this game is one of the most anticipated releases to come along in some time.
With the launch of a new online service, a large-scale single-player and multiplayer experience, as well as an impressive suite of content creation tools included in the package, StarCraft 2 is nothing if not ambitious. Expect more coverage as soon as we get our hands on the final version.
Source: ars technica
