Chums of RPS VG247 have (just about) scooped the internet with a huge hands-on previews of Starcraft II, and an interview with Blizzard bossman Rob Pardo. Needless to say, we get to learn quite how Starcraft II causes other games to seem like nothing in comparison, and how the three-game structure that the game has been broken up into will work. Here’s Pardo on those two follow-up expansions: “Right now the plans are to do something along the lines of full single-player campaign and some additional features on the multiplayer side, but obviously using the same engine. That to me is an expansion price point. If we decided to put in three new races, and a bunch of new technology and features, maybe that would be a standalone product. But right now I think we’re looking at being much more like an expansion feature-set.” Anyway, go have a read of the full thing. The internet will be overflowing with more SC2 stuff today, following a big press event.
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@Jeremy: conspiracy theories ? ha, its just common sense, DLC is all the rage right now, you really think publishers and devs never get together and talk about what to hold back for DLC ?, they are not doing it because they are “evil” they are doing it because, like any business, they are trying to maximize their profits, its us, gamers, that let them get away with it.
@pkt-zer0: i said they are an unknown quantity, meaning im neutral about them, so im just assuming they are going to do what every other company does, and the LAN thing doesnt give the “they are still the same company” feeling
I’m not saying they didn’t get together and talk about it, but I’m sure they didn’t talk about it just to figure out a way to screw the consumer, that’s the conspiracy aspect of it. It was probably more of a question on how to fit it all into one game, and make it accessible to the most people. The other truth (at least for me) is, I don’t want to play a 120 hour campaign, and for Blizzard, that wouldn’t be a game that is accessible to most people. Breaking it up allows it to be fresh again after a 9 – 12 month cycle for the average RTS gamer, and those who are obsessed with SC have BNet to play on.
As for LAN, I’m not too concerned, you can still play with people in the same room if you really want to, and broadband isn’t going to slow people down the way that dial-up did 10 years ago.
So, another generic RTS with a linear single player campaign they want to extend over three games?
They’ll be partying like it’s 1999 next …
I think Starky’s comparison of having three SC2 games to Lord of the Rings or Kill Bill is pretty apt.
(Ignoring for a moment the publishing history of the LoTR books) Peter Jackson could have made the story shorter and released just one movie. Or he could have released a 9 hour long movie in the theaters. But instead he told us, up front, that there would be three movies, that the story would not be complete for three years, and that we would have to buy three movie tickets to see the whole story.
If you liked the movies, I doubt you complained too much about this. I doubt you came out of Fellowship of the Ring saying that there “wasn’t enough movie”, or that it was “too short” or that Jackson was just “milking the franchise”.
I don’t know if SC2 will be as good as LoTR (don’t know if you really can even compare them), but seriously: what Blizzard is doing here isn’t really all that odd. Its been done before.
I wonder if people would complain if they waited until 2012 to release the game and it did have a 120 hour campaign and blizzard charged 100 – 120 dollars for it.
LOL! Yes, they would. The thing is, though, people will always bitch regardless of what is happening. So I say ignore them.
Re the single player demo, the chap reviewing sounds actually rather bored most of the way through, then says “Wow, it’s amazing!” I guess that means we’ll get what everyone was expecting, for better or worse: the same old SC with fantastic presentation. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing is up to you (I lean toward the former).
@JKjoker
The tin foil hat
You should put it away
Yeah, that was kinda strange Kester. He was talking about it with no emotion then said “AWESOME!!,” which is kinda confusing all around.
“Needless to say, we get to learn quite how Starcraft II causes other games to seem like nothing in comparison”
so where’s that part of the article
SC2 will likely be awesome. If it ever comes out :)