Blizzard has gabbed before about focusing on Diablo 3's co-op experience in patch 1.0.8, but what does that actually mean? What's new? What about me? What about my needs? Thankfully, Blizzard's thinking of me, and has explained a lot of changes to make multiplayer friendlier and less frustrating.
StarCraft turns 15 today and, to celebrate the big day, Blizzard will hand out special retro portraits to StarCraft II players. The faces from the original game's box art, once so fearsome and stunningly realistic but now a bit goofy and so plainly CG, can grace your SC profile if you play at least one online game in the next few weeks.
Diablo 3's former game director Jay Wilson admitted yesterday that both the real money and gold-based auction houses have "really hurt the game," but Blizzard hopes to fix the problems it has caused in minimizing item values instead of shutting them down completely.
"It's not good for a game like Diablo," he said. "It doesn't feel good to get items for money. You want to get items from killing monsters."
For a giant publisher with such stock in online gaming, Blizzard has been notably reluctant to jump into the free-to-play market. All that changed this weekend with the announcement of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, a F2P online collectible card game that marks the company's first foray into the market strategy. And while it isn't as striking an opening volley as Titan, Blizzard's patience has paid off. The F2P market is still going through its growing pains, but by waiting the company has output a game that seems to dodge many of the inherent drawbacks of the sales model.
Read more: Games shouldn't 'put up a wall' to get everything »
People have been awfully naughty abusing Diablo III's account rollback feature, which is only there to help people who've been hacked. First, Blizzard had to adjust it to stop babies feigning hacks to resurrect permadead Hardcore characters, and now it's making changes to stop charlatans duping items.
As I played a session of Diablo 3 on PlayStation 3, DualShock firmly in-hand, senior level designer Matthew Berger offered a frank assessment on why PC games can translate to successful console ports.
"You want to sit on your couch," he said. "You might love Diablo on PC, you might still be playing Diablo on PC, but you might say, 'I don't want to sit at my desk now.'"
If the screenshots for Diablo 3 on PlayStation 3 weren't enough to sate your curiosity about how well the traditional PC franchise would transition to console, then you'll want to check out the new trailer showing actual gameplay and the all-new user interface in action.
Aside from a rotary selection screen and tweaks to the way the UI is displayed during gameplay, the game still appears to be as loot crazy and frenetic as the PC version. The console version will offer four-player co-op and contain all of the updates added since it launched in May.
This week, we are offering StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm multiplayer tips. Yesterday, we focused on the Terrans and their race-specific strategies. Today, we conclude with a few tips for playing the Protoss, and some Heart of the Swarm-specific tips as well. Be sure to check out our single-player and multiplayer reviews for the game.
Today at Blizzard's PAX East panel, the company announced Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. The collectible card strategy game is Blizzard's first stab at the free-to-play model, allowing players to compete as heroes from nine WoW classes, all set in the Warcraft universe.
We knew StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm would be a hot commodity when it was released, given its near fanatical multiplayer and eSports following. Blizzard confirmed just how hot the title was today, announcing that the game had sold about 1.1 million copies in the first 48 hours.
This week, we are offering StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm multiplayer tips. Yesterday, we focused on the Zerg and their race-specific strategies. Today, we look at a few tips for playing the Terrans. Be sure to check out our single-player and multiplayer reviews for the game.
With StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm already bringing out the aggressive nature of the Zerg, Blizzard has started to turn its attention to the final chapter in the trilogy, Legacy of the Void. The theme of that last installment--focused on the Protoss--can probably be best summed up in one word: desperation.
This week, we are offering StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm multiplayer tips. Yesterday, we focused on the basic skills needed for playing multiplayer. Today, we look at a few tips specific to playing the Zerg. Be sure to check out our single-player and multiplayer reviews for the game.
Over the next few days we will be offering StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm multiplayer tips. Today, we offer basic skills needed to be able to compete in multiplayer. In case you missed them, be sure to check out our single-player and multiplayer reviews for the game.
For the purposes of this tutorial article we'll assume you're at least familiar with the basics of a real-time strategy game. Fifteen years into the series' lifespan there isn't much to be gained from recounting the basic resources-->buildings-->army format that most gamers are familiar with at this point. Instead, we'll focus on bringing you up to speed on the current state of the way StarCraft 2 is played (both for beginners, and slightly more advanced levels) as well as what to expect when you start climbing your way up the competitive ladder system.
Since StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm launched last week, Blizzard has been closely monitoring the multiplayer experience and the the pro-player matches. While some competitors have changed up their style of play, "nobody is close to figuring the game out yet."
"it won't be fixed as long as the AH exists. for as many times as they've denied it, ..."
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