[X] My Assistant

[Synner667]

One of the best games ever has finally made it out of development and is available for sale.

This is the main page, at Blizzard's StarCraft 2 page

And this is some talk about it, over at the BBC's StarCraft 2 page.

Strap on your Marine armour, load up your Protoss machines or breed your Zerg...
...And enjoy !!

[Mr. Mage]

And now the entire populace of South Korea has called in sick today.

[Karoline]

One of the best games ever has finally made it out of development and is available for sale.

Must have sucked having to live up to this level of expectations.

Personally I have no plans to buy this game, even though I'm big on Strategy games. Partly because I don't like that they've split up the campaign into three separate games (Last I heard anyway) and I don't feel like buying three games so I can get one game's worth of content. Partly because I'm not such a fan of twitch gaming, which SC is to an even greater level than most FPS games.

[Tanegar]

One of the best games ever

That's quite some hyperbole. Have you actually played it, or are you just parroting industry hype?

[Oehler the Black]

Must have sucked having to live up to this level of expectations.

Personally I have no plans to buy this game, even though I'm big on Strategy games. Partly because I don't like that they've split up the campaign into three separate games (Last I heard anyway) and I don't feel like buying three games so I can get one game's worth of content. Partly because I'm not such a fan of twitch gaming, which SC is to an even greater level than most FPS games.

You're forgetting another key bit to how terrible the dearth of content is, SCII is the same damn game with better graphics. Despite this Activision is going to make billions. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohplease.gif)

[Voran]

Honestly, I'd prefer another WH40k Dawn of War game, more 'dark crusade' than 'dawn of war 2' stuff tho.I like the tactical/strategic 'build a base and kill the fark out of everything'. Dawn of war 2 (and chaos rising) were fun.

Yeah, my main fear is SC2 is going to be SC1 just gussied up in new graphics. I mean that's cool and all, but you have to consider just howmany games of that genre have come out since SC rolled around.

[Dumori]

I'd love a new homeworld game like thats gonna happen (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

[Sengir]

Played the beta, less than underwhelming. Maybe once the SP episodes are leasead in one pack I'll buy it.

[DWC]

Honestly, I'd prefer another WH40k Dawn of War game, more 'dark crusade' than 'dawn of war 2' stuff tho.I like the tactical/strategic 'build a base and kill the fark out of everything'. Dawn of war 2 (and chaos rising) were fun.

Yeah, my main fear is SC2 is going to be SC1 just gussied up in new graphics. I mean that's cool and all, but you have to consider just howmany games of that genre have come out since SC rolled around.

It's not SC1 with better graphics. It's Brood War with better graphics, and a massive downgrade in multiplayer functionality.

[Dumori]

I might get it when its £5 ish but I didn't enjoy the twichy micro managing of the 1st.

[Mr. Mage]

I didn't even buy SC1 until 3 years ago, and I haven't even finished the Terrans section of the story... I love RTSs like Empire Earth and Age of Empires (The originals, not the sequels) but SC just seemed to limiting compared to those games. I might get SC2 when they have the whole thing (all three storylines) and all expansions in one box for $15 down in the bargain bin at Walmart, but until then... meh

Diable 3, however, I'm am almost definitely getting when it comes out.

[Thanee]

And now the entire populace of South Korea has called in sick today.

They don't need to. It's probably a national holiday. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Besides, playing SC is what they do for work there.

Bye
Thanee

[Doc Chase]

You're forgetting another key bit to how terrible the dearth of content is, SCII is the same damn game with better graphics. Despite this Activision is going to make billions. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohplease.gif)

Nah. What they make off of first annum SC2 sales WoW will make for Blactivizzard in about three months.

[Thanee]

Yeah, my main fear is SC2 is going to be SC1 just gussied up in new graphics.

No way! That is EXACTLY what it must be. SC1 was perfect already. No need to ruin it by trying to make it all hip and everything.

All it needs is a modern game engine and a bit of polish here and there. Blizzard knows their stuff. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Bye
Thanee

[Karoline]

I didn't even buy SC1 until 3 years ago, and I haven't even finished the Terrans section of the story... I love RTSs like Empire Earth and Age of Empires (The originals, not the sequels) but SC just seemed to limiting compared to those games. I might get SC2 when they have the whole thing (all three storylines) and all expansions in one box for $15 down in the bargain bin at Walmart, but until then... meh

Diable 3, however, I'm am almost definitely getting when it comes out.

I love those. Games where it is about long term planning instead of twitchy mouse controls. I loved it when I managed to get nukes before most people were even in the right age (EE). I also enjoyed playing the Britons and almost being able to outdistance the trebushe with my archers.

[Voran]

Im all for modern polish on older games, if they could redo Wing Commander, or the old Fallout games, that would be awesome, but its not 'pay full game price' awesome.

Another Bridge Commander game for Star Trek would be nice too.

[Doc Chase]

If you hit No Mutants Allowed, an enterprising fan went through and pretty much finished up all the stuff in Fallout 2 that they were going to add but didn't due to time/budget constraints.

I think it's like three times Fallout 2's original size. Fallout 3 is also a hoot, I find it to be a worthy successor to the original series.

[Mr. Mage]

I love those. Games where it is about long term planning instead of twitchy mouse controls. I loved it when I managed to get nukes before most people were even in the right age (EE). I also enjoyed playing the Britons and almost being able to outdistance the trebushe with my archers.

Ah yes...after awhile I got so good at managing resources and planning in EE that whenever my friend would challenge me to a game I would usually begin bombing runs on his castles within the first 2 hours... That's right everybody, "Bombing runs"
with planes on his "castles". That's one thing I really love about EE. Long term planning because you would be in it for a LONG time.

In my experience, SC games are usually over in 20-40 minutes (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter) but Age of Empires and especially EE were usually over after at least an hour and a half, usually more. And there was never a dull moment either.

[LurkerOutThere]

If you hit No Mutants Allowed, an enterprising fan went through and pretty much finished up all the stuff in Fallout 2 that they were going to add but didn't due to time/budget constraints.

I think it's like three times Fallout 2's original size. Fallout 3 is also a hoot, I find it to be a worthy successor to the original series.

I may have to check into that. I really liked fallout 2 but the non-completed stuff was fairly annoying. Along a similar line anyone else like me play and love Acanum? They really need to come up with a sequel to that, alas it will never be.

[Doc Chase]

I may have to check into that. I really liked fallout 2 but the non-completed stuff was fairly annoying. Along a similar line anyone else like me play and love Acanum? They really need to come up with a sequel to that, alas it will never be.

He linked in a ton of things, expanded/rebuilt a lot of the old stuff (seriously, Klamath looks nothing like it used to), and it all runs pretty solid. It was a few years' labor of love.

I've heard of Arcanum, but I haven't tried it. I'm also debating whether or not to play SC2 right now.

[Mr. Mage]

I may have to check into that. I really liked fallout 2 but the non-completed stuff was fairly annoying. Along a similar line anyone else like me play and love Acanum? They really need to come up with a sequel to that, alas it will never be.

Arcanum? I LOVED that game! I can't even count the number of times I have played that game, restarted, and started anew with a different character concept. Gentleman Thief, Elven Sorcerer, Dwarven Rifleman, Old West Gunslinger, Gnome Technophile, Half-Orc Warrior and tons and tons more. Not to mention how so many of those older games (Fallout, Arcanum, Elder Scrolls, etc) were so easy to mod so there was always an abundance of custom story arcs and maps to play.

I would love a sequel to Arcanum, but they'd have to do it right! As much as I loved Fallout 3, I don't want Arcanum to end up like that. If Sierra or whoever owns the license to Arcanum ever decide to make #2, please keep the mechanics generally the same...

[Karoline]

I may have to check into that. I really liked fallout 2 but the non-completed stuff was fairly annoying. Along a similar line anyone else like me play and love Acanum? They really need to come up with a sequel to that, alas it will never be.

Sounds familiar but don't think I've ever actually played it. Was likely one of those games that I looked at and wanted to get, but never had the money when I kept spending it on other games ;P

I would love a sequel to Arcanum, but they'd have to do it right! As much as I loved Fallout 3, I don't want Arcanum to end up like that. If Sierra or whoever owns the license to Arcanum ever decide to make #2, please keep the mechanics generally the same...

Agreed. I liked Fallout 3, and it kept very nicely in line with the theme and feel of the older FO games, but the total redoing of the mechanics was kind of.. I don't know, I'd have liked something more along the lines of BoS a bit better. Updated graphics, few new mechanics, etc.

[nezumi]

I'd have to say, Arcanum actually sort of sucked. It's the only game I've ever played where the difficulty level is set more by your choice of 'classes' than by the slider in the game. It was full of bugs, terribly balanced, and hugely easy to game.

However, it was also a beautiful concept, a lot of fun to play, and something I too would definitely want to see redone. Modern graphics and balanced gameplay would simply make it wonderful.

[Mr. Mage]

I'd have to say, Arcanum actually sort of sucked. It's the only game I've ever played where the difficulty level is set more by your choice of 'classes' than by the slider in the game. It was full of bugs, terribly balanced, and hugely easy to game.

However, it was also a beautiful concept, a lot of fun to play, and something I too would definitely want to see redone. Modern graphics and balanced gameplay would simply make it wonderful.

I can see what you mean, there were so many patches for that game. It will, however, continue to rank as one of my all time favorite games, and I even have it installed on my Vista machine now (yes! there is a patch to let you run it on vista and win7!)

[Minchandre]

I'd have to say, Arcanum actually sort of sucked. It's the only game I've ever played where the difficulty level is set more by your choice of 'classes' than by the slider in the game. It was full of bugs, terribly balanced, and hugely easy to game.

However, it was also a beautiful concept, a lot of fun to play, and something I too would definitely want to see redone. Modern graphics and balanced gameplay would simply make it wonderful.

What do you mean unbalanced? Just because a Summoning+Time mage could easily beat the game without ever allocating any points after level 20 or so doesn't make a game unbalanced...