Blizzard cancels Blizzcon 2012 originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 26, 2012.

We’ve replaced the previously available StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty demo with the recently launched StarCraft II: Starter Edition. StarCraft II: Starter Edition allows anyone to play the following content for free (all you need is a Battle.net account and Internet connection):

• The first four missions of the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty single-player campaign, including Mar Sara 1-3 and the choice to embark on Tychus’s first mission or Dr. Hansen’s first mission.
• The first two Challenges: Tactical Command and Covert Ops.
• Access to the terran race in Custom Games and Single-Player vs. AI.
• Access to the following custom maps (map selection may rotate over time):

• Xel’Naga Caverns
• Shattered Temple
• Discord IV
• High Orbit

Any campaign progress and achievements you earn while playing StarCraft II: Starter Edition are automatically saved to your Battle.net account, and will carry over should you ever upgrade from the Starter Edition to the full version of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty – Starter Edition is the best damn “demo” of all the times originally appeared on GamingOgre on August 4, 2011.

While Starcraft: II Wings of Liberty has been out for 9 months and has seen a lot of balancing work done for its’ multiplayer, Blizzard has been hard at work on its’ expansion as well, and fans of the series have been a little eager (and anxious) to hear about what the first of the two promised expansions will bring. Fan speculation was rampant a few months back when the ending for Heart of the Swarm was apparently leaked (detailed here. Watch at your own risk).

Now, however, fans will have a real reason to take to the forums. The first real details about Heart of the Swarm have appeared, and not via a leak, but by a fairly in-depth story courtesy of Team liquid. Team Liquid, always at the forefront of the competitive Starcraft scene, was invited into Blizzard headquarters to see Heart of the Swarm first-hand, and they brought back quite a feast of new info.

So what can we expect from this much-anticipated expansion? A very robust campaign apparently. Blizzard seems to be crafting HotS with the single player experience in mind. A Q&A session quickly reveals that Blizzard felt they had marketed Wings of Liberty’s multiplayer very aggressively, and the game was largely seen as a very hardcore competitive game. Although this is not untrue, Blizzard feels they’ve alienated a lot of the more casual and solo players, and want to craft an experience that people can truly enjoy with “just their mouse”.

Although Starcraft enthusiasts might see this is a sign of wavering support for the game’s defining gameplay mode, Blizzard says they remain committed to the multiplayer (as they rightfully should), but are taking a very deliberate and extremely careful approach to it. As one of the hottest competitive games in the world, any change they make to multiplayer – especially brand new units – needs to be carefully evaluated before release. HotS’ multiplayer will definitely see additions, but with Wings of Liberty still receiving occasional balance patches, it is perhaps very wise for Blizzard to remain cautious.

Having sinked many hours into the competitive ladder of Wings of Liberty, I am glad to see this from Blizzard. The developer is also planning a beta, but if I were Blizzard I would take this one more seriously, and really encourage players of all skill levels to participate in earnest. The first game wasn’t broken by any means, but balance issues were far from small, and hopefully this beta can see HotS to a smoother release.

Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm First Details originally appeared on GamingOgre on June 1, 2011.

Unfortunately the bragging rights for being the Master League won’t last very long; Blizzard has revealed plans to implement a Grandmaster League that will encompass the top 200 players from each region. No word on when this league will be established although it’ll probably happen once the Master League standings have solidified themselves.

Starcraft 2 Master League launched originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 14, 2011.