There can be little doubt that the build up to the launch of Blizzard’s Starcraft II is perhaps the most experienced for any game ever. The sequel to what has often been heralded as the greatest RTS of all time, to the game that permanently wrought its change to an entire genre, a game that became a national sport for a country, Starcraft II has some lofty expectations to meet when it releases later this month, exclusively for the PC.
Blizzard’s leaving no stone unturned in order to ensure that the release of Starcraft II is an event, one that does justice to the unbelievable status of the first game. With barely two weeks left to release, it has now been announced that Starcraft II will support 3D. No, not right off the bat. While Blizzard were a bit cagey about details, we could discern that the game should be supporting 3D within a month r so of its release. So the latest all you owners of the nVidia 3D cards and screens should expect some returns to the investment is by September this year.
Of course, that’s not all that’s being done to promote the game. As IGN reports, Blizzard are taking unbelievable and unprecedented steps to hype the game, including a Boeing 747 that’s been reskinned in Starcraft 2 decals. I am not kidding, Starcraft II has a massive Boeing 747 to its name.
But there’s more. As a sort of thank you to Korea, which has played a key role in Starcraft’s massive success, Blizzard has announced that all subscribers to World of Warcraft in South Korea will have free access to Starcraft II, and that this will last as long as the World of Warcraft account linked to the game is active. That’s actually really nice of them, not to mention that it’s a good business move, since more subscribers to an MMORPG can only mean a good thing.
Starcraft II is coming later this month. While consolites will miss out on this treat, PC gamers can truly experience the sequel to a game that managed to transcend its medium. I don’t know if Starcraft II will have the longevity that the first game did- frankly, I find it hard to believe that it will. But I have no doubts whatsoever that the game will be monumental, a resounding sucess, and another succesful chapter added to the long and illustrious history of Blizzard.