StarCraft Turns Ten Years Old Today

If we still did This Day In Gaming, we'd remind you that today was the day StarCraft was born. On March 31, 1998, Blizzard shipped the epic orcs in space real-time strategy classic, selling 1.5 million copies in its first year, ultimately reaching 9.5 million copies sold. I still remember internally debating which box style to buy—I went with the Protoss—and the thrill of competing in ranked Ladder matches. While the game took a toll on my academic performance, it has provided me and countless others with hundreds of hours of solid gameplay.

Blizzard has a brief retrospective of the game's first decade, reminding us that StarCraft II is indeed reality and not just a fanboy fantasy. For those too young to remember the heady, early days of Battle.net, quickly read up. Got any good StarCraft stories to share? Hit the comments.

StarCraft's 10-Year Anniversary: A Retrospective [Blizzard]

"Making StarCraft II Is Harder Than Totally New Title"

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational Tickets Go On Sale Soon

Attention real Blizzard fans! If you're going to be in the city of Paris—or close enough to make the trip worthwhile—know that tickets for the event go on sale this Thursday, March 20. The event, which was held in Korea in 2007 and saw the formal announcement of StarCraft II is planned for Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29. All the action happens at Porte de Versailles Exposition Center. We would suggest buying early if you plan on going, as BlizzCon tickets sold out like lightning.

There's going to be competitive gaming, hands-on time with Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II, but we hope the real draw is the announcement of Diablo III or World of The Lost Vikings.

2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational Tickets On Sale 20th March! [Blizzard]

Two StarCraft II Interviews

The Dramatic Zerg Reveal Trailer, Now In Direct Feed Clarity

The swarm of Zerg-related media from StarCraft II continues to creep out of Blizzard, with a proper direct-feed look at the reveal trailer we saw the other night. It's a blend of in-game cinematic action and gameplay, with just a dash of pre-rendered stuff, all under a melodramatic narration that should have fanboys shivering with delight.

New Direct Feed StarCraft II Zerg Clips

Our first real look at the Zerg in Starcraft II was quite an eye-straining affair. Thankfully, Blizzard has released brief but clearer videos of the classic Mutalisk and Hydralisk units in action. It's chill-inducing stuff, watching a massive swarm of Hydras go to town on some Terran Battlecruisers. That action is in the following clip.

You've seen the trailer, now read words. Korean game site sends us what is apparently the official Blizzard Zerg fact sheet. Tk from Korean game site Game Shot sends us the sheet. We can't verify its authenticity one hundred percent. We can verify that it is after the jump. Read on!

First Look at StarCraft II Zerg

The latest StarCraft II Q&A has hit Battle.net. While that generally means a slew of answers regarding unit abilities that uberfans will pore over with a fine tooth comb and many, many "we're still debating that internally" responses, this time we get some fresh media. Four new screens, loaded with units and packed with pixels, have been released. No, there isn't a Zergling in sight, but they're just so pretty, we had to pass them on. The full Q&A is right here if you're so inclined.

No In-Game Ads for StarCraft II

We have no plans to have in-game advertising in StarCraft II. We believe Bobby was actually referring to Battle.net, which has always included ads.

Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational Moves To Paris

"We look forward to bringing the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational to Europe for the first time and sharing our latest news with players there," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.

If you want to get your hands on StarCraft II before 99% of the Korean population, book your plane or train ticket to Leipzig pronto, as Blizzard has enough demo kiosks to quash a Zergling rush at Games Convention. The developer also has an equally impressive number of demo kiosks for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King for anyone looking for some massive multiplayer role-playing in a massively populated environment.

You'll find me at the StarCraft II area on Wednesday, feverishly working on Part II of my long delayed hands-on StarCraft II impressions.

Blizzard on StarCraft's Korean Popularity

Well, they took the game to a totally different level, one that I don't think anybody really expected. They were able to micro-manage everything, and do crazy stunts with units that nobody ever thought could be done. I think the game allowed for a lot of that, and it combined with the factions being really diverse, the timing of the release and the storyline. It was just a mix of those things and it worked its way up.

You may not actually need any of the stuff contained within the BlizzCon goody bag—excepting the hand sanitizer with Blizzard cozy—but I'm sure there are plenty of things in here non-attendees will want. Don't worry, we'll find a way to get rid of all this stuff, from the Diablo button to the Colossus magnet to the World of WarCraft XL t-shirt to the Heroes of Azeroth trading card game starter deck to the beta key. Oops, just kidding. That beta key is mine.

Actually, Blizzard doesn't quite know to which game the beta key applies. Therefore, if it's for Wrath of the Lich King, it's all yours, lucky Kotaku reader.

Details On The StarCraft II Single Player Campaign

Blizzard has released a new batch of screenshots for StarCraft II showing off new unit abilities, like the Battlecruiser's plasma array, and an updated look for a number of previously revealed units. A preview of some of the new map types is also awaiting you in the gallery below. Don't forget that if you want to see these guys in embiggened size, the original, massive image is available right below the thumbnail.

I'm going to keep this one brief (yet again). I'm also going to rub a little something in the Kotaku collective face, as I will be playing StarCraft II this weekend—and lots of it. That's 'cause I'm at BlizzCon, right now, pounding convention center floor, covering the Con for Kotaku. If it's any consolation, I'm running on four hours sleep. Upon my return from the Anaheim Convention Center, the only games I'll be playing are Ninja Gaiden Sigma (almost... there...) and Picross DS.

Anyway, what are you playing this weekend?