I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative side in terms of design with their updates to Diablo and Starcraft. Diablo will be interesting since World of Warcraft has a lot of Diablo-like qualities. I have no doubt, however, that they will be incredibly fun, addictive and polished games. Blizzard is the top of the class when it comes to game development - nobody does it better.

Man, why's everyone so down Diablo III? There's that rainbow petition and now this? Blizzard cannot win, like never ever ever. Hit the jump for Cheng's post in full:

Diablo III announced. Nice. It looks pretty amazing, especially the gameplay video. Loved the destructible environments.

I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative side in terms of design with their updates to Diablo and Starcraft. Diablo will be interesting since World of Warcraft has a lot of Diablo-like qualities. I have no doubt, however, that they will be incredibly fun, addictive and polished games. Blizzard is the top of the class when it comes to game development - nobody does it better.

In fact, World of Warcraft is currently banned from any computer I own due to its highly addictive qualities. Its easily one of my favorite RPGs.

I know they are working on another Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game. I hope its World of Starcraft.

UPDATE:
Dear Blizzard,
Please forgive me.

XOXO,
Ash

When the ship runs out of ocean [ash :: the blog via Big Download]

So the first day of Blizzard’s Worldwide Invitational is over: Diablo III is official and fans stream out into the streets of Paris to rejoice. Of course the Opening Ceremony wasn’t the end of the event; merely the beginning.

The ceremony itself took place on the main stage which was jam-packed with over 3,500 people and many more standing. Attended by press from all around the world as well as several special guests such as the VPs of Global Finance and Human Resources (yep, we were all humbled too). Hosted by pop star China and stand up comedian and film star Anthony Kavangh, the event saw Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime take to the stage and congratulate the gamers of Europe as well as reminding all those present that this is the first time an invitational has been held outside of Korea. He took us on a trip back in time to last year’s event in Seoul – a movie which includes a classic sound bite in the making from a teenaged Korean fan: “It’s fun because Blizzard made it.” Morhaime also commented on the Activision-Blizzard merger, provoking laughter when he said they’d ‘leveled up’.

The ceremony concluded in a musical fashion, in keeping with last year’s Korean pop idols. A troupe of Fire Dancers who performed to composer Russell Brower’s latest composition from the soundtrack of Diablo III. With the conclusion of the ceremony, the attendees scattered with the journos heading to a press event with leader designer Jay Wilson and VP/co-founder Frank Pearce.

Because of the top-secret-but-everyone-knows-about-it announcement about Diablo III, the panels weren’t announced until after the ceremony had concluded and suddenly the convention floor was flooded with plans detailing the numerous talks, several of which focus on, yes you guessed it, Diablo. There were also some dev panels focusing on the present and future classes of World of Warcraft and several StarCraft panels.

Interspersed between was the chance to watch ace European guild Nihilum raiding in Sunwell Plateau trying to down Kil’Jaeden or watching a huge selection of pro-gamers battling it out for top spot. Esports is a big part of any invitational so they are running nearly none stop over the two day event and each team of professional gamers was paraded on the main stage as part of the Opening Ceremony.

Split across two floors, there are also numerous booths such as the Blizzard Museum and the famous Darkmoon Faire, complete with life-sized scantily-clad Night Elf, a mail box, meeting stone and a turtle mount. The event sponsors – who include Intel and amBX – also had their own booths but it was the Starcraft II and Wrath of the Lich King areas which seemed to attract attention, with an even longer line than the one for the food vendors, although not quite as long as the one at the main entrance. Unfortunately the Wrath computers were suffering technical hitches meaning they kept freezing, very handy if you’re trying to explore Howling Fjord but what’s an event without a technical hitch or three? Check back tomorrow for hands on preview of both games.

Other fun activities were available such as an Armourer and the chance to get made up as a World of Warcraft character and have a photo taken against a suitably Azerothian background. But for many the biggest photo opportunity was the life-sized Frozen Throne, complete with Arthas’s creepy crown. Very in keeping, despite the lack of Wrath-related announcements.

Check back tomorrow when we’ll be bringing you more coverage from the WWI, including coverage of the epic closing ceremony and WoW and StarCraft Q and A.

If last year’s BlizzCon is anything to go by, it won’t be too long before the goodies (and the bag itself) given to attendees at this year’s WWI start appearing in auction sites. Sad but true, some people will just put the swag straight on eBay in order to make a quick buck or two. But how much should all this swag set this back and is it worth the £55/€70 ticket or the even bigger sum you might end up paying via an auction site?

Fortunately, as Blizzard have a shop selling many of these exclusive goodies, we can tell you.

Blizzard’s concept of a shop, however, is not something you’d recognise instantly; with one per floor they only stand out thanks to the humongous sign and the enormous, never diminishing queue. Rather than go in an browse, attendees can drool over items for sale which are handily displayed in several glass cabinets, they then fill in an order form, wait in the queue for what must seem like for ever, hand over fistfuls of Monopoly money (sorry, Euros) and depart with their goodies.

A glance at this form reveals very little by way of exclusive goodies, much of the goody bag can be purchased if you so inclined and, aside from a few event-specific items like posters and T shirts, many of the items – like the Trading Card Game – can be purchased from anywhere.

Take the huge mouse mat depicting the official event artwork, that’s on sale for €20, the notebook is €13 for an Alliance or Horde version, rather than the actual exclusive Diablo version found in the bag. The signed Miniature is the only other proper exclusive as the game doesn’t launch until later this year; how much you’d pay depends on how much you like Orcs. The bag itself isn’t on sale and it’s one item which is genuinely worth buying, a sturdy satchel emblazoned with the WWI logo which would probably set you back around €45 if it were to be sold. The TCG starter pack retails in the WWI shop for €15 but the really important item – the one which sends the price skyrocketing – is the Beta key and in-game pet.

A staple of such events the beta key is actively sought by many fans dying to get an early look at the next big game and expansion. Except Blizzard haven’t even announced when and what owners of the card will be able to play. The pet on the other hand is equally as mysterious. Believed to be a penguin by some, the unnamed pet won’t go live until later next week with the introduction of patch 2.4.2 and the lack of confirmation will either enhance the worth or send it plummeting.

While the WWI is not about the freebies given to attendees, it’s clear from the interest in items as well as the number of people on the official forums obsessing over getting their hands on one that the goody bag is on a par with the announcements which come out of the event. Whether it is worth shelling out a small fortune for these ‘exclusive goodies’ remains to be seen.

Speaking about the game's development, he explained that they were "about a third of the way through" the campaign, and were concentrating on story structure and cinematics at this point - commenting that by the end of the year, Blizzard should have something very impressive to show off.

That said, Mac gamers can expect a simultaneous release of this title, too — whenever it arrives.

StarCraft II — Not Happening in 2008 [Internode Games Network]

What else has changed? The increased details around the eye area seem to rule out the Death Knight...the shape of the nose piece is wrong and there are no etched runes there. In fact, the whole thing feels more biological than anything, despite the straight line to the right where the cheek would be. Leaning towards Protoss now more than ever, though I wouldn't put it past Blizzard making a new Diablo image that coincided with the traits of the other two, just to throw us off.

We'll know for sure in a few hours! Until then we can only ponder the secrets the new winking smiley-face rune holds within. It's almost over folks!

While the rest of Kotaku are puzzling over that ever changing Blizzard splash screen and the recently revealed purple penguin, I’m sitting in a hotel overlooking the Eiffel Tower and stroking my press pass into this weekend’s Worldwide Invitational. Upon arriving this afternoon, a perky Blizzard employee thrust the nice folder you see above into my hands along with said press pass.

While I’d love to report the folder contains the secrets of the universe, all it happened to hold was shuttle information to the event and – of all things – a walking guide to Paris and a map.

Okay ….

However the event itinerary has been released on the official WWI site; it all kicks off tomorrow morning with the opening ceremony and there’s a press conference right after. Hmmm what could that mean? Whether it’s Diablo 3, a release date for Wrath of the Lich King and Starcraft II, a new IP or all of the above, we’ll be bringing you the news as it happens.

They've also uploaded another portion of the puzzle-piece picture, this time numbered 23. With 'W' being the 23rd letter of the alphabet, the popular theory that the picture numbers would end up spelling out Diablo 3 is also shot, unless they've got Barbara Walters announcing it. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with Diobwo 3!”

Here's what the hidden picture is looking like so far: If it's Barbara Walters in a purple fur hoodie the Diablo theorists are still on track to win this one!

Update: We got word from Blizzard, who say, unsurprisingly "There is no official release date for StarCraft II. The game will ship when it’s done." Good thing we didn't start holding our breath!

Rumor: Retail chains showing December 3 release date for Starcraft II [Joystiq]

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]

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]

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.

[www.youtube.com]

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.

Time to start working on a plan to expense all new PC hardware!

StarCraft II Zerg Fact Sheet

Zerg Reveal - March, 2008

Welcome to the Zerg press tour for StarCraft II; you are among the first in the world to see the Zerg faction in StarCraft II. This fact sheet will serve as a basic overview to the Zerg units you'll be playing with during today's hands-on multiplayer sessions. Please keep in mind that StarCraft II is still in development. This means that all of the units and abilities you see described below are subject to change over the course of development.

Drone

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic

Description: The Drone is the Zerg's worker unit, used to gather resources such as minerals or Vespene gas. They are also used to morph into various Zerg structures.

Zergling

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic

Description: The Zergling is the most basic combat unit for the Zerg faction. Zerglings are fast-moving ground units with a melee attack, and are typically used en-masse. They can be morphed individually into Banelings.

Overlord

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic

Description: The Overlord is the Zerg's basic command and control unit. As in the original game, it is a slow flying unit with no attack, but as your army grows, you'll need to create more Overlords and keep them protected. What's new to this unit in StarCraft II are a couple of special abilities. The slime ability allows the Overlord to disable resource nodes and neutral observatories. Overlords can also create a small, temporary patch of creep for the Zerg to build on.

Overseer

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: Individual Overlords can be upgraded by the player to Overseers, which serve as airborne detector units. Overseers lose the slime and creep abilities of the Overlord, but gain a larger sight radius and give the player the ability to see cloaked and burrowed enemies.

Queen

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: The original StarCraft had a units called Queens, but the Queen in StarCraft II is so different, that its form and function do not at all resemble the Queens from the original game. The two units merely share a name.

In StarCraft II, Queens are birthed directly out of the Hatchery, and you can only control one at a time. The Queen is a powerful fighting unit, but more importantly, she orchestrates the defense of Zerg bases by using a number of unique abilities. Queens can create special structures that expand the base of creep, or act as stationary defense turrets.

Also, as Queens evolve, they can gain new abilities such as Deep Tunnel, which allows the Queen to instantly move to any of your buildings on the map. The Toxic Creep ability makes a small area of creep damaging to enemy ground units standing on it. Swarm Infestation lets the Queen temporarily turn any Zerg building into a defensive turret that shoots at enemies, while Regeneration lets the Queen quickly heal any damaged Zerg structures.

Hydralisk

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic

Description: As in the original StarCraft, Hydralisks serve as basic foot soldiers for the Zerg, with the ability to shoot at ground or airborne targets. Hydralisks can also morph into Lurker units.

Roach

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: The Roach is a specialized ground unit with the unique ability to very quickly regenerate damage. Used properly, Roaches can absorb tremendous amounts of damage and can only be killed with concentrated and heavy fire from enemies.

Mutalisk

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic

Description: Mutalisks are the Zerg's primary flying unit. As in the original game, they use a special Glaive Wurm attack that bounces twice from its original target, doing damage to up to three units with each shot.

Baneling

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: The Baneling acts as a rolling bomb that explodes on contact with an enemy unit or building. Groups of Banelings can quickly cut a swath through enemy infantry and even take down structures when fielded en masse. Banelings can be morphed from Zerglings.

Lurker

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic from StarCraft: Brood War

Description: Lurkers make a return in StarCraft II. As in StarCraft: Brood War, Lurkers are morphed from Hydralisks and can only attack while burrowed. They can devastate packed groups of infantry as they attack in a line with their subterranean spines.

Nydus Worm

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: The Nydus Worm puts a new twist on the Nydus Canal mechanic from StarCraft II. Nydus Worms can move to create an entry/exit point anywhere on the map, allowing the Zerg army a means to almost instantly funnel ground troops from one side of the map to the other.

Infestor

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: The Infestor is the primary support unit for the Zerg in StarCraft II. It doesn't possess a direct attack but its unique abilities make it a fearsome sight on the battlefield. Dark Swarm creates a smokescreen for units to hide under, protecting them from ranged attacks. Disease targets a single enemy, giving it a damaging aura that hurts surrounding units. The Infestor also has the Infestation ability, which temporarily infests an enemy structure, causing it to produce Infested Marines. Finally, the Infestor has the ability to move while burrowed, making it useful for sneaking in under enemy base defenses.

Infested Marine

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic

Description: The Infested Marine is produced by any enemy structure that's been afflicted with the Infestation ability. Infested Marines move slowly but act and shoot much like a regular Terran Marine.

Corruptor

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: The Corruptor is the Zerg's dedicated air-to-air unit. Corruptors don't immediately destroy their targets. Instead, the targeted enemy becomes corrupted, becoming a stationary turret that fires at other nearby enemies. In this way, Corruptors can quickly overcome large groups of enemy fliers, turning them against one another.

Ultralisk

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: Classic

Description: Arguably the Zerg's most intimidating unit, the Ultralisk is back in StarCraft II. Ultralisks can engage and attack multiple ground units in front of it with its scythe-like Kaiser Blades. They also possess a large number of hit points, allowing it to absorb lots of damage as they lead Zerg charges.

Swarm Guardian

Classic StarCraft unit, or new to StarCraft II?: New

Description: As with the Guardian in the original StarCraft, the Swarm Guardian in StarCraft II is morphed from the Mutalisk, and serves as the Zerg's aerial siege weapon. The Swarm Guardian possesses a long-range, air-to-ground attack that hits for a good deal of damage and also spawns small broodlings that can attack for a short period of time.

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.

"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.

2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational Announced

Blizzard Entertainment tournament and gaming event to take place in Europe over 28-29 June

MARLOW, UK. - February 11, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans to hold its fourth Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France on the 28th and 29th of June. The 2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational will bring the company and gamers together in a convention atmosphere, celebrating the communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft®, Diablo® and StarCraft® series as well as showcasing the skills of top eSports gamers from around the world. The first Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational to be held in Europe, the event will take place at Hall 5 of the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center in 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. "In addition to the great tournament gaming that will be taking place at the event, we're planning an entertaining show for all attendees."

Open to gamers of ages 16 and up, or younger if accompanied by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult, the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational will feature exciting StarCraft, Warcraft III and World of Warcraft® invitational tournaments, with a variety of other activities over the two-day event, including:

* Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
* Artist and developer signings
* Hands-on play with World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King™ and StarCraft II
* Merchandise and other products based on the Blizzard Entertainment game universes
* A silent auction
* Musical performances
* And more exciting activities to be announced

Tickets for the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational are limited and will go on sale in the next few weeks at the price of 70€/£55 per ticket. Further information on activities, tournaments and ticket booking will be provided on the official 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational website at http://eu.blizzard.com/wwi08 as the event draws closer.

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.

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.

Anyone who has played the original StarCraft will feel right at home, as most, if not all, of the game's shortcut keys and unit selection methods remain the same. It's very easy to settle into a game of StarCraft II as the controls and interface are so similar to the first. The game's HUD has thankfully evolved to add better control over your units and provides helpful information on upgrades, build times, skills and unit attributes.

The early game also feels comfortably similar, as each match started off with a handful of workers and infantry units, with base structures already pre-built. Strategically, things began to deviate from the original shortly after the early game. Obviously, you'll notice StarCraft II's gorgeous graphics and stunning effects right away, all of which ran at a smooth clip on the Intel sponsored PCs, so it won't feel too familiar.

In the first portion of my impressions, I'll be focusing on the Terran faction.

The most noticeable changes to the early Terran game are Supply Depots that can be lowered into the terrain and the Command Center upgrades—you'll have the option to choose from the radar scanner or Planetary Fortress for self-defense from the get-go. You'll also see add-ons available for structures like the Factory, Barracks, and Star Port.

Other than those initial changes, tech tree strategies can typically be adapted quickly from the original. You can choose to load up on Marines and Medics (sorry, no Firebats... yet), or develop Siege Tank technology, adding a handful of Vikings for as needed ground or air support. (For the record, the Vikings will say "Let's transform and roll out!" when you issue them move commands. The pop culture sci-fi references aren't in short supply.)

As for the rest of the Terran army, many of the units initially felt like remodeled, renamed iterations of their ancestors. The Cobra, for example, appears to be little more than a speedier Vulture minus mines, plus ground-to-air attacks. Nomads impress upon the player that they're simply less-ugly Science Vessels. As Blizzard has made clear in the past, units and their abilities should be expected to change over time, but I assume the intricacies of each of these units will become more clear with more play time. As demonstrated in a live demo at BlizzCon, Cobras can out-turn a Thor, making them deadly counter-units.

The Reaper, however, is the most strikingly different infantry unit in the game. From the way its built—rallying from what appears to be a futuristic bar/strip joint—to its cheap production cost and minimal build time. Four Reapers will spawn in easily under ten seconds, with a cool-down time slowing production down for a bit after that. The Reaper's lobbed grenades, quick movement speed and ability to rocket over terrain open up a totally new infantry tactic. It's just a shame they're so damn easy to kill.

If anything, the Terran army has become more complicated with its technology tree. What was the most "meat and potatoes" race in the original is clearly more strategically complex. The number of units that one can build at a Star Port, for example, is great in number. On top of that, some units feature deeper specialization after they've been built.

During my time with the Terrans, I eliminated the Protoss threat (which actually wasn't much of a threat on Normal difficulty) in a number of ways. I wiped them out with a wall of Siege Tanks and one giant Thor, then with a full infantry push, including a couple of Ghost controlled nuclear strikes, and finally with a full aerial assault, sending Battlecruisers, Banshees and Vikings directly into the trio of Protoss bases.

But how did it play? Fantastic, obviously. StarCraft II feels very much at times like a sexier version of the original, with a laudable series of improvements.

It's clear that Blizzard still has more work to do on StarCraft II, as many of the game's sound effects are ripped straight from the original. Plenty of unit portraits were placeholder, but the amount of work already done indicates there's a comforting level of completion here.

As Blizzard reiterated at its fan gathering, the sequel is looking to reinvent StarCraft, not remake it. Some aspects feel very familiar, while others are very welcome additions. There's little to complain about with StarCraft II so far, outside of the at-times awkward transition to 3D and a very tight camera. Deploying a Thor or sending in a fleet of Battlecruisers is a whole mess of strategic fun and units already feel well balanced. From my 4-plus hours with the game, Blizzard seems to have only improved on an already tight real-time strategy game.

Check back tomorrow for more impressions from the Protoss single player level.

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.

Using the in-game engine, a cinematic rolled, panning across a yellow planet, through a window and into the bridge of the Battlecruiser Hyperion. On the bridge were Terran Vulture pilot Jim Raynor, star of the original StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War campaigns, his second in command Matt Warner and marine Tychus Findlay, featured in the StarCraft II cinematic teaser.

The fully 3D bridge has a number of interactive areas on screen, allowing you to speak to other bridge and crew members, check out display panels for further information, or view the Star Map. More on that later.

Raynor, in command of the Hyperion, interacted with the ship's crew, rubbing shoulders with a surly engineer, revealing one of the game's subplots. It seems the crew hasn't been paid in months, an issue Raynor says will be resolved once he's collected the bounty on the Protoss artifact he recently recovered (presumably in the mission prior). Part of the campaign in StarCraft II will be focused on Raynor's efforts to make money but taking jobs like this one, missions that ultimately tie into a larger plot.

As you earn money, those funds will be put into purchasing technology—upgrades for units and units themselves. Pardo purchased (read: unlocked) the Viking ship for his next mission. This has been done to give players control over the tech progression of the game, instead of following a locked down set of upgrades.

Hiking back up to the bridge, Raynor checks out the Star Map. This is where you'll choose your missions. They're much more open ended than in the previous StarCraft campaigns. You'll be able to pick the planet or system you want to tackle next, progressing the story in your own way. Mission briefings provide the summary, objectives, bonus objectives, mission bounty, and recommended technology, so you'll have to choose which best suits your current needs and matches your current level of tech.

Following a trip to Sar Mara, in which Pardo cheated, adding extra Thor mechs and Battlecruisers to his compliment to secure the next artifact, it was back to the Hyperion. And since Jim Raynor's had a rough go of it lately, he heads down to the ships canteen, only to run into an old friend, Zeratul, who warns of something rather dire.

The real-time cinema showed the engine's impressive graphical tricks, with real time shadows, bump mapping and realistic lighting painting a believable ship corridor.

The single-player presentation ended there, promising a glimpse at the future of the storyline, including a return from the Queen of Blades, Kerrigan and hinting at unraveling the mystery of the Xel'Naga.

The free form, open ended progressive storyline planned for StarCraft II looks like it could be a refreshing change of pace for fans of the Blizzard RTS formula.

Anyway, what are you playing this weekend?

Of course, requisite photographs of the con's cosplayers, goody bag contents and various oddities that delight and horrify will be added to a handy Flickr photostream as the day becomes night. Stay tuned for more!

That's good news, sure, but those of us with cold cash ironically burning a hole in our wallets of holding want to know "What kind of licensed crap can I spend hundreds of dollars on?" Blizzard has the answer, highlighting some of the dozens of things one can buy at the Anaheim convention center. Posters, soundtracks, t-shirts, keychains, belt buckles, calendars—there's practically no limit to the amount of unnecessary stuff one can buy.

So bring plenty of cash and plenty of storage space. In fact, book a suite if it's not too late.

BlizzCon Goody Bag and BlizzCon Store [Blizzard]

In addition to getting hands-on time with StarCraft II and possibly getting eyes-on with the new World of Warcraft expansion, there's not much in the way of new announcements on the calendar—no "Diablo III Demo In Room 204" for example.

If you were one of the lucky gamers to score a ticket to the sold out extravaganza, direct thy browser to the official BlizzCon site for further details.

BlizzCon Schedule [Blizzard]

Further additions include Supply Depots that can "burrow" for defense, Sensor Domes that one up the original Terran radar and the Planetary Fortress. This massive structure is an upgraded Command Center, one that can better defend itself against attacks. Cool!

Additional details on StarCraft II's Protoss units are also available.

Yes, these are all confirmed as official, but Blizzard staffer Karune warns that nothing you see here is final. Still, it's fun to look at!

New swedish magazine SC2 scans [Battle.net via GosuGamers]

Update: Looks like BlizzCon will be the first time John and Jane Q. Public will get their hands on Starcraft II as Blizzard helps us clarify the game's E3 appearance, letting us know that "StarCraft II will appear at E3, but will not be playable."

Starcraft II @ E3 2007 — Official [Blizzplanet]

Tickets for the convention of all things Blizzard sold out in a matter of days, so you'll have to call in some serious favors or pony up impressive amounts of cash on eBay or Craigslist if you want to get hands-on time with the new StarCraft. Michael McWhertor

StarCraft II Playable at BlizzCon 2007 [Blizzard via BlizzPlanet]

The August issue of PC Gamer magazine is packed with a preview disc featuring a brand new look at as-yet unannounced Protoss units for StarCraft II. The new units include the Soul Hunter, a mechanized ground unit, the Phase Cannon, a teleporting version of the Photon Cannon, the Tempest, the next evolution of the Protoss Carrier and the Twilight Archon which appears to be analogous to the original game's Dark Archon. There's also a painfully brief gameplay sequence, showing off additional units. Looks like I'll be picking up PC Gamer this month... Michael McWhertor

Carpenter and Blizzard are careful about any potential revelations about teaser trailer star Tychus Findlay's role in the sequel, but assures us he'll feature quite prominently. There's also some great Protoss and Zerg artwork for those of you looking to soak up every drop of StarCraft II. Michael McWhertor

The Making of the StarCraft II Cinematic Teaser [Blizzard Insider]

Hmmm. The only upcoming Blizzard game I'm aware of is the recently announced StarCraft II, so this could be a very nice little bonus. Of course, for those World of Warcraft-only heads out there, you're still getting some nice swag. In addition to the flattering Murloc Suit in-game item, pictured, Blizz promises more stuff "to be announced in a future update." But, seriously, StarCraft II beta! Even I might have to attend. And expense.

I hope Korean Air's web site holds up under the strain of well-to-do StarCrafters booking flights. Michael McWhertor

BlizzCon Goodies [Blizzard, thanks Matthew!]

While Blizzard may employ some 2000 staffers, Pardo says that only 40 of those are dedicated to StarCraft II development, the majority focusing on World of Warcraft support. And they plan on shipping no real-time strategy game before its time. Even though the highly anticipated 3D sequel has been in development proper for going on four years, the Blizzard philosophy means we could still be years away from a release.

That just gives me more time to save for that PC upgrade! Besides, after waiting nine years already for the next chapter in the Terran, Zerg and Protoss war, this next year will go by like...

like...

Michael McWhertor

Can Blizzard Top Itself With StarCraft II? [MSNBC]

For one, putting to rest any rumors that Blizz has plans for a fourth secret race, studio reps confirmed that only the Zerg, Protoss and Terrans will be playable. They spoke briefly on StarCraft II's system requirements, game speed, resource management and how long the game has been in development, shining a very faint light on the the near-decade in waiting sequel.

And as far as a console port of the real-time strategy game, don't count on it. Sorry, Nintendo 64 owners. You're stuck with the original forever. Michael McWhertor

Q&A session details Starcraft II [Gamespot]

StarCraft 2 Movies [Blizzard, thanks Josh!]