Xboxist

StarCraft 2 Launch Prompts Decline in Console Use

If you felt a disturbance in the force, as if millions of users suddenly logged off from Xbox Live and shut down their consoles, you are not going crazy. It was actually the effect of Starcraft 2, which launched today. The real-time strategy game, designed exclusively for Windows and Mac, has many oldschool gamers suddenly returning to their PC systems for their gaming fix. How long will our consoles go neglected? At least until the major console releases start landing later this fall.

Following several years of development, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is now on sale in North America, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. To celebrate the launch with players, Blizzard Entertainment hosted retail launch parties in 12 cities around the world (see video below).

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard's 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the best real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a beefy 3D graphics engine, StarCraft II once again centers on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types. Battle.net has been redesigned from the ground up with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.

"We've worked hard to deliver an epic continuation of the StarCraft story line as well as the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game with StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Combined with the next-generation online environment of the new Battle.net, we believe players will agree that StarCraft II offers an experience unlike anything we've ever created, and we're excited to finally be able to share it with them."

The solo campaign for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty picks up the saga where it left off in StarCraft: Brood War. The story line chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players can tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign. Several challenge missions are also included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies.

The standard edition sells for a suggested retail price of $59.99 and will also be available as of 10 a.m. PDT today as a digital purchase. The special Collector's Edition package, available only at retail stores at a suggested price of $99.99, includes a 2GB flash drive, a 176-page book, soundtrack CD, Making-of DVD and some free downloadable content.