GamingAngels » StarCraft II

Black Friday deal for StarCraft II

GamingAngel — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:19:11 +0000

Black Friday sales are starting to come in and Blizzard wrote us with a huge deal for people that have always wanted to try StarCraft II. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is going to be $29.99 which is 50% off the retail price. This is also a good opportunity for StarCraft II fans to purchase the game to give to a friend. The details are at the Blizzard Store. You only have until November 28th to cash in on this Black Friday deal!

Get hooked before StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

Weekly Roundup: BlizzCon 2011 Edition

Tiffany Nevin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:04:30 +0000

It’s the BlizzCon 2011 show! We welcome special guest Steph for talk on all things Blizzard, What They Play’s surprising demise and PlayStation Vita’s “First Edition.” And, as always, we go over what we’ve been playing as well as the usual banter.

Download the file here!

Please leave us positive feedback on iTunes! You can also leave us a voicemail at (209) 874-6555, and email us at weeklyroundup@gamingangels.com.

Blizzcon 2011 schedule

stealthyslyth — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:59:58 +0000

For lucky Android and iPhone owners, you can now download an official Blizzcon 2011 app that has the map of the convention as well as the schedule for both days. The app itself is actually designed quite nicely and you can sort the schedule based on game, stage and day to find exactly what you’re looking for. Also like other convention apps, there is a map of the floor which you can zoom in and out of, plus the ability to make your own schedule. As someone who first got into convention apps with PAX and PAX-East, I’m glad Blizzard has made an app. But you all are more interested in the schedule, so check out both days below!

Do keep in mind that this is subject to change (especially since there hasn’t been an official press release yet).

Friday, Oct. 21

Opening Ceremony 11am -12pm, Main Stage
Artists Stage 12pm – 1:15pm, Artists Stage
Diablo III: Gameplay and Combat Systems 12pm-12:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
StarCraft II Match 1 12pm-1:30pm, StarCraft II Stage
World of Warcraft 12pm – 1:30pm, Lore Zone

World of Warcraft Round 1 12pm – 1pm, World of Warcraft Stage
Blizzard Sound 12:30pm – 2pm, Main Stage
Diablo III: Skill, Passive, and Rune Systems 1pm – 1:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
World of Warcraft: Round 2 1:15pm – 2:15pm, World of Warcraft Stage
Artists Stage 1:30pm – 2:45pm, Artists Stage
StarCraft II Match 2 1:30pm – 3:00pm, StarCraft II Stage
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Campaign and Lore Q&A 2pm – 2:45pm, Panel Discussion Stage
StarCraft II: Map Development 2pm – 2:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
World of Warcraft Class Talent System 2:15pm – 3:15pm, Main Stage
StarCraft 2:30pm – 3:30pm, Lore Zone
World of Warcraft Round 3 2:30pm – 3:30pm, World of Warcraft Stage
Artists Stage 3pm – 4:15pm, Artists Stage
StarCraft II Match 3 3pm – 4:30pm, StarCraft II Stage
StarCraft II: Multiplayer and eSports 3pm – 3:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
StarCraft II Multiplayer 3:15pm – 4:15pm, Panel Discussion Stage
World of Warcraft Dungeons and Raids 3:30pm – 4:30pm, Main Stage
World of Warcraft Round 4 3:45pm – 4:45pm, World of Warcraft Stage
World of Warcraft: UI Development 4pm – 4:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
Artists Stage 4:30pm – 5:45pm, Artists Stage
Diablo III 4:30pm – 5:30pm, Lore Zone
StarCraft II Match 4 4:30pm – 6:00pm, StarCraft II Stage
Blizzard Publishing: So What’s The Story? 4:45pm – 5:45pm, Panel Discussion Stage
Diablo III Gameplay & Auction House 4:45pm – 5:45pm, Main Stage
World of Warcraft Round 5 5pm-6pm, World of Warcraft Stage
World of Warcraft: 4.3 Raid and Deathwing 5pm – 5:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
Contests 6pm – 7:30pm, Main Stage
StarCraft II Match 5 6pm – 7:30pm, StarCraft II Stage
World of Warcraft Round 6 6:15pm – 7:15pm, World of Warcraft Stage
StarCraft II Match 6 7:30pm – 9pm, StarCraft II Stage
World of Warcraft Round 7 7:30pm – 8:30pm, World of Warcraft Stage
StarCraft II GSL Finals 9pm – 12am, StarCraft II Stage

Saturday, Oct. 22

Diablo III Lore 10am – 11am, Panel Discussion Stage
StarCraft II Match 7 10am – 11:15am, StarCraft II Stage
World of Warcraft Live Raid 10am – 11am, Main Stage
World of Warcraft Round 8 10am – 11am, World of Warcraft Stage
World of Warcraft 10:30am – 12pm, Lore Zone
Artists Stage 11am – 12:15pm, Artists Stage
World of Warcraft: PvP 11am – 11:50am, BlizzChat: Live Forums
World of Warcraft Art 11:15am – 12:15pm, Panel Discussion Stage
World of Warcraft Round 9 11:15am – 12:15pm, World of Warcraft Stage
Diablo III Open Q&A 11:30am – 12:30pm, Main Stage
StarCraft II Match 8 11:30am – 12:45pm, StarCraft II Stage
Diablo III: Gear and Items 12pm – 12:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
Artists Stage 12:30pm – 1:45pm, Artists Stage
StarCraft II – Blizzard DOTA & Mod Tools 12:30pm – 1:30pm, Panel Discussion Stage
World of Warcraft Semifinals 1 12:30pm – 1:30pm, World of Warcraft Stage
StarCraft 1pm – 2pm, Lore Zone
StarCraft II Upper Bracket Finals 1pm – 2:15pm, StarCraft II Stage
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm 1pm – 1:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
World of Warcraft Classes/Items/Professions Q&A 1pm – 2pm, Main Stage
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Art & Technology 1:45pm – 2:45pm, Panel Discussion Stage
World of Warcraft Semifinals 2 1:45pm – 2:45pm, World of Warcraft Stage
Artists Stage 2pm – 3:15pm, Artists Stage
Diablo III: Lore and Story 2pm – 2:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
StarCraft II Lower Bracket Finals 2:30pm – 3:45pm, StarCraft II Stage
World of Warcraft Open Q&A 2:30pm – 3:30pm, Main Stage
Blizzard Cinematics: Diablo II – Making of “Black Soulstone” 3pm – 4pm, Lore Zone
Diablo III 3pm – 4pm, Lore Zone
StarCraft II: Race Tactics and Balance 3pm – 3:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
World of Warcraft Consolation Finals 3pm – 4pm, World of Warcraft Stage
Artists Stage 3:30pm – 4:45pm, Artists Stage
StarCraft II Grand Finals 4pm – 6pm, StarCraft II Stage
World of Warcraft: Future Features 4pm – 4:50pm, BlizzChat: Live Forums
World of Warcraft Grand Finals 4:15pm – 5:30pm, World of Warcraft Stage
World of Warcraft Lore and Story Q&A 4:15pm – 5:15pm, Panel Discussion Stage
World of Warcraft 5pm – 6pm, Lore Zone
Closing Ceremony 6pm – 9:30pm, Main Stage

Thanks for the tip off WoWInsider!

Foo Fighters closing out this year’s BlizzCon

Tiffany Nevin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:00:02 +0000

Blizzard announced today that the Foo Fighters are headlining BlizzCon’s closing concert on October 22. (The convention itself is October 21-22.) This will be Dave Grohl’s second BlizzCon appearance in two years — last year, he served as drummer to Tenacious D.

“We’re pretty sure that in the future, music historians will look back at BlizzCon 2011 as the unquestionable pinnacle of Foo Fighters’ long and illustrious career,” said Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters founder and frontman. “We look forward to living up to that prediction by bringing the Horde and Alliance together to rock the hell out of Anaheim next month.”

Grohl & Co. aren’t the only performers at the event — The concert will open with a performance from The Artist Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, followed by Blizzard’s own in-house metal band. (Wait, Blizzard has an in-house band? Why is that ridiculous, awesome and not at all surprising?)

“There’s no better way to cap off two days of gaming entertainment than by blowing the roof off the convention center with an awesome rock concert,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Everyone attending BlizzCon and watching from home can look forward to ending the show with a bang when Foo Fighters bring the house down.”

Of course, you don’t have to be at the sold-out event to see the show — DirecTv will be broadcasting the convention as they usually do, for a price. (That price being $39.99.)

Final Thoughts on Blizzcon 2010

stealthyslyth — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:07:40 +0000

Well Blizzcon came and went and even though there were some good moments, there were also some underwhelming moments. The keynote could have been a bit more exciting, and I know that I would have loved to have heard even a tiny bit about the new MMO they’re working on, but all we got was World of Jersey Shorecraft. But there were some interesting tidbits that came out of some of the World of Warcraft Q&A panels, and as always the live raid was fun.

Sadly not much news for Starcraft II fans, and Diablo III fans only got a new class to play. I know as a SC2 fan I’m anxiously awaiting news on when the next part, Heart of the Swarm, will be released. I do feel for Diablo fans as not hearing anything more besides the new class and the PvP. Hopefully we’ll hear of a release date for both games soon, and not in that Blizzard “soon®” way.

You can check out my post on the Dungeons and Raids panel here. Blizzard is making some interesting changes to the way things work come Cataclysm. Between full dungeon maps, cutting older dungeons in half and giving us 3D boss models with loot lists we’re going to have a nicer dungeon and raid system. I really do think that for more casual players this will increase the “fun” factor, not to mention being able to see what kinds of spells new bosses are going to fling at you will be helpful to a degree without fully taking away from a new encounter (or so they say).

But one thing that struck an odd cord with me was when a girl got up and asked if there would be other strong female roles in the game but less scantily clad. Or as she put it “…look like they stepped out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog.” Now I don’t feel like Tyrande or Jaina fall under this entirely, but I can see what she’s talking about when referencing Sylvannas or Alexstrasza (who are basically the same model in-game). I’m not one to immediately rage over scantily clad or overly sexy video game characters (I play a harem of Dranenei females and loved Bayonetta), but the fact that there was booing from the men in the audience and Blizzard’s only response was “Which catalog would you like?” rubbed me the wrong way. You can’t control the audience, but it would have been nice to have them give a better answer. I think that a woman can still be sexy even if she just shows a little bit of a mid-drift or clevage only. I would like to actually hear them entertain this idea as even though I may not mind the bikini-plate armor, other women who play do and they should be allowed to have input into the game without it being laughed at.

I’ll get off of my soapbox now and end with how I love the red shirt guy we’ve all come to know from Blizzcon. He got up during one of the open Q&As and asked the following:

“Hello. I just finished reading The Shattering yesterday, and I noticed something. It said that Falstad Wildhammer was going to be on the Council of Three Hammers, but in the beta, it’s Kurdrin Wildhammer, and Falstad is not in the game at all. What happened to him?”

Well after Metzen responded that he thought he was dead, red shirt guy proves otherwise and is told that they would take care of it. Well not only is Falstad back, but he will have an assistant in the form of the “Wildhammer Fact Checker,” who was placed into the game in honor of a player who decided to call out Blizzard on their mistake.

The most exciting part of the convention this year was the Tenacious D show at the end. I missed Ozzy last year, so I was stoked to be able to stick around and see the closing concert this year. I was even surprised to see that it was the full band with Dave Grohl on drums! The show was insane and hilarious and everything I could have wanted from a Tenacious D show. The rest of the crowd seemed to really enjoy themselves too. Now I thought that Blizzard had painted themselves into a corner last year by having Ozzy, but now I think they’ve made it worse as I’m not sure who’d they get next year. I just hope they keep the metal thing going.

Well in parting, I have to say I enjoyed meeting everyone (looking at you @Fimlys @EntropiaWoW @shammysticks and @lexipanda!) as well as seeing people I haven’t seen in awhile. Hopefully next year I can hang out more with everyone! And maybe Blizzcon will be a bit more exciting next year. And in case you missed it, check out the pictures I took at Blizzcon at the GamingAngels Flickr page.

First Impressions: Blizzcon 2010

stealthyslyth — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:15:06 +0000

Well just got through the opening ceremonies and am now watching the Diablo III panel. Honestly I’m underwhelmed so far with Blizzcon this year. I was hoping that they would at least have some kind of a big announcement for all of us. Now don’t get me wrong, the Demon Hunter class for Diablo III looks pretty awesome (even if it is Sylvanas) and I enjoyed the higher quality sound and light show that was done for the Cataclysm opening cinematic. However listening to Morhaime and Metzen only talk about the past year and what it means to be a Geek was a bit boring.

I’m hoping that I’ll be more impressed with just walking around the show floor and with some of the panels that are happening over the next two days. Not going to lie, I was really hoping that they’d announce their secret MMO project, even if it was just in name and with a snazzy cinematic or something, but nothing.

I will say that the swag bags are pretty nice and I’ve already seen some great cosplay! But this year definitely does not feel as epic as last year. And keep your eyes peeled to the Gaming Angels Flickr and Facebook pages for pictures and videos from Blizzcon 2010!

Blizzcon 2010 Schedule Released

stealthyslyth — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:16:27 +0000

For those who have been waiting, Blizzard finally released the schedule of events for Blizzcon 2010! You can check out the schedule on the official site, or via the handy screen cap I snagged.

It looks to be a pretty standard Blizzcon with a few noteworthy panels. I’m interested to see what is covered in the opening ceremonies and if we’ll have any big announcements (Diablo III release date?). It will also be nice to attend the Cataclysm Cinematics panel as I’m hoping we see the opening cinematic as well as if there are any more in-game cinematics like the ending to the Goblin island of Kezan. I’ll also enjoy checking out the StarCraft II tournament.

I’m still wondering if there will be any special closing band or if it will be L80ETC. Hopefully we find out if there are any more surprises soon!

Blizzard addresses cheating in “StarCraft II”

Tiffany Nevin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:36:05 +0000

Raynor does not approve.

Oh dear, it looks like we’ve got a bunch of cheaters on our hands. Of course, cheating in games is nothing new, but some companies are taking it a lot more seriously than others. Blizzard appears to fall, very firmly, into the Very Serious Camp.

They issued a special reminder today to note that any player found to be cheating, or even utilizing hacks or mods, will be permanently banned from the game. To put it in slightly different terms, you’ll no longer be able to log in to Battle.net – not to play StarCraft, probably not to play anything else, either.

You might have to start completely over. Brand-new account, brand-new game install, all of that. And don’t mess with the client this time.

Suspensions and the throwing of the banhammer will start very, very soon. In the meantime…stop cheating, you cheater.

But, just in case you want it straight from the hydralisk’s mouth…

Cheating in StarCraft II

Blizzard Entertainment has always taken cheating in any form in Blizzard games very seriously, and that’s no different for StarCraft II. If a StarCraft II player is found to be cheating or using hacks or modifications in any form, then as outlined in our end user license agreement, that player can be permanently banned from the game. This means that the player will be permanently unable to log in to Battle.net to play StarCraft II with his or her account.

Playing StarCraft II legitimately means playing with an unaltered game client. Doing otherwise violates our policies for Battle.net, and it goes against the spirit of fair play that all of our games are based on. We strongly recommend that you avoid using any hacks, cheats, or exploits. Suspensions and bans of players that have used or start using cheats and hacks will begin in the near future.

StarCraft II sells 1.5 million copies in 48 hours

GamingAngel — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:00:49 +0000

Starcraft II

Blizzard announced that StarCraft II has sold over 1 million copies on launch day alone. The title was sold worldwide at the same time, the sales make StarCraft II “the best selling game of 2010 within its first 24 hours of availability”. After 48 hours, 1.5 million units were sold.

“We launched StarCraft II in 11 different languages and on 5 different continents because we wanted to make sure as many players as possible were able to log on and play on day one,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re pleased that so many people around the world have already picked up a copy of the game, and we look forward to welcoming even more players to Battle.net in the weeks and months ahead.”

As a reminder, we have one of those 1.5 million on GamingAngels to give away to a reader! But only if people enter!

Win the Collectors Edition of Starcraft II at GamingAngels

GamingAngel — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:59 +0000

Are you itching for a Zerg rush? Waited over ten years to play the next RTS in the Starcraft franchise? Maybe you don’t have the funds right now, or you’re planning a wedding like me. Any reason, GamingAngels is here for you. We have a Collector’s Edition of Starcraft II for one lucky GamingAngels reader.

Here are the rules:
One lucky registered GamingAngels reader will win the Collector’s Edition of Starcraft II.

To enter, please do the following:
Show us your version of, “Hell, it’s about time”.

Here is the video so you can see how it’s done:

Show us your best re-enactment and we’ll pick a winner randomly from all entries on Monday morning and ship it out that day!

Good luck from GamingAngels!