At E3, Blizzard showcased "World of Warcraft," its upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game and several new levels for "StarCraft: Ghost," its tactical-action console game. Additionally, visitors to the show had the opportunity to play the closed-beta version of WoW and experience the vibrant world of Azeroth firsthand and to try for the first time ever Starcraft : Ghost on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, in addition to the Xbox.
World of Warcraft
In World of Warcraft, players assume the roles of legendary Heroes and interact with thousands of other players online as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Whether journeying together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory. Scheduled for simultaneous release in both the United States and Korea at the end of 2004, the game is currently undergoing closed beta testing in both regions.
Building on the success of the Warcraft series, Blizzard plans to expand the MMORPG genre by offering a deep, immersive, user-friendly experience that will appeal to both veteran gamers and casual players alike.
Key features in the game include:
- Immense, detailed world spanning miles of terrain and featuring hundreds of familiar locations throughout the rich Warcraft universe, as well as all-new, uncharted territories.
- Thousands of quests that drive gameplay and provide countless opportunities for adventure and heroism.
- Regular content updates created by an ongoing live development team that continuously designs new lands, quests, and monsters.
- Thousands of items, including rare and unique weapons and armor with which to customize your character's appearance and abilities.
- Numerous character classes, each with its own distinctive style of play and multiple paths for development.
- A revolutionary secondary-skill system that allows players to create truly original characters with unique combinations of abilities.
- Multiple races to choose from, including Night Elves, Humans, Orcs, Tauren, Dwarves, Undead, Trolls, and Gnomes.
- Several personal modes of transportation, including horses, wolves, and more.
- Quick and easy travel throughout the world aboard Gryphons, Wyverns, Ships, and Zeppelins.
- Instanced zones that create personal combat and adventure experiences for you and your companions.
World of Warcraft takes place three years following the aftermath of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, when a great tension has settled over the ravaged world of Azeroth. As the various races begin to rebuild their shattered kingdoms, new threats, both ancient and terrifying, have arisen to plague the world once again. Players must explore the lands of Azeroth, forge fellowships with other players, and build their strength in order to prevail.
Starcraft : Ghosts
In StarCraft: Ghost, players take part in the struggle for galactic domination as Nova, a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion. Twenty years of ruthless physical conditioning and techno-psychological instruction have transformed Nova into a being of terrifying potential. As she progresses through a series of story-driven missions, Nova is required to engage in a number of dangerous infiltration operations and deadly planetary battles. To complete Nova's mission objectives, players must execute intelligent tactical decisions while mastering an advanced arsenal of sophisticated weaponry and Nova's own psionic abilities.
In addition to utilizing Nova's special abilities to carry out covert operations, players can call in offsite support ranging from sophisticated identification sweeps to all-out tactical nuclear strikes. As they advance through the game, players will also have the ability to operate a number of vehicles unique to the StarCraft universe, including Goliath Combat Walkers and Arclite siege tanks. Also, to aid them in combat, players can go into a zoomed-in sniper mode from anywhere in any level, using Nova's modified C-20A canister rifle.
StarCraft: Ghost features highly stylized character models, over-the-top special effects, and immersive 3D environments that reward creative exploration. The game's deeply evolving story line takes full advantage of Blizzard's StarCraft universe and refines the epic experience to the level of the individual soldier. Co-developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Nihilistic Software, StarCraft: Ghost is expected to release in late 2004.
