StarCraft 2 Visual Updates Unveiled

[Andy Chalk]

StarCraft 2 Visual Updates Unveiled

StarCraft 2 [http://www.blizzard.com] art, showing the changes and improvements being made to the game as it approaches beta.

It's not like the earlier iterations of StarCraft 2 were horribly ugly to begin with but as this series of before-and-after shots of Zerg units vividly illustrates, continued applications of polish have left the game looking absolutely dead-sexy. Along with the Hydralisk, there are shots of the Zerg Drone, Overlord, Overseer and Baneling, all of which are showing off some very serious new hotness.

The report on StarCraftWire.net [http://www.starcraftwire.net/blog/comments/new-zerg-screenshots-and-concept-art/] also has updates about some of the new units and weapons in the game, including the Protoss Dark Pylon, the Zerg Queen and Terran Orbital Command. Naturally, screenshots of these units in action are also included, and there's even some new concept art for the Zerg Infestor.

The upgrades are all part of the build-up to the StarCraft 2 beta, revealed last week to be coming "BlizzCon [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89403-StarCraft-II-Beta-In-the-Next-Few-Months] in August. Whenever it happens, you can bet that the hype machine will be running at full tilt before it does; Blizzard may not move fast, but it sure does move big.


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[Lord_Panzer]

Good to see. They're looking a lot less Saturday-Morning-Cartoon'ish and a lot more Holy-Shit-It's-Eating-My-Face'ish.

 

[John Funk]

Good to see. They're looking a lot less Saturday-Morning-Cartoon'ish and a lot more Holy-Shit-It's-Eating-My-Face'ish.

Obviously saving all the colorful unicorns and rainbows for Diablo III, no doubt.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

yay

 

[Combined]

Awesome. Now it looks semi-real and semi-deadly.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Huh, and here I thought they were going to be releasing the updated graphics in the second or third game.

/snark

 

[Andy Chalk]

Ooh, *****ayyyy.

 

[oliveira8]

Huh, and here I thought they were going to be releasing the updated graphics in the second or third game.

/snark

I bet that the 3 parts of the game will use the same engine and graphics. Maybe the later ones will have more graphic options to enhance the engine but that is all.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Good to see. They're looking a lot less Saturday-Morning-Cartoon'ish and a lot more Holy-Shit-It's-Eating-My-Face'ish.

Obviously saving all the colorful unicorns and rainbows for Diablo III, no doubt.

If they do, I will buy it.
Unicorns rock.
...One day I shall steal your pony badge....ohhhh yes....one day...

What if they have the bloody Unicorns from Overlord? (for those who don't know, the 'bloody' unicorns were infact, blood spattered flesh eating unicorns that drank blood)

 

[Fronken]

I honestly didnt see that big of a difference when i looked at the picture the OP provided, but once i checked the source and checked them out in bigger res....Daaaamn

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Huh, and here I thought they were going to be releasing the updated graphics in the second or third game.

/snark

I bet that the 3 parts of the game will use the same engine and graphics. Maybe the later ones will have more graphic options to enhance the engine but that is all.

Sorry...I'm of the camp that's still royally pissed they're breaking it up into 3 games.

 

[joystickjunki3]

Huh, and here I thought they were going to be releasing the updated graphics in the second or third game.

/snark

I bet that the 3 parts of the game will use the same engine and graphics. Maybe the later ones will have more graphic options to enhance the engine but that is all.

Sorry...I'm of the camp that's still royally pissed they're breaking it up into 3 games.

As am I, but I'm still psyched that it's actually coming out before I turn 50... [knocks on wood]

I kinda liked the before pic of the Hydralisk better, but I think both look great.

 

[oliveira8]

Huh, and here I thought they were going to be releasing the updated graphics in the second or third game.

/snark

I bet that the 3 parts of the game will use the same engine and graphics. Maybe the later ones will have more graphic options to enhance the engine but that is all.

Sorry...I'm of the camp that's still royally pissed they're breaking it up into 3 games.

Look on the bright side:

1.They wont be released at the same time.(So you wont waste alot of money on one go)
2.Multi-player will be in any of the 3 games. If you just want to play MP you only need to buy one.(I doubt any SC fan is buying SC2 just for the MP but anyway)
3.Blizzard promised longer and epic campaigns for each race, and diferent gameplay when it comes to the campaigns so that the Races feel diferent not only gameplay wise, but campaign wise.
4.Its Starcraft!

 

[John Funk]

Huh, and here I thought they were going to be releasing the updated graphics in the second or third game.

/snark

I bet that the 3 parts of the game will use the same engine and graphics. Maybe the later ones will have more graphic options to enhance the engine but that is all.

Sorry...I'm of the camp that's still royally pissed they're breaking it up into 3 games.

I still don't get this. It's two expansion packs instead of one - only better, since any balance additions made to multiplayer in the second two will probably be patched to the first one.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Sorry...I'm of the camp that's still royally pissed they're breaking it up into 3 games.

I still don't get this. It's two expansion packs instead of one - only better, since any balance additions made to multiplayer in the second two will probably be patched to the first one.

Well, at this point any arguments anyone makes in either direction are going to be moot as soon as the game comes out. For my part, I just have trouble envisioning an RTS doing the stuff they're describing without turning into some of squad based game. And also becoming tedious. I also don't really associate Activision with benevolence or not trying to rip me off.

The other side of the argument is that all of this is just me being paranoid, which I usually am, and the whole thing will be awesome and fair and won't be a rip off. So hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[cyber_andyy]

Good to see. They're looking a lot less Saturday-Morning-Cartoon'ish and a lot more Holy-Shit-It's-Eating-My-Face'ish.

Obviously saving all the colorful unicorns and rainbows for Diablo III, no doubt.

If they haven't, I'm modding them in.

 

[Sigenrecht]

I looked at some of the more recent screenshots, seeing as I hadn't visited the site in almost six or so months after giving up on Blizzard altogether.

...this is hot.

 

[Dectilon]

NO.
Unicorns should be a pristine pink and white.

Yeah. That way the contrast is that much greater when they're spattered with the blood of their impaled enemies!

I have to say I like the new look better. It's less World of Warcraft:y now. The only issue is if they blend too much into the environment, but I guess the team colours will take care of that. Except for Brown, if they keep that colour in. It'd be the new Hacker Green