Blizzard Still Has An Eye On StarCraft Ghost

Blizzard Still Has An Eye On StarCraft GhostBlizzard, one of the more successful game studios around, still has faith in the StarCraft Ghost concept, calling it “perfectly viable”. At this point in time, I guess you can more or less lump StarCraft Ghost under the same category that Duke Nukem Forever was, where the latter was indefinitely postponed for seemingly forever. StarCraft Ghost has been rumored to be a third-person spin-off, and according to Blizzard producer Alex Mayberry, it might return some day down the road, where it happens to be a title that Blizzard would “like to do”.

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    Korean StarCraft 2 Player Receives Pro-Athlete Visa

    Korean StarCraft 2 Player Receives Pro Athlete VisaDo you know of anyone who, while growing up, had a mind to make a living out of being a pro-athlete? I myself wanted to be a pro-gamer at first, but ended up as a programmer instead, at least for a while. Well, one of the most impressive eSports athletes from South Korea is in the limelight this time around, where he has been granted a US visa. Kim “Violet” Dong Hwan, has been attempting to bring his competitive StarCraft 2 career to the US for quite some time already, but to date his visa applications have been turned down pretty often, resulting in an extremely sparse tournament schedule in this part of the world.

    South Korea has a mandatory military service for all males of an eligible age, and unless he received a US visa, it looked like Violet would have to retire early from his “love”. Good thing he has been granted a US visa at last, after Hwan’s manager contacted Blizzard Entertainment (StarCraft 2′s publisher), Twitch.tv and Machinima execs over a seven month period to send a 500-page application to immigration services in an effort to get that visa approved. As the end result, a P-1A pro-athlete visa was issued to Hwan aka Violet, which is the second time such an event has happened.

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    Playing StarCraft Improves Cognitive Functions, According To Study

    Playing StarCraft Improves Cognitive Functions, According To Study

    Parents like to tell their kids that things such as too much television, computer, or video games will rot your brain and all that bad stuff. The good news is that if your parents are still on your case about playing too many video games, a recent study has surfaced that you might be able to use against them, although we doubt you’d be able to win anyway. Conducted by researchers from the University of Texas and the University College London, it has been found that video games, actually one video game in particular, could actually improve cognitive function, and that game is none other than Blizzard’s StarCraft. (more…)

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    Fanmade StarCraft MMO Mod Launches Kickstarter Campaign

    Fanmade StarCraft MMO Mod Launches Kickstarter CampaignEarlier this year a fanmade mod for StarCraft 2 was launched called StarCraft Universe: Chronicles of Fate. It was impressive in a couple of different ways, one of which was how the developers managed to transform an RTS game into an MMO, and secondly the fact that Blizzard sanctioned this project meaning that the developers got the blessings from the company and didn’t have to worry about Blizzard shutting them down. Well the developers, Upheaval Arts, has announced a Kickstarter campaign for the game in which they are seeking funding of $80,000 in order to complete the game.

    The MMO’s storyline will be an alternative ending to the Wings of Liberty game and “where the ending of StarCraft II:Wings of Liberty has a grim conclusion for Kerrigan. Without the Queen of Blades to stop the hybrid’s assault, the protoss are overwhelmed and defeated. In this reality, what would the survivors of these shattered worlds do? StarCraft Universe tells this story.” The game will feature 8 different classes including the Marine, Ghost, Medic, Firebat, Zealot, Dark Templar, Preserver, and High Templar.

    The developers have also announced additional features such as customizable characters, weapons, mounts, voice-acted cutscenes, and varying difficultly levels. For more information about the game or to pledge your donation, hit up its Kickstarter page for the details!

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    Zerg Overlord Plushie: Hug of the Swarm

    A few months ago we saw a couple of pillow cases that would be right at home in Aiur. This stuffed toy on the other hand is for those who are loyal to the Swarm. It’s a plush toy of the Zerg Overlord based on its apperance in StarCraft. You won’t be able to spawn more stuffted toys until you get one.

    zerg overlord plush toy by arixystix

    This huggable bundle of claws and neurons is from Etsy shop arixystix. Sadly, it’s going to take you a while to sew more Overlords. For one thing, the shop wasn’t selling the toy itself, just a sewing pattern for the toy. For another, the pattern is currently sold out. Or whatever the equivalent of that is in digital terms.

    zerg overlord plush toy by arixystix 2

    There, there. The Overlord knows exactly how you feel.

    [via ThisIsWhyImBroke]

    Game Of Thrones Opening Sequence Recreated In StarCraft II

    Someone went through the trouble of recreating the entire opening credits of Game of Thrones in StarCraft II.

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    WolframAlpha StarCraft Easter Egg: Math of the Swarm

    Alex Wilhelm of The Next Web found this neat Easter Egg on WolframAlpha, the nerdy cousin of Google’s search engine. If you type the phrase “zerg-like curve” into its search field, WolframAlpha will crunch some numbers and generate this parametric graph:

    starcraft zerg like curve by wolfram alpha

    It’s a Zergling! WolframAlpha even dishes out a very long parametric equation that the graph supposedly represents. Eager to score a scoop as well, I typed in “terran-like curve” – this is how you become an investigative journalist folks, lateral thinking – and got this:

    bono curve by wolfram alpha

    I didn’t make that up. You know how good I am at Photoshop. Terrans, I guess U2, are Bono. To be fair, the man who can’t count to four also appears if you type in “protoss-like curve.” Go on, try it yourself.

    [WolframAlpha via The Next Web]

    StarCraft II Minerals & Probe Cushion Covers: You Must Construct Additional Pillows

    Etsy artist and Protoss fan Robyn Dean made these cute and stylish square pillow cases featuring a chunk of minerals and a Protoss probe. I like the art style; I can see them blending in even with non-geeky surroundings. You should watch out for Zergling pillow cases though.

    starcraft ii mineral and protoss probe pillow covers by patch notes

    You can buy both pillow covers from Robyn’s shop Patch Notes for $30(USD) each or $59 for both designs. Note that these are just covers; you’ll have to supply the pillows yourself. Or maybe the probe can warp some in for you.

    [via Albotas]

    StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Expansion Pack Launches

    Blizzard Entertainment has announced that an expansion pack for StarCraft II is now available. The expansion pack is called StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. The expansion pack follows the arrival of Kerrigan and her brood as she aims to destroy Arcturus Mengsk.

    sc2

    The expansion pack is available in retail stores around the U.S., Canada, Europe, and a number of other countries. Blizzard says that the expansion pack will launch in mainland China at a later date. The expansion pack is available for Windows and Macintosh computers for $39.99(USD). A download version is also available for the same price.

    A Digital Deluxe version is also available for download for $59.99(USD) and includes a StarCraft II Torrasque, portraits and decals, a World of Warcraft in-game pet, and Diablo III Blade Wings and Banner Sigil. In retail stores, a Collector’s Edition that includes digital and physical bonus items is available for $79.99. The physical bonus items include a hardcover art book, behind-the-scenes DVD, and a soundtrack.

    Razer Re-releases StarCraft 2 Peripherals

    We have seen George Lucas moRazer Re releases StarCraft 2 Peripherals re or less release his Star Wars cash cow for all it is worth – wait a minute, I take that back. Otherwise, he would not have done Episode 1 in 3D. But I digress, does the same tactic work when it comes to computer gaming peripherals? Razer thinks so, having re-released their range of StarCraft 2 peripherals ahead of the the Heart of the Swarm expansion, hoping to ride on the coattails of the game’s popularity to boost hardware sales along the way.

    Just what kind of action packed hardware are we talking about in this re-release? Well, the range will include the Razer Spectre StarCraft 2 Gaming Mouse, the Razer Marauder StarCraft 2 Gaming Keyboard and the Razer Banshee StarCraft 2 Gaming Headset. I suppose it would make the avid StarCraft fan feel as though life is “perfect” with all of these in tow, and if you still lose out in multiplayer games, remember this – it ain’t the hardware’s fault, man. Live with it. [Press Release]

    By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Mad Catz F.R.E.Q.7 Surround Sound Gaming Headset Up For Pre-Order, Borderlands 2 And Project SHIELD ,