ELPsteel

at :31 - lol is that Rotan from Aion? What a sick series crossover.

@Rodelero

You might PREFER CoD4's multi, but you simply can't say that MW2's multi "isn't good." I've played many, many online shooters, and it's rare to see one set up with this level of quality. Yes, from time to time there are host migration issues to deal with. However, the experience system, unlockables, killstreaks, and intense jump-in jump-out action makes it a no-brainer for me. I'm around level 44 ish, and still having more fun than almost any other shooter has been able to provide for me.

MW2 has a single player?

Seriously haters, what's wrong with you people? You didn't actually purchase the game to play the SINGLE PLAYER did you? The game has one of the best multiplayer shooter formats I've ever encountered. Incredibly fun and addictive.

While all these other people are busy being stereotypical metal elitists arguing about which bands are metal and which aren't, I seem to be the only one who thinks it's significant that Coroner is being placed into a mainstream game soundtrack. 'bout time those guys got some recognition!

Note to all metal elitists: I love metal, but let's face it, it's among the most base of all forms of music. Please stop acting like you are part of some special club just because you think you listen to "tr00" metal. There is no such thing as false metal or true metal. There is just music you like, and music you don't like, PERIOD.

@Gerik

I hope you're right about the pay issue. That would certainly make me a lot happier. And yes, in China software piracy is hurting everyone. That's been going on for quite some time, not to mention all the ridiculous copyright infringement from bull$hit like the Vii.

@DeMerch

Don't be silly. I'm sure you're aware that there's a big difference between

1. 3 different packages that all use the same engine, the same exact gameplay, have the same units, etc but only one single player campaign each

and

2. Three completely different games.

I never said that all races wouldn't be playable out of the box. I said that you would not get all three campaigns and would have to buy them separately, which remains 100 percent true, regardless of how extensive the individual race campaigns may be. I don't really care what other RTS's are doing with their campaigns, as Blizzard's precedents set by WC, WCII, WCIII, and SC have always been to include the story for each race/faction and not make you purchase them separately. What they are doing with SCII is entirely new for the company and is not something I'm happy about in terms of my wallet.

Secondly if Bnet is going to remain free, why does Blizzard keep talking about "monetizing" it? I can find you several articles and interviews where the company uses that sort of rhetoric, if you really want to see for yourself. The statement you posted is in direct contradiction to numerous other statements by Blizzard that I have read. Which one are we supposed to accept as the truth?

In regard to the last comment, regardless of how many connections a broadband network can handle, the fact remains that lag issues will be present even if the connection is good, thanks to the fact that the game is running through Bnet. Every now and then lag WILL happen because of traffic on Bnet servers. LAN play is guaranteed to be lag free. Anyone who's done it that way knows it is by far the most reliable way to do multiplayer PC gaming.

These points aside, I know that SCII will be a great game no matter what. However, these "minor" issues all potentially add up and can keep the game from being as great as it could be, which is what I'm sure is worrying most people who are objecting to these changes.

This is NOT inconsequential, Joystiq. The lack of LAN completes a one-two punch to longtime Blizz fans:

1. Releasing the game as THREE games, therefore making fans pay triple to get the full single player campaign, and now

2. Making fans pay for online play.

Multiplayer is basically what makes SC so great, but I doubt I would pay for Bnet because I just don't care that much (since I would have just been able to play locally). But now if I want to play with friends, I have no choice but to join their pay service (assuming that's what they do, as they have been hinting at that for a long time now). This is completely unnecessary given that Blizzactivision can EASILY support a free BNET - WoW generates 15 dollars a month per player. There are over 11 million Wow subscribers. You do the math.

As for all the people who keep saying that internet play is no different than LAN play because you can have a LAN party using internet connection - are you kidding? Try inviting 8 or so people over your house and having them all game using the same internet connection. Watch what happens to your latency and then get back to me. I can say quite confidently that the experience will not be a positive one unless your connection is incredible. Direct, lag-free connection through LAN is a FAR FAR superior alternative to internet connection, ESPECIALLY when you factor in the pay-to-play idea. Why should we have to PAY to get a slower, laggier and more unresponsive game?

Um, I hate Gamestop as much or more than the next guy since I used to work there for almost 2 years. But let's straighten something out here.

1. Employees are NOT allowed, let me repeat, NOT ALLOWED, to "try out" new games. This is not store policy, and if any employees are doing it they are violating the rules and can be fired. We used to try out used games all the time, but new games were off limits, gutted or non-gutted. Gamestop does not allow or condone employee usage of gutted new titles. For Joystiq to be spreading misinformation about a company based on something they experienced in 1998 is pretty disappointing, and is undeniably awful journalism.

2. Perhaps people are unaware of how this works, but Gamestop PURCHASES the games from the distributor before selling them to the consumer. Meaning that legally, in the interim, Gamestop OWNS whatever games they purchase, and can therefore do as they please with said games. If they want to gut the games to prevent people from stealing them off the shelves, it is perfectly within their rights to do so. All this talk of "class action lawsuits" and other nonsense shows that the majority of Joystiq's readers (and probably gamers in general) don't understand how the free market and legal system work.

3. Let me tell you from personal experience: gutting must continue to keep theft from occurring. In the time I worked there, we had people steal just the EMPTY BOXES off our shelves, many times. Can you imagine the losses suffered should people know that the games themselves are inside them?

4. Lastly, only the one or two display copies of the games are gutted. The rest remain behind the counter, sealed. So, 9 out of 10 times you're getting a sealed copy anyway. If you don't, according to store policy it should still be unmolested, and stickered shut so that the disc remains in factory condition.

The bottom line is: Gamestop IS allowed to do this, and it IS fair. If you don't like it, that's totally understandable, but then why do you keep shopping there? You do realize the internet has much better deals on new games? I only go to Gamestop to shop for used games, so the gutting issue doesn't even matter for me anyway.

If you don't agree with Gamestop's business practices, quit whining and then DON'T GO TO GAMESTOP. The company cares a lot more about your dollars than your crying on the internet.

Haha, it's funny how games like Wind Waker always get trash-talked for having "kiddie" graphics, but something like this gets announced for PS3 and everyone shits their pants in excitement, just because it's on a "mature" system?

Here's an idea for the hardest song in the game (akin to Dragonforce in GH3):

Aphex Twin - 54 Cymru Beats on Expert mode