Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm review: Zerg rushing towards resolution]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-review/#comments StarCraft 2 Heart of the Swarm review A zerg rush to the heartIn music theory, there's a series of notes called a tritone interval. (I'm a writer and a Rock Band player, not a musician, so bear with me, band members.) The tritone consists of three different whole tones: The first sets the stage, marks the spot on the musical scale that our ear can attune itself to. The second note is actually dissonant - it throws off the harmony, and introduces new elements so distasteful that the chord used to be called "The Devil in Music."

The third tone, however, finishes off the chord in exactly the right way, and brings resolution to all of the dissonance. Leonard Bernstein famously put the tritone to great use in the song "Maria" from West Side Story: "Ma-" is the beginning tone, "-ri-" shakes things up with some disharmony, and "-a" resolves the melody, justifying the lead couple's forbidden love.

Now, using that theory to talk about Blizzard's StarCraft 2 trilogy is a little unfair. The second campaign, Heart of the Swarm, isn't anywhere near "distasteful." But it does introduce plenty of new elements to the series, spinning off the RTS classic into places that Wings of Liberty never dared to go. And like that second note of a tritone, it makes sure to leave plenty of ambiguity and promise out there, making sure we're all ready for the big finale in Legacy of the Void.

Gallery: Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

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JoystiqStarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm review: Zerg rushing towards resolution originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentfour-starsheart-of-the-swarmkerrigankerrigaynorlegacy-of-the-voidpcreviewstarcraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmMon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mission to evolve StarCraft 2 with 'Heart of the Swarm']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/22/mission-to-evolve-starcraft-2-with-heart-of-the-swarm/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/22/mission-to-evolve-starcraft-2-with-heart-of-the-swarm/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/22/mission-to-evolve-starcraft-2-with-heart-of-the-swarm/#comments Mission to evolve Starcraft 2 for Heart of the SwarmIt was nearly five years ago now that we heard Starcraft 2 wouldn't be one game, but three: The long awaited sequel would become a trilogy, cemented into a three-year release schedule, with each iteration following a new race in the series. Though Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty arrived to critical and commercial acclaim in the summer of 2010, Blizzard is only now making its trilogy concept a reality. Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is almost done, and set to be released this March.

Blizzard showed off the first three missions of Heart of the Swarm this past week (and the studio has been running multiplayer beta additions and features for quite some time), and from our experience it's becoming clear the second release in this trilogy isn't a simple expansion pack. With the Zerg-focused Heart of the Swarm, the Irvine-based company has crafted something new within the renowned Starcraft tradition; a game intensely focused on the Zerg, their units and abilities, and of course the story of their Queen, Kerrigan.

Gallery: Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

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JoystiqMission to evolve StarCraft 2 with 'Heart of the Swarm' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentdustin-browderkerriganladdermacpcstarcraftstarcraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmTue, 22 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard DOTA, coming soon to a new platform called Blizzard Arcade]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/blizzard-dota-coming-soon-to-a-new-platform-called-blizzard-arc/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/blizzard-dota-coming-soon-to-a-new-platform-called-blizzard-arc/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/blizzard-dota-coming-soon-to-a-new-platform-called-blizzard-arc/#comments Blizzard DOTA was back on the floor of BlizzCon 2011 last week, after spending a year away from the spotlight being "completely rebooted." We played the game as soon as we possibly could, finding it to be a much more polished take on the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) gametype.

"Last year we had basically the style of the art, and the look that we were going for," says Samwise Didier, Blizzard's Senior Art Director. But as I said when I played the early version of the mod, the game itself wasn't quite as polished as the look and feel. "This year," says Didier, "we really focused on taking the DOTA-style game and really making it our own."

Blizzard has done a few interesting things to the gametype that has made League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth so popular. But the most interesting may just be how the company plans to release it. Blizzard is going to make sure everyone has a chance to check it out, even if they don't own StarCraft 2. "We haven't figured out the details," says Didier. "But there will be a free-to-play Blizzard DOTA on our Blizzard Arcade. We don't know how many heroes there will be, or how many maps, but we definitely want to make sure that everyone knows it will be free-to-play."

Gallery: Blizzard DOTA (10/21/11)

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JoystiqBlizzard DOTA, coming soon to a new platform called Blizzard Arcade originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzard-dotablizzcon-2011dotakerriganmobapcsamwise-didierstarcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmthrallTue, 25 Oct 2011 10:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 10 most memorable villains]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/08/top-10-most-memorable-villains/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/08/top-10-most-memorable-villains/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/03/08/top-10-most-memorable-villains/#commentsFiled under:

BowserIGN has posted a list that is sure to generate some grumbling. But that's what's to be expected anytime you try to cram the baddest evildoers into a list of ten. Here goes:
  • #10 - Bowser (Super Mario)
  • #9 - Dr. Robotnik (Sonic)
  • #8 - Dracula (Castlevania)
  • #7 - Evil Otto (Berzerk)
  • #6 - Psycho Mantis (MGS)
  • #5 - Kerrigan (Starcraft)
  • #4 - SHODAN (System Shock)
  • #3 - Wesker (Resident Evil)
  • #2 - Sephiroth (FFVII)
  • #1 - The Nazis ("too many games to count")
What?! No Ganondorf? Blasphemy. So how does your list compare?

JoystiqTop 10 most memorable villains originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Mar 2006 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BerzerkBowserCastlevaniaDr. RobotnikDr.RobotnikDraculaEvil OttoEvilOttoFinal Fantasy VIIFinalFantasyViiKerriganMetal Gear SolidMetalGearSolidPsycho MantisPsychoMantisResident EvilResidentEvilSephirothSHODANSonicStarcraftSuper MarioSuperMarioSystem ShockSystemShockWeskerWed, 08 Mar 2006 12:30:00 EST