Major League Gaming’s Winter Arena StarCraft 2 tournament starts tomorrow, streams go PPV
The 2012 Major League Gaming Pro Circuit comes to New York this weekend with the Winter Arena tournament. 32 Starcraft 2 players will compete for a total prize purse of $26,000 divided among the top eight finishers. The top sixteen finishers will be invited to compete in the Winter Championship in Columbus, Ohio from March 23 – 25.
You can purchase access to the streams at Justin.tv. The events air live, starting on Friday at 6 pm Eastern. You can test-drive the stream format and get an idea of what $20 gets you at this demo page. All the matches will eventually be available on demand for free, albeit a week after the tournament.
WoW Monopoly, Starcraft Risk… what should come next? Tell us and win EVE: Conquests
Blizzard recently confirmed World of Warcraft Monopoly and Starcraft Risk. Exciting stuff for the collector, but I’m not expecting anything that inspired. They’ll probably just be reskinned versions of the classic games. And why not? Someone is clearly making a lot of money from the physical equivalent of DLC.
Do a bit of research and things get more interesting. There are already World of Warcraft and Starcraft board games available. They’re appropriately themed to mesh with the game lore and, according to the informed hivemind that is Boardgamegeek, genuine fun to play.
Editorial: If SOPA passes in its current form, it will be a disaster for gamers and the games media worldwide
In the next week, the US congress will return to Washington for a bit of work. The first item on the agenda is to debate and pass the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. SOPA is intended to give media owners the tools to act against those who infringe their copyright in all forms of media, be it audio, video or text. Be it the movie industry, the music industry, the publishing industry, and yes, the games industry.
But the legislation is awful, and it affects gamers worldwide. Under SOPA, e-sports is under threat. Game streaming is under threat. In-game voice chat is under threat. In-game text chat could be turned off. Gaming forums are under threat. And the gaming media (us!) will no longer be able to exist in its current form.
The powers SOPA will grant if it passes are broad and troubling and spell doom for certain sections of gaming. Copyright holders will be allowed to seek court orders against infringing websites, and in its current form, against companies that provide services for them. That means that under a SOPA order, a copyright holder could demand restrictions from not just the site itself, but partner companies and clients such as the hosting domain, the advertising networks that provide ads, payment facilitators and search engines.
StarCraft II Protip: Baneling Bust
Are your Zerg rushes constantly being hampered by filthy buildings? Stupid industrious capitalist jerks—always getting in the way with their “progress.” Stick it to Ayn Rand with this Protip, in which Josh teaches us how to clear a path with a StarCraft II tactic that’s as explosive as it is gooey: the Baneling Bust. Watch the introduction above, and see the strategy play out versus both Protoss and Terran bases in the following videos.
Blizzard Dota preview
Americans. They’re just like us, you know. Sure, they all take guns to work and drive limousines to the corner shop, but we should cherish our cross-Atlantic cousins. I had first-hand experience of their usefulness during my first game of Blizzard’s take on the DOTA template – called, imaginatively, Blizzard DOTA.
I took to the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) – the clumsy name for games of League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth’s ilk – grouped together with PC Gamer US’s Josh Augustine and Lucas Sullivan. Josh chose to play tank, absorbing blows as Warcraft 3’s beardy Muradin Bronzebeard.
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm preview
I don’t consider myself easily moved. I don’t cry at sad movies. I’m a stoic emotional soldier who can sit through the first ten minutes of Pixar’s Up without the slightest dampening of the face. I’m tough. So I was most perturbed when I found my throat choked and my skin covered in goosebumps as I stood in front of BlizzCon’s StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm stand. For me 2011 has been a time of discovery, as this year I found StarCraft and, by extension, esports. I found a game that captivated me and a community that epitomises both the best and worst of PC gaming. Chances are, a percentage of you reading these words will feel the same.
At this year’s BlizzCon, Blizzard revealed the new multiplayer units for StarCraft II’s next expansion, Heart of the Swarm, and I felt like my chest was going to burst with excitement.
Watch the world’s best pro-gamers at MLG Providence live this weekend
A portion of PC Gamer has just got back from Bristol’s very first Barcraft event, to watch the Providence Major League Gaming finals. Many drinks were drunk and much StarCraft II was watched, making it a turbo-excellent night. It’s getting close to kicking out time here in the UK, but fans of tip-top level pro-gaming, don’t panic: the MLG Providence finals are still ongoing, closing up tomorrow. If you want to watch them – and you really should, as they’ve been brilliant so far – get over to their website and catch the live stream. There’s some incredible games still to go, and the whole event to play for.
We’ve also got two high-quality MLG Providence passes to give away to the first two people who comment with the name of a previous MLG StarCraft II winner below. Be quick about it, mind.
Got a Blizzcon ticket and cash to spare? Buy some limited edition tat
I’m a sucker for official merchandise. Not so much t-shirts and hoodies but classy stuff like plushies and figurines. That’s why the official post-Blizzcon sale has got me interested. These products might be overpriced (and some might qualify as girl-repellent) but they’re official and limited in number.
The special merchandise is available from now until November 18 at 10 a.m. PT. To gain access to the items, sign into the site with your Blizzcon 2011 ticket, virtual ticket or Blizzcon 2011 Pay Per View pass. Then enter your credit card details and bankrupt yourself!
Let us know what’s in your basket/wishlist in the comments. I want the Diablo 3 t-shirt featured in the thumbnail image, lots. Whoops! I just contradicted the first line of this post. Sorry.
Why Blizzard invited the world’s best StarCraft: Brood War players to Blizzcon 2011
Jaedong, Fantasy, Bisu, and Jangbi are some of the world’s premier StarCraft: Brood War players. This year, these four StarCrafting superstars were invited to Blizzcon.
But why were they there? Sites like Teamliquid swirled with rumours prior to the event: they were there to perform show matches, playing 1998′s Brood War on the big screen to foreign fans. They were there to test out the next StarCraft II expansion, Heart of the Swarm. They were there to mark their transition from professional Brood War – still the majority esports share in Korean viewing schedules – to StarCraft II. But Blizzcon came and went, and the four players were absent from headlines outside of citizen-papparazzi snaps and videos. Why were they there, flown out to Anaheim from their Korean home? The answer is simpler than you might expect. Read on to find out why.
Official list of unit changes in Starcraft II’s Heart of the Swarm expansion
New units, changed units, retired units: a ton of changes are coming for StarCraft II with the next expansion. Just revealed today at the opening ceremony for Blizzcon in Anaheim, CA, we have the full official list of changes. Read on to see what’s happening to your favorite race!
Blizzcon 2011 kicks off today, here’s what to expect
The annual festival celebrating all things Blizzard is set to kick of later today. We’ve flown Rich out to kill ten wordboars and level up his reporting skills till he finds us some news, and there’s sure to be plenty. Blizzard are pretty guarded as to what’s on the agenda, but there are some huge potential announcements. We’ll be covering them all for you throughout the two day event.
PC Gamer Digital Episode 2 now available!
Last week we announced the landmark launch of PC Gamer Digital, and today we’re excited to let you know that Episode 2 is now available on Steam – you don’t want to miss it! In the second episode of PC Gamer Digital, you’ll climb into the ethereal world of BioShock Infinite for a self-guided, 360-degree tour of Columbia, go behind the scenes of upcoming free-to-play shooter Tribes: Ascend, discover the cerebral tactics of Frozen Synapse, and much more!
Purchasing PC Gamer Digital Episode 2 also scores you the Killer Exclusive hat in Team Fortress 2. (It’s extremely sexy!)
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm multiplayer unit teased
Blizzard have started teasing Heart of the Swarm’s new multiplayer units. That’s one of them up there! Click through to see his legs and for the first snippets of info.
Watch the world’s best StarCraft II players at Major League Gaming Raleigh live now
Hey you, internetter! If you’re reading this on Sunday evening, you’re just in time to catch the planet’s best professional StarCraft II players at Major League Gaming’s Raleigh finals. If that sounds interesting – and it sure does to me – then have a look at the stream above. Some quick background of who’s left and who’s playing who below the cut: people who’ve got family over for the weekend who inexplicably don’t play games and are instead waiting for the VODs and killing people who spoil the winner for them (hello!), might want to avoid looking below.
PC Gamer US, September issue: BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite stole the show at E3, and now it steals our September issue cover with an in-depth look at the high-flying shooter sequel and interviews with Ken Levine and his team at Irrational. We also got hands-on with two real-time strategy heavyweights, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm and Age of Empires Online, took an exclusive look at Diablo III’s followers, and reviewed indie tactical strategy hit Frozen Synapse and gorgeous racer DiRT 3. Oh, and we show you how you can strap a heavy machine gun to a cow in Arma 2.
