The BlizzCon 2014 in Anaheim is over. It focused among other things on World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and the new franchise Overwatch – the first new IP from Blizzard in 17 years. Undoubtedly, a significant era comes to an end for the fans of game developer Blizzard. Our author Cortyn summarizes her impressions.
The BlizzCon is now three days behind us, and I had enough time to let it sink in so I can calmly summarize the highlights again. I tried to keep it somewhat neutral the first time – I failed, so you’ll just have to live with the fact that I added my own opinion quite clearly every time.
HearthStone – 120 new cards in December
The virtual card game “Hearthstone” is getting its next major expansion called “Goblins VS Gnomes”. Let’s be honest: Everyone expected an announcement. What no one expected, however, is that this addon will go live next month and include a whopping 120 new cards! Thematically, everything will revolve around the titular races and their inventions, which will likely completely shake up the current meta. Many cards will have new mechanics, such as randomly distributing a buff to all allies. A new minion type, the “Mechs,” will also be introduced – and they interact with each other in many interesting ways, so it is safe to assume that there will be many, many new decks.
What I personally like the most is the assurance that the new cards will be just as easy to obtain as the old ones – through the Arena for 100 gold each. If you still have a lot of arcane dust saved up (like I do!), you can even craft them.
Heroes of the Storm – New heroes and Closed Beta
I must admit, the fact that seemingly everyone else now has an alpha key for “Heroes of the Storm” except me has already put a slight damper on my excitement for this game. That being said, I still believe that there is a pretty good game coming our way, even though it plays significantly slower than other MOBAs like “Smite.” Especially the many Blizzard characters will give the game its unique charm, but that’s also sorely needed to find a suitable gap in the oversaturated market. The new heroes like Jaina and Sylvanas look fantastic and promise a lot of fun – I especially liked the announcement of the “Lost Vikings” as playable characters – a tribute to Blizzard’s past. This game developer just loves all their creations, and that’s evident in the little things that show they generate a lot of income.
For February of next year, they are planning to launch the Closed Beta – I have to admit, the hype for this game has not gripped me yet, but the ladies and gentlemen still have a bit of time to ignite that fire in me.
World of Warcraft – Nothing big, but many questions
The major announcements for “WoW” were naturally a bit lacking – but what did you expect? The addon is coming in a few days, all details about it are largely known. Of course, some people secretly hoped for some major bombshell from the Warcraft universe, especially since the name “Eye of Azshara” was secured shortly before. Fans were reassured with a very interesting documentary and several engaging events, where, for example, the making of the cinematics was showcased.
However, there were a few bright spots in the general Q&A session for the future: They are currently working on a new concept to store all the old armor sets in “collections” so they no longer overcrowd the empty bank – of course, there was no release date for these plans yet, but it still pleased the fans. Many questions were unfortunately answered with trivialities this time – especially the lore questions, which naturally frustrates me double, but I can also understand that you can’t always pull answers out of thin air.
Overwatch – New game, new genre, new hype
Ah, how hyped I am again. They have coldly announced a new game in a genre that Blizzard has not touched at all (except for the canceled “StarCraft: Ghost”). “Overwatch” is the latest creation and is a team shooter in comic graphics.
What I particularly like is the concept that even people without shooter experience should fit well into the game – because the heroes’ abilities are far more important than just aiming accurately with the crosshair. The people I spoke to who had the luck to test the game at BlizzCon were all enthusiastic – even absolute shooter opponents fell in love with “Overwatch” and are already looking forward to an alpha or beta test.
The only criticism that really stands out to me is the lack of background story conveyed within the game world – which is practically non-existent. Any background knowledge is conveyed through “external” sources, such as websites or possible books and short films, and I find that disappointing. If Blizzard mastered anything almost perfectly in my opinion, it was the storytelling within their games. To exclude this from the start in more or less complete form makes me a little sad. So sad that this will be the topic on Wednesday.
The “Warcraft” movie
The film with the appropriate title “Warcraft” has now been in planning for almost eight years, but it’s nearing the finish line: Filming is complete, and from now on, only special effects will be added. “Only” is, of course, relative since the film won’t hit worldwide theaters until March 2016. This becomes understandable when you hear that the special effects will be a mix of “Avatar” and “The Lord of the Rings” – in theory, exactly what fans have wished for years. Some of the actors emphasized at the fair, “We are fans of Warcraft, body and soul. I have over 500 days of playtime – I love this world. I don’t want to be the person who will be said to have ‘ruined Warcraft!’.”
Video game adaptations have always been a controversial topic; hardly any director has succeeded in meeting fans’ expectations or creating more than a mindless action film with exploding heads. Attendees on-site saw a very short trailer of the film, and the opinions are clear: It will be amazing. I have faith in these people. The film will offer the opportunity to show all video game newcomers what a wonderful world Blizzard has created. They simply cannot mess it up. They must not.
… and the “small” Warcraft movie
Many were looking forward to the nearly one-hour documentary “WoW: Looking for Group“, and it was by no means a wasted energy. The video makes you really sentimental (in the best way possible) and wonderfully showcases the journey of World of Warcraft, the developers, and its players. It shows what kind of impact this game had on many of us and what a significant aspect of our lives it represented – and still does for many today. It is more than “just a game”; it is a social component, and many of my friends would probably not exist today if Blizzard had not developed this game. I was particularly touched by a player’s phrase, which roughly says: “Acquaintances from WoW are more than just strangers… over many years, they have become friends – no, actually even family.” If I had been able to show this video to my parents ten years ago… much would have been a lot simpler!
