Author: Ucigasa

Blizzard Entertainment will once again be representing in full force at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo, taking place this weekend, September 4-6 in Seattle, Washington. PAX attendees will have access to playable versions of Diablo III (including the recently announced Monk class), the earth-shattering World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion, and the engrossing StarCraft II single-player campaign. Community managers will also be in attendance to chat with attendees about the past, present, and future of Blizzard Entertainment games. We hope to see you there!

The second day of the BlizzCon gaming convention is now underway! Yesterday, we unveiled World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Diablo III’s new monk class, and discussed some of the new features of the updated Battle.net. Today’s main events include the finals for this year’s Warcraft III, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft Arena tournaments; more developer panels, including the World of Warcraft Game Systems, Diablo III Art, and StarCraft II Lore panels; and the epic closing concert featuring Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain and Ozzy Osbourne. Keep your eye on www.BlizzCon.com throughout the day for updates — and don’t forget that you can follow us on Twitter via @Warcraft, @StarCraft, and @Diablo.

Friday night’s Dance, Sound-Alike, and Costume contests (hosted by comedian Jay Mohr) were showcases for some amazing creativity, talent, and craftsmanship. Here are the winners of the evening’s live competitions:

Dance Contest

• First Place: James Griffin, Dwarf Female
• Second Place: Audrey Wright, Human Female
• Third Place: Alexander Lok, Dwarf Male

Costume Contest

• First Place: Lorraine Torres, Mistress of Pain
• Second Place: Zachary Shaffer, Kel’Thuzad
• Third Place: Andy Kimble, Tier 8 Paladin

Thanks to everyone who participated!

We’ve updated the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm FAQ with some new details from the World of Warcraft Game Systems, Dungeons & Raids, and other developer panels at BlizzCon 2009. Check out the new info here — and in case you missed it yesterday, visit the recently launched Cataclysm web site for screenshots and the official trailer, along with a look at the expansion’s features, new races, key characters, and more.

The new re-issue of Eminence Symphony Orchestra’s two-disc Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment standard edition has now arrived. The album features 15 unique arrangements, with several pieces from the yet-to-be-released StarCraft II and Diablo III. Ninety minutes of music are featured in all, with bonus tracks arranged by special guests including the critically-acclaimed composer Kow Otani. The new standard edition package, showcasing a redesigned cover art piece, will be available in major retail outlets for $24.98. The Legendary Edition is also available online and at retail for $49.98, and comes with a bonus documentary DVD, nine art cards, and a bonus 32-page booklet. Visit the
official Echoes of War website or participating retailer to hear samples, learn more, and order your copy today.

You can now check out all the images of BlizzCon attendees taken throughout the weekend at the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, StarCraft II, and Diablo III themed photo booths. Head over to the BlizzCon website, browse the pictures, and download your favorites now.

We’ve been collecting coverage of this past weekend’s BlizzCon 2009 from around the Web, and have compiled a small fraction of it here for you to catch up on anything you may have missed, or just read more about your favorites. Whether you’re interested in hands-on write-ups of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, detailed information about Diablo III’s monk class, news from StarCraft II’s panels, a peek into the future of Battle.net, scads of pictures from the costume contest, or anything else that emerged from BlizzCon, take a look at the links below.

BlizzCon General Coverage

• GameSetWatch
• Game Videos
• IGN PC: BlizzCon 2009 Coverage
• Kotaku: The Show So Far
• Joystiq: Ozzy Osbourne Closes Show Down
• GameSpy
• Joystiq: Day One Round-up
• IGN PC: Ozzy Osbourne Interview
• Slashdot
• GameSpot
• Kotaku: Stuff You Can Buy at BlizzCon
• 1UP
• IGN PC: BlizzCon Keynote Full of Surprises

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

• IGN PC: Cataclysm Hands-on
• Kotaku: The Lands Beyond the Cataclysm
• Kotaku: Hands-on With Cataclysm’s Goblins and Worgen
• Wired
• Eurogamer
• Joystiq
• GameSpot: Cataclysm Hands-on
  
• GameSpot: World of Warcraft Panel Sees Cataclysmic Changes
• GameSpy: Cataclysm Preview Panel Report
• GameSpy: Dungeons and Raids Galore
• GameSpy: Hands-on with World of Warcraft’s Worgen Race
• WarCry: Cataclysm Part 1: Old Villains, New Races
• WarCry: Cataclysm Part 2: The World Reshaped
• WarCry: Cataclysm Part 3: Dungeons With Dragons

Diablo III

• GameSpy: Details on Diablo III’s Monk
• GameSpot: Video: BlizzCon 09 Interview
• WarCry: Hands on with Diablo III’s Monk
• GameSpy
• Voodoo Extreme
• IGN PC: Diablo III Monk Hands-on
• IGN PC: Diablo III Q&A
• Kotaku
• GameTrailers: Video Interview
• Destructoid

StarCraft II

• IGN PC
• Gamasutra
• Joystiq: BSG’s Tricia Helfer to voice StarCraft II’s Kerrigan
• Kotaku: Tricia Helfer is StarCraft II’s Kerrigan
• Kotaku: Keeping Things Fresh in the StarCraft II Expansions
• Joystiq: StarCraft II Map Editor Flexibility
• Gamasutra: StarCraft II will Allow Modders to Sell Custom Maps
• Shacknews

Battle.net

• IGN PC
• WarCry
• Kotaku
• GameSpy
• Shacknews
• Joystiq
• Voodoo Extreme

The fourth BlizzCon is underway, and we’ll be giving players a look at the new game features and upcoming developments discussed in some of the World of Warcraft, Diablo III, and StarCraft II panels throughout the show. We’ll be updating www.blizzcon.com with new information from the panels regularly, so be sure to check back often.

• World of Warcraft Dungeons & Raids – Delve deeper into the philosophies behind the design of the game’s most epic player-versus-environment (PvE) encounters.
• World of Warcraft Game Systems – Learn more about the mechanics that make World of Warcraft tick.
• World of Warcraft Classes, Items, and Professions – Check out what’s in store for World of Warcraft classes, professions, and items in the future.
• StarCraft II Battle.net Discussion – At the StarCraft II Battle.net developer panel on Friday afternoon, we gave players a first look at some of the cool new community and communication features that will be coming with the relaunched Battle.net online-gaming service, along with info on how it’ll all be integrated with StarCraft II. Check out new details about Battle.net’s state-of-the-art matchmaking system, achievement system, social networking features, and more in our new Battle.net FAQ
• World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Panel – Learn more devastating details about World of Warcraft’s third expansion, Cataclysm.
• Diablo III Heroes & Monsters – Take a closer look at the latest Diablo III class, the monk, as well as other characters and creatures from the game.