In what I consider as a very pleasant news item, there is confirmation that Robert Clotworthy will be returning as Jim Raynor.

Our friends over at starcraft.incgamers.com have the news item.

This is great. I had many reservations about changing the voice of the main characters from Starcraft and Brood War. Now that Robert is back it will be more enjoyable to take on the role of this character int he single player campaign.

For the original story please follow the link.

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Since I’m sure that you all have now thoroughly read JoeOrange’s and my experience at Blizzard HQ, I’m sure you are all wondering what Starcraft 2 was actually like to play and how the game itself is actually shaping up. My feelings about the game itself pays credence to Blizzard’s mantra of “we’ll release it when it’s ready” for, in all honesty, I would have been satisfied with the build we played as a finish product right then and there. It goes to show that they’re dead-set on getting everything so finely tuned that the game will truly be the ultimate eSport. But I digress…

To be less than blunt, when we were given free reign over playing the game I was on Starcraft 2 like a fat kid on a cupcake (but with less mess). Though my inner child was overpowering, I also knew that my time playing the game was not merely for my enjoyment, but for other’s when they hear about what is changing, how it’s changing, and how it affects the Starcraft 2 experience. I am thus happy to go in-depth with you about the Terran race.

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The Trip

The Saturday before the Blizzard event I got a few EMERGENCY e-mails / texts from Webnet asking for an immediate audience. “Nothing good could come out of this” I thought. As I went upstairs to log on to Vent and talk with Web the lump in my throat made it a little difficult to swallow. The tickets were purchased, Shuttle Van booked, hotel room reserved, what could possibly go so urgent? Web promptly let me know that the original reason for us being invited out to Irvine had been canceled / postponed…

I knew this free trip to Blizzard was too good to be true is all I could think while I sat there listening to Web verbally discuss with himself the options of trying to get the site’s money back for the flight out there or to just go and hope for the best. Honestly I wasn’t too upset at this point. Admittedly I was disappointed, but I knew my wife would appreciate that I would actually be in town for her birthday now that I wouldn’t be going to Irvine (Her birthday was the same day as the Blizzard Press event).

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The initial announcement of Diablo 2 "content patch" 1.13 that was due to come out was shelved due to an unforeseen problem with Warcraft 3 that allowed hackers to spread malignant software through the downloading system incorporated into the Custom Maps.

This news made quite an uproar and was met with speculation amongst the community, but Bashiok has finally spoken out about the status and development of Patch 1.13. As the Warcraft 3 patch is on PTR and will be released soon, a new PTR will be created for Diablo 2, so never fear.

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To the gamer, Blizzard Headquarters may seem like it would be a fantastical place with spires, ramparts, and battlements with countless armor-clad employees. I am deeply sorry to say that this is not the case, but I guarantee you it is the next best thing. Driving through the gates of this grandiose company did indeed seem like I was entering a different world. If the 9 foot tall statue of Thrall on his wolf mount wasn’t enough, the campus also featured a volleyball court, basketball court, and a hockey rink. Mind you, this was only the outside.

The throng of people milling about the front doors before we were ushered inside was a good indication that Blizzard had a good day in store for their fans – and press. And what a day it was. To the left of the front desk of Blizzard HQ was a museum of awards, concept art, and major titles that Blizzard has released; to the right, a plasma TV that played through all of their game’s cinematics along with various statues of units and characters. This entry room, cool as it was, wasn’t anything compared to the tour that Brock and I were given along with the other Starcraft 2 fansites............

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