For a game that's over ten years old, StarCraft is still an undeniable beast. As a worldwide smash hit that's still competitively played to this day, Blizzard has kept secrets tightly tucked away in its offices for years as the sequel was quietly readied for development. At this year's BlizzCon, I was lucky enough to get my hands on the latest build of the soon-to-be blockbuster, and even though it's mostly the same game with a new set of paint, it looks to surely please fans that have been waiting for a true sequel.

In the short playable demo at BlizzCon, I was thrust immediately into an epic struggle with no introduction whatsoever. I opted for the Terrans and began mining and amassing materials almost immediately. Since SCV's (Space Construction Vehicles) are necessary to build, mine, and otherwise progress in the game, I plunged my initial resources into creating a small army of them. After becoming mildly rich, I set up new command centers to mine nearby resources, build refineries, and set up barracks to create an actual army. As I began to expand and build up to my first nuke, an entire legion of Zergs ambushed my town, leaving little behind in their wake. Within a few tries I was finally able to get off that nuke and decimate the Zerg, but it took a novice like me quite some time to get up to speed with this expectedly hectic game.

To put things bluntly, StarCraft II is a competitive game, and I was annihilated. Blizzard noted that it intended to make it the "ultimate competitive real-time strategy game," and as far as I can tell, it is succeeding admirably. Those hoping to casually enter the series when it (hopefully) arrives sometime in 2009 should start preparing now, as there is a method to the madness that must be mastered before having any hopes of surviving. Series veterans should be pleased that the game remains as diabolical and challenging as ever, with only a few new armaments and troops modified from the original in order to give the game a little more balance.

Watching some of the top players compete in the original game (and the sequel) is truly a sight to behold, and few places were better to see this in action than at BlizzCon. Even though I may be a novice general, many of the players I spoke to talked about how many of the same strategies held over from the first game, and mentioned how clean the game looked in comparison to its predecessor. Although I could hardly follow what the masters were doing, it was easy to tell that those long accustomed to the original game should be able to easily dive into the sequel.

The biggest announcement at BlizzCon '08 wasn't about the game itself, but about Blizzard's new multi-part release schedule. Instead of releasing the entirety of StarCraft II in one big box as usual, Blizzard plans to cut the game into three distinct full-length games based on each race. First will (tentatively) come the Terran campaign "Wings of Liberty," then the Zerg's "Heart of the Swarm," and finally the Protoss chapter, "Legacy of the Void." While each is purported to be a full-length, 30 mission adventure, it was unclear if each installment will be full price. It was also unclear if you'll need all three to get the full multiplayer experience; a shame considering it supposedly includes a new "ladder" ranking system and a matchmaking mechanic designed to bring together equally skilled players.