My Very Very Very Late April Fools Post!!!!! The Story Behind the Mouse-clicks: Blizzard Entertainment!!!! Part 1

       Now we as Honors English members and general public have been talking and hearing a lot about the messages and stories behind music. All those inspiring sounds and such. So this week, for my very, very, very, very late April Fools Post, I am going to be talking about the inspirational video games produced by America's very own Blizzard Entertainment.

      Blizzard Entertainment, now celebrating their 20 anniversary, had humble beginnings with a trio of inspired people. With a bit of funding from their parents, these people started a spark that has become the global fire it is today. Over 10 million people play World of Warcraft, with millions more raving over Starcraft 2. I didn't even think that there were that many computers in the world. What is the secret to their success? These people, these inspired three men that started it all are and are still driven by a single goal: To make videogames that are quality and that are worth playing.
    
      Blizzard's first major success (although they had already earned several Game of the Year Awards for the console games they had made) was found in Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. It was the second game ever to be introduced as real-time strategy. Real-time strategy is when you control a base, build it up, build an army, and direct them in combat (I'll show some examples later).

 

    In this game (displayed in the screenshot above) set in a medieval environment, you could take control of either orcs or humans, two races with different buildings and units, but evenly balanced to make the whole outcome depend on skill. In real-time stategy (RTS), units and buildings cost resources, which must be accumulated through mining and other forms of gathering. In this case, lumber and gold. Although the game obviously doesn't look like much graphics-wise, it was actually the #1 game in the U.S. and other countries. 

    What made this first game #1 was the fact that not only was it fun and imaginative, it had a story that was worth following. It tells the tale of a demon-gate and the defenders trying to stop the orcs summoned through it from destroying the world. There are heroes, such as Lothar, and the Warchief. It's like a book you could interact with.

     Next came Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. Although the graphics are still medieval (no pun intended), this hit #1 again.

    This time, new elements were added such as ships and flying creatures, and the story was expanded again. The Orcish Horde (which I shall refer to from now on as just the Horde) returned to fight against the Humans. The term human, however, does not fit in this case. There are now elves and dwarves and other mythical creatures. So we shall call the humans the Alliance. So the Horde returns, and the heroes are again summoned to help defend the world of Azeroth. So they fight, and the Horde is defeated and scattered.

      Now their next and perhaps most incredible game they created Starcraft. Every nerd has always dreamed of working on Star Wars, and so this was Blizzard's attempt at a space trilogy. More than an attempt, a complete success! Starcraft hit the top immediately, but unlike its mythological companions, it stayed there for years. Korea especially advocated this game, and still hosts tournaments worth millions of dollars at times.

     Now in this game there are three races, the Terrans (survivors of a space exploration attempt who have created a successful yet corrupt Confederacy), the Protoss (ancient inhabitants of the sector with advanced weaponry and technology), and the Zerg (hideous mutations that seek to kill and devour all). In this game, instead of Lumber and Gold, there are minerals and Vespene Gas. This game is an incredible improvement in graphics and combat, and has a perfectly balanced list of units. I present a video that will hopefully give you a taste of this game. (If you want to hear turn your volume up a bit).

    So as you could see he collected resources, and built more troopers and workers. Next I will show you a short battle scene. If you can't stand violence, do not watch the next segment.

    So what you saw there was a bit of Protoss versus Zerg action, with a look at both types of bases. As you could see, this was a fast-paced, incredible strategy game. But the strategy and fighting is only half of the game. The other half, of course, was the story.

    This was an incredible story about strange aliens bent on destroying the sector, and the brave forces that stood up to fight against it. It is also a story of rebellion, deceit, and cruelty. One that is exciting and touches the humanity in all of us. I suppose it all starts on a strange waste-land world, in the tiny settlement of Backwater station. The government has lost contact with the station, and Marshall Jim Raynor is set to the task of finding out what's wrong. Now Raynor is one of the most critical characters in all of the Starcraft Universe. He will help to shape the entire future. Raynor finds that the strange Zerg are the cause of the disturbance, and fights them. Unfortunately, he is wrongly accused by the military, and is sent to jail. Not long after that, he is sprung by the Sons of Korhal, a group set upon bringing down the corrupt government. Raynor is given an assignment, along with ghost Sarah Kerrigan to help bring down the government. Raynor is immediately attracted to Sarah from the start. Then, the leader of the Sons of Korhal, Arcturus Mengsk, abandons Sarah to the Zerg, and makes a fatal mistake. Raynor abandons him, when Mengsk creates a new government, it is as corrupt as the first. Raynor swears to bring him down.

      The Zerg take Kerrigan, and turn her into the Queen of Blades, a horrid unfeeling terror. They spread their horridness across the galaxy, and destroy many worlds. Then Raynor finds out what happened to Kerrigan, and he swears to kill her.

      Far away on the distant Protoss homeworld of Aiur, the Zerg have begun an assault on it. After being forced back, they are forced to side with their ancient enemies and alter-egoes, the Dark Templar, who are also Protoss, but use the powers of darkness instead of the powers of light. Soon, the Zerg Overmind which controls all of the zerg itself comes to Aiur, and a Protoss named Tassadar Destroys this Overmind with a sacrifice.

     Blizzard also is an excellent maker of cinematics. It has always created breath-taking, incredible scenes of video. They work hard and long with difficult, advanced methods to create seamless, real environments. Here is an example of a cinematic, which shows Tassadar's final sacrifice.

 

     I hope you enjoyed this show of some of the most incredible games in the world. I will be back next week for the even better ones (well, except maybe Starcraft 1). Thanks for reading and, well, watching!