BlizzCon 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Huh?

Another Blizzcon has come and gone, and there were some major announcements, as always, and some key information coming out of the panels and interviews. I’ll be discussing some things more in depth in the next few days, but I wanted to mention some of the highlights, or lowlights as the case may be of the event.

Ok, call me biased (which I suppose is true) but I’d say the biggest announcement was that the next World of Warcraft expansion would indeed be Mists of Pandaria (MoP). Many people suspected that when Blizzard filed for the copyright and trademark rights to that name months ago, but there were those who hoped that those were just for books or cards, and not the expansion. It is now official, and there is definitely a mix of positive and negative reaction. I’ll go into more detail about the expansion in later articles.

The big announcements regarding StarCraft II were the new multiplayer units for the upcoming Heart of the Swarm (HotS) expansion (along with a new teaser video), and the upcoming Blizzard DOTA that will be part of StarCraft II. For Diablo 3, Blizzard showed the box art for both the regular and collector’s editions, and announced all of the items that will come with the collector’s edition.

Another major announcement, while definitely a positive one, belongs mostly in the “huh” category. Blizzard announced a new program, the World of Warcraft Annual Pass. For a limited time, current WoW players (who meet the qualifications, including having an active account before October 18, 2011) who agree to a 12-month subscription contract will receive D3 for free! Players with the Annual Pass will be able to download and play D3 on the day of release. This will be the regular version of the game, available by digital download. For those who would still like to purchase the collector’s edition for all the extras, you will receive a 4-month credit towards your WoW subscription, to cover the cost of the regular version of the game, so you are still getting a good deal.

Also, Annual Pass subscribers will get guaranteed access to the MoP beta test, and a free in-game mount, Tyrael’s Charger (players will get the mount with the 4.3 patch, and as with other similar items, it will be available on all current and future characters). It has not been announced how long this promotion will last, but officials did say that you could only sign up for the Annual Pass for a limited time. What’s the catch, you ask? By signing up for this, you are agreeing to a 12-month subscription to WoW, and you will not be allowed to break that contract. However, one important aspect is that you can still pay monthly, and it is the same rate. Unlike some games, they are not requiring all 12 months up front. (For more information, you can see their FAQ So, for the same amount of money you would be paying, you get some nice perks … what’s not to like?

One major item in the good department is that it looks as if we will be getting three major releases next year. While there are no release dates for any of them, it was announced that D3 would be released early 2012 (my guess is that indicates they are shooting for first quarter), and the language used by the those in the know seemed to indicate that both HotS and MoP would hopefully be released in 2012. No guarantees, but that would greatly please the greater Blizz community. It has been stated that they are working hard to come out with new content faster, and I hope they live up to that.

So, what was bad about Blizzcon? As has unfortunately become the norm, there were some technical issues, most notably with the online feeds not starting on time. This was especially true with the tournaments. Nothing truly major, but just annoying.

Speaking of annoying, let’s talk about the concert. Now, I loved the set by the (now) Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftains. They always put on a good show. However, I was extremely annoyed by what Samwise Didier did that was apparently a joke. The ETC front man and Blizzard Art Director told the audience that if they yelled loud enough, that D3 would be released early. He then “took a phone call” and announced that it was not loud enough. This had many people thinking that this was their way of announcing a D3 release date, and there was definite disappointment when it turned out to be nothing. Love your work, but bad form, Samwise!

Another comment I have about the concert is that while it was great that the Foo Fighters performed, I and others ask why? Is the concert really necessary, and what does it truly add? Now, the year that Video Games Live performed at BlizzCon, that made sense. Likewise, a performance from ETC makes sense. But honestly, instead of a major concert such as Foo Fighters or Ozzy, many of us would like to see more panels. After all, isn’t the con about the games?

My last criticism regards the contests. Everything is actually good, except for the announcement of the winners for Best Song. The clips were very short, and not nearly enough to enjoy the work these folks put into the songs. Plus, how can the audience know how good they are, with just a few seconds? I didn’t even know what was happening at first. It felt strange and out of place, and would have been much better if the whole song (or at least a longer portion) had been played.

In future articles, I’ll be taking a look at more of the information that came out of BlizzCon 2012, especially details on MoP. With the new race and class, pet combat, and talent overhaul, there is quite a bit of new information to digest. Well, I’m off to Azeroth, to await the next patch and see what new panda jokes people come up with next.