There's quite a mess of updates on the net at the moment, so it's good you've stopped here to let us help you sort out everything that's going on. Things are about to get a little confusing around here.

 

If you haven't yet pre-ordered StarCraft 2 or are looking for the ways to do so, here's what you need to know:

 

GameStop locations will open at Midnight on the 27th for release if they have received 10 or more pre-order requests. Check your local locations to determine if your local store will be open.

 

You can also pre-order from Amazon.com (click the link on the left side of the page) which will ship the game so that it arrives at your location on the 27th by 1 PM your time for $5 extra. 

 

If you don't really care about getting a physical copy of the game, Blizzard announced today that you can now pre-download a copy of StarCraft 2 and pay for it once digital purchases are activated at 10 AM PDT July 27th (1 PM EST). Digital copies are also $59.99, you won't save any money here.

 

Walmart will also apparently be opening a number of locations for the StarCraft 2 release at midnight. Click the link for more info.

 

Also, as far as StarCraft2Forum.org is concerned, we will be having a site-wide launch party online. We'll be making arrangements and announcements regarding that as the launch date nears. What we do know is that it will be awesome and will include some awesome prizes for a tournament we'll be holding.

 

In other news, Blizzard has launched a new StarCraft 2 prototype site which is currently being populated with information. Should be pretty awesome! It has some great features like a community voting feature and customized article priority. Very cool. But you need a valid Battle.net account to log in!

 

Another fun little tidbit is the digital copy of the StarCraft 2 Game Manual that Blizzard also posted on the site. Boring, but cool!

 

Be sure to pay attention to our coverage during the next couple of weeks as it's likely that important updates will come through! Enjoy and good hunting!

 

 

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The first major patch since the return of beta, this week's patch has actually reverted quite a few of the past nerfs enacted in the last few months. Among the most devastating of the changes is the further reduction of the Barracks build time as well as the decreased build time of the Reaper. That combination will likely mean even more trouble for Protoss players in the early game as the Reaper standard rush has become more and more potent.

 

The Zealot build time reduction should help the Protoss against early Zergling rushes, but not much against the Terran buff. Let's go test it!

 

 

 

A couple of days ago we reported that Beta was probably coming back online. And now it is. Who can beat that as the story of the week? We're pretty sure no one can. Go, quickly, enjoy! And don't forget to pre-order your copy so you're ready for the 26th at midnight!

 

There's a few kinks in the new version (most notably glowing Vespene Geysers) that should be worked out soon, but we're looking forward to the release patch which should be available a week or so prior to launch. We're also investigating with Blizzard to find if there will be another shut-down prior to retail launch.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

The latest Blizzard promotion for StarCraft 2, the StarCraft2.com official site has been taken over by Dominion officials. New unlockable content is being made available to the community based on mass participation. The more people who visit, link, and like the site on Facebook the faster the content will be revealed. So far the site has revealed about a third of its content. They've promised that the last piece of information will be the "best."

 

 

Be sure to hop over and check it out at us.starcraft2.com. There's also a test so you can find out in which part of the Dominion military you'd be of the most service to your fellow citizens! And don't forget about the Propoganda Art Contest which lets you win very cool gear from the outer reaches of the Koprulu sector. Long live the Dominion!

 

Source: StarCraft2.com

 

 

An official StarCraft 2 commercial was aired during the second round of the NBA finals between the Celtics and the Lakers: primetime American television. The 30-second spot featured never-before-seen cinematics and cut scenes which had the community drooling after an early leak of the video. The ad also confirms the release date as July 27th, 2010 which would make it very hard for Blizzard to back out of now. Without further ado, here's the spot:

 

 

Source: Blizzard.com