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So, here we sit, very near to the Starcraft II closed Beta and the unveiling of Blizzard’s first game using it’s completely revamped Battlenet Service. Before the media fury begins when the NDA veil is lifted from the closed beta experiences, I thought it would be nice to explore what’s already been revealed about Battlenet, both the good and the bad.
Feathers in Blizzard’s Cap
Like colored lions, Blizzard seems to have hand picked features from various existing services and systems, and allowed them to unite into the new service that is BattleNet 2.0. Let’s look at the good things to come:
- BattleNet will allow players to create a profile with an ‘avatar(sound familiar) that will be used across all Blizzard games, including World Of Warcraft. This will track your stats, unlock achievements and allow you to add friends to hook up with during your games. BN is also slated to provide unlockable items for your profile/avatar as rewards for in-game achievements.
- Another coveted feature of your BattleNet account is it’s strikingly similar to Steam Cloud service, saving your games on Blizzard’s server and allowing you to pick up your game from any computer you sign into your BN account with. Nice for single play experiences, especially if you need to reinstall your game for some unforseen reason, but I see some issues with this to be addressed in our next section.
- Much like Steam and XBL, BN will allow players to access party chat and cross-game chat systems, meaning you can still talk to your friends on their WoW raids while you whittle away at the Terran Campaign on Starcraft II.
- Similar to the Cerberus Network, for those who’ve played Mass Effect 2, BN will stay logged in, even during Single Player experiences to keep you updated on the latest Blizzard news, features and announcements, for those who value those features. Not a necessary feature in my mind, but an interesting addition.
- All Blizzard, and presumably some Activision titles, will be available for purchase on a BN store, much like Valve’s Steam service. In addition, any Blizzard titles you own will be tracked and accessable from BN, with your serial codes stored. Presumably, BN will also store games for a downloaded install, similar to Steam, however this portion has not been confirmed.
There Are A Few Flies In The Ointment…
- While all of these features may sound nice, the number one drawback I can see is the need to be connected to the internet. Much to the dismay of our beloved Game Devs, high speed internet does not have the install base that they would like to think it does, making for what could be a very problematic experience for those who just want to experience the single player features of Blizzard’s blockbuster titles. I have played the first Diablo and Starcraft, and have no desire to play those games multiplayer, nor be forced to be tethered to the internet to access my single player games.
- PC Gamers love our Mods, don’t we guys? Well, say goodbye to the free mods as Blizzard ushers in the atrocity that is the console DLC delivery system. Blizzard has already announced that, while free mods will still be available, there will be ‘premium mods’ available to the player for a fee on BN. From all reports, these seem to be user created mods that Blizzard will now charge for. Bravo guys, tell me it’s raining while you are just, well, you get the idea.
- Lastly, and presumably the negative point causing the most furor, is the need to merge all of your WoW accounts with BN. Personally, I have no experience with this, but quick searches of many WoW gaming forums can unearth a plethora of highs and lows to this forced merger. I’m sure once all of the mumors die down, the pros may outweigh the cons, but I do know that players who choose to have multiple accounts and characters have not been initially happy with this requirement being forced upon their Azeroth dopplegangers.
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