A lot has happened in the development of Warcraft III since we last previewed it several months ago. Mike O'Brien, former project leader on Warcraft III, left Blizzard, and the game coincidentally shifted direction around that time. Although Warcraft III has always been a role-playing strategy game, in recent weeks, the design team decided to refocus the game so that it really emphasizes the strategy elements. Before, there might have been a question about whether Warcraft III was truly a strategy game or an RPG, but now it's unequivocably a strategy game and very much the successor to Warcraft II.

Stills from the new Warcraft III movie that debuts at E3.

Last week, GameSpot visited the offices of Blizzard, and we were treated to a demo of the game in its current form. Rob Pardo, lead designer on Warcraft III, walked us through a demonstration of the human town and the human troops, and also unveiled the undead. While the undead side has already been announced, much of the undead unit capabilities and the side's unique gameplay style were still unrevealed - until now, that is.

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In the next three days, GameSpot will be bringing you three new Warcraft III previews. This preview deals with the general gameplay, such as the heroes, spell system, resource model, and neutral units. The second preview deals specifically with the orc and human races and unveils more information about each side, their units, and special abilities. Finally, the third preview is devoted entirely to the undead. Not only do we describe the individual units and heroes of the undead side, but we also reveal their unique resource model and technology tree. And throughout all three previews we'll show new screens, concept art, and stills from the new Warcraft III movie that will be shown at E3.

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During our demo of Warcraft III, we got to see the new look of Warcraft III. The view is now further back and from a top-down isometric perspective. Although the over-the-shoulder view is gone, the graphics still look good, and the engine is put to good effect. The engine graphics will still be shown off in in-game cutscenes and through the spell effects. What the new look has enabled Blizzard to do is emphasize more of the strategy elements of the game. Freeform building is back in, and you can control units without heroes. You can scroll around the map, drag select units, and expand to build new bases. These are all things that weren't in the original design specs for Warcraft III but are in the game now. However, what's always been a part of the game design is the vital role of hero characters. In a world where six races vie for control, the heroes are the rallying point for the warring armies. Let's take a look at them first. And be sure to come back in the next two days when we take a closer look at the orcs, humans, and the undead. Now, onto the heroes....

Next: Heroes of Warcraft