The Top Games of E3 2001

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Developed by Blizzard Entertainment
Published by Blizzard Entertainment
Available December 2001
Blizzard is one of the few game companies that consistently turn out high-quality games that are as popular with critics as they are with the public. The first games in the Warcraft real-time strategy series established the company as a leader in the field, but with Warcraft II and then Starcraft, Blizzard became a legend. From what was shown at E3, it is evident that Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Blizzard's previous games.

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What's Ahead:
Warcraft III is still about five months from completion. While the game looks great and has all the necessary elements to be a success, there are still several challenges left for the development team. Between now and the time the game is released, the team must complete the single-player campaign and balance all the races, units, and structures. Over the past several years, Blizzard has created a reputation for creating successful real-time strategy games. We'll find out this holiday season if the company's winning streak will continue.
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In several ways, Warcraft III is a drastic departure from the previous Warcraft games. The game will feature an all-new 3D engine with advanced visual features such as animated water, glowing lava, and geysers. The game already features a lot of the visual polish that characterized previous Blizzard games, but it does so in a completely 3D gameworld. Warcraft III will also focus less on resource management and more on small tactical battles than the previous Warcraft games. It will include four playable races--the humans, the orcs, the night elves, and the undead--each of which has a different set of four heroes, different structures, and its own variety of units, including at least two airborne units. In addition, the game will include a fifth non-playable race--the demons--along with a wide variety of neutral monsters. The demons will be an ultrapowerful enemy race that is central to the game's storyline, and the neutral monsters will play two important roles in the game: They will provide mana stones, an important resource, and some of them will be available for hire from mercenary camps.

Warcraft III borrows elements from role-playing games in its treatment of heroes, which are powerful leader units that can develop over the course of the game. Each hero has a unique set of skills and abilities that will increase in power as the hero gains experience and advances in level. Heroes also have inventory slots, so they can pick up and use magical items like wands and potions.

There's no question that Blizzard knows how to make a great game. From what we saw of the game at the show, and from what we know about Blizzard, it's clear that Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is on track to becoming an excellent game.
 

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