Burning Crusade scorches California

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted Jan 16, 2007 12:31 pm PT

Thousands line up to enter the World of Warcraft's dark portal at four Blizzard-sponsored events across the Golden State.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

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SUNNYVALE, Calif.--While Europe and the East Coast enjoy record highs, temperatures dipped to freezing levels last night in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the biting cold didn't put off the masses who huddled in line for Blizzard Entertainment's midnight release party for The Burning Crusade, the first expansion pack for World of Warcraft. More than 1,000 people wound up forming a line that snaked from the front of the local Fry's Electronics to the side of the building and beyond.

The Northern California event was one of eight Blizzard-sanctioned shindigs held round the world to celebrate the release of the expansion to the phenomenally successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game. European fans in London, Berlin, Stockholm, and Paris were able to attend local launch events, while stateside fans in California had four options: Sunnyvale, Universal City, Fountain Valley, and Anaheim. Blizzard reps said the other California events drew similar-sized crowds, while GameSpot UK reported a sizable mob at the London event.

WOW expands!

Gamers wait for The Burning Crusade in a freezing parking lot.

Attendees at the Sunnyvale event were able to get their games signed by members of the Burning Crusade development team, who were deployed to all of the events being held in the US and abroad. Some 15 members of the team wielded pens at Fry's, including producer Shane Dabiri and art director Justin Thivrat.

The line at Fry's began to form at 10 p.m Sunday night, when the first virtual adventurer queued up. The modest collection grew over the course of the day on Monday and began swelling around 9 p.m. The faithful hauled out assorted blankets, laptops, and, in one case, their own gas-powered generator to help pass the time. The crowd defied any attempts at demographic pigeonholing, as players of both genders, different ethnic backgrounds, assorted socioeconomic statuses, and varying physical conditions were well represented.

Not even a 60-level Paladin has the cure for WOW addiction.

At roughly 11:45 p.m., the crowd began to be ushered into the store to start the signing process. At its peak, the line inside the building weaved its way past pallets of the normal and coveted collector's edition of The Burning Crusade. The line eventually split into two, with the 15 developers divided between two tables to help speed the autographing along.

Those present at the event were limited to two copies of The Burning Crusade per person. Strung out next to the serpentine line were tables offering other WOW products, including the World of Warcraft board game, a strategy guide sporting reversible crests for the new Blood Elf and Draenei races, and subscription cards. Fry's employees and Blizzard PR reps also handed out free WOW-themed posters and stickers to the giddy throng.

160 Comments

  • xXx_Phenix_xXx

    Posted Jan 23, 2007 7:31 am PT

    Great MMORPG, i play both Guild War's and World of Warcraft and there has been some disputes between which game is better (i know, it's opinion based but whatever, they're both great games). Guild Wars spits out new story lines and 2 new characters per expansion, when a lot of people want higher level cap. WoW: TBC brought everything anyone could ask for - Higher level cap, new races, new professions, new dungeons, addition to the story line and a boatload of new dungeons, and with real-time-travel taking off on pilot-able, flying mounts, the possibliites will be endless! i think it's a great addition to an already great game!

  • MiltoxBeyond

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 8:32 pm PT

    MMORPG's are just money vacuum's cuz of their never-endingness (Technical Jargon there) ... But anyways... if you notice the poll on the front page you can tell that the Burning crusade is getting slapped by the anti-WOW people. Probably cuz those addicted to wow can't find the time since they can't leave WOW's side...

  • KHconsumed

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 3:31 pm PT

    you guys can stop bashin you know, its by far the most amazing game i have ever played, and no i dont sit at home and play 24/7 i have a job and school and do a lot of stuff with my freinds (not wow ) but it is amazing and has actually saved me money because thats all i play now

  • Maraxusofkelds

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 2:21 pm PT

    ROFL at the dork wearing that stupid home made paper mache costume. Jeez geeks like that bring a bad name to ppl playing video games. jsut cuz hes a dungeons and dragons dork who can bench like 80 lbs max doesn’t mean a lot of casual players like me are. Also, u don’t necessarily have to lose your life to get to lvl 70. if u have a good job, u can just pay ur way for powerlvl if ur time is precious.

  • soulitier

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 9:51 am PT

    one more thing before i leave the last 3 people that replyed to me are fanboys these are the following fanboys

    rachet3

    xx_ds_xx

    petedeeUK

    so good bye fanboys good luck buying the boxsets and the t shirts and enjoy that 1 expanshion and that wow tcg too have fun not seeing the light of day for quite some time and maybe ending up in a halfway house for wow junkies buh bye

  • soulitier

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 9:38 am PT

    wow is a mmo based on a rts and second rachet you need to take a chill pill i dont have a allowance and it is my opion to hate wow and make fun of the people who play it

    how anyone could play such a generic mmo is beyond me

  • ratchet3

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 7:14 am PT

    lol if u want to flame on a game that has 8 million people paying an average 15 a month which is prolly more than ur mom gives u as an allowance or else u wouldve been playing it right now...

  • XX_DS_XX

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 8:43 am PT

    Hey Soulitier. Shut up.

  • PeteDeeUK

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 8:59 am PT

    Errr... soulitier WoW isn't an RTS? Its an RPG and a bloody good one at that!

  • soulitier

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 5:44 am PT

    who cares world of warcrack sucks anyway they picked a crapy rts that should of died on its firstgame instead of a good one like starcraft or a good rpg like daiblo

    i want my starcraft ghost not world of warcrack the burning crapsades

  • axelone

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 5:05 pm PT

    @notm3:
    Not really mate. Lots of people enjoy playing games, professional athletes and musicians included (doesn't make them nerds) and I don't see anything nerdy about looking at a review for a game, partly cause I want to see whether that $50 I spend will really be worth it.

    But still, Blizzard has really hit a cash cow with this, well represented by the reject from the Middle Ages re-enactment fair. I can't understand the hype about this thing; its WoW, its a game and games get boring after a while. But know this, everytime you log-on, a ghoul devours a kitten...and doesn't even care

  • Knight-of-God

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 4:51 pm PT

    Is WoW really all that? I have never played.

  • darklord_2002

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 4:23 pm PT

    Please! World of Warcraft is a huge drug. The whole game just sucks players in, and ruins their real lives, while replacing it with a fantasy one. Well, guess what? When you log off, all of the cool things you feel when you're playing the game are gone, and you realize how much of your precious life you're missing out on. Please people, just play 30 mins to an hour less a day, and use that time to better yourselves. Trust me, it's worth it.

  • efrench9

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 4:21 pm PT

    They were NOT making fun of WoW, it's called an Homage, look it up. They knew way too much about this game, they have felt it's power, they have wasted hours at the auction hall, they have LFM'd for UBRS, they have succumbed to Azeroth!

  • aygol

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 3:55 pm PT

    "ares_infernus" is right.
    People are dying from starvation, and you're talking about World of Warcraft? That's a shame.

  • Hinduce

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 3:24 pm PT

    uh yea. I still can't get over the episode of south park when they made fun of WoW. That is so damm funny. I never even played the game but it looks koo but i would never have enough time to play it.

  • GANGSTA287

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 2:11 pm PT

    I think i'm going to buy this game since it's only $20 and the recent intrest in the expansion will probably bring more noobs in...

    I won't get addicted though, I know that for sure...

    And yeah, being a nerd doesn't stop you from being cool, i play tons of videogames, but i'm still an athlete and hang out with the "cool" kids, you cease being cool when fictionous stuff rules your life...

    And I have to admit, Since i saw that episode of SouthPark making fun of WOW, i've been dying to try it out...

    LOL

  • blackace

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    Well, I finally got on and created my Blood Elf. I'm enjoying it so far. Now I have a decent reason to start playing again. I still have lots of quests to complete from the original part of the game. WoW is going to be around for a long time. I hope the next expansion doesn't take 2 yrs again.

  • MeteorNess

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 1:40 pm PT

    @notm3" I can't help but to laugh at the hypocrisy of those people on a GAMING SITE talking about how only certain games are for NERDS ... Give it up, if you are on this site, you play video games, and people think you are just as nerdy as everyone else. "

    Sad but true. Gamers with social life are still looked by some people as nerds. Gamers without a social life... has no title, cuz only gamers know they exist ^^

  • Knarfon

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    WoW is the devil

  • smfes

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 1:08 pm PT

    super über nerds standing in line.

  • MSE369

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 1:03 pm PT

    okayyyyy kinda sad...

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 1:02 pm PT

    gamespot said"Not even a 60-level Paladin has the cure for WOW addiction."
    lol gamespot has funny captions

  • Beesond

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:58 pm PT

    That guy in the scarlet uniform is such a dufus, and that makes me a dork for knowing what he is dressed as lol.

  • eanbowman

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:24 pm PT

    Perhaps ares_infernus is referring to the fact that not everyone in the world lives in a 1st world country with internet gaming and other luxuries available to them.

    Although, whatever game I'm playing I sometimes forget to eat and I live in a 1st world country. That's my own perogative, however.

  • vajer

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 11:34 am PT

    @ ares_infernus

    ohhh turn that froun up side down you negitive nancy >_>

  • seyona

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 9:16 am PT

    @ ares_infernus

    please tell me you were kidding.

  • ares_infernus

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 9:05 am PT

    @ gam3r3000

    yeah? and do you know how many of that 800 is dying from starvation?

  • Sergelgar

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:35 am PT

    rofl agree with SuCuBuS_04

    but i still play all day

  • SuCuBuS_04

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:31 am PT

    and so this is how society will collapse.....

  • shadyelf

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:15 am PT

    Lol I would never wait in line for a game, no matter how addictive/great it's supposed to be. I prefer the old walk-in-store-get-game-pay-at-counter-get-back-into-car-and-drive-home method better.

  • efrench9

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 6:20 am PT

    At least now there is no 'Barrens' chat on my EQII server . They all went back to being 1337 in Azeroth and fled the shattered lands of Norrath! But seriously is there any more addictive game style than MMO's? I think not. I have a 60 WoW toon but will not go back anytime soon just because as another person said it, it's not very challenging, granted EQII has become more sugar-coated since launch to try to keep pace with WoW but is still more fun and deep and mature player based IMO.

    -Shotgun Nostrils (Vox server) NERD.

  • soulitier

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 4:29 am PT

    and another reason i hate wow its so unbalanced for every 1 horde there is 3 alliance

    and night elves are just too dorky

  • El_Jarvo

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 3:41 am PT

    That's sad.

  • gam3r3OOO

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 3:32 am PT

    Did you know about 1 in every 800 people in the world play world of warcraft?

  • Theclow

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 2:24 am PT

    hoverboy "Not true"

    Then please enlighten us.

  • hoverboy

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:58 am PT

    @soulitier "...and the reason there is no starcraft ghost is because of warcrack..."

    Not true

  • alfonsorc84

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:26 am PT

    I like this game...but there are some geeks that have no life

  • lovermanxxx

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:05 am PT

    oh dear [shakes head].
    i played WoW solid for my trial version, then considered paying $10 a month and decided that it really wasn't worth it. several of my mates play, and they say $10 is fine - it's only the cost of a few beers. I reply that I would rather drink a few beers with real people in a real place!?!?
    i can see it is addictive - i played for 2 days SOLID. but as a gamer I want a good challenging game. WoW does not really offer this. I have to say that WoW is one of (if not the most) repetitive games I have ever played. I really do not think this game should be as popular as it is, because in my opinion, it lacks key features.

    oh and finally, the South Park episode of WoW is so damn funny!

  • Arrow_of_Hearts

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 11:52 pm PT

    Wow these guys are nerdy as hell I play video games alot even to a obsesive level but I don't know what kind of level you have to achieve to want to make yourself look like an idiot in public over a game.

  • Harvestbuddy

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 11:43 pm PT

    hahaha you don't kill yourself to reach lvl 70, you kill your social life! xD

  • phezory

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 10:50 pm PT

    kamahl316
    Is Right! Wow is a great game... but i wouldnt kill myself just to reach lvl 70. Maybe in the end of the week we see a lvl 70 guild in our servers.

  • kamahl316

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 10:28 pm PT

    Some people here don't know the difference between a gamer and a nerd...

    You CAN be a gamer and still have social life.

  • bildo2020

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 9:03 pm PT

    world of warcraft = amazingness

    people who dont play World of warcraft and visit this site = closet nerd

  • GhostyMcboo

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 9:02 pm PT

    I've lined up for nightclubs that were probably far less entertaining than this...

    but I will bust EVERYONE!
    HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!

    oh, that felt good.

  • speedracer216

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 6:49 pm PT

    i lined up for gamecube so i won't bust anyone.

    but how lame that they complain about the weather. poor Cali with one cold day. live in Chicago for a while where you line up in freezing weather in the spring! lol. just kidding.
    i hope they all enjoy this game that i've never played.

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 5:56 pm PT

    Wow, this game has lines up rivaling a console launch.

  • jono128

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 5:46 pm PT

    I wish:
    A. my PC was good enough for this game.
    B. I had the time for it.
    and
    C. I could afford it.

    I probably wouldn't play it much in college anyways...

  • soulitier

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 5:27 pm PT

    riccochet said
    "To anyone making fun of these guys:

    You better not have lined up to get anything video game related (xbox360, ps3, wii, halo 2, or any video game whatsoever) because if you have, you're just as bad as they are. And there's something very ironic about making fun of someone on a VIDEO GAMING website. "

    iam olny making fun of this is because world of warcrack is for noobs.

    and ever snice bizzard canceled starcraft ghost i run a boycotton bilzzard games.

    and the reason there is no starcraft ghost is because of warcrack.

  • microwaveman

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 5:22 pm PT

    i wish i had a computer that could run it...
    not even kidding, im playing warcraft 2 right now

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