You may have noticed that Gamespot put up a preview today for "World of Starcraft". The article as a whole is very believable. Gamespot went as far as creating a Gamespace for the so-called "WOS". I was actually gullible enough to believe it for a few hours, and I got pretty excited. It only just dawned on me that this is a part of Gamespot's (and Blizzard's) annual April Fool's ritual. I will admit that the pictures (one shown above) look pretty believable: I don't know where Gamespot found them. Yet there are so many indications this is a really shrewd, cruel April Fool's joke (that isn't particularily funny).
First off, the game itself is just making fun of the fact that World of Warcraft was so immensly popular. Second, why would Blizzard release another MMORPG when they are making millions monthly off of World of Warcraft? These couple of statements just prove this is a cruel prank:
"It's time to drop out of school, quit your job, divorce your spouse, disown your children, cancel your gym membership, upgrade your PC, and clear out your schedule for World of Starcraft. Hot on the heels of the unprecedented success of its first massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Blizzard Entertainment is taking its other best-known real-time strategy brand and doing it up proper. We've only caught a glimpse of a work-in-progress version of World of Starcraft so details are scarce at this time, but we're already prepared to lay all our credibility and all your trust in us on the line by predicting that this will surely end up being GameSpot's 2007 Game of the Year when it finally comes out, assuming it doesn't get delayed. After all, when you take World of Warcraft; replace the "Warcraft" with "Starcraft;" fix a whole bunch of World of Warcraft's problems; introduce a whole new set of mechanics and gameplay features; and throw in stim packs, psionic storms, and devourers, you obviously have a completely different and even better game. "
Gamespot would never say something like this, even if they really were excited about the game. Gamespot doesn't really openly say anything about a game until they review it, especially not with a first preview. Saying that the game would be the "Gamespot's 2007 Game of the Year" is just going overboard. Gamespot would never really make such a statement so assertively.
The next couple paragraphs in the preview actually sound really believable. It's clear that Gamespot staff spent a lot of time going over what a "World of Starcraft" would really be like in their heads, and made several suggestions to fix problems they have with World of Warcraft. This middle section is what tricked me at first, since it is to well thought out.
What really makes it clear that this is an April Fool's joke is the fake "BurgerCraft Franchise". Sure, its linked to Blizzard's own website, but if you read the date it was posted, you'll see April 1st. It seems even Blizzard is joining in on some April Fool's fun (if this doesn't sound likely, remember what Blizzard did on April Fool's last year?). Both Blizzard and Gamespot are poking fun at Everquest 2. In that game, believe it or not, you actually can order a pizza from Pizza Hut while playing the game.
Overall, I'd say this is an extremely believable preview. There are some telltale signs that it's just a cleverly-crafted prank, but I'm sure a lot of World of Warcraft and Blizzard fans are going to be very dissapointed tomorrow. To spare you the dissapointment, I'll just give you a hint. I'm 95% sure this is an April Fool's prank. Gamespot had similar trick articles last year, so it isn't all that surprising. I am a little shocked that Gamespot went this far. I don't think most people will find this prank very humorous, but I guess the editor's in the Gamespot offices are probably laughing right now, savoring in the gullibility of its readers (such as myself).
UPDATE: Okay, it's confirmed. If you don't believe me, just watch "The Last Word" on the Gamespot homepage. Both Tor Thompson and Tim Surrette pretty much give away that this is an April Fool's Joke. Plus, have you seen Gamespot's "Top Ten Final Fantasy Games" list they just posted? It's just a giant joke.
Also, for some more clever April Fool's jokes, go here.
