In a surprise move that caught fans off guard, Blizzard announced remastered versions of Warcraft and Warcraft II during theWarcraft30th Anniversary Stream with a release date of that exact moment.Both titles are part of a new Warcraft Remastered Battle Chestalongside Warcraft III: Reforged, which has a base price of $39.99, but includes dynamic pricing so if you buy any of the re-releases separately, it will reduce the price of the bundle.
Individually, Warcraft 1 is $9.99, Warcraft 2 is $14.99 and Warcraft III: Reforged is $29.99. The new remasters have new, hand-drawn visuals in the style of the original games, UI updates, and the first game has been updated with new, modern controls, as back in the day, you had to click each and every unit individually. At the same time, the four-year old Warcraft III: Reforged has received a substantial update, but it still hasn’t addressed major fan complaints.
It’s been thirty years since Warcraft: Orcs and Humans was released for PC, helping to launch multiplayer gaming in the process. While it was a genre-defining success that helped put Blizzard on the map, a year later, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness was released, going on to sell three million copies in five years.The newly-remastered versions will allow you to swap between the new HD visuals and the original sprites from the ’90s.
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The Warcraft III Problem
Updating the first two games with new visuals is a great treat for longtime fans, but at the same time, Blizzard also revealed the Warcraft III: Reforged 2.0 update, which now includes new lighting, updated environments and crisper graphics. Despite the improvements, fans on social media were quick to point out in the YouTube comments below the trailer thatthe cutscenes are still the original versions from 2002.Upon the remaster’s release in 2020, it became Blizzard’s worst-reviewed game of all time, untilDiablo Immortal was able to claim that dubious title, and small user changes alongside new HD graphics might not be enough to win back lost fans.
The remasters are meant to celebrate the 30-year history of Warcraft, but since Warcraft III, the franchise has been dominated by World of Warcraft, with no signs of a proper Warcraft 4 real-time strategy game on the horizon.
The reaction to Warcraft III: Reforged was so negative that Blizzard, for the first and only time in its history,allowed fans to request refunds no questions asked. It’s too early to tell if the Warcraft I and 2 remasters will be treated similarly by fans or if the original games are old enough by now that any type of re-release will be met with open arms.
The remasters are meant to celebrate the thirty-year history of Warcraft, but since Warcraft III, the franchise has been dominated byWorld of Warcraft, withno signs of a proper Warcraft 4 real-time strategy game on the horizon. The latest entry in the franchise, mobile game Warcraft Rumble, is coming to PC next month. In the meantime, Warcraft fans can continue to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise throughthe 20th Anniversary World of Warcraft event that is ongoing until January 6.
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Warcraft 3: Reforged
