Blizzcon has come and gone, and if you weren’t able to attend the event in Anaheim this year, hopefully you were able to check out the live broadcast either streaming or on Direct TV. The new stream that they implemented this year added an amazing experience of the event for those who couldn’t make it to the show in person. Blizzard gave the home enthusiast a way to get the best seat in the house without having to wait in lines, pay for hotels or flights, or sit in an overflow room watching the speakers/panels/tournaments from afar.
This year I wanted to get both experiences. Thankfully, being just an hour flight away from the event, this was totally possible. Friday night I sat at home flipping between the stream channels trying to determine how I would attack the show on Saturday after my early flight down to the event. Using the live stream, I was able to have an up close and personal experience with the panels and what I would consider the best seat in the house for the annual costume contest. The overarching broadcast really brought a new level to the experience without physically being at the show. However, let me jump in and say that there really isn’t a way to compare the two experiences…
Being at this energetic and unique convention really is something that every Blizzard fan should check out at some point. It’s always amazing to me to see folks embrace every level of their excitement for the games that this gaming titan provides. With all of the things erupting right now with their core titles, it’s no wonder this year’s event was electric. Diablo III: need I say more? I did have some time to play around with it, and the 3v3 PvP has a ton of potential, and the game itself is beautiful. It’s similar to the level of the recently released/revamped Starcraft II when compared to the original. It takes a lot of the core concepts of the original game and adds in some fun new dynamics with the fresh polished look and updated graphics/interface experience. Other quality hands on experiences were with the Cataclysm expansion for World of Warcraft which is right around the corner. Many folks who haven’t had an opportunity to play around with the beta yet got to dig into the changes that are happening to the entire face of the in-game world and the new races that will be introduced in a little over a month.
One of the new things I saw at the show that I wanted to share was a little booth by a company called Figure Prints. In a nutshell, they create a 3D custom model of your character. And if you don’t like the look of your current armor, or are still working on a set, you can choose between any of the Dungeon/Raid/PvP sets for your class, as well as a variety of other customization options. The prices are a little steep at first glance, but believe me, after seeing these in person, it’s well worth it if you’re a fan.
While we were there, we did a scavenger hunt type contest through Twitter giving away an A30 headset for the first person to find me after completing a small quest. Our lucky winner was Kenneth M. of Brooklyn, NY. Congrats!
One other thing that you may have enjoyed if you were watching the stream on either night from the comfort of your computer chair, was something familiar on the WoW tournament stage: our A40 Audio System being used as the player audio solution throughout the broadcast. Thanks for the nod Blizzard, we appreciate your quality work too.
-X
