IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 5, 1996 -- Blizzard Entertainment announced this week plans to release a Macintosh version of the number-one selling Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. The game released for the PC in December 1995 and shipped 300,000 units during its first ten days in stores.
Warcraft II, sequel to the company's award-winning fantasy-strategy game Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, boasts several enhancements including tactical combat over land, sea and air; head-to-head play against as many as eight players on either Macintosh or PC systems; artificial intelligence that learns, adapts and responds to players' actions; and a multitude of new units such as dragons, submarines, Elven archers, gryphons, battleships, zeppelins and death knights.
Warcraft II is expected to be available in Macintosh CD-ROM format at most computer and software retail chains nationwide this fall and is expected to be priced at approximately $50. The game will also be offered directly from Blizzard at (800) 953-SNOW.
"Warcraft: Orcs and Humans has built a tremendous following in the Macintosh community, and now, we are excited to offer Mac gamers an all new Warcraft experience that provides more excitement, scenarios, multiplayer options and units," said Allen Adham, president and founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We are taking full advantage of Macintosh capabilities and including the ability to play head-to-head not only against other Mac owners, but also PC players."
Product Highlights
Warcraft II is the continuation of the ruthless clash between the Orc and Human civilizations. After the long and bloody war in the kingdom of Azeroth, the Humans ventured across the Great Sea to escape the cruelty of the Orcish hordes and rebuild their empire. Eager to engage in battle again, the Orcish army constructed sea vessels and summoned flying creatures to follow the Humans and attack their coastal encampment.
As the commander of either the Orc or Human forces, players must successfully construct and rule their medieval empire while engaging in real-time tactical warfare over land, sea and air. The game allows players to compete in a one-player mode by completing a series of integrated scenarios or play head-to-head against opponents using the game's multiplayer option.
The sequel offers several new features including combined-arms combat on land, sea and air; artificial intelligence that learns, adapts and responds to players' actions; and a multitude of new units such as dragons, submarines, Elven archers, gryphons, battleships, zeppelins and death knights. The game also includes a new strategic "fog of war" feature which allows players to only see activity within their units' line of sight.
Other key features in Warcraft II include:
- Separate story lines for Orc and Human campaigns with 28 scenarios.
- Multiplayer capabilities supported via modem, direct link, network and the Internet. As many as eight players can compete through network play.
- Ability for Macintosh users to play head-to-head against PC users.
- Red Book CD-quality audio music.
- Unique spawning technology that allows head-to-head play by installing multiple copies from the original CD-ROM.
- A rich soundtrack of classical war music.
