Surprise! Activision Blizzard suddenly released remasters of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, as well as Warcraft II. Not only that, but Warcraft III: Reforged received a 2.0 update, fixing several issues with the game that with a little luck will make it more presentable for fans of Blizzard’s classic RTS. All of these are available today, right now!
Announced via the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Live on November 13, the reveal is part of Warcraft’s 30th Anniversary celebrations, which play a big role in the Warcraft side of Blizzard’s content this year. Prior to this, some classic Warcraft cosmetics appeared in the modern version of World of Warcraft via a mid-patch celebration event, as well as various rewards and events based on World of Warcraft lore.
The new remasters of Warcraft I and Warcraft II have new hand-drawn visuals and players can switch between new and old graphics in real time. Warcraft 1 and right-click movement and faster game speed, while both games have several improvements in UI and UX. You’ll also be happy to know that Warcraft 2 has playable classic maps and working multiplayer.
There’s a lot riding on these remasters, largely due to the original quality of Warcraft III: Reforged. That game had many problems at launch, including bugs, matchmaking issues, visual issues with its revamped overall aesthetic, and a controversial clause stating that any custom maps created in the game were the property of Blizzard forever, without a license. You have to understand that DOTA started out as a custom map for Warcraft 3, so this is the company making sure they don’t accidentally spawn a massive new game that doesn’t belong to them. Still disgusting!
If these revamps come to light and are safe from many of these issues, it will mark a flash of good news for both Blizzard and the retro Blizzard RTS crowd, something both could always use. These games were pivotal to the PC gaming space in their time, you know, so getting some high-quality modern love can only be a good thing. We’ll have to see what they are like!
