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StarCraft II Custom Games Show Off Its Flexibility
Blizzard has been working on a few custom game types for StarCraft II, and they're giving players the opportunity to test them out on Battle.net. The three game types are in beta, and there's no word on when they'll be officially released. If you're expecting something mundane, you might want to adjust your expectations – these are pretty freaking sweet.
The first one is called Aiur Chef, an homage to the cult favorite TV cooking competition Iron Chef. In this mode, players scour the map for ingredients for special dishes. Every round includes a unique theme ingredient, too. Players fill up their recipe cards by either stumbling upon the necessary components or by killing enemy creatures. It's even possible to earn decoy items to throw your opponents off. Play well enough, and you can be named Executor Chef for the Koprulu Sector, which is surely a prestigious award.
Next up is StarJeweled, a twist on PopCap's familiar game Bejeweled. Players match gems to earn energy, which can then be used to train their units. Once your army is strong enough, you can try to use them to take out your opponent's base. They'll be trying the same thing, so victory is as much about your matching skills as it is knowing how to gauge your enemy's weaknesses.
Finally, Left 2 Die is a survival mode that includes a day/night cycle. At night, Zerg units lay siege on your Terran base. During the day, they lay low, giving you time to heal and regroup. You'll have to leave the safety of your base to destroy all traces of the Zerg virus, too, if you want to ultimately win.
For more info on each of the three modes, check out the official blog. Do any of these sound particularly interesting? Even better, are you inspired to work you your own mods after seeing what's possible?
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