Project Lore

New Destination For SC, WC3, WoW Replays Since StarCraft hit Korea Blizzard has been a part of the eSports community, extending the range from FPS titles to RTS.  Their Sci-Fi epic still maintains a strong following, but the company has seen Warcraft III and World of Warcraft's Arena system gain a foothold in the realm of professional gaming as well.  With their last three titles becoming a major player - arguably dominant player part due to their longevity - it should come as no surprise that the developer wants to reap some sort of benefit.  Yesterday, Blizzard and ESL TV announced a new partnership, the Blizzard eSports Channel, to deliver professional eSports content to the masses. Not everyone possesses the desire to watch other people play a video game, but these aren't just other players, they are the best of the best.  If you're one of those gamers that strives for perfection at everything you do, then you should immediately bookmark the site.  Unlike many other professional gaming sites, the Blizzard eSports Channel isn't full of any fluff.  Sure, the site lacks any and all community features, but finding and sorting the vast amount of readily available content is a snap on the uncluttered and advertisementless website.  One of the big perks is that the content is from full-blown tournaments, meaning it will have professional commentary and analysis.  That, along with being able to sort by game, game type, name, date, archive or live footage makes the portal a powerful tool for pros in training. It's a good start for Blizzard, but I expect a bit more polished things from them, even if ESL TV did set it up.  More than anything, the website needs more descriptions of the videos.  If you're looking for specific battles, say an Undead vs Orc match or Terran vs Terran, you'd be hardpressed to figure it out via the "details" page.  This can either be solved by additional sorting capabilities or a basic tagging system.  To make matters worse many of the descriptions are in various languages, not a single or carefully chosen few.  Hopefully the site will continue to be refined, because you know StarCraft 2 will be added to it when it launches later this year *crosses fingers*. Although I love Warcraft III, I don't think I will do more than check the site after big tournaments.  My brother - a former sponsored WC3 player - has probably already begun devouring the 29 pages of Warcraft III replays.  I'd be cool if they added some WoW PvE content, specifically captures of the hardcore raid guilds like Ensidia running through something.  And why not?  They consider themselves professional after all. Now to watch more Grubby replays.  My Blademaster skills are terrible.

Click to read more ...