Following up on the 2020 release of the remasteredWarcraft III: Reforged, Blizzard is celebrating the 30-year anniversary ofWarcraftwith remasters of the first two games, packaging all three into theWarcraft Remastered Battle Chest. The remastered versions ofWarcraft 1and2are both available for purchase separately from theBattle Chestbundle, and both games have been updated with graphical changes, UI updates, and several quality-of-life additions to make for a smoother experience.
Blizzard announcedthe release of theWarcraft 1and2remasters in theWarcraft30th Anniversary Direct, available on the officialWorld of WarcraftYouTube channel. The games were released on PC immediately following the announcement. Unfortunately, however, some of the changes that were made to the classic games might be upsetting for long-time fans, most notably a shift in artstyle for the “updated” graphics ofboth of the remasteredWarcraftgames.
Similar to the botched launch ofWarcraft III: Reforged, many fans simply prefer the classic, pixelated look of the original games to the newer artstyle, causing them to question the worth of a new, “remastered” version. Luckily,the remastered versions ofWarcraft 1and2both allow players to switch to classic visuals, but there are still other problems holding them back.
Warcraft 1 And 2 Remastered Face Backlash Over Artstyle Changes
Missing Features And Controversial Artstyle Changes Draw Complaints From Warcraft Fans
While not every fan hates the new artstyles ofWarcraft 1and2 Remastered,the graphical updates might prove to be one of the most controversial aspects of the remastered versions, as they can come across as too bright, cartoony, and clean to be a good stylistic fit. Although the games fortunately allow players to swap back to the classic visuals, one of the main selling points of a remaster is updated visuals, so an updated artstyle that remained morefaithful to the original gameswould likely have received a better response.
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The artstyle isn’t the only problem, however, as fans likeShin_Kenon Reddit have noted thatboth of the newly remasteredWarcraftgames require an online connectionfor players to gain access to them, creating an additional roadblock that wasn’t present in the classic games. Additionally,Warcraft 1Remasteredhas notably lost the multiplayer mode of the original game, making it technically downgraded from the original in one aspect. While the multiplayer ofWarcraft 1might have been rendered mostly obsolete, its removal is still upsetting for what’s supposed to be a definitive version of the game.
Remastered Warcraft Games Need More Work To Meet Fan Expectations
All Three Remastered Warcraft Games Are In Need Of More Updates From Blizzard
Fortunately for Blizzard, it seems like the new features included in the remasteredWarcraftgames, along with a major new update forWarcraft 3: Reforged,have been enough to satisfy some fans of the series, especially regarding quality-of-life changes. For those who are strictly against the new remasters, though,the classic versions ofWarcraft 1and2are still available on the GOG storefront, making them readily accessible.
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With the introduction of several new bugs and performance issues in theWarcraft 3: Reforgedupdate and the controversial nature ofWarcraft 1and2Remastered, however, it seems like there’s still a lot of work ahead for Blizzard to retain longtime fans of the series. Though some fans are rapidly losing faith in the quality of Blizzard’s releases, future updates to theWarcraftgames can hopefully make meaningful improvements — and maybe make them easier to access offline as well.
