The simulations in Ender's Game are pretty much a giant, virtual reality version of StarCraft, and it turns out the studio sees that as the perfect excuse to market the movie's DVD release with a live streaming StarCraft II tournament. The first round is today at 7:00PM PST, and it will run on Twitch.tv Feb. 5th - 9th.

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(Minor spoilers ahead.) Sarah Kerrigan sits in a high-security research lab, obediently following Prince Valerian’s instructions. To assess how much of the Zerg mutagen is left in her system, he asks her to psionically control a drone in a chamber nearby. This is, of course, the tutorial mission, but there’s more going on here than a lesson in unit control. Kerrigan does as she’s told, but her tone is dangerously apathetic. “You know this is going to end badly, right?” she says. There’s a hint of laughter in her words, condescending and bored. Valerian is not the one in control here. When will these people ever learn that underestimating Kerrigan is a very stupid idea?

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There are few video game characters from my formative years that I regard as highly as Kerrigan. She was complex and unforgettable, the sort of villain who makes you forget that you’re supposed to root for the good guys. To this day, I can’t help but feel awe when remembering the emergence of the Queen of Blades. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, on the other hand, left me unimpressed. Naturally, the Zerg were going to get stomped, but to see that brilliant character stripped of her power, both literally and figuratively, then carried off into the sunset by her former boyfriend — come on. Kerrigan deserves better than that. The trailers for SCII’s upcoming expansion, Heart of the Swarm, seem to agree, pointing toward a vengeful reclamation of the leaderless broods. While the expansion's release is still a few weeks out, tie-in novel StarCraft II: Flashpoint, written by Christie Golden, raises some interesting questions about how Kerrigan’s next chapter will unfold (minor spoilers ahead).

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2012 has been a great year for games. AAA titles are huge and spectacular, indies are fearlessly exploring new territory, and the cultural conversation about this ever evolving medium gets livelier by the day. For all the growing pains both the industry and players are working through, this is a truly exciting time for anyone who loves games. Even though I’m still playing catch-up with my backlog, 2013 will soon be here, and with it, a whole new batch of worlds to discover, puzzles to solve, and battles to fight. Without further ado, here are a handful of upcoming games that have my attention.

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In the wake of a series of invasive hacks earlier this year, Battle.Net users are taking their anger and frustration out on Blizzard with a new class action lawsuit. While lawsuits are par for the course when it comes to potentially leaking users' credit card information, it seems that WoW and Diablo III fans are enraged over a different aspect of the scandal. Rather than focusing on the allegedly lackluster security of Battle.Net, users are suing over the fact that Blizzard tried to take advantage of the event by strongly recommending that insecure users buy the Battle.Net authenticator, a little keychain dongle that generates random passwords for players' accounts.

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We have to face facts, people. The internet is a social place: Even if there's no one else in the room with you, people will see the things you say online and you are accountable them. For example, if you don't want people to think you're a sex offender, don't talk about having sex with children. A player from professional Starcraft II squad Evil Geniuses is learning that lesson the hard way. Ilyes Satouri, A.K.A. Stefano, has been suspended by his team after saying he molested a fourteen year-old boy during a publicly streamed in-game conversation.

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It's time to change your passwords, World of Warcraft fans! The security of Battle.net has been compromised, Blizzard president Mike Morhaime announced earlier this week. The breach has since been found and closed, but not before a  big ol' list of user names, answers to security questions, and data related to Blizzard's special Battle.net Authenticator software was taken from their servers.

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For those of you who can't quite get enough customization out of their gaming peripherals and 17 to 20 buttons on your mouse alone isn't enough for your favorite rednecks-in-space RTS, Mauricio Romano, created this sweet custom StarCraft II arcade pad.

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Yeah, I know, a lot of you out there are already gamers. You’ve got raiding schedules and encyclopedic knowledge of voice actors and DPS formulas good enough for publication in academic journals. For this, I salute you. But some of you aren’t gamers. I’ve had comments from and conversations with folks who have an inclination to game, but just haven’t given it a try yet. I understand why. Knowing where to start is tricky. Being intrigued by games and actually choosing one to play is a little like following up the statement “I’d like to learn to read” with strolling into a bookstore. To make things easier for the Potentials, I’ve put together a handy starter guide just for you (and if you’re already into comics or SF/F, all it’s going to take is a tiny nudge). Chances are that the activities and fandoms you already enjoy have have primed you for a happy life of questing and leveling up. (And veteran gamers, do stick around. I’m going to need your help at the end.)

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Feast your eyes upon this 115 stud long, 15,000 model of the Hyperion Battlecruiser from StarCraft II. The latest creation of Sven Junga, this wonderful LEGO creation is just beautiful. Look at those elongated engines, that sensual Yamato canon, the salacious curve of that engorged head. Oh goodness, I think I need to sit down.

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Somehow, this woman made all her limbs disappear in the name of BlizzCon's costume contest this year. A heartfelt congratulations to Avery Faith of Los Angeles, who created the ultimate Terran Adjutant costume from StarCraft II. Take that, Siri! For the runners-up and honorable mentions, plus better pictures of Faith's costume, visit G News. (via Kotaku, G News)

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Though we waited forever to get our hands on StarCraft II, and though we then learned that the game would be releasing in three parts instead of one whole part, and then we learned that the subsequent thirds would take a couple or so years each to release, we're still pretty excited for those thirds. Even if we're pissed that Blizzard is really bad at releasing anything having to do with StarCraft in a timely manner, but then we check out the newly released trailer for the second installment, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and then we're even more annoyed that Blizzard is really bad at releasing anything having to do with StarCraft in a timely manner.

According to the accompanying text posted along with the video, the footage is rendered entirely within the game's engine, which is impressive considering all of the non-gameplay, cinematic footage, which you can check out in big, pretty format after the jump, and join us in being mad at Blizzard for taking too long. Yes, any amount of time that the game isn't released is too long.

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Meet Kim Shee-Yoon. You can call her Eve, as that's what she's called in game. She's been playing StarCraft since grade school (Terran, if you're interested). She'll be turning twenty-two this year. As of last month, she holds the distinction of being the first woman to join a pro StarCraft 2 team. Naturally, this news was greeted with cheers, accolades, and parades in her honor. And by that, I of course mean a massive facepalming dramafest like only the internet can provide.

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MEGA Brands Inc., maker of MEGA Bloks, has signed a deal with Blizzard Entertainment to bring us official World of Warcraft and StarCraft II Mega Bloks. Set to debut in the summer of 2012, the constructions sets will be based on locations, characters and vehicles from the ridiculously popular MMO and StarCraft II's Terran (for those not in the know: human) campaign, Wings of Liberty. From Vic Bertrand, Chief Innovation Officer of MEGA Brands:

“We’re proud and thrilled to enter into a partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, the world leader in creating epic online game franchises. The depth of content in World of Warcraft and StarCraft will fuel years of fun, collectible products for gamers and collectors.”

There are not yet pictures of pieces from the sets, but MEGA Bloks handles other franchise sets, such as the Halo construction set, and aside from am overly flashy webpage, that set looks pretty decent, so fans of both non-Minecraft blocky construction and Blizzard franchises with "craft" in the title need not worry about poor product quality. As for which Blizzard franchises should've gotten the MEGA Bloks treatment first, we're happy for the -craft titles, but we all know Lost Vikings would've been ideal. (via Topless Robot)

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Avid Starcraft II fan known as "Constable," posted some very impressive StarCraft II paper craft to his blog, featuring a multitude of everyone's favorite Terran units. A Ghost paper craft is nowhere to be seen, but that probably makes sense, since I don't see any paper craft missile turrets around. Head on past the break to check out some more paper craft Terran units.

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This. Changes. Everything. (via /r/starcraft)

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The ponies like you. That's why they're going to kill you last. (I Heart Chaos)

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