Starcraft II gets $100 Collector's Edition

It's been a dozen years since the original Starcraft landed on store shelves, and Blizzard Entertainment is finally putting the finishing touches on the real-time strategy game's first true sequel. Today, the publisher moved one step closer to launch, detailing plans for a regular and Collector's Edition of Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty when it debuts later this year.

The limited Collector's Edition of Starcraft II will sell for $99.99, but it includes a number of bonuses for the extra expenditure. The premium version of the game will include a 176-page art book and a 2GB USB flash drive replica of Terran hero Jim Raynor's dog tag that comes preloaded with the original Starcraft and its expansion, Brood War.

The Collector's Edition will also pack in a handful of other goodies, like a soundtrack CD for the game, a behind-the-scenes DVD, a Starcraft #0 prequel to the comic book series, and an array of exclusive content for Blizzard's revamped Battle.net service. And for those who also play Blizzard's World of Warcraft, the developer is giving Collector's Edition purchasers an in-game pet based on the Terran unit Thor.

Those who want a no-frills edition of Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty will be able to pick it up for the PC and Macintosh at a retail price of $59.99. Would-be players who show a little patience will also be able to download it from the online Blizzard Store "shortly after release." Blizzard hasn't confirmed a release date yet, although the company has said such an announcement will happen "in the coming weeks."

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is the first of three installments that will comprise the sequel, each focusing its single-player campaign on one of the game's different factions. Wings of Liberty will include the 29-mission Terran campaign, as well as a fully featured multiplayer mode with playable Terran, Protoss, and Zerg factions.

For more on Starcraft II, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.