Warcraft Retrospective 12: The Game That Never Was

Warcraft Retrospective 11: Interlude: Warfare vs Adventure

Warcraft Retrospective 10: Nobody Expects the Alliance Expedition!

We’re almost finished with Warcraft 2. All that’s left is the human campaign of Beyond the Dark Portal. But since this is my last chance to talk about that game, first I’d like to deal with a couple of topics about Warcraft 2 in general that don’t really fit anywhere specific.

Warcraft Retrospective 9: Grand Theft Artifact

So the orcs start the Beyond the Dark Portal story in a position mostly worse than they were in back at the start of Warcraft 1. Half their clans have been lost to the Second War, Orgrim Doomhammer has been captured, and the Dark Portal destroyed, so the remaining clans are left on a dying Draenor. One silver lining is that Gul’dan is dead too, so there’s nobody to drag the Horde back to its demonic days.

Warcraft Retrospective 8: Beyond the Dark Portal, the Manual

Beyond the Dark Portal is the first expansion pack ever released for a Blizzard game, and is in many ways an unusual one. For one, it doesn’t change the gameplay at all, introducing no new units¹, buildings, or mechanics. It only adds two new campaigns, one per faction, and several multiplayer maps.

Warcraft Retrospective 7: Reconquista

Just like in Warcraft 1, the two sides in Warcraft 2 are only cosmetically different except for caster units.

Warcraft Retrospective 6: Doomhammer Goes North

Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness was actually the first Warcraft game I ever played in my life, as a child in early school soon after it came out. I didn’t have a computer back then, so I played it on my friends’ computers. And I have a confession to make: when I played it, I didn’t know anything I’ve been talking about for the last four posts.

Warcraft Retrospective 5: Tides of Darkness, the Manual

Last time, we ended on Warcraft 1’s multiple-choice finale. Either the orcs conquered Stormwind Keep, or the humans drove them back into the portal they came from.

Behind the Scenes: "Dream and Nightmare", "UPF-6237: Shadowmeld"

Here are some author’s notes for two stories I posted on Argent Archives. Before I proceed, however, I should make one thing absolutely clear:

Warcraft Retrospective 4: Warcraft 1, the Human Campaign and Closing Thoughts

Now that we’re done with the Warcraft 1 orc campaign, let’s look at the other side of the conflict.