StarCraft II - hands-on

Some of the exciting changes are the new Terran Reaper, an armored infantry unit that has a charge capability as well as jet packs which allow them extreme maneuverability. They are violent criminals given a chance at a pardon if they can survive two years of service, an intriguing back story and one we hope Blizzard goes into depth with in one of there many subplots.

Also introduced in StarCraft II is Thor, an immense mechanical unit built by SCV's which can take out an enemy's building in a few shots of its massive arm cannons. They are extremely slow, however, and can be taken out if the enemy attacks from behind.

Ghost units also return and will have a high powered rifle shot capable of taking down enemy units in one shot.

The Viking, a new Terran vehicles, is a Transformers-like vehicle that can "attack ground units in its assault mode and also transform into an airborne fighter with the ability to attack air targets. This makes the Viking strong at hit-and-run attacks and allows Terran players to respond to a variety of different enemies," said Blizzard. The Viking will replace the Wraith, Valkyrie and the Goliath units from the original StarCraft.

Terrans can upgrade their Command Centers into Planetary Fortresses, allowing them to defend their base camps with awesome firepower.

Blizzard is fairly mum on when fans can expect to see StarCraft II in stores, but developers say they are hoping to see it ready for purchase in the next year or so. In the meantime,click here for further insights into the sequel's design from lead producer, Chris Sagity and check out the Images tab above for more screenshots of the Terrans in action.