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Gamers salivating over StarCraft II are still salivating, now more than ever. Details, inside info, and exciting new features are the latest info on the upcoming version of StarCraft, which is expected to roll out in time for the holiday season of 2009.

First, in case “StarCraft” is a new word for new gamers, version 2 is going to help them out. With marketing blab about the new version being bigger than ever, StarCraft II will probably gain some new addicts when it hits the shelves at the end of the year. New users will have the advantage of lots of instant (in play) information about characters, kills, actions, and vehicles. And, in case it helps, players can go back and watch the replays of their matches.

One of the most-blogged about downsides is the glaring absence of LAN play. Why not? The Blizzard big-dogs explain: it’s Battle.net. Battle.net is Blizzard’s online tool for online multi-player game action. As Blizzard’s lead designer, Dustin Bowder explained, “We spent a lot of money on Battle.net, right, so we need some way to sustain it.”

Though it sounds a bit selfish, Bowder is right. Social interaction is huge, even in the gaming scene, so developers have to acknowledge that. In Blizzard’s case, their acknowledgement comes in the form of no-LAN/only Battle.net for multi-player interaction. Blizzard’s Chris Sigaty oversees the production of StartCraft II. He claims, “Our aim is to deliver far better than we have done in the past, and basically connect players because the social side is important.”

That’s not the only reason they’re not using LAN. As IncGamers learned in an interview follow-up with the three Blizzard executives, the no-no on LAN is being driven by “the planned technology to be incorporated into Battle.net.” Cryptic? Yes. Intriguing? Very.

The actual release is still months in the offing, but the anticipation is maintained with the little bit of bad news and a lot of good.