By: Sarju Shah, GameSpot - Updated on August 22, 2009

　　Blizzard's turned BlizzCon into an absolute juggernaut. Twenty-thousand people will show up this year. If that is not impressive enough, tickets sold out in eight minutes flat, and with good reason. Both Diablo III and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty will be playable, and the new expansion to World of Warcraft, Cataclysm, was just announced. BlizzCon's shaping up to be one heck of a show, and we intend to shoot all of it.

　　

The Horde Arrives

Accommodating 20, 000 people requires some serious logistics on the back end, and apparently, a whole lot of plastic-chain roping. Once filled, it's a madhouse. Photographers: Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini View images »

　　

Goody Bag

Once you're signed up, it's time to tear into the goody bag. Spending $125 gets you more than just a ticket through the door. This year's bag came with an authenticator, Terran Marine action figure, hand sanitizer, and array of promotional materials. Photographer: Tyler Winegarner View images »

　　

Terran Marines!

Blizzard's employees went to town making custom Terran Marines. Each one is totally unique and pretty sweet-looking if you ask us. The themes vary considerably. We're big fans of the Terran Marines painted like the Alien facehugger and Cylon from Battlestar Gallactica. Photographer: Ricardo Torres View images »

　　

Miniatures and Stuff

Blizzard's franchises lend themselves well to merchandising and cool looking toys. We've only just scratched the surface of what's on offer at BlizzCon. Photographer: Ricardo Torres View images »

　　

Statues

The cut scenes in games like WarCraft and StarCraft look amazing, but running into life-size versions of the characters is downright scary. Don't eat me! Photographer: Ricardo Torres View images »

　　

The Show Floor

Once you manage to maneuver your way through the crowd, there's tons to see and do on the show floor. Feel like recalling old times? Play at that classics arcade and get your fill of games like StarCraft, WarCraft, and tons of other Blizzard classics. Once you're done with the past, amble over to the future of Blizzard and check out Diablo III and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. Photographer: Ricardo Torres View images »

　　

Costume Contest and Cosplay

BlizzCon's costume contest is an excellent venue for gamers to show off all the hard work that goes into their outfits. All the entrants had spectacular costumes, although some were seriously out of this world. Some of the more elaborate entrants needed help to even get on stage. Photographer: Tyler Winegarner View images »

　　

More Show Antics

BlizzCon is one crowded place. Some folks play games, others tour the art exhibits, and some just kick it on the ground tinkering with their new found loot. Photographer: Dan Chiappini, Tyler Winegarner View images »