Starcraft II in review

Well it has certainly been a long time coming, but Starcraft II Wings of Liberty has finally been released. Was it worth the wait...well let us find out!

Like all Blizzard games Starcraft II immediately hits you with a jaw dropping cut-scene. After that you are forced to come to the possibly painful realization that Starcraft II was designed from the ground up to be an online only experience. I know for some this has been a deal breaker but in the modern day and age I don't see this being a problem. The game can be played offline after your account has been made and verified but you forgo the extras like multi-player (there is no LAN play), and in game achievements.

Upon registering your CD key to your Battle.net account and creating a name for yourself (Ayumi.732) you are presented with some of the most visually appealing in game menus I have seen for a game. Its a shame Blizzard forgot to add two very important things to this massive relaunch of Battle.net, public chat channels and clan support. While they have said they will be added later I been left scratching my head through out most of the beta as to why they would do this. Makes Starcraft II feel as a very isolating experience. Sure you can talk to your Real ID friends across all newer Blizzard games but you can't really connect with anyone inside Starcraft II unless you go out of your way.

Nit picking aside the game offers a wonderful single-player campaign. Now for people that have fallen out of the loop Wings of Liberty is only act one in the Starcraft II trilogy, encompassing only the Terran campaign. In it you play as former Marshal and every-man hero Jim Raynor. Four years have past since Brood War and Raynor is become an alcoholic, tired, freedom fighter. Barely able to keep his ship and crew in the air he is desperate for some cash. Luckily his good friend Tychus comes along and gives Raynor a chance at some former glory and a kick start to his revolution against the corrupt Dominion.

The game does a wonderful job telling the story using full motion super detailed in-game cut-scenes. A great improvement to talking heads in a briefing room. In addition the game offers a rich backdrop as between missions you control Raynor in various locals in a point and click adventure. All this really helps you develop a bond with the characters and makes you feel like you are part of the universe.

The missions themselves are very diverse. While the classic destroy everything and survive the clock are back the new mission objectives leave you with some lasting moments. In one of the early missions you have to burn a city by day while at night survive a very real Zerg zombie apocalypse. Another has you trying to catch trains as they pass through a canyon. One even plays akin to a single player Defense of the Ancients match. On top of the various missions you are given the opportunity to trick out your army any way you want. You can spend your cold hard cash on such things as improved missile turrets or giving your Ghosts permanent invisibility. Or if you rather you can spend it on powerful mercenaries that save the day in the pinch. Not to mention the Zerg and Protoss technology you find and research along the way leading to some very hard decisions on if you want bunkers with guns, or more armor.

My only major complaint with the single player campaign comes in the change of villain near the end of the campaign. Emperor Mengsk is left to live another day and almost completely forgotten about toward the end. Seems rather odd that the guy that went into power during the first Starcraft Terran campaign is side stepped in the sequal. Regardless the campaign is well worth multiple play-through, with its various difficulty settings, achievements, and just to see if you built your army differently how it would turn out.

The game offers a number of challenge missions in addition to the single player campaign. Ranging from how to counter various units to how to properly micro and survive rush tactics. These lead nicely into the fierce multi-player arena.

Starcraft II is nothing without its mutli-player. All three races are available in one on one, two on two, three on three, four on four, and free for all. In addition you can fight versus AI, or play in player made custom maps with the galaxy editor that comes with the game. All the races so far seem very balanced for release and while it certainly is not perfect I expect patches in the months and years to come to further refine the game down the long road ahead.

Blizzard played well to the line if its not broken don't fix it. Using an updated user interface of the original the game feels and plays like its predecessor. Certainly the Protoss, Zerg and Terran have some new toys but no new mechanics have been added. This is the purest form of RTS and it does not hurt Starcraft II in the least. Much rather it leaves you with a sense of nostalgia and a desire to prefect your game.

While I can complain about some of Blizzards choices there is just so much to this game that you have to give it a gold star. Nearly infinite options, a addicting online component and the continued dedication of its creators to the longevity of the game and series, Starcraft II Wings of Liberty is the successor to the decade old game that taught the world what RTS really meant. If you own a gaming PC you should own this game.

Score: A