GRAPHICS
StarCraft isn't the most impressive looking game out there. In fact, during the campaign, most dialogue scenes will look rather familiar to those who saw the sneak peek from Blizzcon 2008. However, that isn't to say StarCraft is a minger. StarCraft really delivers in imaginative and well-executed character, setting and atmosphere design. Whether you're on the barren wastelands of Mar Sara or the volcanic bowels of the planet Char, the game does a very good job of making distinguished settings, and not just making "maps". For those of you who cannot run a higher-spec game, don't worry- StarCraft's specifications are rather low. On lowest settings, even some of the older machines can run it. Hell, my cheap old laptop can run StarCraft fine. For those of you who want some eye-candy, crank the settings up to Ultra and you'll experience some amazing visual effects.
PLOT
StarCraft 2 takes place in the future, around 2500. Hundreds of years prior to the events of StarCraft, several transport ships from Earth carrying prisoners drifted out to far space, into what is now known as the Koprulu Sector. The original StarCraft leads with the "Terrans" first encountering the alien races of Protoss and Zerg, and the following war. It tells the story of Jim Raynor and his fight against the Sons of Korhal, now known as the Terran Dominion, the most powerful and oppressive government in the sector, as well as Kerrigan's rise as the Queen of Blades, leader of the Zerg swarm. In StarCraft II, the plot starts off four years after the events of Brood War. Raynor is still on the run from the Dominion, seeking to take Arcturus Mengsk out. Kerrigan has gone silent for four years, plotting her next attack. The game starts with Raynor rebooting his revolution against the Dominion, and Kerrigan's reappearance.
AUDIO
The sounds in StarCraft are more or less what you would expect from a futuristic game. From the Terrans, you have gunfire, tank shots, mechanical whirring and grinding and robotic female voices. The Zerg are comprised of snorting, growling and unsettling squishing and slurping noises. The Protoss have a very mystical psionic feel to them, with echoing voices and robotic droids. The music in StarCraft 2 is rather enjoyable, although more often than not, you'll find yourself muting the in-game music in favor of your own. Overall, StarCraft has a nice audio track that, at times, can even aid gameplay (hearing a Marine say "You want a piece of me, boy?" upon finishing training one.)
GAMEPLAY
StarCraft II holds amazing amounts of depth and fun within. Each of the three races plays very, very differently, and at the same time, remain very balanced so no one race has power over the others. Chances are if you play StarCraft II, you're enjoying the multiplayer 1v1 league matches, or 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 or whatever. StarCraft II is much like it's predecessor in the sense that it requires strategic thinking and quick execution to become an effective player. However, if that's just not your cup of tea, StarCraft II has SO many mods to it, that even if you're not into playing real matches, the custom games will have you amused for hours on end. StarCraft II has it's own version of Mafia, with customizable randomized roles. There are also mods that turn StarCraft II into a third-person shooter, surviving a Zerg infestation, or a recreation of Metal Slug. One of my personal favorites is the recreation of the board game Risk. The downside? Those of you who were fans of StarCraft 1 will be incredibly disappointed to know that StarCraft II does not support LAN play.
FINAL THOUGHTS
StarCraft II is a very satisfying, and well-deserved sequel to the original StarCraft. Yes, it might have taken 12 years to make it, but the game did not fail to deliver on any level. The art, the gameplay, the plot are all amazingly immersive. The campaign will last you for hours, and there's so much you can do that even after you've beat it, it's not unlikely you'll go back just to catch some things you didn't the first time through. Playing competitive matches is also incredibly fun, testing your skill as a StarCraft tactician and working to hone your skills and judgment against both strangers and friends. Likewise, you can grab a group of friends and play a custom map- since StarCraft II is essentially hundreds of games in one! However, StarCraft II does carry quite a hefty price. A whole year after it's release, it still sits at $60. And that's not including the upcoming expansions, which will be sold separately at $20 apiece. Adding all of that up, by the time Blizzard finishes the StarCraft II trilogy with Legacy of the Void, The full game will cost a whopping $100. However, if you have that $100, it's a game well worth your purchase.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
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Originally Posted by James Spader/Alan Shore "Boston Legal"
like all the other crappy RTS games that came out these days to be good? THe traditional style is what MAKES starcraft. It would not be the same game without it. If you think StarCraft II has no modern elements than you are wrong. Many of the units available in this game could not exist in brood war and the campaign is a mix or RTS and RPG. Yet the inherit gameplay must stay the same because that is what makes StarCraft an e-sport and one of the greatest games of all time. It is relatively easy to play but very difficult to master. What you think of the "modernization" of RTS games is actually the casualization of them and blizzard should be praised for sticking to StarCrafts hardcore routes.
