I won’t waste a lot of space describing why StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is such an important release. Even if you don’t know much about the legacy of the series, chances are that you already know enough thanks to your favourite gaming websites and blogs buzzing about the title constantly over the last few weeks. Let me just say that the original StarCraft (released back in 1998) and its expansion pack Brood War are some of the best real-time strategy games ever made. These games have stood the test of time thanks to their well-balanced and addictive gameplay, an epic story backed by detailed lore, and a wildly popular multiplayer mode.
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First things first; StarCraft II doesn’t really change the formula of its predecessor. It’s still very much a resource-based, micromanagement focused RTS with all the traditional elements intact. While other RTS titles have veered towards a more fast-paced action-oriented design, with some eliminating base-building and resource management altogether, StarCraft II stays true to its core mechanics, but at the same time builds upon them in interesting ways. The three main playable races – the Terrans, the Zerg and the Protoss, largely play the same way they used to back in 1998, but the introduction of new units and removal of some old ones gives the player opportunities for new strategies, while eliminating some of the frustrations of the past. Due to this, StarCraft II feels more like a natural evolution of the first game than a complete overhaul. And we are not complaining. After all, if it ain’t broke…
Blizzard’s games are well known for their carefully balanced elements, and StarCraft II is no exception. The game introduces many new units, some of which are devastatingly powerful if used correctly. But much like the first game, every single unit has a weakness that can be exploited if you are going up against it. Slow powerful units can be countered by attacking with groups of faster smaller units. Flying units that cannot attack aerial targets can be neutralized by ones which can. Sneaky cloaked units can be kept at bay by clever use of detection units and structures. An experienced StarCraft player will feel right at home with the new units and their strengths and weaknesses. This is one strategy game where simply amassing one or two types of strong units will not grant you victory, unless you’re playing against an inexperienced player or easy AI.
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Speaking of which, the multiplayer section of the game is meticulously designed and almost gives the game a professional sport feel. It features detailed stat tracking over Battle.net and a friendly matchmaking system which usually pits players of similar skill levels against each other. This makes the game easier for newcomers to get into and not get overwhelmed by veteran StarCraft players. There are also a bunch of practice maps and custom challenges that can help players master the basics of the game before heading online. And trust me, the online world isn’t pretty. You may win some of the early matches against newbies, but climbing up the ladder takes a serious amount of practice and skill. Still, StarCraft II is a game where each loss feels like a lesson learned, and you will be compelled to get better instead of getting frustrated and giving up on it. Yes, in true Blizzard fashion, it is very addictive.
The multiplayer will be the main draw for many and also the reason for the game’s long term appeal. However, the game’s single player is just as good. If you’ve played the original StarCraft or WarCraft III, you’ll be familiar with Blizzard’s uncanny knack for creating truly cinematic RTS games. It’s a difficult task to tell a good character-driven story in a strategy game due to the underlying gameplay often feeling disconnected from the narrative, but Blizzard is at the top of their game here. The story and presentation are so well integrated with the missions that almost each one feels like an important step in your progression.
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Wings of Liberty is the first game in the StarCraft II trilogy, which follows the Terran race, and consequently, they are the only playable faction during the campaign, except for a few surprises that I wouldn’t like to spoil here. The story picks up years after the events of the first game and focuses on Jim Raynor, one of the heroes of the first game. Raynor is now an outlaw, who leads a band of rebels against the corrupt Terran Dominion. After being called upon for help by an old friend, he embarks upon an adventure that takes him back to war against new enemies and some old ones. There is a distinct space-opera-meets-wild-west theme going on with the narrative. Raynor himself is a battle-hardened outlaw with morals, keeping his friends close and his six-shooter closer. There are many surprises along the way that will keep lovers of StarCraft lore on their toes throughout the campaign, and let’s just say the ending is something that most wouldn’t expect. The story is mostly told via in-engine cut scenes and pre-rendered movies that are as jawdroppingly beautiful.
During the downtime between missions, you can explore various areas of your current base, interact with other characters and objects, purchase upgrades, hire mercenaries using credits earned by finishing missions, or research new technology. StarCraft II features a rather interesting take on technology upgrades. Instead of having you research them by building a structure every time during a mission, the game lets you unlock persistent tech upgrades by earning research points during missions by completing secondary objectives. There are two separate tech trees for Zerg and Protoss research and for every tech researched, another one gets locked out, forcing you to weigh your options carefully before investing. There are some fun extra bits to explore such as television news broadcasts, advertisements and a jukebox that plays American country music along with some songs written specifically for the game. You can also play an arcade-style top-down shooter in your ship’s canteen area that’s addictive in its own right. All of this adds a lot of depth to the campaign and makes it feel like a cohesive experience rather than just a string of missions like in most other RTS games.
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But perhaps the best thing about the campaign is the missions themselves. Almost every single mission is memorable in a way. After finishing the campaign, I was able to recall almost each mission, which rarely happens in this genre. Most missions are variations of the same basic objectives, such as destroying the enemy base, holding an area for a specific time, or escorting something from one location to another. However, every mission has a unique twist to it that makes it stand apart from the others. An early mission has you fending off waves of infested enemies during night time and attacking their structures during the day whjen they go underground. Another mission is set on a highly volatile volcanic planet where rare resources are found, but the catch is that they are located only in areas which periodically get flooded with lava, forcing you to constantly move your mining locations to safe areas and back. There are even better ones that I won’t spoil here.
Thanks to the varied and cleverly designed missions, the campaign doesn’t get tiresome at any point. Blizzard has clearly spent a lot of effort in making a truly exceptional single player experience, which is becoming a rarity these days, especially considering that the game has an appealing multiplayer element to it. The campaign should take you anything from 12 to 14 hours to finish on the game’s Normal difficulty setting, which is a bit on the easier side. Those who are familiar with StarCraft, should start the campaign on Hard. Regardless, the campaign has more than enough juice to stand on its own. Along with a fully featured map editor, brilliant online multiplayer, and offline custom games, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has more content than most games, and is a complete package. This should address any concerns hesitant buyers may be having about Blizzard’s decision to release StarCraft II as three different games.
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StarCraft II follows the same visual aesthetic as the previous game, except now everything is fully rendered in 3D, including the unit portraits in the command interface. While it may not be the most technologically advanced game out right now, it still looks beautiful in motion. Slick intuitive menus and user interface adds an extra layer of polish to the already great presentation. Most importantly, the game scales rather well on different PC configurations. So unless you are extremely fussy about graphics, it’s hard to find flaws with the overall presentation here. And honestly, if you’re nitpicking on graphics in a Blizzard game, you’re doing it wrong. The musical score is exceptional as well, punctuating the action appropriately. The voice acting is solid; a bit on the hammy side, but it suits the exaggerated nature of the characters and the setting. The unit responses, which are mix of some new and some old familiar ones, are entertaining as usual. It’s always fun to hear the Terran battlemech Thor channeling Arnold Schwarzenegger or the worker SCV go, “Bah! You scared me!” if you find it idling around.
As close to perfection as it is, StarCraft II isn’t without a few flaws. Unit pathfinding still remains a problem and on more than one occasion, units ended up going to places I didn’t want them to or got stuck in environmental artefacts. I also experienced many crashes to desktop during my playtime, mostly after a cutscene. Disconnection from Battle.net sometimes causes your campaign progress to get messed up (Blizzard has already issued a patch for this). The game also does not natively support AA for ATI cards and it has to be enabled via the Catalyst Control Center after downloading a patch. Lastly, the game uses Battle.net as its main interface and requires you to stay connected if you wish to use most of the game’s features. The conspicuous absence of LAN play may also be a concern to some. Yet, all of these are nitpicks at best and none of these should ruin your experience of the game.
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Conclusion
This is a game simply every PC gamer must play. Even if you have never played an RTS, this is the best place to start. Even if you do not like RTS, give it a try; you may be a changed gamer after it. For long-time fans, it’s pretty much what most of us were waiting for. Blizzard didn’t try to reinvent the wheel here; they just made it a whole lot better. It’s a carefully balanced, highly polished and extremely addictive game that is very easy to pick up, but almost impossible to master. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is a definite contender for Game of the Year, and I personally can’t wait for the next installment in the trilogy.