Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (PC)

In keeping with its practice of not releasing a game before it is well and truly ready for the public, developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment released StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on July 27, 2010  – some 12 years after the release of the original StarCraft in 1998. It was released to high demand and equally high sales numbers, selling some 1.5 million copies in its first 2-3 days of release. Likewise, Starcraft II has also received almost universally positive reviews from critics and gamers alike. Normally, I ‘m not one to be sucked in by the all the hype surrounding a game release – I’ve been burnt before – but after playing StarCraft II, I can say that it is indeed a very fun and highly polished game. It is truly a worthy successor to the original StarCraft.

The events in StarCraft II’s campaign pick up 4 years after the storyline in StarCraft: Brood War ends. We are brought back into the story with Jim Raynor drinking and watching the news in a bar on the planet of Mar Sara. Arcturus Mengsk, still Emperor of the Dominion (Terran-controlled space) and arch-enemy of Raynor, has branded Raynor a traitor. But far from sitting idly by, Raynor goes on the offensive. And thus begins the Terran campaign, Wings of Liberty, pitting Raynor against Mengsk’s Dominion (fellow Terrans), the Zerg – still led by the Queen of Blades (former Ghost Sara Kerrigan), and a faction of Protoss religious zealots called the Tal’Darim. StarCraft II introduces some new characters, like Tychus Findlay, Matt Horner, and Dr. Ariel Hanson, as well as bringing back a small cadre of familiar faces (and voices) from the original game, like Raynor himself, Zeratul, Sarah Kerrigan/the Queen of Blades, and Arcturus Mengsk.

The gameplay and controls are surprisingly similar to the original StarCraft, but some new units and mechanics have been added. The visuals are also very reminiscent of the original game, but rendered in today’s graphics technology. A new campaign interface has been added; allowing for the purchase of mercenary units, conducting Protoss and Zerg research, and permanently upgrading units. New units for SC2 include ground units that can traverse cliffs (Reapers for the Terrans, and Colossi for the Protoss), a ground artillery unit for the Zerg (the Infestor), and much more. But the inclusion of new units is balanced out by the removal of old units or the folding of one old unit into another, such as with the Terran Medivac. New single- and multiplayer modes and options have also been added. Players can play the campaign in “Casual” mode and multiplayer now has included ladders for ranking players. On the whole, the multiplayer seems much more robust in SC2 than it did in SC – but it’s been 12 years and my memory is a bit fuzzy. One thing that did strike me was the possibility of being able to win a match now using a variety of units instead of 12 Terran Battlecruisers, 12 Protoss Carriers or 12 Zerg Guardians.

The sound, voice acting, and graphics are all top-knotch. And playing StarCraft on a modern widescreen monitor and with high-def sound is absolutely amazing. The units are rendered beautifully and the combat effects; especially from the Protoss, are just stunning. I have heard rumors of SC2 overheating some video cards, but Blizzard should have this fixed now, as there have been at least two patches since the game’s release. I think I might have briefly bumped into this issue myself, but luckily my PC is rather new, so the video card just shut itself off, forcing me to restart the computer when I came back and found a blank screen. No permanent damage was done, and after reading up on the issue I felt very lucky to have gotten off with just a reboot.

So, in the end, StarCraft II is indeed a worthy successor to the original. The campaign is robust, mixing old units with new, the multiplayer is robust, with slews of options, and there are even included achievements that unlock profile pics and challenge modes that teach players how to become better. And obviously, because of the multiplayer aspect of the game, replayability is very high (multiplayer pickup games and ranked leagues are both well underway). All told, I’d have to give StarCraft II a whopping 9 out of 10 and high recommendations to anyone who enjoys real-time strategy games. And if StarCraft II is anything like the original (and it is), this game could very well be with us for another 12 years.

And for those of you who are looking for more detailed information on units and strategies, check out these sites:

http://www.starcraft-source.com/
http://starcraft.wikia.com/wiki/StarCraft_II
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Main_Page