If it's any indication of how I feel about this game, I wrote this review two days later than I theoretically could have just because I wanted to keep playing it. I also took three breaks while actually writing it to go play some more. Sure, it could have gone up Friday, but I decided to spend the entire weekend playing it, just to be safe.
It's been almost twelve years since we got Brood War, and the original StarCraft still remains insanely popular. StarCraft II is a fantastic reminder of why we loved StarCraft so much in the first place, and a guarantee that StarCraft is going to stay popular for a long, long time.
In case you couldn't tell, I really like this game.
StarCraft II (PC)
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Released: July 27, 2010
MSRP: $59.99
Simply put, StarCraft II takes everything that was great about the first game, gives it a wonderful new upgrade, and tacks on some extra features that serve as a bonus to an already-solid product. If you are completely unfamiliar with StarCraft, I don't know if there's any hope for you. Rather than waste space trying to explain the entire concept of the game, I'm going to assume that everyone has some level of familiarity with StarCraft, or at the very least the real-time strategy genre. With that settled, I'm moving on to the single-player.
With 29 missions in all, the StarCraft II single-player feels robust, and the missions are varied enough that the game never feels stale. No two missions are alike, and in fact almost all have very, very different objectives. While there are still one or two standard "Build up your base, kill the bad guys" type of missions, most offer totally unique challenges and some really inventive level design. The addition of branching mission paths, achievements, a secret hidden mission, and (even the ability to play as the Protoss for a few levels) kept me doing "just one more mission" long after I should have gone to bed.
Aside from what I just mentioned above, StarCraft II introduces a number of significant changes to the structure of the single-player campaign. The game has introduced a hub in between missions, either Mar Sara or your ship depending on how far into the game you are, and most of the new campaign changes are related to this new area. After completing missions, you can wander around your ship and talk to an assortment of characters, all who have something to say based on the mission you just completed. Much of what they say is relatively insignificant, but there are some interesting lore items buried in crew member conversations and news broadcasts.
As you play through the game, you'll earn credits for most of the missions you complete. These credits can be used for two things. The first is hiring mercenaries, who are special versions of normal units that are stronger, more expensive, build instantly, and can only be called down a limited number of times. You can also use your credits to purchase upgrades for specific units and structures -- things like giving them an area of effect attack, upping their damage, or giving them more health. There are not enough credits to buy everything available, so you'll have to make some choices about which upgrades and mercenaries are best suited to your play style.
As you go through the missions, you'll also see that many of them have secondary objectives, and these extra missions usually involve you collecting either Zerg or Protoss research items, which can then be used back on your ship to unlock technological advancements. Unlike the unit upgrades, the tech unlocks are usually new units and buildings entirely, or are abilities that dramatically up your efficiency, like the ability to instantly build supply depots. For every five tech points you collect for either Zerg or Protoss, you get the option of choosing between two upgrades. Once you make your choice, however, the one you didn't choose is locked out for the rest of the game. As if the missions weren't addicting enough, I found myself very seriously considering starting a second campaign game before I finally wrote this review to try out the other tech items and upgrades I didn't previously buy from the armory.
I did have a couple minor issues with some aspects of the single-player. Once you head off to complete the final three missions, you can't return to your ship again, which means no more upgrades or tech advancement. It also means that, if you missed completing any missions (particularly the secret mission) before landing on Char, you can't go back. Upon completion of the game, your save has access to the full mission replay screen, but it still only contains the missions you actually played through. If you missed a set of missions, you'll have to revert to an older save file, and then replay through the final three missions again. While the game does give you the ability to play the alternative missions you missed in the branching path choices, I would have liked if, upon completion, there would have been a way to grab the two regular missions I accidentally overlooked.
I also felt that the story, while decent, wasn't spectacular. This is probably because I'm comparing it to the polish and shine of the rest of the game, but it felt like it was slightly lacking. What could have been a decent twist at the end was at least partially spoiled by the opening cinematics, and I do have to admit that I felt some of the dialogue between the characters felt a bit forced and unnatural. The ending also feels rather short and abrupt -- what happens is cool, but I wish the ending had explored the aftermath a bit more. Again, the story isn't bad by any means, but it's definitely not the highlight of the single-player section of the game.
StarCraft II also introduces challenges to the single-player mode: short, objective-based scenarios designed to teach you fundamental aspects of the game that are critical for success in multiplayer. Going through the challenges will help teach you what units counter what, how to effectively use hotkeys, how to best utilize unit abilities, and even how to prevent rushes. While I don't think people will be spending a ton of time in the challenges, it's a nice inclusion and a helpful tool for beginning to intermediate StarCraft players.
The multiplayer is pretty much what you saw in the open beta -- perfectly balanced, tons of fun, and insanely addictive. The new Battle.net brings a lot of features to the table that really streamline the experience -- competitive ladders, a pretty solid matchmaking system, an in game chat system that works reasonably well (although it falls a little bit short of the standard set by Steam), and, one of my favorite additions, the ability to search through all your Facebook friends for Battle.net accounts and add them, WITHOUT spamming crap all over your wall.
Also, be expecting some pretty cool stuff in the Custom Game area. Already, you can jump into a custom map and see a whole variety of cool game types and game modes people have made, from tower defense to RPG-like games. As time goes on, I'm betting we'll see some really solid stuff come out from the mod/mapmaking community.
One feature I do NOT like about the new multiplayer is the inability to play with people on other continents. The decision to remove LAN was one thing -- I know a lot of people are really upset about it, and I understand why they would be mad, but I didn't feel personally affected by it since I haven't been to a LAN party in years and a significant portion of my gaming friends don't live near me anyway. I do have a lot of friends in Europe though, and not being able to play StarCraft II with them is pretty lame. Hopefully this restriction is removed in the near future, but regardless this stood out as a striking negative point for me.
Many have complained (prior to release) that StarCraft II was only going to be "1/3 of a game", because the campaign only tells the Terran story. Having completed the single player, I'm pretty confident that no one is going to complete it and feel like they got ripped off, and that's not even counting the multiplayer, which is where people will likely spend a lot of time. I'm not thrilled about the fact the game is priced at $60 and not $50, but when it's all said and done, I will confidently say that StarCraft II is worth $60.
Somehow, Blizzard has managed to make StarCraft II feel instantly familiar, while still keeping the entire game feeling fresh and new. The single-player is ridiculously fun, the multiplayer is as addictive as hell, and virtually every new mechanic Blizzard has introduced has helped to improve the game. There are some minor flaws that prevent the game from being completely perfect, but I can guarantee right now that StarCraft II is going to be one of the best games released this year.
Hell, it's about time.
Score: 9.5 -- Superb (9s are a hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage to what is a supreme title.)
Contest:
2:00 PM on 08.02.2010
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As someone who really couldn't care less about multiplayer (this falls firmly into the life-is-too-short-to-get-good-enough-to-compete pile), the price really hurts it for me. I paid significantly and relatively less for the 2 campaigns apiece you got in WC 1 and 2, less for the 6 campaigns in SC and BW and less for the 8 campaigns in WC3 and TFT. This feels like two steps backs in terms of value, and I know it is not the Blizzard part of the business that is responsible...
Maybe they had one of those review embargo things? I can't remember what they're called, where they have to wait like a week after release to post reviews.
This game doesn't really appeal to me, over the years my strategy tastes have swung towards either Total War grand strategy or Relic's Real time tactics gameplay in Company of Heroes or Dawn of War. Starcraft just feels so...cookie cutter after those, even if it was the cookie mold itself.
Never reading your reviews again Ross.
@Nevi
I cannot stress enough that this isn't just "1/3" of a campaign. The original StarCraft had 30 missions spread over three races, this one has 29 exclusive to one race (except for a couple where you play as Protoss). You're getting a more cohesive story focus on one race, and a much more diverse set of missions. It's not like they just chopped the original StarCraft into 3 parts and slapped a $60 price tag on it.
But gameplay wise - it's sure is a blast
The game isn't "perfectly balanced" IMO, BNet's interface is horribly laggy and isn't as PC friendly as it is visually appealing, and the ladder system is really out of whack.
Good review and I agree with the score.
"I did have a couple minor issues with some aspects of the single-player. Once you head off to complete the final three missions, you can't return to your ship again, which means no more upgrades or tech advancement. It also means that, if you missed completing any missions (particularly the secret mission) before landing on Char, you can't go back. Upon completion of the game, your save has access to the full mission replay screen, but it still only contains the missions you actually played through. If you missed a set of missions, you'll have to revert to an older save file, and then replay through the final three missions again. While the game does give you the ability to play the alternative missions you missed in the branching path choices, I would have liked if, upon completion, there would have been a way to grab the two regular missions I accidentally overlooked."
You can still upgrade on Char if you have money. Look at the bottom and click on the various fields. You can replay old missions, including missions you haven't beaten yet, the same way. There's absolutely no reason to replay the campaign. I personally played all the missions I missed, including ones I had to skip during one of the dichotomous choices, without restarting the campaign at all. Again, go to archives and look through it. You'll find the missed missions....
"It feels instantly familiar because its the same god damn game with updates.
Never reading your reviews again Ross."
It's so funny to see the two opposite sides. Hardcore fans are absolutely going crazy due to all these tiny little changes. Fans of innovation are going crazy because it's so much like the first one. I think it's a fantastic game, and both sides are idiots if they miss out on this. You think this is too much like the original? You must also hate all FPS's because they're just like Doom with updates, or the new retro-platforming games, or even 3d platforming games, since they're all just like their respective predecessors with updates. Also, God of War 3 is just God of War which was just Devil May Cry. Ditto with Bayonetta and the like. BlazBlue is Guilty Gear. Street Fighter is not even worth joking about because it's just obvious. God damn, ALL OF GAMING IS MADE UP OF GAMES THAT ARE UPDATES! WHAT WILL WE DO!!!!
"o, you're comparing story to that of the first game. And it sure is lacking. Finishing WoL campaign is like finishing 4-6 missions in the terran campaign of the first game in terms of story progression. Most important things happen in Zeratul memories and yet, Raynor story pretty much ignores everything he learned from the memories. Oh, and there's no character development, unfortunately. "
100% true. The story is simply awful. It's the only downside to an otherwise perfect game, but God damn if that wasn't disappointing...
Sorry if it wasn't clear -- I am referring to the save file generated once you have completely beaten the game. It loads you immediately into the mission archive screen with no way to leave aside from quitting out. The branching path missions are available in that save, but not any you completely missed (My first time around, I didn't finish all of the Zeratul missions on accident and had to reload to my "Before Char" save), and the hidden mission is no longer able to be acquired even if you grab the secret documents.
How sad is it that, as much as I love this game, I still feel angry about the weak story? I just want Blizzard to know that story is a big part of their games, and I don't want to see this mistake repeated with Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void.
I assure you, what they did with the story mode being split is NOT a step back. And otherwise, I'd say the map editor/custom game possibility alone is worth the 60 dollars. This game is an insane value.
don't mind bruceleethree, he's always like that
Nicely written review, J.Ro.
I never understood sheep/hive mentality like that, I guess people need to be told what to think/do.
On topic: I am only about 2 hours in, about 10 or so missions(I'm a beginner-to-intermediate SC player, at best) and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I liked it more than I thought I would. My buddy pirated it because, according to him 'its just starcraft' but after playing just two missions he's sold on buying a retail copy. He introduced me to SC1 so I look forward to zergrushkekeke'ing him.
9.5? Awesome stuff. Definitely pick this up if you are even remotely curious about StarCraft. Don't let the Koreans scare you, its very newb-friendly and deep at the same time.
"I assure you, what they did with the story mode being split is NOT a step back. And otherwise, I'd say the map editor/custom game possibility alone is worth the 60 dollars. This game is an insane value."
I don't think splitting the story is bad by itself, and I still don't really question the decision by Blizz. What I question is what they've done with the space and tools they did have. They had enough cinematics, enough of a script, enough voice actors, enough music, and enough missions to tell a grand and sweeping tale equal to an entire SC or BW within Wings of Liberty. Instead we got all this inane bs about side characters we don't care about, and half of the missions are just about collecting blank and blank for blank without having any impact, other than indirectly or tangentially, on the actual story. The writing is bad, but the actual concept and approach behind the story is just as bad if not worse. It's like two guys knocked the whole story mode out in an afternoon. The presentation is great, the graphics are great, the music is great, the missions are great, and the gameplay is great, but, clearly, absolutely no time, resources, or emphasis went into the actual story itself.
2) Only Terran Campaign. (I know you said it's not too bad, but I simply enjoy playing as Zerg and 'Toss in the single player.)
3) I have to buy a new computer to play it.
If I can fix 3, I'm probably going to buy it. Region lock is such a bitch, though.
Dtoid just LOVED Assassin's Creed 2 and Final Fantasy XIII. Turbofail, indeed.
@Josef Hargreaves
System requirement are surprisingly low, actually. You don't even need a dual core.
From Blizzard's site:
PC Minimum System Requirements*:
Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 (Updated with the latest Service Packs) with DirectX® 9.0c
2.6 GHz Pentium® IV or equivalent AMD Athlon® processor
128 MB PCIe NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 GT or ATI Radeon® 9800 PRO video card or better
12 GB available HD space
1 GB RAM (1.5 GB required for Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 users)
DVD-ROM drive
Broadband Internet connection
1024X720 minimum display resolution
PC Recommended Specifications:
Windows Vista®/Windows® 7
Dual Core 2.4Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX or ATI Radeon® HD 3870 or better
And the Fail Comment of the Week goes to you. And it's only Monday but God damn I'd be hard pressed to believe we'll find a more ignorant and factually incorrect comment than that one.
where the hell was Mensk in all this? how the hell did he not have a more prominent role in this game? the entire focus of the terran campaign should've centered around them. instead, we get this lazy, bullshit fetch-quest about these "mysterious artifacts" that must be collected to "fulfill a prophecy". i mean, are you kidding me? the words "lazy" and "uninspired" don't even begin to accurately describe such ineptitude from a developer that has always been known for the exact opposite.
i do like the campaign missions, though. they're creative and fun but my motivation to carry them out was severely stunted because of the amateur story and dialogue. thank god for the multiplayer because i have no desire whatsoever to go through the campaign again.
"I cannot stress enough that this isn't just "1/3" of a campaign."
"It's not like they just chopped the original StarCraft into 3 parts and slapped a $60 price tag on it."
This is what I came here to read. I needed it to be written, so I could read it, and here it is.
There was so much focus on how Blizzard was going to cut SC2 into installments and how much less you would get on each $60 disc. Sounds like this has turned out to be less of an issue.
THANK YOU for your review!
I think all of us ripping on the story also dug the original Starcraft's story. That's the problem. The story is still great for an RTS, but it's God damn terrible for a Blizzard 'craft game!