It’s been twelve long years since we last heard from the Terran military, but at last Blizzard’s highly anticipated non-World of WarCraft title drops onto the surface of our little planet. But is it everything fans have hoped for, or over a decade on has the universe of StarCraft lost its shine?
From its opening it’s clear that StarCraft II is the most polished gaming experience out there at the moment. The menus are beautifully constructed, the opening cinematic is stunningly animated, and everything looks breathtaking. Players will be taking up the role of Jim Raynor, a familiar face to veteran fans. This grizzled rebel, alongside ex-convict marine Tychus and ship captain Matt Horner will be battling the Dominion – a dystopian military government – as well as previous threats; the Zerg and the Protoss. For most players these will be familiar faces that still easily excite, but they are made easily accessible for new players who will soon pick up the back-story and be drawn into this heavily detailed universe.
The gameplay of StarCraft is surprisingly unchanged from its decade-old predecessor. It would be easy to argue that this is a lazy move, but considering StarCraft is one of the most long-term surviving games of all time (still played as a serious sport in Korea), what’s the point of fixing something unbroken? Once again you’ll be harvesting minerals and Vespene gas with SCV’s, training Marines from Barracks and building tanks in Factories whist viewing the battlefield from an isometric viewpoint. Other than the heavily updated visuals, this is classic RTS gameplay at its most quintessential. The isometric camera means that there’s no 3D environment to spin around, and the zoom barley hits ground level, meaning there’s no Dawn of War style viewing to combat, but since StarCraft’s art style lends more to detailed environments rather than individual units you’re going to want to watch the action from above rather than on the ground.
Whilst StarCraft II is stunning to watch from the battlefield camera, more impressive is the in-between mission sections. Rather than short cut sequences, you can explore Raynor’s ship between missions and talk to the various crew members in an almost RPG-like manner. The ship’s armoury, lab, cantina and bridge are all stunningly realised and it is here where some of the best story elements are revealed, with dialogue delivered by top actors that ensure the experience is second to none. The facial animations here are tremendous, and characters such as Matt and Tychus are graphical masterpieces. It is in these sections of non-combat that you’ll be able to access the ship computers to perform military research and hire mercenaries, which is a management game in itself.
The bulk of StarCraft is of course seen through missions, and these can be accessed in a non-linear fashion from the bridge. Rarely before has an RTS managed to produce so many mission types beyond the ‘defend this, attack this’ mentality, and each one of Wings of Liberty’s campaign missions feels unique. From attacking and robbing a train to harvesting rare minerals against the clock before lava floods the area, every mission is fun to play. There’s an even mix of mission types, especially fun are the more character-based ones where you fight through an area DoTA-style without the need for base building. Difficulty levels can be altered pre-mission, with the lower difficulties allowing quick blasts of fun and the higher ones posing a significantly more difficult challenge.
StarCraft was never just about the campaign though, and when you’ve finished up the tremendous single-player story there’s the addictive online component. There’s a distinctly different feel between single-player and multiplayer, with different unit choices and various other features. It is here you’ll be able to unleash the power of either the Zerg or the Protoss (the Wings of Liberty campaign focuses solely on the Terran, with later expansion packs offering campaigns for the other races) and engage in epic online clashes. There’s no doubt that this will go down a storm online and easily step in to replace its predecessor as the RTS favourite. Blizzard’s new Battle.net system also allows for a smooth and polished competitive experience, with an Xbox Live style matchmaking system that helps match up players of equal experience. This is extremely welcome since newcomers would otherwise be obliterated by veteran StarCraft players, considering the experience here doesn’t differ too much from the game they’ve been playing for twelve years now.
Verdict: There’s no doubt about it, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the most polished, deep, sublimely constructed gaming experience available on the PC. It blows all but the sturdiest competition out of the water, and offers torrents of fan service whilst opening up the universe to new players. For those who disliked the original StarCraft, there’s little in Wings of Liberty to convert you due to its classic mechanics, but for everyone else this is an experience that must be lived.
