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Hands On With 'StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty'

by Evan Shamoon on August 3, 2010 at 12:50 PM

StarCraft II

After more than 12 years -- a lifetime in video game terms -- the long-awaited 'StarCraft' sequel, 'Wings of Liberty,' has finally arrived. The initial impressions are very good, if not very surprising. What's here is familiar without being mundane, thanks to countless small tweaks, along with an entirely new graphics engine and more spit and polish than those classic cars in the original Karate Kid. It's tough to find fault with the game, and 'Wings of Liberty' is a great entry point for both first-timers and old hats looking for a new digital addiction.

While the multiplayer beta has been available for several months, the 'StarCraft 2' single-player campaign has introduced unlockable upgrades, exclusive units and abilities, and a branching mission structure -- features that have been implemented in other RTS (real-time strategy) titles in recent years, but are new to the 'StarCraft' universe. The campaign's difficulty curve is buttery smooth, and a variety of missions are book-ended by Blizzard's trademark spectacular CG cut scenes. The campaign is devoted entirely to playing as the human Terrans, while other races' campaigns will almost certainly appear in the form of expansion packs.

Starcraft 2



But if single-player is the gateway drug, multiplayer is, as expected, where the addiction really takes off. If you've played much 'World of Warcraft,' you know how good Blizzard is at making you feel industrious as you play, with constant upgrades, feedback and virtual pats on the back. Here, there's a constant stream of feedback, and the new-and-improved Battle.net 2.0 makes finding similarly-skilled opponents easier than ever. Using an Xbox Live-style friends list, you're able to see what your friends (and mortal enemies) are doing, making the experience more dynamic and competitive.

'StarCraft' fans don't need to be told twice; this is high-quality stuff, and, as long as you're not looking for an entirely new experience, 'StarCraft 2' delivers on nearly all counts. For fans, it packs an incredible number of in-jokes and self-reflective nods, and, for newbies, its perfect difficulty ramp makes it very accessible. Yes, there are chinks in the armor; the AI still waits around for commands when they should be fighting enemies, units often get in one another's way, and the Mac version runs a bit sluggishly. But these are small quibbles with what is otherwise unadulterated RTS gaming bliss.

Publisher: Blizzard
Developer: Blizzard
Platforms: Mac + PC
Rating: T
Price: $59.99

Tags: blizzard, RealTimeStrategy, reviews, rts, starcraft, starcraft 2, Starcraft2, Starcraft2WingsOfLiberty, top, video games, videogames

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