This is StarCraft 2... Jimmy.
It’s been 12 years and it’s finally here. My goose is gettin’ cooked over this one. StarCraft 2 is armed and ready, its life is for Eiur and the metamorphosis is com-plete. Okay, I got my fix.
Many people complained about the 60$ price, but to me it’s totally worth it. With the engaging and immersive single player campaign to the incredibly intense and competitive multiplayer, I would’ve easily paid more.
Once you get in the game... PLAY THE CAMPAIGN! It’s beautiful. This campaign has everything you need; from upgrades to research to just a talk with Tychus on your ship, this game pleases. The cinematics for this game could be made into a movie and the music will make your ears orgasm. I wouldn’t consider myself a fanboy as I only played the first StarCraft for the campaign about 7 years ago, but I cannot stop playing this.
If you have any interest in Terrans or the StarCraft story, be careful because you’ll get addicted to the campaign; it has set a new standard for RTS games from now on, and with two (count 'em, One, Two) expansion packs on the way, it can only get better.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. SC2: Wings of Liberty is Christmas morning in a box (or a digital download code). The hub system for the single player is like a click-adventure game, but cool. There is always something to click, whether it be a conversation with one of your allies or a TV commercial about space truckers, the dialog and TV coverage of your reign as Jim Raynor never ceases to amaze. There are a couple different rooms on the ship where you’ll be able to manage your research, hire mercenaries, buy upgrades etc… I really don’t want to say much more, because this game makes me giddy and I could spoil anything at any minute… so go play it!
So… what to do after the campaign? You’ve got to check out the achievements and challenges man. There are 9 challenges which will challenge you (can you believe that?) with different aspects of the game (micro and macro). The basic challenges are just learning different counters to units, while the more advanced are defending your base from the infamous early Zerg rush. You’re awarded achievement points for each tier of 3 medals for each challenge. This achievement system pays out for the multiplayer end, as that if you earn every achievement in a certain set, you unlock a portrait for use in multiplayer, i.e. get all gold medals on these challenges, you’ll unlock the portrait of the Spectre.
So you’ve beat the single player, knocked out all the challenges and you see this multiplayer tab. Now if you know anything about the game, you know that StarCraft players don’t mess around. You need to be fast. I would advise you to go through the tutorial, and then face against some A.I. opponents until you feel somewhat comfortable with a race, because the competition within these ranked matches is fierce. This game, when playing to win, will keep you on your freakin’ toes. Some say this type of RTS is too intense (well, it is) but it’s rewarding. Each win feels great, and moving up the tiered online ladder system (ranked bronze, silver, gold, diamond) is fun, and of course, there’s achievements here too.
StarCraft 2 has paved the way for RTS games. It’s my Game of the Year for 2010, and I’ll be playing it for god knows how long.
