Starcraft 2 Review, The Good and The Bad

For those that have expunged the original�s story after so many years having passed, here�s a brief recap.  Brace yourselves, the story has had 12 years to spawn expansion packs, novels and the fertile ground of gamers� imagination where it has grown to epic proportions.

In the 25^th century, humanity will be known as the Terrans, and we will still be kicking the crap out of each other, just on a galactic scale.  On a backwater planet, a marshal named Jim Raynor steps into the role as an unlikely leader, and fights off a horrifying attack from an insect-like swarm race known as the Zerg that are the stuff of nightmares.

Unfortunately the Zerg aren�t the only problem for Raynor and the Terrans, as the oppressive Confederacy of Man moves in and unjustly arrests Raynor.  Raynor then joins the growing revolution against the Confederation, where he meets Arcturus Mengsk.  The two join forces and soon Raynor falls for Mengsk�s second-in command, Sarah Kerrigan.

In what was a fairly major twist, Mengsk betrays everyone and shows his true colors as a tyrant. It is revealed that Mengsk was using the Zerg, and luring them to inhabited worlds to further his own goals by attacking his enemies.  Through his betrayals, Kerrigan is left to die, but is instead captured and mutated by the Zerg.  Raynor, believing her dead, forms his own resistance group called �Raynor�s Raiders�, and the war grows. Kerrigan returns as the Queen of Blades, betrays everyone, and helps push civilization to the brink of destruction. The Protoss, the most technologically advanced race in known galaxy join the fight against the Zerg, and total war engulfs the galaxy.

As the flames of war begin to burn everywhere, Raynor and a Protoss commander named Tassadar, discover the key to defeating the Zerg was to destroy the Overmind.  Raynor joins a desperate final assault on the Overmind, and Tassadar gives his life to destroy the Overmind.  It was fairly epic stuff.

The sequel picks up four years later, and again follows Raynor, as he continues to fight Mengsk and the Terran Dominion. Soon, the Zerg begin an all out attack, led by the Queen of Blades, who is seeking several mysterious relics. To give away more would do a disservice to fans who have been waiting for the campaign, but suffice to say they should be happy with the depth of both the characters and the storyline.

The experience starts from the very second you start installing the game. With twelve years having passed since the original was released, some younger players won�t have a clue what's gone before in this game's universe, so we�re treated to a plot-re-cap as the progress bar teases its way forwards. It�s needed too, as the StarCraft universe is seriously ambitious in its plot and storyline. Rebels, two alien races, emperors, billions of casualties, love, loyalty, loss and betrayal � and that�s before the game�s even installed.

Managing such a complex and varied plot would be a challenge for any game, let alone a conventional RTS, where the player�s connection to their units is so difficult to forge and the gameplay itself tends to jump from mission to mission. StarCraft 2�s solution is to give players a whole lot more to do in between levels than customise load-outs or pick the next target. With the player in the role of rebel space rogue commander type Jim Raynor, you�ve got a whole battlecruiser at your disposal and there�s plenty to do aboard when not splatting alien bug monsters or trying to overthrow governments.

Downtime is spent between four areas of the ship, conversing with the crew in a point and click style, buying upgrades for units, researching new technologies, hiring mercenaries, listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd cover bands on the bar�s jukebox, watching the �fair and balanced� news or even playing on the bar�s excellent shoot-�em-up mini game, Lost Viking. It all subtly deepens your involvement in the game world and means that StarCraft 2 rarely suffers from plot update overload or the feeling of mission to mission grind. There�s always something new to see or hear and some of the game�s best and funniest dialogue can be found on the decks of the ship or around the Cantina bar.

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, The Good

• Campaign offers a lot of variety
• Awesome cinematics and great voice acting get you involved in the story
• Element of choice gives campaign lots of replay value
• Excellent online play featuring three disparate but balanced factions
• Challenges and practice league ease neophytes into competitive play.

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, The Bad

• Some Battlenet inconveniences
• Only one campaign.