Computer Games: |
Starcraft |
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Blizzard
Real-Time Strategy
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Blizzard did it again. Starcraft could have been just some orcs battling humans in space among new space tilesets, but God am I glad it wasn't. With three races to chooose from, each giving the player a completely different way of playing and completely unique units, not just some mirror units that every side has in common, this game is a very tough competitor in the RTS market out there, even for Total Annihilation. Basically, the game is about kicking the living crap out of your opponent by building units and engaging your enemy in the battlefield. Also, you must create your base and defend it well, as well as manage your resources wisely for they fuel your war effort and without resources, you really can't do anything. Starcraft has a great story and feel, and the 30 stages are sure to keep you busy for a while. Read on, my brave reader.
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Visuals |
Starcraft's battlefields are three-quarters overhead perspective, and they are littered with astounding detail suck as bones among the sand, small buildings and signs, streets, crystal-clear rivers, trees, and other little details. The units graphics are very nice. They are sprite-based with several frames of animation for rotation, attacking, etc. Every race has 8 colors, depending on what clan, brood, etc. they belong to. The game includes various CG movies between every 4 or 5 stages or so, which are, I must say, most impressive. There is also one inside mission per race, and among the tilesets there is the wasteland, the jungle, space platform, ash world, and others. What impressed me the most, though, was how nice the buildings look, especially the Protoss buildings. The artists really tried their best and succeeded in providing the player with rich and wonderful eye candy. |
Music and Sounds |
I've always been a fan of Warcraft II's music, and I must say I am happy with Starcraft's soundtrack. The music is very nice, especially the songs in the Terran side. Similar to TA's battle music, basically they encourage you to make huge armies and see a lot of destruction. Beautifully orchestrated and composed, there are parts of the songs where the music kinda accelerates and gets you hyped to have some combat. The only thing that I am not happy with is the fact that there are only 2 tracks per race. The sounds are incredible. The traditional Warcraft feature of annoying your units by clicking them a lot is here, of which I am a fan myself. The Zerg sounds are standard monster sounds, but what can you expect from an ugly alien creature? The unit's voices and sounds really add a lot to the overall feel and atmosphere of the game and make the player feel like he is really in control of his army. |
Merits |
By far, Starcraft's greatest merit is providing the player with three unique and different styles of play and creating the huge variety that having 3 races to choose from gives. Also, up to eight players can engage in a variety of multiplayer scenarios, and with 3 races to choose from, the multiplayer experience is incredibly varied and basically you'll never have the same experience again. The Terran side has the cheapest units. I'm talking about things that blow up other units with one shot like Yamato Guns and Nuclear Warheads. The Terran buildings can lift off and move to another location, a very interesting strategic element. They can also repair and upgrade (not all buildings can be upgraded) buildings as well as repair mechanical units. They are the only race that can build any structure anywhere in the map. Terran units need Supply Depots to "feed them".The Zerg are great at rushing with massive legions of units. Their units also regenerate and burrow under the ground while they cure themselves. Their buildings can only be placed over "The Creep", a kind of bio-organic material that somehow sustains the life of the buildings (yes, Zerg buildings are alive). Zerg units need Overlords to control them. The Protoss are the more high-tech race, and thus their units cost a lot more to build, but generally are more powerful. They also have shields, which regenerate with time or can be recharged at a Shield Battery. Protoss buildings need to be powered by pylons, a sort of Psionic energy emitter. Protoss units also derive power from the Pylons. Without sufficient pylons, you can not make more units. |
Flaws |
Well, the only thing that's missing in Starcraft is 3D and true line of sight. Also, the resources are limited, which result in some multiplayer games ending in stalemates or ending only whenever whoever got the most resources attacks whoever got less. That's where managing resources comes into play, and the learning curve for it can be quite steep. And the single player missions are quite easy and short, if you work at a normal pace you can beat the entire thing in a week or so. Good thing there is an expansion pack coming soon: Brood Wars!!! YESSS!!! Supposedly it has new units and tougher single-player missions, as well as over 100 new multiplayer maps. Check out OGR's preview of Brood Wars.
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