StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty reviews

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66 out of 79 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Brian on 12th October, 2008
" StarCraft 2 Now A Trilogy "

Alert to all fans. Blizzard today announced that StarCraft II will be released as a trilogy of separate games, each concentrating on one of the universe's three factions. The expansions will be chronological and will go in the following order; Wings of Liberty (Terran), Heart of the Swarm (Zerg), and Legacy of the Void (Protoss). This unexpected move was a result of the design team's ambitions to create an “epic” feel for each campaign

Check the link out below for more information
http://kotaku.com/…yer-campaign

 
6 out of 8 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Cameron on 12th May, 2010
5 stars "Amazing"

The graphics are great but still run fine on low end systems. Race balance is very good and I don't feel that any races are underpowered or overpowered. Looking forward to release.

 
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful:
Review by Daniel on 10th May, 2011
5 stars "Hell it's about time ~!!"

Don't need to say much since there are so many other people who already gave you a review lol.

It's epic :)

Graphics= 8/10
Gameplay= 10/10
Story= 8/10
Price= 7/10

Best Part about the game: It's Starcraft , made by Blizzard. What else is there to say. If you haven't tried Starcraft, then it's best to try out using the trial code that any of your friends might have. If not, search around youtube for gameplay video's and check it out for yourself. But I'm very sure unless you absolutely detest strategy games, you'd definitely love Starcraft 2. I guarantee :). We all SC2 players guarantee.

Cons: There are so many pro's : / lol. And you'll have sore fingers and arms by the end of one single game since you gotta click so much.
Not a hugeeee crysis like resource demanding game, but if wanting to play at high graphics, you may need a fairly strong computer system. But for medium to low settings, even my Intel Media Accelerator can play it around 25 fps on laptop. Your call :)

Overall: Epic, really haven't got much to say, unless YOU, yes YOU, try it out for yourself :)

So go and click that ‘add to trolley’ button and Checkout and try it out yourself :).

 
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful:
Review by Aaron on 18th August, 2010
5 stars "Worth every penny!"

When compared to an average game, starcraft 2 is pretty pricey, but this game is no average game. People may say things like its not a complete game as it only has 1 Campaign instead of 3 like the original. Things like its only a 1/3 of a game but they obviously haven't played it.

The storyline is deep and fulfilling, countless hours of storytelling awaits you as you dive into its complex universe. Theres 100's of achievements for you to earn some easy some extremely challenging. 100's of different missions for you to play and many different paths you can take.

Don't get me wrong, its not all about single player its multi-player keeps the starcraft 1 fundamentals and has created a perfect example of how a sequel to be successful should feel. Beginners have a set of practice leagues and challenge modes that will help them better themselves and the hardcore pro's can dive right into the action with its league online play.

All in all if you like any kind of RTS game buy this now, you will not be disappointed. Its worth every penny!

 
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful:
Review by Ray on 18th August, 2010
5 stars "One of those 10/10 games."

A perfect game if you liked warcraft series and the old starcraft. Still a perfect game if you never played those games because its in-game tutorials will get you started no matter what level you're at.
It is as addicting as Diablo 2 back in the days and a lot more fast-paced and intense than warcraft 3.

Improved graphics, new units, customizable campaign, tons of achievements and challenges to be obtained and a brand new matching system that “guarantees” your next opponent will be of a similar skill level as you.

I've finished the campaign on hard when I first got it. Now I have just finished it in brutal and trying to get all the achievements. It doesn't get dull and there are so many different ways to finish a level, e.g. To wipe out the enemy first or build up your economy and defend.

Its a gg. Get it.

 
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful:
Review by Lachlan on 12th August, 2010
5 stars "Buy This Game!!!"

Starcraft 2 is a great game in terms of balance, learning curve and depth. Obviously since Starcraft 2 has gone through about 2 years of beta testing the balance feels just about perfect. The best I've ever had in a RTS game. The learning curve is great, with a great campaign and tons of single and multiplayer aspects to teach you how to play at a high level quickly.

The campaign is great; the choices you make affect the outcome of various characters, there is an ability to buy upgrades for your favourite units and you can unlock achievements, decals and portraits based on the difficulty you play at and the bonus objectives you complete.

Online are the best parts of the game (in my opinion): Custom games allow you to play games made by other people online in unranked battles, leagues measure your performance against other players in ranked matches or you can play cooperative group games against a.i.

In summary the campaign makes single player a great experience and the multiplayer online is what will keep you playing the game in a years time. If you are familiar with Warcraft 3 you know that custom games will be a great feature once modders have had more time with the game.

Buy This Game! You won't regret it!

 
7 out of 11 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by David on 7th May, 2010
5 stars "Starcraft 2 - Awesome RTS"

If you are looking for something that will keep you on your toes, Starcraft 2 is what you are looking for.

Especially with the beta underway and the release date closing in, it will be a worth while purchase. What is even more amazing about the current beta now is that release of the “modding community” favorite toy out early the “Galaxy Editor”. Being able to make your own games through the Starcraft 2 engine and play other people's games will give Starcraft 2 a lot more colour.

If you are like me, waiting for Starcraft 2 since it was announced, you won't be disappointed :).

 
7 out of 11 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Justin on 4th May, 2010
5 stars "Beta by far"

Playing the Starcraft 2 beta at the moment. The gameplay is fun and the sides are well balanced. The game has nice graphics and is a great sequel to the original. Loving the new battlenet and its features which make it easy to find a player who is a match for you and you can make a list of friends to play against also. As with any Beta there are some bugs but I'm sure the final release will sort that out. The campaign mode looks like it will be epic! Looking foward to the release!

 
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful:
Review by Brock on 12th August, 2010
5 stars "StarCraft II - Awesomesauce!"

Aight, to start it off with, I just have to say, this game has more than lived up to all the hype that's been generated around it.

A lot of you may have known that pre-ordering the game got you a beta slot, which was sweet, gave you a headstart on everyone else who were waiting for the game to come out.

Hmm, where to start… Well, when I heard the beta was coming up and people were going nuts about it I had to find out what it was about, jumped on SC1, had abit of a mess around, pixel games are kewl, was pretty fun, movin on.

Grabbed the beta, epic as, loving the battle.net friend list, half my mates stopped playing World of Warcraft as much and moved onto SC2 so that helped keep the contact.

Achievements, everyone loves achievements, get some sweet looking portraits from completing certain content, like 10 1v1 wins, completing a section of the campaign etc, only achievement rewards are Portraits, which is kewl, but I'm hoping to see more reward content in the future.

Campaign, fun as hell, dunno about the rest of you, but I found it a bit easy, even on the harder difficulties, but on the upside you got to mess around with a bunch of units and other junk that isn't in multi-player content.

Speaking of multi-player content, CUSTOM MAPS!! OMG people, it's like the cherry on top of this game! Blizzard releasing an awesomesauce editor for the gamers to make their own content, most of which seem to be either tower defense games, or DOTA-style hero games, an awesome get-away to mess around and waste time when not grinding up your 1v1 – 4v4 count, doing the campaign or achievement whoring.

Think that's pretty much all covered, all in all it's a sweet game, new custom content always coming out. Over 95% of the people I've met are nice, or at least mature, only reason any of them get a little steamed is if ya do something cheesy like do a noob rush at their base with 6 zerglings etc, but that's avoidable easy enough.

The only downsides I can think of in this game is the lack of difficulty in the campaign, even when going for the hard achievements, and the lack of rewards gained from said achievements, but that's to be expected in a brand spanking new game, give it time people, this game's only gonna get better ^^

Thanks for reading, if ya haven't got this game yet I suggest ya do, it's awesomesauce!

 
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful:
Review by David on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "Blizzard invades my dreams!"

I buy many, many games. I can't help it. I am an addict. That said, there have been very few games where I find it hard to stop paying and when I do stop and go to sleep that I dream of nothing but more of the game and of the strategies I need to develop to improve. Starcraft II is one of those games.
I would not normally consider myself a fan of the RTS genre. But somehow Blizzard's RTS games are different. They are always very polished and just plain fun.
The single player campaign is a solid, varied and fun romp through the Starcraft universe. The pace allows a beginner to get up to speed controlling the many units available at a good pace. Clearly the intent here is to develop skills for the competitive multiplayer experience.
The multiplayer was always going to have a challenge on its hands trying to keep the fans of the original satisfied. It does this – in spades!
Many games these days offer achievements through Steam, Live and other services. Blizzard has implemented its own achievement system on battle.net. The effect of this is to add further to the addiction by encouraging the player to replay scenarios to achieve a better result.
This game has quickly become my only game fix. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Blizzard really has come up with a winner here. 5 stars.

 
4 out of 7 people found this review helpful:
Review by Oran on 2nd August, 2010
4 stars "Excellent Game, Well Delivered, Sadly let down"

At it's core, Starcraft II retains, and improves upon the gameplay offered by the classic Brood War, with the campaign showcasing some of the brilliant capabilities. Unfortunately, players in New Zealand are currently forced to play on the South East Asia gateway, with no opportunity to change. This does mean that, compared to the Beta, performance is noticably worse, with more than double the latency to the servers previously offered. Also, for those who wish to buy the game for the custom maps, content does not appear to be published across regions, meaning that the gateway forced upon New Zealand / Australian players provides a noticably worse gameplay experience. However, in approximately 2 months, we are meant to be allowed to transfer to the US gateway, hopefully improving things for us to the point where the game lives up to it's fantastic potential.

 
1 out of 1 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Michael on 23rd July, 2010
5 stars "A fantastic sequel to an epic game! Well worth it!"

Going from my impressions of Beta phases 1 and 2, Starcraft 2 is shaping out to be the ideal sequel to the still immensely popular Starcraft. This is an essential for any serious gamer, and is well worth both your time and money.

 
1 out of 1 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Jimi on 22nd July, 2010
5 stars "The greatest RTS ever?"

ive played the beta and i am very optimistic about this being the greatest game ever most definetly! the graphics are top notch, gameplay is superb and the online play is looking the be awesome alongside the highly anticipated singleplayer campaign.

 
2 out of 3 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Jean-luc on 9th June, 2010
5 stars "Amazing"

I thought Starcraft original was addictive back in the day, now with the beta just ended for Starcraft 2 i find it 100 times more addictive than ever before, Brilliant game, recommended to all those who enjoyed the original

 
2 out of 3 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by bryn on 17th May, 2010
4 stars "good but"

i wish there were more units to choose from and that you could zoom out a bit more – it feels very claustrophobic. they have a zoom in option but im not sure how useful that is
havent found any flaws with general gameplay it runs very smoothly, unit behaviour has improved truckloads and of course the graphics is great.

 
 
Review by SHERWIN on 18th October, 2011
4 stars "Epic! cant wait for "Heart of the Swarm""

Perfect gameplay, Good story line, graphic is stunning. A must-have game…

 
 
Review by Darren on 14th August, 2011
5 stars "AMAZING!!"

Everything I thought it would be and more. Campaign is done to perfection. And the league system is brilliant.
Would Recommend to any rts player, good or not-so, it doesn't matter. Just try not cheese! cannon rush is not nice :)

 
 
Review by Greg on 6th April, 2011
4 stars "Excellently Polished"

Blizzard rarely creates a game these days that fails to live up to a high standard of playability and good graphics. This game is no exception, and i was blown away by just how good the graphics and gameplay were. only bad point is that the single player campaign is a little short.

 
 
Review by Dion on 15th March, 2011
4 stars "Just like StarCraft I : but shinny"

Seriously, this game plays just like StarCraft I / Broodwar : but shinny and 3D. A few new units and abilities. Too much story in single player, if you're in to that you might like it, if not you can skip through it.

Multiplayer needs some work, it's unclear what you need to do just to play a random melee against peoples on the net. Also you can't play LAN party style without an internet connection to battle.net.

Overall – nice game – blizzard did a great job, but it is simply a port from 2d to 3d

At the end of the day chess is chess, no matter if you use a wooden set or a fancy glass chess set

 
 
Review by Matt on 20th September, 2010
5 stars "Greatest RTS to date, lived up to the original and then some."

Awesomely balanced multiplayer with great league set-up so you're always playing around you're skill level.

Excellent single player campeign, unlike any other RTS single player I've experienced, definate 5 stars.

Great work Blizzard.

 
 
Review by Matthew on 14th September, 2010
"A Success "

Great RTS. Offers the same immersive experience in terms of characters and story lines as the first Starcraft. Game play is similar to the first but absolutely enjoyable for any beginner or veteran. Waiting for the next 2 games wont be so bad considering the wait for Wings of Liberty. Overall this game is definitely worth your money.

 
 
Review by Samuel on 4th September, 2010
5 stars "Great game, worth the wait"

I've been waiting over 10 years for this game, and it did not disappoint. Even though it's limited to only the Terran campaign, it was well polished and a good, decent length (can't wait for the next installment).
It's incredibly easy to get going in multiplayer- lots of help for new players, and the huge development period really shines through in the excellent balancing (Terran a bit op though :P)
Definitely worth buying- they'll be playing this one for awhile.

 
 
Review by Michael on 2nd September, 2010
5 stars "Game of the millenium"

I've been waiting quite some time for this game to come out – since mid 2008. It's eve­rything that I was hoping for. The online matchmaking system is brilliant and works well. Very short wait times and you battle against people of similar skill levels. They have definitely removed some of the flaws from the original starcraft and made things quite easier to play. E.g. You could only select 9 units at a time in starcraft 1 but you can now select all units at once which is helpful. Especially as zerg which tends to have lots more units than the other races.

Overall probably one of my favourite games of all time so far. 100/100

 
 
Review by Murray on 28th August, 2010
5 stars "Love it......OH YEAH!"

This game is great and I'm about to play it again, and can't wait for the expansions

 
 
Review by Colin on 26th August, 2010
5 stars "Excellent ,brings back fond memories"

I really enjoyed Starcraft and Starcraft 2 does not disappoint love the missions makes for enjoyable hours of play

 
 
Review by Jimi on 26th August, 2010
5 stars "Well worth the wait"

I had been waiting many years for this, and it did not disappoint with a mind blowing campaign with divergent story lines and one of the best online set ups Ive ever used this is one of the best RTS's of all time most definitely

 
 
Review by amon on 16th August, 2010
4 stars "Starcraft 2 only 12 years in the making"

This game is worth a buy ONLY if you have internet because if you dont you will not be able to play VS AI, get achievements or anything, plus you need to sign in to battlenet to play this anyway. But if you have internet this game is a MUST BUY

 
 
Review by Arran on 14th August, 2010
4 stars "Its missing something"

Im not sure what it is about sc2 – but its missing something.
The graphics, gameplay and story are all great – yet I didnt enjoy it as much as the first one. Perhaps my expectations were to high. Having finished the game I wasnt compelled to play it through again – although thats quite likely in a month or so.

 
 
Review by Johannes on 13th August, 2010
5 stars "Awesome!"

I bought this game recently and it is definitely well worth the price. Its worth it just for the campaign alone! The online multi-player is great, it so easy to manage and chat with your friends, view your achievements and see where you stand against other players. I give it 5 stars out of 5 and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

 
 
Review by Hilary on 11th August, 2010
5 stars "God of RTS; didnt fix what aint broke"

Delivered on expectations and more, could not say anything less than the best. Its only negative is the price, but then I guess perfection has its costly price :D

 
 
Review by Kristian on 11th August, 2010
5 stars "Awesome."

Well worth the wait. Very nicely sets the story, and integrates humour within the story in an unexpected, yet overall enriching way.

 
 
Review by Wickus on 11th August, 2010
5 stars "Go to Mightyape and buy it now"

An awesome game with a great variety of missions keeping you glued to your seat. Exciting stuff and can't wait for the next episode

 
 
Review by Tyza on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "AWESOME!"

Awesome game, different mechanics from the first game, but fun all the same, quite a few new units and totaly new strategies to learn!

 
 
Review by Albert on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "Perfection."

Well it took forever to finally be released but one can see why. This game is the best RTS of all time, so very polished. Amazing multiplayer, amazing single player. Just get it. Can't wait for the expansions.

 
 
Review by Rob on 10th August, 2010
4 stars "Was it worth the wait?"

I think those that never played StarCraft, which was released some 12 years ago, will find this to be a great game.
Those of us that waited 12 long years probably have every right to be a little disappointed. Yes, there are new units, and there are some old favourites. Some of the single player scenarios are quite clever and have premises in them that provide intriguing challenges that mean your tactics have to change for the situation.
However, there are basically the same characters as last time, and other aspects that don't really make this feel like a leap forward for Starcraft. I am not sure what I expected, and I am not overly disappointed. Perhaps too much change would have removed the StarCraft feel.
I guess I just think that twelve years is simply too long between drinks.

 
 
Review by Vincent on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "Fantastic Single and Multi player Experience"

Over the last few weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic game.

The single player is the most varied that I've ever played in a strategy game and the story is enough to make it even more interesting. It also have a lot of different difficulty levels and some practice guides to help breach the learning curve.

I believe that the multiplayer is second to none in the strategy universe. There are many different ways to play and no shortage of players. Also, the matchmaking is superb consistently pitting you against players or similar skill.

I recommend this to all gamers, but particularly those looking for a high quality and varied strategy title.

 
 
Review by Daniel on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "Must have for any RTS gamer"

Starcraft II is the best sequel I've ever played. Almost perfect balance between the three races. So many possibilities and tactics to utilize. I'm thinking this game will be big for a long time. The potential that SC2 has to grow is amazing. Just like the first game, players will continue to create new strategies throughout the years. Excellent and easy battle.net interfacing. If you're considering it… Buy it now! Only from Mightyape!

 
 
Review by Frederik on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "Just like the first part but better"

I played and loved StarCraft and BroodWar for years and must say that StarCraft II is a worthy sequel. Blizzard kept the basic concept and gameplay the same as in the first part but tweaked and enhanced some areas to make StarCraft II an even better game.
Now I am just looking forward to the next parts of StarCraft II so I can play the Zergs and Protoss in their single player campaigns.

 
 
Review by Josh on 10th August, 2010
4 stars "Great game, the wait was worth it"

Easily one of the most engrossing RTS games in a long time. While it doesn't offer many innovative features, it doesn't need to.

Biggest gripe would have to be the fact this is 1/3 of a game, a dirty money making technique by Blizzard…but I will be forking out for the other 2!

 
 
Review by Sam on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "A step above in both single and multiplayer"

I've thoroughly enjoyed playing the Starcraft II singleplayer campaigne – if there is one thing that Blizzard does well it is polish! I've dabbled online, and will soon venture into the world of 1 versus 1 online. I'm not sure what to pick – each race has some really cool features (much is new since Starcraft 1).

 
 
Review by Richard on 10th August, 2010
5 stars "Takes the RTS Cake"

Starcraft II is no question a great game to play, watch and experience. Starcraft II really is what it promises – Epic. Blizzard has made few changes to the original Starcraft to bring it into a modern era of RTS gaming. The new units, strategies and Battlenet 2.0 works well to create a great gaming experience that any RTS fan will enjoy. The two expansion will only add further value to your game!

 
 
Review by Andrew on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "Awesome follow-up to a great game!"

Been playing StarCraft: BroodWar for ever and was stoked when I heard StarCraft 2 was coming out. The game has exceeded my expectations. Great single-player story-telling on top of the familiar RTS gameplay that Blizzard is so good at, with the bonus of new units/upgrades that will add more depth to the strategy side of multiplayer.

 
 
Review by Vaughan on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "Blizzard Delivers Yet Again"

Blizzard has really delivered on this game, everything has been thought out done very very well. Just when you think there can't be anything else Blizzard surprises you with yet MORE DETAIL!
I won't give any spoilers away ;) but seriously, if you are a blizzard/sc/wc fan then this is a must-buy. And if you're not then it is still a must-buy! This is one of the games that will last 5–10 years easily.

 
 
Review by Jimmy on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "The game of the decade."

Waited forever for sc2 to come out, the story was a bit short but the cut scenes were the best I have seen so far, online play is just awesome. Recommand for every to play it once in a while.

 
 
Review by Will on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "Right up with the best of them"

An excellent game, a trough back to the golden area of games in the late ninties.a fitting sequel and very enjoyable to play in fact hard to stop. Regards WB.

 
 
Review by adam on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "Best price, best delivery!"

When Starcraft 2 was about to be released I found that Might Ape was the cheapest. They also had the game shipped overnight so I had it in the morning of the games release. Absolutely fantastic service.

I will buy all my games from Mighty Ape from now on.

 
 
Review by David on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "RTS back to basics, Modding to the fullest"

As a fellow player of rts and community mod ‘n’ maps, Starcraft II brings the best out of both.

First lets head to the single player, something standard transformed to amazing, defines it. Though some communities doesn't like the way the difficulties are set up but from a newbie/casual perspective it is very challenging. With choices to make on what tech you are going to unlock and what attributes of your army you want to upgrade, may seem like an easy choice on lower difficulties won't be for higher difficulties. Storyline wise it can be argued in the perspectives of good and bad, either way its your own personal opinion that counts. If you are a hardcore lore player, I highly suggest getting the Starcraft novels to fill in the gaps between the events of “Brood War” and “Wings of Liberty”. Though it isn't necessary, it will improve your understanding of the whole story. And what is even better you got achievements/por­traits to unlock, which get linked to your B.Net profile.

Now RTS/Multiplayer perspective, no matter how hard one would argue from the day Sc2 was announced till now. _It is one of the most balanced games of it's catergory_. Blizzard invested so much time to perfecting the masterpiece presented in the original. Hey, they made multiplayer then singleplayer! Your random fact of the day.

Continuing what they done in Warcraft 3, maps ‘n’ mods have a heck load ton to do. You can definitely look forward to community maps ‘n’ mods on Starcraft 2, cause I can say a few things about that as a modder myself. They are either going to be extremely bad or extremely good.

I can't squish so much into this review as I want, otherwise I might end up using other highlights that other professionally run sites might use. I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of Starcraft 2, new or old… GET IT!

 
 
Review by John on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "The most refined RTS available."

Riviting, yet short (Part 1 of a 3 part series) campaign constantly surprises and tears away from RTS cliches such as “Hey go destroy that base before they kill you”, with every mission working in a unique way. Plenty to do between missions such as chat with crewmembers, buy upgrades and research stuff to improve your single player experience.

In production for 12 years, the game does not disappoint in any respect, especially multiplayer – which is highly competitive, difficult, and rewarding all at the same time. Best played with friends. Battlenet 2.0 is another revolution with a seamless matchmaking, ranking, and friends system – tied in with Facebook for those inclined.

All in all, a great game, and I would recommend it to Starcraft fans especially, but the game scales perfectly to allow everyone to kill some gross looking Zerg!

 
 
Review by Darryl on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "The long anticipated sequel to starcraft delivers!"

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty is the first part of three in the Starcraft 2 legacy. With a fantastic singleplayer campaign and amazing multiplayer which can be enjoyed alone or with friends, Starcraft 2 is by far the best RTS game of the year.

 
 
Review by Keegan on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "12 years in the waiting..."

My expectations for this game were quite high seeing as I was waiting for 12 years, and I must say, every drop of it was satisfied, from the graphics, to the story line, to the massive, well made multi-player, it is all great. Thumbs up 10/10

 
 
Review by William on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "The best Real Time Strategy game since Warcraft III."

I realise that remarking on the level of polish and smart design in a Blizzard game always turns into hyperbolic fanaticism, but try to forget about that when I say that Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is the most balanced, most exciting multiplayer game I've ever played, as well as one of the most well structured, entertaining and engaging single-player components to ever appear in an RTS.

Why the Single Player campaign is awesome: Every single level in the campaign is well thought out. They have multiple objectives that encourage exploring and replaying the level multiple times, which is more than you can say for most RTS campaigns straight off the bat. But why would you want to replay these levels? Easy: Because each level offers a unique scenario which has you doing different things in order to win, from escaping a super-nova, to infiltrating a base as a Ghost operative, to high-jacking a train. The level design almost never devolves into that typical RTS “Build a base, kill the other dude” gameplay that plagues so many others in the genre. All of this excellent gameplay is tied together with a compelling story that carries a great reverence for the original Starcraft and Brood War, while further developing all the characters you loved (“This is Jimmy”) and hated (MENGSK!!!). The voice acting is uniformly impressive, from both the returning voice actors (James Raynor is still awesome), and the new ones do a great job of retaining the integrity of their characters (especially the voice actor for Kerrigan). I was a bit disappointed that a certain Duke was voiced differently than he was in the original, but that's a minor complaint that most people won't notice. Also, it is a FULL campaign. Forget about all that “It's only a third of the trilogy” crap. This has a definitive (and satisfying) ending, and is just as long as the original Starcraft and Brood War campaigns… But better in every way imaginable.

The multiplayer: What more can be said about it that you havn't already heard? The learning-curve is steep, but it's extremely rewarding mix of paper-scissors-rock style countering, high speed rushing and unimaginable depth are essentially carry-overs from Brood War, but they are honed to a razor-sharp point in Starcraft II. I will be playing this game for a very long time, and I suspect South Korea (in which the game is a national sport, of sorts) may never stop. It's the game – the only game – that will end Brood War's dominance as a cyber-sport mainstay.

All of this wonder is wrapped up in Blizzard's im­pressive Battle.net 2.0. Say what you will about having to be online to play Single Player or the lack of LAN support, but every element of Bnet 2.0's design is elegant, and designed with the user in mind. It's easy to find your profile, your achievements, and especially your friends. Facebook integration is a great way of finding out that your friends are just as nerdy as you are!

In conclusion, Starcraft II is the pinnacle of Real Time Strategy. You should probably play it. Ignore the vocal minority, and join the swarm.

 
 
Review by Chris on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "The Greatest game of the Year!"

I would vote for this to be the greatest game of the year and has been worth the wait. Unlike C&C4 poor choice with tinkering with the gaming style, Blizzard built on the old gaming style, improving it and adding achievements into the mix.

Although the old LAN feature has been traded for Battle.NET which is sad I must admit, that the new team and co-op modes are awesome!

The campaign mode is great with a good story line that continues on from the original game. By attempting the missions on Hard you will gain extra achievements and unlock rewards.

 
 
Review by Avinash on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "Hands down one trully Amazing Game!!"

These guys deserve a medal for this game, they have done what many people have failed at and improved every aspect of the game so well.

 
 
Review by Zac on 9th August, 2010
5 stars "Best Game Since the Original!"

Wow! Amazing graphics that really come to life with the brilliant cut scenes. A game that will run on a lot of machines which is comforting to know.
Only game I play.
Well worth a purchase!!!

 
 
Review by Jackie on 9th August, 2010
4 stars "Regional Lock "

Blizzard killed this epic game with Regional Locks, can't play other friends from other part of globe without same region installed/ registered. To play US buddies = buy NA region or wait 2 months for transition. Gg

 
 
Review by Leyton on 8th August, 2010
5 stars "Great game, ruined by blizzard."

First off, this game is amazing. One of the best single player campaigns ive ever played.

Blizzard have this system called battle.net where you can talk to players on your friend list playing other blizzard games. i.e Between WoW and Starcraft.

Unfortunatly, the Aus/NZ Version of this game is running on a SEA.battle.net server, where all other versions including WoW are running on a seperate server ran by Blizzard. This means that you cannot add Real ID friends and talk to players on other games or overseas.

Fortunatly for us 60 days after the release Blizzard will allow us to change our servers, which means we can use the friends list. But… All of your Acheivements, Progress, games, and everything else will be reset.

It is a great game none the less, will be made a lot better in 60 days.

 
 
Review by Josh on 8th August, 2010
4 stars "The New Face of Strategy"

Starcraft 2 manages a compelling and fantastically executed campaign along with a perfect multiplayer balance.
The only failing I could ever find in this game is battle net 2.0; which is surprisingly lackluster and with the lack of chat lobbies and region locking kills the game somewhat. On a better note Blizzard does give NZers free access to the North American server along with access to the SEA/Oceanic servers that we get as default. While this hasn't been implemented yet it is set to be released in the next few months.
Starcrafts campaign feels brilliant and is filled with immersive play; very few campaign missions are ever the same with each mission adding some wild factor which just keeps a player that much more interested.
Last but not least Starcraft 2 aims to and could well be the true birth of competitive gaming and E-Sports in the western world.
All up a brilliant package which I am sure can only get better with the support Blizzard is so well known for.

 
 
Review by Tom on 4th August, 2010
"The perfect RTS"

This looks like a perfect RTS. I loved the original starcraft and am really looking forward to get this one. From what I have seen the graphics look really good however they still run great on lower spec machines. The races look good with none of them being overpowered. A must have for any RTS fan. If you like AOE you will definitely love this.

 
 
Review by Talia on 3rd August, 2010
5 stars "Well worth the wait."

Well i'm a starcraft fan from way back i remember playing at school and online back in 1998/1999 after finishing brood war i've been waiting ever since for the sequeal let me just say WELL WORTH THE WAIT!!! game play is amazing, incredible graphics, brilliant cinematics, best story yet even if you havn't played the original well worth playing anyway BUY THIS GAME!!!

 
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful:
Review by Bill on 30th August, 2010
4 stars "Ok But Not Much New, and Too Short"

The graphics are better than the original, which is to be expected, but the whole game had a feeling of lots of small trainer missions, you get a new type of vehicle or soldier in each mission, but don't really get the feeling of long battles or really any strategy, I have not had much time to play the game but I have nearly finished it in 2 days, It would take under 2 days if I had have had time.
The original took me over a week to play and it felt like a battle, with this one, there is only one mission that I had to restart because I picked the wrong vehicle in a time orientated mission.
The Story line seems ok, and the cut scenes are quite nice, the idea of having the menu in the ship as part of the story is good as well, but I am just disappointed in the shortness and ease of the missions, also the Having to log onto the net to be able to play for the first time, and also to get objectives awarded for each mission is a terrible idea.

 
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful:
Review by Paul on 28th July, 2010
5 stars "BEST GAME EVER!!!"

Just played at my friends house today it was asesome!

 
1 out of 12 people found this review helpful:
Review by Keiran on 27th July, 2010
1 stars "Over priced"

Was going to buy this because i played the beta but then i found it was $120. This isnt worth $120 especially when it has been split up to be released in 3 parts and at a time when most new PC games are under the extra $20 here just feels like price gouging because it is Starcraft 2.

 
0 out of 2 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Robert on 26th July, 2010
5 stars "Epic"

Played in the Beta, its awesome, I highly recommend it.

 
0 out of 2 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Joshua on 25th July, 2010
5 stars "One of my most anticipated games of this year"

Alright so this is looking like it could be epic, I never played the first one and never liked star craft but after watching all the trailers and watching my mate play the beta I am looking forward to this game. Pre-ordered the collectors edition. I only have a few problems with this

  1. the price $130rrp is ridiculous
  2. the fact that it is being split into 3 parts (at least the other two will be expansions so much cheaper)

But aside from them I am glad to see that the region lock is gone for NZ and am looking forward to it. I would suggest people wait until it gets cheaper though.

 
0 out of 1 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Xiao on 20th July, 2010
5 stars "Buy this or be a fool"

best strategy game ever, if you have played the starcraft one, then you will know why people are so over starcraft 2. I never wrote a review in my life, but I will do this first time just for starcraft 2. The graphics are so improved for people who just wanna a treatment for their eyes, more new combats units are added for hardcore gamers wanna see a change. Best of all, it's still a game highly relies on player's own strategy rather than the number of units.

trust me, if you a strategy game lover buy this or be a fool.
6 stars for this game

 
1 out of 3 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Amos on 21st June, 2010
"More micro, less macro"

Look, we all know SCII has fantastic graphics so I'll skim over it.

The animations are smooth as silk, the lighting and spell effects are awesome. The little details present in animations on unit death, such as a zerg unit's skin coming off revealing the skeleton underneath, or a Hellion blowing up and seeing a tyre fall off it and fall of the side of a cliff, etc. Bottom line is: It's a beautiful game.

Now for some gameplay changes. it seems Starcraft II has borrowed many functions from Warcraft III such as rallying to t so you can move in a specific path without having to babysit units.

You can also multi-select the same type of buildings and build multiple units simultaneously. This reduces the macro required for managing unit training.

Unit AI is vastly improved from the first game. No longer do you have to control medivacs (similar to medics from SC1) seperately. If you attack-move with medivacs they sit with your units in a battle instead of moving ahead. Pathing improved, general AI improvements, etc.

Although these seem like simplifications of gameplay mechanics it also brings a new depth to gameplay. SC1 veterans will have no problem transferring their skills over to SC2 with a little bit of getting used to. New players will find it easier to get into thanks to these features.

Overall, this is the best RTS I've ever played. Not overly big (Supreme Commander) and not too simplified (Dawn of War II).

gl hf!

 
10 out of 84 people found this preview helpful:
Preview by Josh on 3rd July, 2007
"#1"

starcraft 2 > warcraft gg