Live for the Swarm! (Star Craft: Brood Wars)

Member Name: Mutalisk

Product:	Star Craft: Brood Wars
Date:	11/04/09 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: New units, campaigns, levels and a fluid plot. Did not tip the balance of units but some cool ideas

Disadvantages: Requires full working version of Starcraft.

Starcraft is a futuristic real-time strategy game in which the player can choose to play as one of three races, the Protoss, a hypersentient warrior race with advanced military technology and a strict code of honour, the Zerg, a brainless canibalistic swarm of fleshy and venemous abominations controlled by a hive mind, and the Terrans, the remainder of the human race.

Despite modestly calling itself an 'expansion pack,' Starcraft - Brood Wars could quite easily be considered a sequel. Picking up from where Starcraft left off, it has three more campaigns for each species which actually contain more levels than the original itself, as well as new characters and units for each race. There are only seven new units, but too often in RTS expansion packs has the introduction of a new race or a plethora of new units done a lot of damage to the most important aspect of real-time-strategy - The balance. Here is a list of the new units:

Terran Medic - A unit which heals infantry and can fire an optic flare into detector units rendering their function redundant.

Terran Valkyrie - A well armoured and powerful anti-air air-unit,

Zerg Lurker - (Evolve from Hydralisks) A brutal monster with a medium range attack that can only be used while burrowed

Zerg Devourer (Evolve from Lurker) A flying air-to air unit with a low rate of fire but packs a hell ofa bunch!

Protoss Corsair - A new air to air medium support unit.

Protoss Dark Archon (Meld of Dark Templar and Archon) a spellcasting support unit with the ability of mind control!

Dark Templar - rather than being a special unit, dark templar can now actually be trained at the Protoss Gateway.

The new emphasis on air warfare is an excellent means of not tipping the balance in this truly excellent expansion. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who played Starcraft.

There are also a lot of new multiplayer maps with Brood War that are intensely playable, including a new custom campaign.

Summary: One of the best expansions you will ever play!