A Brilliant Sci-fi Strategy Game (StarCraft (PC))

Member Name: Burning_Darkness

Product:	StarCraft (PC)
Date:	03/08/09 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb gameplay, good balance of units, full of character, lots of longevity

Disadvantages: In-game are dated in style, if still attractive

Essentially a souped-up, sci-fi sequel to the now rather ancient Warcraft 2, Blizzard Software's Starcraft is a real-time strategy game that adheres to a familiar formula but at the same time remains hugely inventive and engaging. The game borrows heavily from the universes of Aliens, Predator and Warhammer 40,000, allowing you to choose to play as one of three races, namely the Terrans (humans), the Protoss or the Zerg. Each race has its own unique range of units that work in different ways, affording the game immense replayability as the carefully balanced units across the three sides mean that a huge range of different tactics can be employed, with two games rarely playing out in the same way.

The Terrans rely on machinegun and flamethrower-wielding space marines in huge battlesuits, artillery-tanks, nukes, bunkers and battlecrusier spaceships, whilst the Protoss are a Predator-like warrior race who rely on high-tech but expensive plasma and teleporter technology, pscionic attacks and 8-foot tall warrior-fanatics with laser-blades extending from their wrists. The Zerg have no technology whatsoever, instead relying on a range of genetically mutated creatures including Giger-esque Hydralisks, small but numerous gremlin-like zerglings, worm-like creatures with pterodactyl wings and huge mammoth-sized abominations with giant bone scythes for arms, relying as a race on power in numbers and swarm-like attacks that are at odds with the capabilities of the less numerous but more sophisticated Terran and Protoss forces.

The colourful and cartoony graphics are simplistic but also very engaging and full of character, and the gameplay is both hugely accessable and straightforward whilst allowing for myriad sophisticated strategies to be employed. Crystals and Gas must be harvested to build structures and units, and anyone who has played an RTS game before will be immediately at home, although correct use of tactics takes considerably longer to master. The game has an excellent story-driven single player mode consisting of a separate campaign for each race, the different battles taking place across a range of exotic alien planets as well as on orbital platforms in space, with well-fleshed-out story characters and some great voice acting and dialogue all helping to draw the player in.

The presentation is consistently excellent, with attractive menu systems, dozens of stunning loading screens, and great cut scenes complementing the main in-game graphics nicely. The computer AI is solid, but the game is at its most enjoyable when played against real computer opponents over the internet. Despite the game being over ten years old, it remains hugely popular online, with Blizzard running its own specialist server by the name of Battlenet. Gameplay is fast-paced and immensely enjoyable, and the game's low specs mean that it internet games run speedily even on the ropiest of connections.

Starcraft has near-limitless longevity, and it even comes with an easy-to-use level and campaign designer bundled in as well. Blizzard have been working on a sequel for some time now, but however good this turns out to be the original will still remain a hugely playable RTS classic in its own right.

Summary: One of the best RTS games ever made