Released all the way back in March of 1998, Starcraft quickly became an international phenomenon. Its largest fan base was in America and South Korea. In South Korea it became so popular that the best players were hailed as celebrities. When Blizzard Entertainment released the expansion pack Starcraft: Brood War later that year in November they were just preaching to the choir. To this day, Starcraft tournaments are the electronic sport of choice for Koreans and Americans alike. Now, 12 years later, Blizzard has finally released the next chapter in the series, Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty.
The (very) long awaited sequel continues the story three years after the conclusion of Brood War. The hardy Terran, enigmatic Protoss, and savage Zerg return to battle it out in their corner of the galaxy. However, things have quieted down in the Koprulu sector since the events of the last game and our hero, James Raynor, is pondering a way to strike a blow at the infinitely more powerful and corrupt, Terran Dominion. The story follows Raynor as he attempts to take it down. He has the loyalty of his crew, Raynor’s raiders, but he’s got nothing to do with them. That is, until an old friend offers a way to “kick this rebellion into overdrive.”
The usual real time strategy (rts) game formula of amass units + attack enemy = win is thrown out for a more varied list of missions. Many require you to tactfully counter specific unit types and to micromanage your troops. For instance, when constantly under attack from the overwhelming numbers of the Zerg it is best to use some cheaper buildings to wall off the entrance into your base and place powerful siege tanks within the safety of the wall so they can rain deadly artillery on the seas of aliens outside instead of sending your vulnerable marines to be swamped by the weak but numerous enemies. Make no mistake, you will be massing units, but they won’t necessarily be the same type, unless you want your army decimated.
Aside from the campaign, Starcraft 2 fulfills the legacy of its predecessor with the competitive multi-player that has become a staple of computer gaming. The new Battle.net system begins you with 50 unranked practice matches to help you hone your skills before going into the ranked leagues. After those you participate in 5 placement matches for each match type (1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3, 4 vs. 4, and free-for-all), and depending on your win to loss ratio you will be placed into one of leagues. Most everyone is at least great in the leagues, so you will definitely need use all of those practice matches to perfect your strategy.
If the competitive leagues are too difficult for you then you may want to try the myriad of custom game modes made by players. The community has run wild with the galaxy map editor included with the game. The player made game types vary from turning the rts into a Mario-kart-style racing game to a first person shooter. With the opportunity offered by the map editor, the game play possibilities are near endless.
Speaking of game play, Starcraft 2 continues the tradition of completely balanced factions with utterly different play styles. There is always a counter, no matter how large and powerful the army. It’s this balance that really sets Starcraft 2 apart from other games of this genre.
The only complaint I have about this game is that playing on the leagues is not very forgiving to new players, but that really isn’t the game’s fault, and that is the reason for the existence of the practice league. Other than that, Starcraft 2 is everything I had hoped for and it is a nearly perfect game, which is why I’m giving Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty a 5 out of 5.