A fascinating expansion, Heart of the Swarm takes everything that was good in WoL and makes it even better.

User Rating: 10 | Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm PC
By sobaka770 | Review Date:
First things first, after the cheesy single player campaign in WoL (and after a horrible Diablo 3 storyline), Blizzard redeems itself in this expansion. The HotS campaign might not feature Bioware-perfect dialogue and character development, but it gets the job done, it's engaging, emotional, much less cheesy than before and actually has characters with motivations and feelings. They are quite memorable (unlike the one-dimensional, testosterone packed, bravado-infused Hyperion shipmates of the original) It's a very straightforward story, but it's well executed and the in-game and CGI cutscenes work well and don't seem as choppy as in WoL. Moreover, most of the scenes are recorded so you don't need a powerful computer to see the cinematics in all their splendor.

The UI of the game got a huge facelift. The multiplayer got a slight overhaul with addition of new units and abilities to each race, but it's mostly in the surrounding areas, where the changes really make the greatest impact. The leveling system, while imperfect, makes sure that losing a game is not time wasted, and the unlockable dances/portraits and unit skins are now only tied to this system, making the simple process of playing more rewarding.

Overall, it's a perfect expansion. If you didn't like the original, then there's nothing for you in this installment, but that's the point. SC2 is an RTS where change in underlying mechanics is impossible (how would you change chess?) but the polish and error-correction that Blizzard undertook really makes the game feel more cohesive and enjoyable in all aspects.

Other Helpful Reviews for Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm

  • Rating:5

    Missions are just as bad as the story.

    By supershaft777 | Review Date: Mar 21, 2013 | PC

    Enough people have talked about the story. I would like to point out that the mission design is very linear and underwhelming. There is palpable laziness and lack of inspiration behind the single-player campaign. WoL sho... Read Full Review

    16 of 19 users found the following review helpful
  • Rating:7.5

    This game just isn't that good (Campaign)

    By Ch33zWiz | Review Date: Mar 14, 2013 | PC

    *Probably Spoilers* HotS took so long to come out that most of us pictured hundreds if not thousands of developers working diligently to perfect the much anticipated game so as to if not exceed WoL, at least match it ... Read Full Review

    13 of 17 users found the following review helpful
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