Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Video Review

So you may have heard naysayers say that StarCraft II is more like StarCraft 1.5, or that it's just a bit of a face lift on an old game, or that because there's only one campaign, it's only one-third of a game. Well, don't listen to those people. StarCraft II is exactly what you'd would and should expect a strategy sequel to be. Sure, it updates the basic gameplay without changing its fundamentals. But elements of originality are sprinkled all over, particularly in the campaign, which features wonderful amounts of variety and replay value. But maybe you aren't interested in the campaign, which is fine. In that case, you'll find an balanced and exciting online game that will immediately appeal to StarCraft veterans. But if you are a newcomer, don't worry: StarCraft II fills you in on the series' back story incredibly well, and features an exquisite learning curve across all modes. In other words, this strategy game has something for everybody. It's absolutely fun, absolutely fresh, and should not be dismissed as being the same old thing. This is a superb game that updates a traditional formula in meaningful ways. And you should play it.

You'll find the most intriguing elements in the single-player campaign. Of course, this is one area where you might feel a bit disappointed. After all, there is only one campaign, which focuses on the Terran faction. So if you were hoping the campaign would prepare you to play online with the Protoss or Zerg races, well, you'll need to practice in other modes. But this is hardly an incomplete campaign. It's a fine length, maybe 15 or more hours depending on a number of factors. It's also emotionally fulfilling, pulling you into the story of freedom fighter Jim Raynor. He struggles with the looming Zerg threat, his desire to reveal the hypocrisy of emperor Arcturus Mengsk, and his own guilt over the fate over Sarah Kerrigan. You'll get drawn in to this story for a number of reasons. There are a good number of high-quality cutscenes that punctuate the most important developments. The voice acting is absolutely top notch. And in between missions, you can interact with various environmental elements on your ship, almost as if StarCraft II were a point-and-click adventure. The dialogue tends towards action-movie silliness, but you'll get to know Jim and his supporting cast, and you'll grow to care.

In fact, you may be inspired to play the campaign, or at least certain parts of it, more than once. Of course, this might be because it's simply that good. It provides a great amount of variety, always throwing a twist into the standard strategizing. Lava might occasional flood into low altitude areas, or you might have to take down a series of trains while avoiding a roaming band of enemies. Each mission is different than the last, and all sorts of little touches make your tasks feel meaningful within the context of the story. But the campaign is also interesting and replayable for other reasons. You will spend research points and currency on various enhancements and upgrades, and earn units in a different order depending on which order you pursue the available missions. You will even be faced with a few choices that decide how certain story elements play out, and in turn determine what mission you will play, or what enemy units you might face. These are great touches, and give you a good reason to return to the campaign once you've finished it.

Another good reason to return might be to earn the achievements you miss the first time around. At the end of each mission, you earn achievements that reward you for accomplishing specific tasks. Some of these are pretty challenging, which might urge you to go back and work for the ones you miss. But the achievements are part of a larger metagame that's built into the battle.net interface that houses StarCraft II. You earn achievements in every mode, and not only can you show them off in your profile, but your online friends will receive pop-up notifications when you earn one. Battle.net has its drawbacks. If you aren't into this focus on social interaction, it might seem intrusive, and there's no way to go invisible. And of course, while you can play the campaign offline as a guest, you need to be signed into your account to earn achievements. But overall, interacting with StarCraft II is slick and satisfying, and the way you earn rewards as you play is surprisingly compelling.

But for the most compelling play, you want to go online. If this sounds intimidating, don't worry. There are tons of experienced StarCraft II players competing already, but there's also an unranked practice league that will help you learn the ropes. And once you're ready to get serious, the game will place you in a league based on your performance in a short series of preliminary matches. And of course, you can practice versus the AI in skirmish mode, or learn the ropes with friends in cooperative and custom games. Or you can learn the ropes in the wonderful challenge mode, which really trains you on the nitty gritty of StarCraft competition. And once you're ready to jump in with both feet, you'll find a lot to love. There are dozens of maps to play on, and thanks to the included map editor, there are already all sorts of custom maps and entire new gameplay modes to check out. And if you are interested in rising up the ladders and showing off your strategic prowess, you'll be glad to know that StarCraft II is wonderfully balanced. All three races feel different, from the rush-focused Zerg to the scrappy Terrans, and there are some new units in place of old units and other important tweaks, so don't dismiss even this part of the game as the same old same old.

Most importantly, just like the rest of the game, online play is fun and exciting. Every unit has its uses, from the lowliest marines to the giant colossi, and each race offers great opportunities for fun micromanagement. It's gun to use the phoenix to lift ground units into the air and render them helpless. It's a blast to sneak rain down death using your cloaked banshees, or use a nydus worm to pump roaches into an enemy base. So yes, at its core, StarCraft II is a traditional real time strategy game that is great partially because the template it's based on is great. But layered on top of tradition is a tale told with wit and poignancy, a campaign with a lot of mission variety and replay value, an impressive suite of multiplayer options, a level editor that will give the game longevity, and more. Whew. This all sells at 60 bucks, 10 more than you'd expect for a modern PC game. But you aren't likely to feel gipped. StarCraft II offers something for everyone, so if you have even the remotest interest in strategy games, you should close this window right now and go get it. Go on. What are you waiting for?

Review Scores

Platform	GameSpot	Metacritic / User Score
PC Review this game	9.5	93 9.1
MAC Review this game	- -	- - 8.8

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Aug 2, 2010

Kevin VanOrd threatens the Dominion in this video review for Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty.

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705 comments

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Cloud_imperium

Excellent Game !

pitosga

Hell, I must've played this game... what? 3 times, at least. The campaign, that is. A 9.5 score is the most suspicious there is, when I've never heard of a 10. That said, I've never agreed more with a GSpot review before. This isn't just a triple-A title, this stands far above your mainstream, world-famous best-sellers such as Modern Warfare. To each his own and all, but frankly, this really is a superior work, artistically speaking, in all the senses that art encompasses, which includes entertainment. The game is as good as I could expect it to be, if not imagined (fertile imagination...). The only negative feeling this game originated in me was that it ended when I didn't want it to end. No Zerg or Protoss campaign, not something to like, not on its own, but its definitely a 1/1 game. The Terran campaign is long and a whole story on its own, worth about as much as the 3 separate campaigns of the original. Alright, that's debatable, but still, the plan always was to deliver the other 2 campaigns in fully-fledged games of their own, what's there to complain about? I sure as Hell prefer it that way, despite the unsettling waiting. The campaigns will only be all the better for it. And I believe it's not a greedy way to reach into your pockets, the games won't simply bring a new campaign, like a super DLC or Half-Life-esque episode. They'll bring many improvements over this first game, not the least of which many new units. The following zerg campaign, for instance, won't be so similar to this first Terran one. This isn't your usual RTS campaign comprising a sequential number of missions with intermittent cutscenes to go along. The world between missions is an aspect on its own.
Well, we'll see about all that. Heart of the Swarm was released just yesterday. We're about to find out for sure.

ADDADAC

should i buy starcraft 1 or 2 first?

pitosga

1 Like

For the sake of continuity, the original first. If you have the time. In terms of ka-ching, SC's price must be negligible by now, surely.

Given your Doom avatar, it might imply you can well appreciate old games. You'll need that for the original StarCraft, since it has long aged. As old(er) games go, however, SC feels about as modern and practical to play as they can get. It's only the old 2D engine that might dampen your enjoyment.

ADDADAC

@pitosga Thanks man, yeah old graphics don't bother me, i find them kind of endearing

Gankstar_VX84

never played a game like this rly, cept old c&cs and world in conflict, if they even count, i like the look of it tho, is it worth the money?

PcGamer4Ever1

@Gankstar_VX84 Starcraft 2 was my first strategy game after 5 years but it converted me . I was a fool . Now I play every genre out there . A real gamer plays all the games and don't say "Not my taste".

BoboSmrad97

1 Like

@PcGamer4Ever1 @Gankstar_VX84 except the new DMC

jamesbond2198

@Gankstar_VX84 Oh yeah.

BradleyAPC89

I so hope that they kept sunken and tank defense, coz they rock

HossamMathers

5 Like

u just got to love blizzard (:

pitosga

After the great skepticism created by WoW, Blizzard really "done good" with this one, delivering an authentic master piece of gaming and proving they still got it.

Sadly, it would appear Diablo 3 didn't release so hot; and it's perhaps all the more sadly so that it's only due to reasons not directly related to core game values and mechanics, but to DRM and server-side unpreparedness.

Playing that one, either way, definitely. Love the actual content of their games, they feel right to me the most, out of all games, if you get my meaning. And I know this is not due to fandom as I am still critical of their games and find faults in them, nothing is perfect.

Mefistofel666

Awesome game, can't wait for HOTS.

For some reason i'm now craving for some lemon juice :)

JonahMalikiDav

1 Like

@Mefistofel666 I was going to like this comment, then you wrote about lemon juice..

Jfizzal

1 Like

C'ant believe I waited two years to get this! Got it last night as a digital purchase and played until...way too late. Awesome game,period.

logancread

Wow! :D

gamerfreak12324

pretty good

dumix_

once you play the game, you play it forever...love it :)

definitely recommend

MattJ3R

NOOOOOOOO, the nydus network is better w/ mass banelings, and as protoss he had colossi carrier w/ out a mothership... NOOB ALERT!!!

Exia2004

@rholding2000 you are right,im playing this game since it commed out i play almost only SC2 (98% SC 2% other games)

Exia2004

i HATE THIS GAME BECAUSE I LOVE IT TOO DAMN MUCH!!!

Jmaster211

I LOVE this game. It is probably one of my favorite games of all time. If you are questioning whether you should buy this or not, the answer is YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

Quebeckjenda

I´m not prefer strategic games, but this is master piece. Excellent work Blizzard, thanks...

Renoo27

@GTA-Like_Fan: Diablo III, Titan and Mists of Pandaria aren't gonna make themselves.

666NightsInHell

2 reasons i not play this game, almost every mission you need to do in time, i like rts where i can build and upgrade without rushing in every mission, missions so xxxxxxg SHORT and loading times so xxxxxxg LONG, verdict game = SUX! Game can be playeble in multiplayer onli, single mode is disaster!

williebazerka

@GTA-Like_Fan It's funny you mentioned that because it was supposed to be 18 months after release for the first expansion which is coming up soon.Atleast it will be bug free.

GTA-Like_Fan

Wait so its nearly 2012 now and they still didnt released the 2 other games ... wow ... Some things never changes lol

danden-halo

why do they give 10 for gta 4 and mgs and not for this?i mean, this game is 10 times better than metal gear solid

RESIDENTEVIL_VI

i liked that man from that review ..... great work blizzard ....waiting for the next sequel

RESIDENTEVIL_VI

2 Like

Best stratgy game i've ever played

Kamfrenchie

Professional reviewers get paid for their "work" so they should be somewhat objective

rholding2000

why this didnt get a 10/10 ?? Metal gear did . . erm . .whos still playing that?

jasonzilla11

I always find RTS games really boring, except for this one. This game is so much fun.

popeyfolger

I can in no way be considered a rts fan but starcraft is a whole other story this game is amazing and Blizzard is one of the few companies left that consistently makes good games

Zevvion

@Descalabro because there is no LAN and you can only play against people in the same continent as you. They probably really had to work at those restrictions. ...

Descalabro

@Zevvion But that's a limitation, how does that make it more expensive?

williebazerka

@h4wk0lf613 I suck so bad @ SC2 that even though I stopped playing online I still would play against the AI.This game has so much to do I don't know how anybody can't like it unless you don't like RTS.

h4wkw0lf613

@williebazerka Well said. I don't know who disliked your comment. Probably someone who suck at strategy games.

williebazerka

People who dislike SC2 for whatever reason are definately in the minority.Maybe if they learned how to play better they'd like it more.

Descalabro

And why exactly do they charge the extra 10$?

Jmaster211

@Kamfrenchie I've played ALL the original Blizzard games and I see where you're coming from. Yet, I strongly disagree that that the campaign is inferior and that the new graphics don't work for Blizzard games. They are beautiful and fit the games pretty well. And also, reviewers aren't supposed to be objective, they're supposed to be subjective. Reviewers tell us whether a game is good or bad. THAT IS SUBJECTIVE. I wouldn't come to a reviewer if I wanted to learn about a game. Just saying Kamfrenchie, you put out three posts, and no one agrees with you. STARCRAFT 2 is a great game.

Kamfrenchie

@varunvikram1 Well honestly i dislike the new graphisms and design. The flashy cartoon look of blizzard games don't appeal to me much, i find it doesn't fit universes supposed to be "dark" like starcraft and diablo. And well you payed 60 $ for better graphisms but inferior campaign and an inferior battle net, while you could have had SC1 for 10-15 $. I wouldn't consider it to be a great deal. And yes developpers want to make money like everyone, but there are different ways to do it than just give better graphisms and a hollywood like campaign to theoriginal game, and also reviewers souldn't shoot "alleluia" when that happens I ain't especially a SC1 veteran, even though i played quite a bit. I moved on to games that innovate more and rely more on actual strategy and tactic than on crazy clicking

Kamfrenchie

@Tokugawa77 Reviewers are supposed to be as objective as possible, especially professional ones. And they aren't in this review.

varunvikram1

@Kamfrenchie The story begins... I discovered starcraft like in 2009 and learned how good and big the following for the game is. Looked at starcraft 1 gameplay once and the only thing that came to my mind is that there is no way am i playing this if the graphics didnt improve, its 2009 for crying out load. Yes its shallow of me but that is how most people are now. Sure starcraft 1 veterans might complain about how this game sucks etc. But the fact remains making this game graphical than its predecessor has made millions(hope i m not exaggerating) more appreciate the game. Isnt that what every game developer wants a bigger market. Its pretty simple really bigger market bigger profit.

Tokugawa77

@Kamfrenchie Every review is biased, thats why it is called a "review". It is someone's opinion.

varunvikram1

i am surprised that starcraft 2 having no lan wasnt mentioned.

Kamfrenchie

It is a biased reviews, when people say "some people criticize this aspect of the game but don't listen to them". The truth is, Starcraft 2 bring nothing new, except flashy graphisms that looks wost than Dawn of war 1, and too few interface improvements. The story is poor unless you love the basic hollywood blockbuster movies, and the campaign isn't challenging strategy wise, only apm wise. Bioball + the new unit you get on the missions owns 90% of the missions. And 60 $ on top of that. Starcraft 1 is beter in almost every aspect.

Dark_CyroZ31v

i can't wait to hearth of swarm :D

Renoo27

@BuLL3Tz-_: Do you have the Retribution add-on? I reckon that's where most DOWII players are. But to answer your question, the gameplay in SC2 is wholly traditional. It has resource gathering, base building and tech trees. But it's the best damn game out there with this formula.

justicxprime

@grum88 actually, he has lost a lot of weight and maybe you should focus the review and not his appearance. I bet you yourself are overweight and are just trying to make yourself feel better, if your gonna troll then good for you, but the rest of us don't need to deal with someone who doesn't have any friends or a life and needs to make fun of people just so he can sleep at night.

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