Good-bye innovative, large-scale warfare RTS, hello C&C derivative. Talk about dumbing down to reach the masses...
Unfortunately, SC 2 is for 3rd graders, instead of decently intelligent adults. They obviously made this game for the express purpose of reaching out to as many short-term interested teens in North America as possible rather than expanding on their much deeper, much larger game-style from SC1.
Cons - Just about everything. From the bright graphics (what military in any world, ever, would paint their units in as much anti-camo as these are?) to the smaller maps (Seton's Clutch anyone? must be a quarter the SC 1 size) to the "Experimentals" (I refuse to write that word regarding this game in anything besides quotes. Super-units that take a whole 2 minutes and rather minimal resources to build are not "Experimental" in any version of the word).
Pros - The research thing, I thought, was a neat idea. They honestly tried to fix the issue of tiered units from SC 1 and it was decently thought out. The idea of building one unit and then upgrading it several times is innovative. I like it, but it was done poorly. They should have had different trees that you could follow, but would cancel the other ones, thus providing unique units in the later game that could be different than your opponents (unless you both fought exactly the same way, obviously)
Cons within the Pro - Too bad the research is absurdly easy to complete quickly and makes this almost completely pointless as an actual strategy, i.e. - Fast produce tech to overpower the rusher you're currently fighting. Yes, you can fast-produce tech, but the rusher can as well, thus negating any evil giggles you thought you would have when your super tank took out his horde of loser tanks.
As soon as I started playing this game, I got some serious C&C de-ja vu. I had really hoped SC2 would bring massive maps and units requiring strategy and planning to the mainstream of the RTS genre. Instead of being the leader, they jumped on the bandwagon and produced another average RTS that brought one badly-built innovative idea in and proclaimed themselves as a new-think company. 45$ badly spent, and now I'm stuck waiting until June for RUSE without a decent new RTS to play.
Monstrously disappointing...