When Warcraft III was first announced, I was excited at the prospect of playing an updated version of my favorite RTS of all time, Warcraft II. I enjoyed Starcraft, and thought the improvements in that game were incredible, but I have a love for fantasy. I am a swashbuckling, dragon slaying, spell casting, sword slinging hero through and through. That is why Warcraft was always my pick over Starcraft. I was looking forward to many of the same improvements, such as unit queuing, bigger group sizes, and the like being in Warcraft III. I felt the hero feature was going to be a great addition, and was thrilled at the prospect of a hybrid blend of the RPG and RTS genres. All of that, combined with the promise of six (!) playable races. That was enough to have me anxiously awaiting this game. Then the delays came, along with news that by the time the game would hit shelves, it would be down to four races. Also announced was the restructuring of the RPG elements in the game. I began to fear the worst. Would the game be as good without the extra races? Would it still blend all of the elements together into a masterful game? The answer quite simply, is yes. Warcraft III is easily the best RTS game I have ever played. It ranks up there with the best games I have ever played. Starting with the first single player mission, and continuing on through the end of the final campaign, I was hooked. Warcraft III manages to keep you hooked. The story in the single player campaigns is top notch. The character development is absolutely amazing. The heroes definitely seem real, but at the same time are larger than life. This is evident by the end of the first campaign. Blizzard's team has created characters that you will come to identify with. You will love them, or hate them, but you will feel for them. It's amazing. The story is wound together through Blizzard's trademark rendered cut scenes. These are high quality, and it's easy to see why they released a DVD with these on it. Graphically the game looks very nice. Bright colors are mixed beautifully in the fantasy setting to give the game an extremely pleasing look. New to the series is the ability to zoom in and out on the map, thanks to the new 3D engine. Spell effects look good, and all of the units in the game are modeled very well. The game play is top notch. Large battles can definitely get hectic, but the designers have done everything imaginable to make things easy for the player. From group hotkeys, to sub groups within groups, it is all in there. After some practice, you will be slaying enemies, casting spells, healing your units, raising dead units, and using your hero abilities all in the blink of an eye. Sound is another bright spot for Warcraft III. I thought the music was great, especially in the cut scenes. It really gives you a feel of what the emotion is supposed to be. Sadness, fear, tension, anger, and hatred are all represented beautifully through the soundtrack. Music aside, the sound effects are also done well, though nothing there that will blow you away. The trademark Blizzard humor is in though. Continually select the same unit and you will receive a number of different witty comments. Multiplayer is done through Blizzards online service, Battle.net. It's been very stable in my experience, and has a great matchmaking system that pairs you with someone of equal playing experience. There are multiple ways to play, and you can choose to play in sanction, ranked games, or in custom games that aren't ranked. Clans are also supported, further encouraging Blizzard's online community. All of this combined makes the game an incredible value, and the online component gives it a great deal of replayability. However, Blizzard has seen fit to ship the game with an editor, so the legions of fans can create their own content. The editor is also well done, providing the means to create anything from custom maps, to whole campaigns complete with cut scenes and the like. This adds even more to the replayability of the game, as there are tons of downloads available now. Warcraft III is definitely worth the money, and it may be in that small number of games that I would classify as "must-own". If you are a RTS fan, an RPG fan, or just a gaming fan in general, go get this game. If it's late, go to a 24 hour superstore and get it. You'll be up all night playing anyway.
Other Helpful Reviews for WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos
I don't have words to describe this game. It's by far the best RTS game ever made and even after almost 4 years since its release, it continues to draw fans from around the world. This isn't a GS recommended game for not... Read Full Review
This game is legendary, extraordinary and most of all, enjoyable. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a real-time strategy game which beats most of the other games in its genre, by presenting great gameplay and an interestin... Read Full Review
