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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
The definitive verdict on this year's biggest RTS.
Written by Andy Griffiths, 30 July 2010
Anticipation can be a dangerous thing, let it go unchecked and some of the releases you look forward to the most can be ruined by lofty expectations and unfulfilled potential. Thankfully this sequel from Blizzard is unaffected by that common ailment, because even if you have been following this release since it was announced in 2007, there's still no way you'll be disappointed by StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
This IP has always won plaudits for its active online scene, but first we are going to look at the single-player campaign. Jim Raynor is once again star of the show, with his likeable band of misfits touring around the universe occasionally mixing it up with the Protoss and fighting off Zerg invasions.
The insectoid alien faction is back terrorising human colonies but this time the Queen of Blades, Raynor's former squeeze transformed into a Zerg, is now making the headlines. The entire story hinges on preparing for this momentous showdown, however there are a few x-factors such as the rogue Ghost agent Tosh, strange alien artifacts and Dominion forces occasionally chipping in to take the campaign down unpredictable road.
The story is beautifully communicated by expertly directed cutscenes and amazing voice acting, which adds character and authenticity to the occasionally hammy plot. It's clear that a fair chunk of the development fund has been ploughed into in-engine videos which bookend missions. Like the strategy games of old, this reliance on cinematics to propel the plot is both nostalgic and very effective.
Gameplay wise, strategy mechanics haven't changed with players still asked to harvest resources with the pacifist MCVs, build bases and create new units to aggressively expand throughout the map. Where Blizzard really shift the dynamics are the objectives, with some missions requiring players to steal valuable resources, others to kill enemy forces and strange missions which involve rising hazards or enemies which only come out at night. There's some ingenious design at work here which successfully varies up the twenty-six different missions on offer.
The main hub for the campaign is Raynor's ship, the Hyperion, which is split into four different areas - the Bridge, Cantina, Armoury and Laboratory. Similar to a device used in the classic Wing Commander series, each resembles a static scene with multiple areas to click on to initiate conversations, customise troops, hire new mercenaries or change the soundtrack.
PCGZine Issue 43
For our latest Starcraft 2 coverage, click here to download PCGZine Issue 43 for free.These interactive areas help sell the campaign being set in a living, breathing environment and there's plenty of fantastic detail to immerse yourself in the universe. The Dominion newscasts masked as propaganda send up a well known news channel (you can probably guess) and are the best example of Blizzard adding in something entirely optional, but seamlessly brilliant. There are some aspects of the plot where newbies will be left out in the cold, but nothing is so important that the less experienced amongst you won't know what's going on.
One aspect Blizzard has worked on is making StarCraft much more accessible and Wings of Liberty certainly makes strides with a basic tutorial and a challenge mode for any players looking to make the jump to competitive online play. In our experience don't even think about messing with those scenarios until the campaign has been played through, as the difficulty is frankly intimidating. Each of the optional missions all centre around the minutiae of unit strategy, hot keys and build orders. If anything, these made us a little pessimistic of meeting real players in battle. Any strategy veteran will only really get better by playing others in various 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, or all versus all match variants.
Battle.net is more than ready to accommodate both casual and high level play with a rank-based league structure once players are done messing around with their allotment of practice games, but there's also the option to play against friends or team-up against A.I commanders.
Unsurprisingly everything has been balanced to the nth degree, and like any great competitive experience the thrill isn't just in the winning, but seeing how others have successfully rolled you over. Using the replay system to see how your defeat came about is a breeze and proves an invaluable tool in understanding how strategies are formulated. If you have enough patience to stick with the steeper than steep learning curve, there's some great fun to be had here, but it is still a massive commitment, a kin to learning finishers in Street Fighter or owning foes on De_Dust in Counterstrike: Source.
Unlike the campaign, all three StarCraft II factions are playable and there's plenty of maps to get your teeth into. The powerful editor packed with the game promises a deluge of content in the future as well.
At its core Wings of Liberty is still the same StarCraft experience many would expect. It won't win over any haters, but those that think the strategy genre has lost its way would do well to check this sequel out. Yes there's the sneaky business of splitting up the single player campaign into three succinct parts, with Protoss and Zerg expansions available at a later date, but there's so much on offer here, even the sternest critic can't complain.
Not the RTS revolution many expected but still flawlessly executed and unashamedly polished. A must buy!
SCORE: 95%
Starcraft 2 coverage available in PCGZine Issue 43 - click here to download it for free!
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