In 1998, StarCraft told the story of three races in conflict, and it went a little something like this... The Terrans - human colonists - are torn apart by civil war and find themselves stuck in the middle of a war between the Protoss and the Zerg. The Protoss and the Zerg are enhanced alien races given an evolutionary leg-up by a meddling super-race called the Xel'Naga.
The Protoss gained psionic powers that singularly failed to stop them from waging civil war, while the Zerg were given advanced parasitic powers, turning them into a hive-like plague, wiping out or infesting everything in their path.
It was the combat between these three very different races that was the basis of StarCraft, and it was the fine balance between their very different modes of combat that made it so breathtakingly unique. StarCraft had an elaborately constructed universe, finely tuned combat and a cracking story. It was, without crawling too far up Blizzard's arse, the greatest RTS of its time, and if you can suffer the dated graphics, it's still among the best.
By revealing the game in Seoul, Korea, the master tacticians at Blizzard chose the friendliest ground possible for their announcement. That said, it was interesting to note the tone of the crowd, after the initial hooting and cheering died down.
Occasionally a suspicious or aggressive question would emerge, made more blankly hostile by the translation. In short, I witnessed the birth of a nerd-fury.
You see, Korean gamers love StarCraft - it's part of their regular TV scheduling for god's sake - and they've had nearly ten years to imagine how they'd change it if they were king. Now the sequel is real, this nascent reality is fighting against a decade of fantasy. The atmosphere at the event was equal parts excitement, nervousness and resentment - it was like The Phantom Menace all over again.
So, let's ask the questions the Koreans are asking, because their demands are going to have a huge impact on what Blizzard end up providing. Will the adherence to Korean expectations stifle the innovation - the 'big new feature' that we fickle Westerners demand? Will Korean gamers reject the sequel as a reinvention of chess, or will it eventually displace the original game, and cause the gaming TV channels to suddenly look like they're in the right decade?
Fourth Race? This came up again and again; the Koreans definitely want another race. There was much speculation about the Protoss/Zerg hybrid race mentioned in the first game, but no - playable races will remain limited to the Protoss, Zerg and Terrans. The emphasis will instead be on making the three races even more distinct, to make each set of tactics more varied.
How about radical changes to the gameplay then? Again, no. There's still no naval combat. There's still the simple 'minerals and gas' resource management, and the 50/50 division between resources and combat. Blizzard are going out of their way to distance themselves from the 'big new feature' kind of showmanship, instead focusing on developing the features that made the first game so strong.
That said, small tweaks with larger ramifications abound. There's no longer a limit on the amount of selectable items, for example, and the fog of war applies to higher ground - but it's still identifiably and defiantly StarCraft.
New Units Take a deep breath. Aware of the tactical and visual chaos that ensues from simply slinging more and more stuff at a game, StarCraft II is being kept lean. For every new unit, an old unit must bow out. The victims of this cull will be determined by whether or not they're part of the 'essence' of StarCraft. So, Zealots, Siege Tanks and Zerglings are safe, and given new powers. Many other units, however, will face forced redundancy. Lead designer Dustin Browder took us through the demo video, which showcased the new Protoss fleet. Here's a quick summary...
First you've got the Protoss Immortals - slow-moving heavy assault units, with a shield that activates automatically when under heavy fire. In combating them, you'll want to use units with lower firepower, as they won't activate the shield. The high ground is even more important now, because the fog of war is 3D too; gaining a hilltop vantage will allow you to attack your enemy unseen.
The Protoss Stalkers are mean-looking harassment units, and have the ability to 'blink' - teleport to you and me - anywhere in visual range. Send a probe up that hill and you've got yourself blinking access, plus some great purchase to rain down invisible hell on your opponent.
Blinking is a great example of a basic move that offers more devastating possibilities the better you are at the game. You or I might use blink to run away from an infestation of Zerglings, or to run away when we realise we're hopelessly outclassed.
However, Blizzard anticipate that pro gamers will use the ability to pick off enemy units that would easily win if left to fight without intervention. Seeing the tide of combat changed by this ability was one of the things that made the crowd gasp most audibly.
Tune in at the weekend for the second and concluding part of the StarCraft II feature.
lol - that game won't need an upgrade to play - look how dated it already looks - is that really the WC3 engine?
Still, looks aren't particularly important in an RTS I realise, and the Koreans will have endless orgys over it. Good on em, as for me and my house, we will continue to play Supreme Commander and enjoy "next gen" RTS gaming.
This reminds me of Command & Conquer 3. It's very similar to the old games but with a load of new units and a few additions and tweaks to the gameplay.
I find StarCraft to heavy on micro for my tastes. I prefer the mass of Mammoth Tanks tanks rolling across ruined cities with Orcas roaring overhead being attacked by to the squad of space marines on crippled space station with Zerg lurking around, waiting.
Ion Cannons, Kane, The Brotherhood, GDI... oh Jesus C&C is king for me.
sorry to say this i liked starcraft but man look how dated this looks already and its not what most people where looking forward to blizzard BRING ON DIABLO 3
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