StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

A ton of great RTS titles have released since StarCraft: Brood War, but despite all the great campaigns we’ve played since then, StarCraft II: Wing of Liberty still manages to make every mission feel exciting and fresh. Strangers to RTS titles shouldn’t be daunted by StarCraft II. The singleplayer campaign eases newcomers into the game gracefully, but still offers interesting twists for RTS veterans with unique objectives and special scenarios.

Somehow, Blizzard has managed to make StarCraft II feel instantly familiar, while still keeping the entire game feeling fresh and new. The single-player is ridiculously fun, the multiplayer is as addictive as hell, and virtually every new mechanic Blizzard has introduced has helped to improve the game. There are some minor flaws that prevent the game from being completely perfect, but I can guarantee right now that StarCraft II is going to be one of the best games released this year.

If judged solely on its failure to resolve its story, Wings of Liberty could have been a disappointment. But with a production so carefully thought out, masterfully designed, and flawlessly executed, it's impossible to come away from the game with a negative impression. Starcraft II is the sequel that we've been waiting for. Even if it means waiting another few years to see how all the chips fall, it's definitely apparent that Blizzard has crafted a sequel worth all the energy we spent pining for it over the last decade.

StarCraft 2 didn't change the formula because it didn't need to. This isn't just a fresh coat of paint on StarCraft, it is StarCraft, right down to its pixelated bones. It's proof that games don't have to be disposable, that some games are so creative and balanced and fun that they don't go out of style or disappear over the years. Some games, it turns out, really are timeless.

StarCraft II expertly walks the line between remaining faithful to its design legacy and evolving everything about itself that can evolve without fundamentally changing what the game is. I'm so enamored with it that this review is now officially getting in the way of playing more of it, so I'll just say in closing that anyone with even a passing interest in real-time strategy games should absolutely give Wings of Liberty a look. There's a good reason the original StarCraft persisted for over a decade, and its sequel is fully equipped to pick up the torch and carry on for at least as long.

Blizzard wasn't trying to do anything drastically different with StarCraft II. Much of the core gameplay of the original has been preserved, yet with plenty of tweaks, additional units and new abilities for veteran players to toy with and devise new approaches to competitive battles. Anyone intimidated by the notion of playing against live opponents will find a lot to enjoy, with a fantastically presented single-player campaign featuring impressively varied mission design supported by a memorable, though often cheesy, cast of characters.

The genius of StarCraft II is that these decisions rest in the very framework of how the game is played. By playing the missions, you embody Jim Raynor and decide where to place your resources and how to accomplish your goals. StarCraft II is not an open-ended experience, it is, in fact, fairly railroaded as modern games go, but it never feels like your decisions are meaningless. How you play, how effective you are as a battlefield general, matters.

Both the single and multiplayer parts of StarCraft II have legs, and each stand strong on their own: combine them in one package and you're getting an awful lot of game for your money. StarCraft II can be daunting, distressing and demanding but it's one of the richest and most expertly produced video games of recent years. StarCraft II is a shot in the arm for the RTS genre, filling a void that's been left dormant for far too long - about 12 years, actually. StarCraft is dead. Long live StarCraft.

Starcraft II would stand on its own as a true gem, providing strategy veterans with a tournament-focused online package while easing newcomers in with easier difficulty levels, offline challenges, and even a friendly introduction to competitive play. The campaign's focus on the Terrans and a few scattered inconveniences aren't great nuisances--not in an RTS as outstanding as this one. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is not just an old game with a pretty new face. It's a varied and full-featured jewel that will keep you stuck to your computer chair for weeks, months, and even years to come.

ome games contain a brilliance that is difficult to capture in words. Braid's greatness, for instance, lies in suggesting emotion to our minds and challenging us to interpret it how we will. StarCraft II is anything but that sort of enigmatic, subjective experience. This is a sublimely engineered game with a simple, elegant core design and all of the rough edges ground away.

And, more to the point, because millions will thoroughly enjoy StarCraft II regardless, thanks to a dense, thrilling, relentlessly clever and class-leading campaign adventure that takes this RTS to the masses in spite of itself. It might be less than half this sumptuous package, but it's a lot more game than almost anything else.

In the end StarCraft II didn’t go changing on us in the fundamentals, and that’s perhaps the greatest feature Blizzard could ever have included. What works, works and StarCraft nailed it back in 1998 and StarCraft II: Wings if Liberty nails it here and now in 2010. Please sir, can I have some more?

La misma supremacía de la que hablábamos al principio y la importancia de las raices del título original son a la vez el derecho y el motivo que Blizzard ha tenido para presentar un producto que no hace evolucionar el género en casi ningún aspecto, pero que sin embargo es uno de los títulos más pulidos y perfectos que ha dado esta generación. El mayor logro de StarCraft II es invisible y se encuentra en ese balance perfecto que consigue que hasta perder una y otra vez las batallas sea divertido. Esta es la clave de un título que bien podría considerarse como el ajedrez del siglo XXI.

Hay montones de efectos, explosiones, movimientos de vehículos, rayos de todos los colores, partículas volando en todas direcciones y sucesos ocurriendo simultáneamente. Nada de eso suele ralentizar el engine gráfico de Starcraft en nuestro equipo de pruebas y eso que hemos llegado a acumular unidades por doquier en mitad del mapeado para tratar de estresarlo al máximo. Lo cierto es que estamos ante un espectáculo visual muy digno de admirar por su fluidez y por lo estiloso que resulta.

radicional a más no poder, las batallas que presenta, el impresionante apartado multijugador con el que cuenta y la apasionante historia que narra, son sólo algunos de los elementos que lo van a mantener en nuestros equipos -y seguro que en el de millones de usuarios más en todo el mundo-, durante muchísimo tiempo. Es cierto que StarCraft II no es perfecto porque tiene sus fallitos, pero qué queréis que os digamos, éstos no son capaces de hacer sombra al aluvión de sensaciones positivas que transmite el juego nada más darle a Iniciar Partida.

Si Starcraft II : Wings of Liberty était une unité, alors ce serait justement un Terran. Retranchée derrière ses certitudes comme un Marine à l’abri dans son bunker, cette suite perpétue des mécaniques de jeu éprouvées en dosant prudemment chaque nouveauté afin de ne pas déséquilibrer une formule qui a fait ses preuves. Pourtant, il faut avouer qu’une fois de plus, Blizzard remporte haut la main son pari : si Starcraft II n’invente rien, il risque pourtant de marquer le genre de son empreinte tant il se révèle jouissif à pratiquer.

Blizzard aime jouer avec nos nerfs, on le sait, mais l'attente en valait une nouvelle fois la peine. Si presque tous les superlatifs (excepté ceux pouvant évoquer sa durée de vie, correcte, sans plus) siéent à la campagne solo de StarCraft II : Wings of Liberty, on ne pourra malgré tout pas s'empêcher de penser au découpage inopportun en trois volets qui nous prive d'une aventure complète.

A concepção de todo o produto como a primeira parte de uma trilogia levanta algumas objecções a certos pontos da narrativa, mas a aposta na variedade e na constante introdução de novidades asseguram que o jogo consegue manter o seu apelo ao longo das dezenas de horas de duração da campanha. Juntando-se a isto o zelo com que a Blizzard abordou a questão do multi-jogador - disponibilizando as ferramentas para que qualquer pessoa consiga realmente usufruir deste - e a qualidade inegável da experiência, Starcraft II apresenta-se como um produto que merece a atenção de qualquer interessado no género.

La parte grafica e il sonoro fanno anch'essi la loro parte, con una resa complessiva decisamente sopra le righe; aggiungete al tutto che il gioco è stato completamente tradotto in italiano in ogni sua parte e potrete davvero comprendere appieno gli sforzi profusi da Blizzard per non lasciare niente al caso. StarCraft II ribadisce con forza che il successo non deve passare forzatamente attraverso l'innovazione ossessiva e che le dinamiche sviluppate all'epoca del primo episodio richiedevano unicamente di essere limate per avvicinarsi ancora di più alla perfezione.

Det var nu ganska precis 49 timmar sedan jag startade Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty och efter 22 svettiga speltimmar har jag nått slutsekvensen, med skinnet i behåll. Det har varit en grymt underhållande resa genom ett bekant landskap av Blizzards mest beprövade ingredienser. Visst saknar jag att kunna spela som Zerg och visst saknar jag en gnutta mer nytänkande i utbudet av krigsfordon... i övrigt är detta ett superbt strategispel som på bästa sätt ger de gamla fansen exakt vad de har längtat efter i tolv års tid.