Starcraft 2

    Starcraft was a RTS game that was released back in 1998, as well as its big release expansion: StarCraft BroodWar. After a long period of silence we finally get to experience its long-awaited sequel, Starcraft II.

Developed and produced by Blizzard Entertainment, who has also developed the Diablo and Warcraft series, they return to finish the sequel to one of the biggest e-sport games in Korea. With its graphics overhauled, new units and mechanics, Starcraft II has done a fantastic job in keeping the same taste and feel when it comes to its ultimate gameplay action.

Let's begin with its cutting-edge storyline.

           So to give a basic outline of the Starcraft universe it is about the human Terrans who are always having civil war and have a rebellion force while there are the alien race of the Zerg (not buzz lightyears arch nemesis), who are a infectious race of alien who infest and destroy whole planets in the blink of an eye. Finally there are the Protoss who are the advanced aliens who take it upon themselves to rid the galaxy of all zerg and if the terran get in the way they will not hesitate to destroy them. The storyline for this game is very well done and follows the lore very well. You are Jim Raynor who used to be a deputy marshal on the planet Mar Sara. Who then witnessed the betrayal of the one person who he cared for and she gets taken by the Zerg and transforms in the Queen of Blades. You want to get revenge on the man responsible for the betrayal and bring down then entire dominion. There are several story lines you follow through the pace of the game either it be collecting artifacts or intercepting dominion supply trains you will have a good bit of missions to do at a time. There are a couple missions where you need to  make a moral decision on what is going to happen and this will have a minimal effect on the main story but you will get different cut  scenes depending on what decision you do make. All these missions lead up to one big final mission that will not be spoiled here but it is very cool and a good ending. It does not end there though this is only the first installment of the three part Starcraft 2 experience. This is the Terran campaign and the Zerg campaign is to be next with the Heart of the Swarm title.

          So this game is a basic real time strategy game (RTS) where you start out with a base of operations and work your way up a tech tree and try and destroy your opponent. You play as one of three races each one with a very unique play style and units. It takes a lot of strategy and thinking and it heavily rewards good decisions and punishes bad ones. Even when there are mirror match ups (two people playing the same race), it still will have a very different outcome depending on what strategy you decide to implement. With there being a ranked ladder system where you can go online and compete against other players and try and make it the masters league. There is the same ladder system for 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 so just grab some friends and have fun with it. There is also the free for all that is not ranked where it is an eight player game where it is a last man standing. If that is intimidating for you then you can always go on a do custom games where it is not ranked and you just play player made maps that have different rules and such. Like I mentioned in my previous post about the new Blizzard custom maps they add a lot of play ability. So one thing when you get this game you are not just getting the campaign but you also get several hundred other games that come with it through the community. There is a demo available as well if you just want to try it out first. Starcraft 2 Demo.

           This game is for anyone who wants to be competitive because it has a very large community and it can get fierce online as you go through the ladder system. I would not suggest this to someone who gets frustrated with people because there are going to be some lame people you will run in to. However if you can just have fun doing customs or laddering in 2v2's with a friend I recommend you pick this game up. I personally got it launch day and I still play it a good bit. There is always more stuff for me to do and with new strategies appearing all the time I can work on to improve my own skill. Even if I never get to be as professional as some other players it is still a great game with a great community.

          So you can purchase this game at most retail stores where games are sold and you can purchase it online for digital download here so click on that link and just follow it through to get to the order screen. This game is great for both the hardcore gamer and the casual gamer it can run on most machines because it has a very large graphics threshold. It is available for both Mac and PC at $59.99 that is a very high price so I do strongly encourage you to try out the demo first before you pick this game up. This game can turn out to be not for you so I don't want you to put down that much money if your not sure. However it is a great game with a great community and worth it if that is important to you. Ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them good luck and happy hunting.


**Intro by Ironman  A member of the Starcraft II community