StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty Review

06 Aug 2010 at 13:11:50 by Tim McDonald
Systems used to review this title: (PC)

StarCraft 2 is a terrifying prospect. In the 12 years since StarCraft was released (yes, it really has been that long) we've seen all sorts of changes hit the real-time strategy genre. Emphasis on hero units! Control points! Squad focus! Cover systems! Morale!

StarCraft 2 does none of these things. In a way it's the ultimate retro RTS, with emphasis on the word “ultimate.” Rather than adding in new systems, Blizzard has wisely polished the RTS which remains a multiplayer staple in the West to this day, and which sparked off a massive pro-gaming scene in South Korea.

That's not to say that there's nothing new. The biggest changes of all come in the single-player campaign which focuses on the Terran faction and, more specifically, Jim Raynor's rebellion against the corrupt government he helped put into power in the first game. If you don't know your Zerg (slimy biological abominations bound to offend aesthetes) from your Protoss (ancient, psionic, and technologically advanced) then worry not: the installer provides a helpful summary of the backstory thus far, and the campaign itself introduces old characters and concepts in such a way that those who've little knowledge of what transpired in the first entry won't feel left out.

Outside of missions, the majority of the action in single-player takes place on Raynor's battlecruiser, the Hyperion, with players free to wander four primary areas of the ship. The Cantina lets players hire mercenaries, catch up on current events through the heavily-propagandised government news channel, listen to southern rock on the jukebox, or play through a complete Lost Viking arcade shooter. The Armory provides access to an upgrade terminal for individual units and buildings, the Laboratory lets you use Protoss artifacts and Zerg tissue samples to unlock powerful new units and abilities, and the Bridge provides you with a choice between available missions. Plot-centric characters wander all of these areas, and in a manner reminiscent of Wing Commander, you can chat to any or all of them to hear their thoughts on the missions at hand. 

This all plays a far more important role than it might sound. While the characters are admittedly cliched and a little dull, the choices you make in the Armory and the Laboratory have a huge impact on the way you'll play out further missions. Deciding what to spend your hard-earned credits or research points on is an enjoyably agonising experience – would you rather have your Missile Turrets launch an extra missile every time they fire, or would you prefer your Siege Tanks to do less friendly fire damage? On the lower difficulties, these upgrades gives players the opportunity to keep their preferred strategies viable by upgrading their favorite units; on the highest, they're terrifying decisions with huge ramifications for your survival chances on the missions to come.

And the missions themselves are something special. StarCraft 2's single-player mission design is far and away the best I've seen in any RTS, with each providing unique challenges. While “destroy the enemy base” and “defend for X minutes” make appearances, most have a twist on the formula. One mission has you fight your way across the map while desperately staying one step ahead of an encroaching wall of flame, forcing you to destroy each enemy outpost rapidly and then use the resources there to set up your next attack. Another, set on a planet with a five minute day/night cycle, has you spend the “safe” daylight time burning down infested villages, while at night you hunker down and defend against massive waves of zombie-like foes. These are tied to Blizzard's achievements system, too, providing incentive to go back and try beating the missions in different ways (like destroying a certain number of buildings during the night, in the aforementioned infestation mission.) And did I mention that based on your choices, three missions will always be locked off in any given playthrough? The campaign is not only the most enjoyable RTS campaign out there, but it's impressively replayable.

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