Starcraft II: First Impressions

That's right, I'm an official Starcraft 2 beta tester.  I don't have as much time to burn as I did with Starcraft 1 (to say nothing of Warcraft, WCII, or WCIII), but I spared a few minutes to poke around.  Many things I like, but some I don't.

This game's first problem is it has very big shoes to fill.  Starcraft 1 remains the greatest computer game ever made.  You can qualify by saying best realtime strategy game, but you really don't need to bother.  The tight gameplay, perfect balance, endless replayability, and sheer entertainment of the game has never been matched.

The game had soul.  The units didn't just speak, they talked back.  And if you bugged them, they made their annoyance clear.  This was a habit that started with Warcraft II but took on a whole new dimension in Starcraft.  The terrain, the units, and their voices all combined to create a unique feel.  You felt you were standing on a backwater space colony surrounded by space hicks, and they knew you were about to send them into combat.

The problem began with Warcraft III, when Blizzard took a new direction.  They polished the hell out of that game, and there was a lot more glitter on the screen, and they certainly made an effort to make each unit individual and fun.  But the entire thing seemed too . . . cartoony.  The truth is that Warcraft has always had a goofier feel than Starcraft.  Starcraft was always meant to represent a grittier and sassier world view.

The problem, however, is that Starcraft 2 feels like Warcraft III in space.  That's a funny criticism because people said the exact same thing about Starcraft 1 and Warcraft 2.  The Starcraft 1 beta had the same goofy, childish feel as Warcraft 2.  It wasn't until Blizzard had the courage to strike out in a new direction that they created a masterpiece.

Now, history seems to be repeating itself, in a bad way.  In Starcraft 1, marines shuffled through foreboding valleys and goliaths clomped alongside.  In Starcraft 2, marines flounce and the new thor unit trots like a pony on its hind legs.  Everyone seems too excited to be there.  It mimics the original, but doesn't channel it.

That being said, there's plenty of good.  Just like WCIII, the world is lush and rich.  The camera zooms in to give you an immersive view that SC fans could only dream about before.  As always, there is superb attention to detail.  Every unit has clever rants that simultaneously reflect who they are and channel the game's roots.  The marine wonders aloud why no one ever seems to come back to the barracks.  The siege tank driver is still waiting to drop the hammer, and dispense indiscriminate justice.

As promised, many of the units are familiar (marines, siege tanks, and battle cruisers), but there are enough new additions that I'm going to have to re-learn my tactics.  It was like coming back to an old friend - a friend who grew up and is now in a famous rock band.  And yes, he can get you tickets.  It's comforting and thrilling at the same time.

 
(The gang's all here, with some new friends.  Notice battle cruiser captain is now smoking a pipe.  For some reason that seems familiar.)

Tragically, the beta doesn't include the single player.  That means no gorgeous cinematics or gentle learning curve.  I guess they want to focus on multiplayer balance right now.  I've never been as big a fan of battle.net multiplayer.  It's not that I don't like sniveling 12 year olds with no social skills who get picked on all day and decide to seek revenge against society by being jackasses online.  Oh wait, that's exactly why I don't like battle.net.  Ah well.

Technically, the game is still very rough around the edges.  At first, the beta wouldn't install because I was trying to install it on a different hard drive.  (I have good reasons for wanting to do this, and it's not like the game tried to stop me - it just broke.)  And battle cruisers don't fly over buildings, they fly through them.  Even WCIII didn't have that problem.  Finally, most of the graphics look gorgeous, but there are some noticeable exceptions, like the pixelated shrubbery.  But I'm sure these problems will all work themselves out.  That's why there's a beta test.

Bottom line: I'm more excited about this game than anything from the last ten years.  I'm older now, and more responsible, with a lot less free time.  It'll be interesting to see how I manage to re-immerse myself in this fantastic world.

I'll be sure to keep you posted.

J<