Best Seller Series: Starcraft

Manufacturer:	Vivendi Universal
Release date:	05 May, 2003

Best Seller Series: Starcraft

Average rating: Stars

The Best Strategy Game Now and Forever

Chess has been around for centuries because of its depth and strategy. Monopoly, some decades.

StarCraft BroodWar will be that computer game that you've tucked away in the closet, and upon finding it dust-covered, you'll reinstall it and play it again and again.

Best Seller Series: Starcraft - Vivendi Universal

GET IT

If you have any doubt about getting this game, drop those doubts and get it. First of all, this is one of the cheapest online games in the world nowadays. Get it. You WILL thank me.

Vivendi Universal - Best Seller Series: Starcraft

GREAT GAME

Starcraft, produced in 1998 by Blizzard Entertainment, is still as popular as it has ever been with thousands of players still playing it on Battlenet. When it was released in 1998, it was an instant hit, selling over 1.5 million copies that year and receiving numerous awards. The game play isn't revolutionary in the real-time strategy (RTS) genre, following closely to the blueprint of its predecessors, Warcraft and Warcraft II, but it's still a well-crafted game, offering hours of entertainment.
The storyline in Starcraft is compelling, leaving the gamer craving more after each mission is completed. The graphics are two-dimensional, lacking, the rotational option in the newer RTS games, Warcraft III and Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War, but it's still impressive even with today's standards. The buildings and units are well-crafted and detailed. The cut scenes are captivating with their excellent animation and voice acting. The music is dark and melodic, which is appropriate for this game.
The single player campaign offers 30 missions, split evenly between the three warring factions, Protoss, Zerg and Terran. The three campaigns can be played in any order but the recommended order is Terran, Zerg and then Protoss. This is because the difficult of each campaign increases and the storyline also follows that order.
Each race is completely unique from the others, containing different units, build orders, and playing styles, but they are still well balanced. Each Zerg unit isn't particular strong, but they are agile and the cost of building each one is relatively inexpensive so players are able to mass many of them. Zerg buildings are living organisms so they cannot be repaired, but instead they have regenerative abilities. The Protoss units are strong, but that strength comes with a price, so each unit should be valued. Protoss structures, unlike the other two races, are teleported in, making building faster. Terran units are a mix of Zerg and Protoss, not particularly strong, and moderately expensive. Large Terran buildings have the ability to lift and relocate, which is useful when moving to another mineral patch, or escaping from an onslaught.
The single-player campaigns are interesting and offer hours of entertainment, but for most players, the single-player campaign is just training for the multiplayer games. Players can play against each over local area networks (LAN), direct connect, modem, TCP/IP or over the internet using Blizzard's free Battle.net servers.
Battle.net is an online community where thousands of Starcraft players go everyday to chat and play. There are many different chat rooms for players to communicate ranging from technical support, to gaming strategies. Players can create their own game or join an existing game. Each game can contain up to 8 players. The artificial intelligence (AI) for Starcraft is impressive, but it's nothing compared to playing another human player, who can think, deceive and exploit weaknesses. Most "newbies" playing over Battlenet will be defeated with the infamous "rush," strategy where players quickly build several units to attack the opponent before he/she is prepared. The games come with a replay option at the end so players can review their games and learn from their mistakes. With time, players can learn how to stop the "rush."
Starcraft isn't only limited to head-to-head games. There are a variety of maps and games ranging from free-for-all, to using map setting (UMS). Players even have the ability to create their own maps using Starcraft's easy to use campaign editor. Players can modify an existing map or they can create a whole new map from scratch.
For those who loved the single-player campaign, they can continue with 24 new single player missions in the expansion, Starcraft: Brood Wars. The game play and feel of Brood Wars is exactly the same as Starcraft and the story picks up where Starcraft left off. There are also seven new units in Brood Wars: corsairs, dark templars, and dark archons for the Protoss, valkyrie and medics for the Terrans, and lurkers and devourer for the Zerg.
Though a bit dated, Starcraft is still an excellent RTS game. With its well-designed game play and its excellent visual and sound, it is one reason why it is still the standard by which newer RTS games are compared to. For those new to RTS games, Starcraft is the perfect gateway into the newer RTS games, and for those who love RTS games, Starcraft is a must play.