Your Second Life: StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Published by: Blizzard Entertainment
Developed by: Blizzard Entertainment
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Number of Players: 1-8
Release Date:
US: July 27, 2010
Japan: July 9, 2010
MSRP: $59.99
T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
Also Available On: Macintosh, Macintosh

My rating: 10/10 (10 out of 10)

General rating: 8.5/10 (8.5 out of 10)

Just a heads up about this game review; its going to be quite biased since I love this game and I am a big RTS and MMORPG player and I have played in several tournaments for both of these game genres. So with that in mind lets start this review.

If you've played Starcraft and the expansion Starcraft: Broodwar when they came out then first: you are old, and second: you might be a fan and thus have been waiting for this game to come out for some time. Now I know this review is coming out even though Starcraft 2 has been out for quite some time now but that doesn't change the fact that some less than die hard fans have still not bought this game and might still be "on the fence" about purchasing it.

A few things to note about Starcraft 2:

1) It requires internet connection to play (if you want achievements)

2) It requires a Battle-net account

This campaign for Starcraft 2 is a continuation of the story from Starcraft and Starcraft: Broodwar. I won't give away any spoilers since some people might not have played Starcraft and Starcraft: Broodwar and thus do not know of the epic story.

For those of you that favor the online multi-player scene then you shall not be disappointed or forgotten. Online play is huge with around 170,000 players and quite competitive with a ladder and league system. If you aren't then have no fear since Blizzard has been very creative and has a custom game option where you can play vs. the A.I. or even on a bunch of player created maps.

Some computers might have problems running this game with its best graphics offered but others won't and will be able to experience some of the best death animations ever made. It doesn't take too much away from the gameplay though unless you are a serious graphics "Nazi". The story line for the campaign is very nice, and leaves you wanting more, but the only problem is that you only have the option to play Terrans. Apparently there are expansions that will be coming out later for Zerg and Protoss. ($$$$ for Blizzard eh?)

Pros:

1) Continuation of one of the greatest games in history

2) Great Story line

3) Great multi-player

4) Awesome custom maps and games by fellow online players

4) Graphics are great if you computer can handle it

Cons:

1) $60 (less now) for a game is not cheap

2) Requires internet connection for achievements (there are ones for multi-player and campaign)

3) Multi-player still isn't fully balanced but everything takes time

4!) Multi-player is region locked. (If you buy a North American version then you play with other NA players, EU for EU, and Korean/Asian for Asian regions) If you want to play with other people you will have to buy more than one account. Blizzard does offer a one time region shift but after that they won't help you.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To buy, rent, or leave on shelf?

Its a buy for me. If you played Starcraft and Starcraft: Broodwar and want to know what happens in the rest of the story then still pick it up. If you love RTS games then yes buy it, they even have a collectors edition for those die-hard fans (It comes with a bunch of stuff and I'll have price links to that and the regular version so you can see)

Best places to buy Starcraft 2:

1) Amazon.com , Newegg.com, Bestbuy.com ($49.99)

2) Walmart ($55.99)

3) Target, Apple Store (probably just MAC version) ($59.99)

Best places to buy Starcraft 2: Collectors edition

*StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition Features:

The Art of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, a 176-page book featuring artwork from the game
An exclusive 2GB USB flash drive replica of Jim Raynor's dog tag, which comes preloaded with the original StarCraft and theStarCraft: Brood War expansion set
A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, cinematics with director's commentary, and more
The official StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty soundtrack CD, containing 14 epic tracks from the game along with exclusive bonus tracks
StarCraft comic book issue #0, a prequel to the comic series
A World of Warcraft mini Thor in-game pet that can be applied to all World of Warcraft characters on a single Battle.net account
Exclusive Battle.net downloadable content, including special portraits for your Battle.net profile, decals to customize your units in-game, and a visually unique version of the terran Thor unit