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Written by: David Entin
In the same vein that chess would be considered a sport, Starcraft must also fit the mold, although it had the good decency to amend its title to E-Sport. And the title is not one loosely earned; now 12 years after release, it still sees massive player volume at all hours of the day, a boast not even Halo 3 can match. Blizzard Entertainment is the firm behind Starcraft, Diablo, and the oversaturated Warcraft titles, and without fail, they release critically and commercially lauded classics. Starcraft 2 was first proudly teased, then the development house released concepts and sample videos out of loyalty to one of the strongest fan bases in the world, and now, only a season or two from anticipated release, Starcraft 2 is in beta.
The purpose of the beta is to hone and refine the title from quality to perfection, and with millions of play testers running endless strategies supported by innumerable hardware configurations, the game is bubbling with potential. I was lucky enough to be passed on a key for the beta and took on play as eagerly as any other 12-year Starcraft fan would.
The nostalgic familiarity brings a smile to the face. The game has sprouted a third dimension and unit animations, strategies have been expanded, and the classic soundtracks for each playable race have been replaced, yet the end result is undeniably Starcraft.
The three races of Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg have returned with a plethora of new units and a refined and uniquely tailored visual look. The Terrans are the humans and feel efficiently utilitarian, with plumes of smoke and powerful yet purposeless motion in their units. The Protoss are a dignified and religious alien race that demonstrate grace and discipline and come with a polished sheen. As for the fearsome, insect-like Zerg, the entirely biological race demonstrates a disgusting organic growth that genuinely feels unstoppable when massed together.
The units are the game’s highlight, with vastly unique troops operating in highly specified disciplines, and always leaving the player with the good sense to scout with the advantage. The characters are imbued with humor and charm.
Yes, even the insects are likeable to a degree.
The Terran race has always been a personal favorite, with most of their characters filling the quasi-space hick personality trend. They have clueless yokels piloting massive machines of war, with the notably hilarious exception of the Schwarzenegger inspired pilot of the massive walking tank: The Thor.
The ebb and flow of skirmishes are perfect, with small engagements taking glancing blows at one another, while massive clashes play out with all the fiery and chaotic fury they possess. The game is still undergoing thorough balancing, and with the patches up to 10, the changes are beginning to feel less extreme and more cosmetic, suggesting that we just might be seeing this incredibly promising title on store shelves in the coming months.
Starcraft 2 has left an unending excitement within me. Despite the notable slowdown that I experienced on the Bentley laptops, the title runs on decent graphical settings with only minor slowdown occurring during moments of extensive activity on the battlefield. Look out for the closing of the beta, which will be one of the final steps before the long overdue release of the successor to one of the most popular games ever made.
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