In the last five years Blizzard has had a cascade of top grossing award winning games, the second last of which was Starcraft. This game was a phenomenon in and of itself, selling upwards of 1.5 million copies worldwide (according to Blizzard’s press release), and took real-time strategy/resource management gaming to new heights. This blockbuster game has now made its way to the smiley-faced screens of the Mac, complete with a one-button interface. Ground-Breaking Starcraft was (and is) truly a groundbreaking game, not because it was the most technically or graphically advanced game (although it was close), but because it combined every aspect of gameplay into one great package while adding a few new wrinkles to tantilize hardcore gamers. These ‘wrinkles’ were the true hook into the Starcraft universe, because they provided the next level of strategy/resource management gaming. One of these so-called ‘wrinkles’ was the inclusion of three distinct races, which was a huge gamble because properly balancing gameplay for three races had never been properly achieved before in this genre (at least as far as I know). The other very impressive element of Starcraft is that there’s a story you can actually give a care about, I mean, it actually holds your interest! Sure I sound jaded, and frankly, it’s because I am jaded; you can’t play this many games a month and not be. However, with Starcraft I found myself caring about the characters, and waiting with bated breath for the next plot twist. The Premise Without giving away any important details, the premise of Starcraft is that there is a growing infestation of the Zerg race amongst the Terran worlds, and before long, the Protoss also become involved. In the end, your goal is to destroy the Zerg menace by using a combination of Protoss and Terran forces, but it’s a long road to get to that stage. The story will grip you and pull you through each of the race’s inner workings and command structures, from rebels to patriots to traitors, it’s all there for your enjoyment.  A Great StoryIf played in the intended order, you’ll toil in the three races first as a Terran, then as a Zerg, then as Protoss. You might expect the story of Starcraft to be segmented with each race’s story line being somewhat separate from the others, but this is not how it plays out. Quite to my surprise the three stories are cleverly hooked together through a series of dynamic and interesting characters in each of the races. As I said above, the story hooks you quickly and keeps you very interested in seeing what’ll happen next, for the first time in a game such as this, I actually found myself caring about the characters. You may be thinking "Farkas is a flake", but wait until the ‘Kerrigan’ subplot comes up, I think you’ll agree. When it comes to the story, Blizzard has hit a home run with Starcraft. The Races There are three races in Starcraft, which is somewhat of an oddity in this genre, and it certainly caused plenty of eyebrows to raise when it was announced. For anyone in the business, the thought of successfully balancing three separate races seemed an impossible task, but Blizzard has successfully done it. Although the early versions of the PC Starcraft favored the Zerg slightly (the Zerg’s ability to build Hatcheries quickly gave them an advantage), this version has been ever so slightly rebalanced to make the gameplay completely equal. Terrans: This race is in short, the human race. They are the balance between technology and numbers, with enough cool technology to satisfy most without having to break the resource bank in order to obtain them. The Terrans have some very cool units such as the awesome Battlecruiser with its Yamato Gun (a very powerful one-shot attack) and the Siege Tank with its ability to bombard enemies from afar. The Terrans can also build special bunkers which can house up to four Marines or Firebats. The Bunker acts as an extra defense and will absorb all damage pointed at it thus protecting the units inside. Of course, the Bunker can be destroyed, leaving its inhabitants vulnerable. The Terrans also have the ability to repair mechanical units as well as structures, making it possible for them to reduce the costs of producing new units substantially. Zerg: These are the ‘Borg’ of the Starcraft universe. The Zerg are an entirely biologic race, with limited technology, but they can reproduce quickly and in great numbers. Since every Zerg unit is alive, it’ll repair itself over time once damaged, which is a handy feature because this ‘passive’ style of repair doesn’t require any extra resources. The Zerg special weapons are also biologic in nature, with the Defiler’s ‘Plague’ and the Queen’s ability to Infest Terran Command Centers (thus creating Infested Terrans). Infested Terrans act as human (or Zerg as the case may be) bombs that walk into the enemy’s camp and then explode. The Queen can also infect any biologic entity with a ‘Parasite’, thus causing the enemy to act as a visual scout for the Zerg! Another great skill the Zerg can research is the ability to burrow. Most of the Zerg units can burrow underground and lie in wait of an enemy that happens by. It’s a great way to set up ambushes or deceive the enemy into thinking that your base is undefended when in fact you have an army beneath the ground ready to pop up at a moments notice. Protoss: This is the most highly evolved race in Starcraft, and as such they are technologically superior to the other races. They cannot repair themselves in any way, however, each Protoss unit has a shield that will slowly regenerate after being damaged. The Protoss have both a life force and a shield, so as long as only the shield is damaged in battle, then the life force will never change. However, once the life force (or hit points or whatever you want to call it) gets damaged, it’s damaged for good. The Protoss have special Shield Batteries that will quickly recharge a unit’s shields, thus providing an excellent defense if placed around a base. One of the coolest Protoss units is the Reaver, which looks like a large metallic slug that fires Scarabs (mobile exploding bombs) that will track an enemy unit then explode on their doorstep! The downside of the Protoss race is that all of these very cool hi-tech units cost an arm and a leg to build.  GameplayThe Starcraft experience borrows a lot from its Warcraft ancestry, but the interface has become even simpler and includes great features like unit cueing. The tech tree for Starcraft is very complex, and just like in Warcraft you must build your structures up to certain levels to be able to obtain new and exciting units. The raw complexity of the game with its myriad units and multiple approaches makes for extremely individual playing styles. When I was at Blizzard writing the strategy guide one of the things that struck me was that each of the testers (who were all truly expert Starcraft players) had their own specific styles that were plain to see. For example, some Terran players liked to use Nukes to punch holes in the enemy’s defenses and then rush in, while others like to move forward with a wave after wave of Siege Tanks leapfrogging one another. In short, there’s just too much to talk about in a short review such as this, so I’ll sum up by saying that each race has a multitude of units that can do a multitude of things in a multitude of situations. It’s a blast! Resource Management Like its Warcraft predecessors, much of the game of Starcraft revolves around resource management, specifically, harvesting the resources. These resources come in two flavors, Minerals (blue crystal-like rocks), and Vespene Gas. As you might expect, the higher up the tech tree you go (with any race), the more of each type of resource is needed to create the latest and greatest units. Minerals will run out and leave you with no choice but to hunt for more deposits, but when Vespene Geysers are exhausted, they continue to produce small amounts of gas that are usable to you. In a pinch, a depleted geyser can save your day, but you should always try to seek out new resource sources whenever possible. Shameless plug: The official strategy guide (Prima Publishing) has detailed maps that show enemy and resource placement for every level. Warcraft Handmedowns If you listen carefully you’ll notice some funny sound bites that have been passed down from the Warcraft games, specifically listen to the Protoss Probe’s responses to your commands. Mac Stuff In true Blizzard tradition, Starcraft Mac is an exact replica of its PC counterpart (which is good in this case), with the lone exception of the addition of Appletalk gameplay. As with the PC version, the Mac version can also be played over Battle.net and IPX (both of which are included on the CD). Cut Scenes When I first saw the cut scenes in Starcraft, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were by far the coolest computer game cinematics I’d seen to date, and today they are surpassed only by Starcraft: Brood War’s cut scenes. It’s worth going through the game just to see these babies, believe me. Not only are they graphically stunning, but they also include fantastic sound and an impressive sense of humor. It’s my personal belief that some of these cut scenes could be made into animated shorts, or even feature films if their ideas were expanded upon. Buy This Game What else can I say about Starcraft? Buy it. 1.5 million people can’t be wrong. This game was 1998’s best-selling game for a reason, and it continues to shine on the Mac. I’m giving this game a 5 out of 5; sure, I’m biased, but in this case I think it deserves a perfect mark.
|
