StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Review

Recommended

Followed by Heart of the Swarm expansion

Legacy of the Void expansion coming

Different levels of difficulty available

Achievements and rewards

$40, less than a common PS3 game

Good music, funny things units say

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty did not disappoint. I loved the visual upgrades and the story, which I thought were great, just like the original, but set four years later.

Spoiler-free story intro: Many of the original characters have returned such as Kerrigan, Raynor, Mengsk, and Zeratul. The Zerg and Protoss are still about, but you don't control those forces in very many missions. For the Protoss, you get to play some missions with... Read All

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty First Impressions

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

First impressions:

Recommended

Has an expansion

Available as Starter, Standard, and Collector's Editions

Graphical upgrade over original StarCraft game

Quick and easy tutorial

Achievements

Expansion and editions: Since getting my new PC, I've been desperate for a new epic game to play. I decided to get StarCraft II (along with the expansion). I haven't installed the expansion yet, I intend to do that when I finish with the original game. There are apparently different versions of StarCraft II. After I installed the game, it told me to upgrade. I noticed I had installed the Starter Edition and had to use my code that came with the game to unlock the Standard Edition.... Read All First impressions:

Recommended

Has an expansion

Available as Starter, Standard, and Collector's Editions

Graphical upgrade over original StarCraft game

Quick and easy tutorial

Achievements

Expansion and editions: Since getting my new PC, I've been desperate for a new epic game to play. I decided to get StarCraft II (along with the expansion). I haven't installed the expansion yet, I intend to do that when I finish with the original game. There are apparently different versions of StarCraft II. After I installed the game, it told me to upgrade. I noticed I had installed the Starter Edition and had to use my code that came with the game to unlock the Standard Edition. I believe there is also a Collector's Edition which can be purchased, which unlocks more upgrades and units.

Installing the game took a long time, really that's because of the size of the updates I had to download (at least 2 gigs, I think). While I had the game installing and updating, I decided to search YouTube for some videos regarding the story of StarCraft (the original). I found plenty of videos and was glad that I was able to recall the original story.

My first impression of StarCraft II is that it is amazing and beautiful! Some of the old characters have returned with their original voice actors. The main difference is that everything, including old characters, have a brand new look. If nothing else, the game is a huge visual upgrade to the original. Even for it's age, I think the original StarCraft looks good, but the sequel gives a vast improvement on visuals, which really should go without saying.

The tutorial section is quick and easy to get through. One new thing about the game is that there are various achievements unlocked by completing certain objectives, such as completing a mission on a harder level of difficulty. Other objectives include picking up Protoss Artifacts or obtaining Zerg research. These are available in the Terran missions, which is the campaign I'm currently working on. Various upgrades are available for purchase of in-game "credits." So far, I don't think I've run into any new units.

The terrain and background got a huge visual upgrade as well. On last mission I played, I was on a planet where I had to mine expensive minerals, but had to work around the lava that would overflow low-lying terrain every few minutes. So far, I'm very impressed with the game. Although there is some new music, the original music is in the game as well.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 08:56pm

Collectors Edition: I have the Wings of Liberty CE as well as the Heart of the Swarm CE and it's the same base game you have but they come with making of documentaries, game score and more. That said it's the same base game for sure.

There have been a ton of updates since launch. Like with most modern Blizzard games they have added to the game so much it[s a practically new download. Kind of odd they still release on a DVD, it means nearly nothing because right away the majority of the game is replaced :D

As to the game, I loved it. The story and gameplay was fresh and fun.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:38pm

Sweet, as much as I love it so far, I think it might be cool to upgrade to the CE. I might look into it. I'm loving it more than I thought I would. Although I loved StarCraft, that was one of the best games of it's time. I haven't played World of Warcraft, but I've played the first 2 Warcraft games, those were really good, too. In my early Windows PC gaming days, I played those games along with the Command & Conquer series, though I haven't played the latest one.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:42pm

Yeah, Blizzard Collectors Editions are pretty neat. If you like watching the making of stuff and dig game scores and art books, you should look into it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:43pm

I see there's a free Starter Edition of Diablos III. I should probably give that a try sometime.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:45pm

Yep. Takes you all the way to the Skeleton King.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 10:19pm

Yes, you should play D3. Such an awesome game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 10:27pm

It's $20 right now and should go up to normal price after Reaper of Souls launches in a few days.

https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/diablo-iii

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/24/2014 at 09:16pm

Cool, thanks for the updates. If anyone wants to send me a friend request on Battle.net my user name is GregoPeck#1971. Also, I've never played a Diablos game, although I believe I have the original.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/24/2014 at 09:27pm

I have 4 Guest Passes for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and 4 Guest Passes for World of WarCraft. If anyone would like one, please feel free to send me a message. WoW is free up to level 20, I've never played it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/24/2014 at 10:03pm

My recent gaming activities (over the last few months or more, since I've been a member here) have changed once again. It's not the first time, this has happened, just in this particular way. When I got my first Windows PC, I was playing games like Command & Conquer, Dune 2, WarCraft I & II, Doom I & II, and Duke Nukem 3D. So, I was more into RTS and FPS games. My college days changed me more into RPGs, with my introduction to Final Fantasy VIII and Grand Theft Auto. Lately, I've noticed a new change in the way I game, which is that I've moved more into digital games, that is with my usage of Steam and Battle.Net.

I started on Steam a while ago when I found out that Portal was free. I gave it a try, but only spent 3 hours on it. Then, I came here and got connected with various people here on Steam. Since then, my Steam Library has grown and I have yet to pay for a game yet. I now also have Terraria, Ragnarok Online, FTL, and DoTA 2. Some of them were free and some were gifted.

Now, Battle.Net is showing me a different way of digital gaming. When I installed StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, I noticed that there were a lot of updates to download, and I still hadn't unlocked the Standard Edition. This I had to do at Battle.Net by creating an account and redeeming the code on the disc sleeve. I believe I had to download a SC2 client. In a way it sucks that I'd have to go online to install the full version of a game that I paid for, it would be worse if I didn't have Internet access.

Then I noticed on the website that there are different versions of games, some of which have a Starter Edition, which are free to download, install, and play. I not sure of their individual limits. I did notice that Diablos III has an SE, so I'm downloading that now.

It's also cool that games have a Starter Edition, which sounds to me like a demo or much more than a simple demo, free to play. I've always liked demos, since my early PC gaming days when I subscribed to PC Gamer, which came with a CD full of demos. It's always nice to "try before you buy," which could save you money from buying a game that you're not really into. That's always the risk of buying games that don't have demos, which has been one issue with console gaming, but that has changed with digital media and network connectivity.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2014 at 10:55pm

In Blizzard land "Starter Editions" are basically demos. In the case of World of Warcraft it's the full game up to level 20 and there is a certain gold cap as well. I guess if you get that far, it makes sense to buy it. I played through WoW starter and had quite a bit of fun but stopped at level 6 or something. I might head back in and give it a try again though.

All modern Blizzard titles now require internet access. Starcraft 2 will run in offline mode but it's fairly crippled and only allows access to the single player part. Diablo 3, WoW, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm all require internet access. Kind of makes sense for most of those games but some have complained about d3 requiring online. I think d3's online requirement is nice in that you can play with your friends if you want because it forces everyone to play in that way.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/25/2014 at 01:43am

Awesome, Jon. The Diablos III Starter seems to be almost 15 gigs to download. I also forgot to mention something else I love about StarCraft II, you can hover over the Menu button and see what time it is and how many frames per second the game is running at. I've seen it above 60, sometimes over 100. It's pretty sweet.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/25/2014 at 02:01am

Starcraft II launched in 2010 and computer have gotten much faster since then. I know i've upgraded my Desktop since then myself. They have kept the system specs around that level too so even when the next expansion comes out, it should work just as well.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/25/2014 at 03:05am

Greg, I think you're confusing Diablo with Diablos, the summon from Final Fantasy :)

Don't feel bad, I do it too sometimes.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/25/2014 at 10:35am

Could be, Travis, could also be a typo. Maybe I'm just used to Diablos. LOL

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Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Discount

I love Starcraft and as such need to let you all know if something awesome happens in that arena. As it so turns out now until March 12th you can get Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty for $20 on Battle.net which just so happens to be the release date of the Heart of the Swarm Expansion as well.

Both games for $60? No too bad.

http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/8876310/Save_50_on_StarCraft_II_Wings_of_Liberty%E2%80%94Limited_Time_Only_-3_1_2013

A really fun documentary about the Starcraft craze. The

A really fun documentary about the Starcraft craze. The video covers the history of Startcraft to Starcraft 2 and eSports.

A fun watch on the eve of PAX.

Recently Blizzard updated Starcraft to version 1.5 and

Recently Blizzard updated Starcraft to version 1.5 and changed the UI and added several interesting features. Snipped from the article:

"Patch 1.5.0 Arcade has finally arrived, and it brings sweeping changes to the Battle.net experience. The new Arcade offers the StarCraft community an exciting new way to discover, rate, and play a wide array of community and Blizzard created games, as well as a plethora of options that will help you swiftly find the kinds of experiences you’re looking for. Meanwhile, the StarCraft menu has consolidated all the competitive and cooperative StarCraft II gameplay you’re familiar with into one easy to navigate place. With the new Battle.net... Read All

I know Starcraft 2 has been released for quite some time but

I know Starcraft 2 has been released for quite some time but today seemed like a good time to write about it.

I love Starcraft. When Broodwar came out I really dug the additional units they added and tore through all the campaigns. When Starcraft 2 was announced I was ecstatic. All I really wanted was Starcraft with an upgraded interface and smooth graphics, the original formula I felt was perfect. I pre-ordered the collectors edition(as I sort of do now days) and when the game launched I raced through the single-player game.

The game is fantastic. It takes place after Broodwar and stars Jim Raynor as the leader of the human opposition to General Mengsk and the other... Read All I know Starcraft 2 has been released for quite some time but today seemed like a good time to write about it.

I love Starcraft. When Broodwar came out I really dug the additional units they added and tore through all the campaigns. When Starcraft 2 was announced I was ecstatic. All I really wanted was Starcraft with an upgraded interface and smooth graphics, the original formula I felt was perfect. I pre-ordered the collectors edition(as I sort of do now days) and when the game launched I raced through the single-player game.

The game is fantastic. It takes place after Broodwar and stars Jim Raynor as the leader of the human opposition to General Mengsk and the other bad stuff out there in the Universe. The game improves on the ol' Starcraft formula and takes it up a few notches by enhancing multi-player and your options in single player as well. The single player story is lengthy and fun. Blizzard really changed up the kinds of things you did in single player so it didn't feel boring or formulaic. Some missions you build your base, some are essentially "hero maps." Each mission allows you a main quest line but you can optionally finish the side missions if you so desire.

Unlike Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 comes with a offline single player mode after you install it. I played it on battle.net and as such experienced trophies, something I felt really added to SC2's unique spin. Each map has special trophies you can earn for doing awesome stuff, like beating it on hard mode or doing other map specific radness, like killing a bad guy only using lava in a map where you have to avoid lava yourself.

A really fun element of Starcraft 2 for me was the story. I liked Jim Raynors character and how he related to the Blizzards world. I liked how the game wove in the Protoss for a few really awesome missions in the middle of the game(I won't spoil the story, but its a fun set of missions). As per Blizzard normal, the cinematics are great.

I delved a smidge into online multi-player but I didn't really stick with it. For a few weeks I played as the Zerg and got a pretty reasonable build going that stacked up to hard bots and a few humans. Playing with friends is always fun but for whatever reason SC2 multi-player didn't stick with me. Don't get me wrong, its really really fun just not something I come back to often for whatever reason. I imagine it has to do with that I know few of my friends that have it and fewer that play it. If you want to play sometime, drop me a line id love to dust off my Zerg build.

I am very excited for Heart of the Swarm to drop and now that Blizzard has released the awesome Diablo 3 I am hoping they drop the release date for Heart of the Swarm. I love playing as the Zerg so I am doubly excited for this expansion. I wonder what fun bits await they that snag the collectors edition? The new units they add will be great as they generally are. I guess we will find out the details at some point, hopefully soon!