Starcraft II

[cowsmanaut]

anyone else been playing this? I've found it unfortunately very addictive.. I enjoyed warcraft III as well.. but the original starcraft i didn't really play. I think I tried it once with a friend.. but this one. WOW.

It seems to have a very full story, and the game appears well balanced in that it's not causing me to swear at it, but does have me struggling to win. I think that it's a matter of the fact that when i lose, I realize it's because I made poor choices, not because the game is unbalanced or cheap on purpose. You usually notice part way through a level how you should be playing and what strategies might work. The story itself is also pretty interesting.

Also, because the game has a portioned based delivery ( choose level, play level, finish and get cut scene) it's very easy to just sit down, play an hour and get up and do something else. So for me with limited play time, it's great. Though, the addiction aspect of wanting to go for that next level, and the next after that.. well.. no cure for that, just need a little will power

[beowuuf]

Any game that keeps you coming back but lets you get away is probably well designed then

[Simon]

multiplayer is fun, single player is ok

[zoom]

--in multiplayer you have other humans to battle with, which is needless to say huge fun
in single player you get story..I believe it is a good one.(maybe more so if you happened to play starcraft 1)

[cowsmanaut]

found it fun because against humans I would not win since i never played starcraft 1. I think once I have a chance to gain some actual skill here I'll be a lot better and might be able to take on humans..

[zoom]

you need to find humans that are your level of skill
-or watch speedbattles of starcraft 1 and see how koreans play!

[T0Mi]

We've been playing WarCraft2 on the Uni Server to the point of calling people by the default names of the multiplayer battle. So every semester had at least one Ramsey.

Perfect balancing of the units aside, there is one thing in StarCraft2 (multiplayer against uber players) I heard of that seems annoying to me: if you don't find the time to send out peasants to scout what your enemy is doing/building, it is likely you won't be prepared for the assault. Even if I don't stand a chance other than defending myself, I'd like to at least have my homesoil soacking up some enemies blood.

However, I'm sure Blizzard again has done a great job and even though they clearly won't need to (mostly because of the constant income from WOW) they still do not sell Unicorn Poop (TM) out of a box.

[cowsmanaut]

Warcraft 2 and 3 I played a fair bit, but had never played starcraft until now. So I wasn't at a complete loss, the problem is recognizing how to use the specific units and what the practical advantages of each are, as well as the specific abilities of the other races which is hard to determine for the zerg in campaign since I don't get to play as them.

Unicorn poop is probably coming soon

[Trantor]

I eventually bought it and played it a bit over the past weeks (one of the reasons why I wasn't really around here). It's great, just like the first game was. I haven't ventured really far into the multiplayer aspect yet, but the single player campaign is very good as well.

[Sir Handsome]

I like it, still haven't found my favorite strategy like I had in the old Starcraft. I'm sure it will come.

[Joramun]

I was a big fan of all Blizzard games until now. Ok, I'm still a big fan.
I finished Warcraft 1,2,3 and Frozen Throne, Diablo 1 & 2 and Diablo 2-LOD, and of course Starcraft and Broodwar.
I played most of them in LAN with friends.

Now, here are my thoughts on Starcraft 2:
# The campaign missions, individually, are fun and sometime difficult (in the higher difficulty levels)
# Overall the campaign scenario is average-bad:
- It's predictable for the most part
= Dialogues are sometime fun but most of the time feel like a B or Z action movie (Starship Trooper 2, if you see what I mean) but I think that's on purpose
+ A few funny or cool surprises, including the

Spoiler

Protoss mini-campaign

- The end give the feeling

Spoiler

you've done all this for a trifle (if you played Sc1 & Bw)

+ I can't wait for the expansion to be ready !!!
# The campaign DOESN'T train you for multiplayer, which is a BIG drawback for casual players.

# Multiplayer is good BUT has some stuff I personally don't like:
*Ok, it's basically 3D Starcraft 1, but with a few things changed, which can be seen as good, or bad.
*I don't like:
- the "macro mechanics": T: Orbital Command Centre (MULE), P: Nexus Chrono Boost , and Z: Queen Larvae Growth
- why don't I like it ? It's something that distracts from battle, that you HAVE to do, or else you loose (because the opponent will have more money)
- it has been made for hardcoreans players, to change the game in depth, because it alters the way you upgrade your base etc.
- no LAN
*I like
+ Terran: the new building add-ons, the supply depot that can bury, the bunker that can be salvaged
+ Protoss: the gateways, and the phase prism (teleporting units everywhere is the way to go), the colossus ( yay ! )
+ Zerg: the new nydus network,
+ The graphics and sounds of the game
*I'm a bit disappointed about:
= They changed only a few things here and there, and sometime it's just a redesigned unit from Broodwar (Phoenix = Corsair, Corrupter = Devourer)
= The Zerg: having to manage a queen at each hatchery is so UNZERG. In Starcraft 1 you just selected all your hatcheries and produced massive armies !!

Also: The map editor:
+ you can do anything
- you can't do anything unless you spend HOURS on it