Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty

Hell, it's about time.

After living as an exile for four years, Jim Raynor returns to save human colonies.  In the process he discovers an impending Zerg invasion and must work to prevent humanity's extinction.

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Recommended Age Minimum Age Available On... 14 10 PC, Mac Overall Fun Length Frustration   Violence Sexuality Substances Gambling 6 6 3   6 3 3 0 Mods Religion Anti-Law Community Sports Magic Miscellaneous 3 0 5 8 0 1 1

1.     Gameplay

• Overall Fun - 6

Starcraft 2 is an awesome real-time strategy game where the player is pitted against enemy forces in an all-out battle for control.  The campaign features a compelling storyline with interesting choices and paths.  Gamers can also look forward to a well-developed (and world-famous) multiplayer experience.

The storyline is extremely engaging.

Those who played the previous Starcraft game will not be disappointed.  Starcraft 2 plays almost exactly like Starcraft 1, with some new units that shift the balancing.  The new units do add an extra level of strategy to the game and make some maneuvers easier (while others will be much more difficult).  Without getting too in-depth into the mechanics of the game (because books could be written on the subject), the player will have to learn how to develop a strategy for the short, middle, and long terms.

I was pleased with many aspects of the game, but not pleased with just as many.  While the gameplay was fun, it’s essentially the exact same overall feel as Starcraft 1.  In case you don’t know, Starcraft 1 was released over 10 years ago, so Blizzard (the developing company) has had plenty of time to try and improve upon the old system.  There are some definite improvements, especially in the graphics, but not 10 years worth of improvements.

If you can figure out what all of these things do, you're in good shape.

The other major problem that I have with Starcraft 2 is that it’s not a full game.  Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty is designed to be one-third of the overall game.  It focuses entirely on the Terran (human) missions with a few deviancies into the Zerg (bug-like creatures) and Protoss (alien) stories.  No matter how anyone tries to spin it, gamers are expected to pay $60 for one-third of a game.

If you’re really into the Starcraft universe, go ahead and get this game.  If you can wait a few years, consider holding off until Blizzard releases all three chapters of the series in one large box-set.  You’ll save a bunch of money in the process.

• Length - 6

Between the campaign and the multiplayer, gamers will have a decently long gaming experience.  This is contingent on a number of factors.  Gamers who do not enjoy the multiplayer (such as myself) will see the amount of time they spend playing this game decrease significantly.  The amount of time players spend replaying the main campaign (and trying the challenges that are included in the game) will also change the amount of hours a player will spend with this game.

Overall, I dedicated about two weeks to going through the main campaign.  It wasn’t worth $60, but it was a decent experience overall.

• Frustration Factor - 3

This game is relatively simple, but does have some frustrating elements.  It’s a bit like chess (it is a strategy game after all).  If you know how all of the pieces can work together to get the job done, you’ll be almost unstoppable.  The reverse of that is true as well; if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll be massacred.

That being said, even players who have a decent idea of how to control their units and what systems work will meet some difficult points, especially with the final battle.  The final battle was an extremely difficult struggle that I failed a few times before getting everything right.  I eventually gave in and looked up some strategies online.  The strategies made things a lot easier, but even then it was still difficult.

Other than this, there was very little that was frustrating in the game.

2.     Parental Notices

• Violence - 6

The central theme of this game is violent conflict.  The player will be pitted against enemies of every race and the different types of units will kill enemies in different, sometimes graphic ways.  Normal enemies will simply fall over dead, usually with blood splatter of some sort.  However, some enemies will make themselves explode in order to hurt other units around them.  Some units shoot fire out at enemies, which causes the dying, charred enemies to writhe in pain as they burn.

The flamethrowers in action. Sometimes enemies will burn, but for the most part it's fairly mild.

The distance from the overall playing field reduces the personal nature of the violence, reducing the “quality” of the violence in the game.  However, the quantity of the violence is greater than that of the average shooter.

The aftermath of some recent violence. The blood fades very quickly.

• Sexuality - 3

Starcraft is not a particularly sexual game.  There are two things that stand out as at least somewhat sexual, but these things aren’t graphic.

First, Kerrigan is the queen of the Zerg.  She was a terran who was infested by the Zerg, so while she does have some bug-like features (i.e. her weird hair tendrils), she is primarily humanoid.  Her natural body armor covers most of her parts, but it's still somewhat sensual.

That's a mean looking pet...

Secondly, there is a sort of holographic stripper in the cantina of the ship.  It’s never used for anything and just seems to be an extra element to make the area seem like it’s meant to entertain men, but it is there.

It would be more obvious if this picture was moving. The hologram serves absolutely no purpose other than to add to the atmosphere.

• Substances - 3

There are two instances of substance use in Starcraft.  First, Jim Raynor is an alcoholic, so drinking is a recurring element.  There are at least two cutscenes where Raynor is seen drinking.  Raynor (as well as some other crew members) also have the habit of smoking cigars.  It makes them look more manly.

Yep. Pretty manly.

Secondly, there is a power for Terran marines called the “stimpack”.  It decreases the amount of health the marines have in exchange for temporarily increasing their movement and attack speeds.  The icon indicates that the stimpack is some sort of injection (probably like epinephrine).

• Gambling - 0

There is no gambling in the game.

3.     Other Factors

• Mods - 3

Starcraft 2 does have an extremely complex set of mod tools (see “Definitions”).  These tools are designed to mostly allow for gamers to create new levels or campaigns for Starcraft, but creative players could come up with some very complex game types.

In Starcraft 1, the custom maps were completely unregulated, which led to some “adult” (albeit childish) game-types.  However, Blizzard has been cracking down on the content within mods, so I would be surprised if any adult content was approved.

My searches have returned no adult mods or maps, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

• Religion - 0

While the Protoss are a sort of spiritual race who believes in a creator forerunner-type race, there is no real organized religion.

• Anti-Law - 5

Raynor is a rebel who has fought against the “Confederate” government for a long time, having disagreed with some of the moves that the Confederate leader Arcturus Mengsk has made in the fight against the Zerg.  Raynor’s battles find him constantly fighting against the established government.  To be fair, the government is usually brutal to the people it rules over (especially those in the outer colonies), but it is still a measure of anti-law.

Nothing says rebellious like shooting a television. Thanks Elvis.

The anti-law elements will get extreme in some cases.  For example, one mission gives players a choice between helping a convict (and his friends) escape from a prison or help the local government crack down on the prison riot.  If the player chooses to help the inmates, he must help them orchestrate a mass jailbreak.

• Online Community - 8

Starcraft 2 is famous for its online play.  I played Starcraft 1 online almost ten years ago and definitely saw a few problems with it.  Starcraft 2 has attempted to fix some of these issues, but there are still going to be some serious problems, especially for new players.

In short, many of the players who play Starcraft 2 are extremely good.  When gamers play games professionally (yes, there are professional gaming leagues), one of the most popular games to play is Starcraft.  Players who are not professional gamers may find themselves seriously outclassed by the other players.

Me on the left getting outclassed by the enemy on the right. Not fun.

Starcraft 2 does have some systems to prevent a total annihilation of a new player.  New players can play unranked practice matches with other new players.  They get 50 matches in these practice matches before they’re thrown into the real thing.

However, don’t think that players can simply pick up Starcraft 2 and be able to compete in the practice matches.  Starcraft 2 has a very, very complex system that players will have to deeply understand in order to be even somewhat competitive.  Not only do players have to understand the general advantages / disadvantages of the three races, but players who understand the advantages of each individual unit of every race will be far more competitive than players who do not take the time to learn about their forces.  Playing the main campaign will help in some ways but only in small areas.

Some players will be able to excel in Starcraft 2’s online community, but the vast majority will find themselves losing many more matches than they win.

• Extreme Sports - 0

There are some things that may be classified as extreme sports, but most of these are extremely minor.  One Terran unit is able to use jetpacks to jump up low cliffs.  Another Terran unit is basically an armored dune buggy with a flamethrower.

Reapers making the jump.

However, since the player is never able to actually get in these vehicles, I don’t consider these to be “extreme sports”.

• Magic - 1

The “Protoss” race seems to be heavily based in magic.  There are a number of creatures (such as the Archons) that are almost certainly have some sort of magical power.  Zeratul, one of the Protoss leaders, mysteriously appears to Jim Raynor on a human ship in one of the cutscenes.

Zeratul: a sneaky alien.

However, I have some doubts about this.  Since powers based in biology or technology are not magic, I can’t definitively say that magic is involved.  In fact, if I had to lean one way or the other I would say that the vast majority of the Protoss abilities that seem magical are only so because they are based on advanced technology.

For example, Protoss buildings are able to create units by opening up warp gates to summon them from other worlds.  While the entire process seems magical (summoning creatures), the act itself is not magical since the Protoss use the technology they have to bring creatures from one point to another.

• Miscellaneous - 1

Human Disfigurement

The Zerg do have the ability to infest humans, making them into weird human/bug hybrid zombies.  Kerrigan, one of the main antagonists, is an infected Terran.  She’s featured in a number of the cutscenes.  However, most of the infested Terrans in the game are not particularly distinguishable.  They’re noticeable, but not as much “human” as “humanoid”.

Kerrigan was human. Past tense.