The unfinished battle for galactic supremacy is about to boil over. The protoss, terran, and zerg armies have unfinished business and the war is about to reignite. StarCraft II may have been delayed, but it’s certainly not forgotten, as Blizzard’s classic real-time strategy game will hopefully get its sequel sometime next year.

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style="font-style: italic;">The last StarCraft game came out over 10 years ago.

Anytime Blizzard stamps their name on a game it turns to gold. Their three main franchise series of Diablo, WarCraft and StarCraft have had gamers foaming at the mouth for more since each entered the market, but Blizzard has always been one to keep the people waiting and it seems to have served them well. Maybe less really is more. The last StarCraft game was released in 1998 over 10 years ago, but the game is still played competitively over Battle.net and the second game plans to capitalize on the online gaming boom and the new Battle.net 2.0 features.

Three Tales of Combat

The first StarCraft game launched with three very lengthy campaign modes. Each campaign centered on one of the three main races in the StarCraft universe: the terran, the zerg, and the protoss. Unlike the first game, however, StarCraft II will release each campaign separately. The first game will be titled StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and will contain the campaign for the terran race with the hero Jim Raynor. Two expansions will follow for the other two races. The first being Heart of the Swarm, which will contain the campaign for the zerg with Kerrigan followed by Legacy of the Void which will center on the protoss story. Each campaign will be comprised of about 25-30 missions each, so there’s not going to be a shortage of content.

Luckily, the multiplayer combat mode will still give players the option to play as all three races, but the expansion packs will add new units, structures, and maps to the multiplayer experience.

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style="font-style: italic;">StarCraft II has added some RPG elements.

Gameplay

Gameplay in StarCraft II appears to follow the same formula as the original StarCraft, but new features have been added to each race along with a host of new units. The StarCraft II Faq states that some of the new features include things such as the zerg getting a movement bonus while on creep filled areas. The protoss mothership will get a new vortex that allows it to trap enemy ground units and the terran aircraft called the nomad has been renamed the nighthawk and has gotten a visual facelift and a new ability called “seismic thumper,” which prevents the zerg from burrowing. This is just a few examples that have been given of new race mechanics, but there are more that we haven’t even heard about yet.

The campaign mode will pick up about seven years after the last game. Some of the classic heroes will be returning such as the terran Jim Raynor, and the zerg's Kerrigan, but they’ll also be getting some company with new heroes and villains that will be part of the game’s story arc. Some missions will even feature flashbacks as we learned from the StarCraft II BlizzCon panel.

Story is going even deeper in StarCraft II as the game is even integrating some elements of an RPG by allowing players to roam around and interact with NPCs complete with voice overs and you can even purchase upgrades from them at times. This is very different from how the first game handled character interaction as it took place just before or after a mission and then only in the form of a briefing or cut-scene.

 

Unlike the previous StarCraft game, you can choose where you want to go by using a star map. This allows you to choose whether you want to engage in side quests to earn money for upgrades and equipment or if you want to continue along the main story arc.

Ten Ton Hammer attended the BlizzCon panel and also found that there was a vertical shooter mission in the game that reminded one of our writers of an old gaming classic.

Perhaps the biggest shocker of the show was a vertical scrolling shooter that resembled the old Raiden games. You were controlling a fighter and smaller interceptors were flying in patterns and firing bullets aimed at you (but do not track) so you dodge just like one of those quarter-munchers. A protoss mothership even came up as a boss, and a custom green life bar filled the top right of the screen. All that was missing was the boss flashing red as he was about to be defeated and I would have stood up and cheered at this point. Immediately after, they announced that map locking will be in the game but they can't announce details at this point, so you can sign and be secure in your creations not being stolen and modified to another's profit or need.

Online Play and Battle.net 2.0

Online play will take place on Blizzard’s Battle.net servers, but the system will be getting some upgrades and new features that StarCraft II plans to take advantage of such as the ability to download maps and even the possibility of other downloadable content. The new upgrades will even allow people to play from their home or work with without the need to transfer files. All you need to do is simply log in. I can see the nation's work production coming to a grinding halt already.

Despite the fact that the game will launch with each race's campaign split up you’ll still be able to play online using all three of the game’s races, but the coming expansion packs will give more features to each in the form of units, structures, and whatever else Blizzard cooks up, but you’ll also be getting new maps. To add to that, StarCraft II will have a map and script editor, so you’ll be able to find an assortment of new content made by players.

Graphics

One of the biggest changes in this game different from the last one is the graphics. The first StarCraft was using a 2D engine, but StarCraft II will make use of a 3D engine and while some units retain features that you’ll recognize, the game as a whole has an completely new look.

 

Voice Actors

Blizzard brought in some great talent to serve as the voices behind the heroes and villains of StarCraft II. The super hot Tricia Helfer who played six in BattleStar Galactica voices Kerrigan and she’s accompanied by other talented voice actors such as Robert Clotworthy who voices Jim Raynor, the ever popular James Harper who voices Archturus Mengsk, and many more. Anyone that’s ever watched a Blizzard cinematic knows that few people do them as well and with great voice talent backing StarCraft II, that same cinematic style will be integrated into the gameplay.

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style="font-style: italic;">Tricia Helfir voices Kerrigan. Is there anything more I can say that this picture doesn't?

Map Making

StarCraft II will come with a map editor toolset that will allow players to build and customize their own maps. The editor was previewed at BlizzCon where the power of this thing was shown of quite effectively. In one instance it showed a ghost soldier from a third-person perspective that was made possible by the implementing of mouse look and keyboard commands, but you could also enter buildings and talk to NPCs. This is a kind of RPG element to the RTS series and could make for some interesting story options. Blizzard also announced that map locking will be included, although details about it were still under wraps. This simply means that you can finally create something and not have to worry about some bandit ripping it off and claiming it for their own, but as we all know people that want to do this will find a way.

I recently wrote an article about Diablo III where I stated my opinion of how even after almost 10 years fans of the game are still anxiously awaiting a sequel. The same is true for StarCraft II. It’s been over 10 years since the launch of the first StarCraft and the game is still popular on Battle.net and fans are still just as anxious for a sequel. You can’t say Blizzard gets in a hurry, but when they do make an announcement and launch a game, you better believe there will be a legion of fans waiting in the shadows.

Also See:

• StarCraft II Impressions from BlizzCon
• StarCraft II Story Mode Video
• StarCraft II: Screenshots