Déjà vu...
The original Starcraft was an innovative and compelling masterpiece. I spent a large part of 1998 and 1999 waging war online. However, over the course of 12 years Starcraft had been superseded time and time again by more innovative and balanced strategy games, and I've long since moved on. Naturally, considering the revolutionary nature of the first Starcraft, I've been eagerly anticipating the sequel with high expectations. I was apprehensive about spending $60 for a PC game, especially considering that the game only includes a single-player campaign for one of the game's three races, but my fond memories of the original compelled me. It's difficult for me to express the magnitude of the disappointment that I felt when I began playing; this is a blatant rehash of the original offering absolutely nothing new beyond its graphical improvements, a shamefully derivative attempt at disguising something completely antiquated as cutting edge. This is a giant leap backward for the entire genre, illustrating to publishers that creativity is not a requirement of profitability. While the cut scenes are well rendered, the plot is convoluted, nonsensical, and brainless; an insult to the original game's compelling and well thought out story. The missions are repetitive and often boring with childishly simple objectives that can be accomplished without forethought or planning. While Starcraft had a very accessible difficulty level, Starcraft II can be beaten without the implementation of any strategy or advanced tactics. They've removed LAN support, so now you must play on their proprietary network or not play at all. To me Starcraft II has been little more than a painful exercise in the consequences of enthusiasm. If you really must see for yourself, I'd recommend waiting for the Battle Chest comprising the full single-player campaign; I expect it should be available within a year priced at $50 or less. If you choose to sit this one out, however, you're really not missing much. The game is a lazy attempt to exploit the popularity of 12 year old software and it's left me with little more than buyer's remorse.