Waiting 12 years for a game builds expectations. Waiting 12 years for the sequel to what is probably the most highly praised and widely played strategy games of all time takes things to a whole new level. Well, with the wait finally over, Blizzard Entertainment has delivered not only a game worthy of the Starcraft brand, but one that is also one of the biggest, most well implemented strategy games period. If you played the original Starcraft way back when, then you know the deal - playing as one of three vastly different races you must collect minerals and vespene gas, build your base and army, and smash your opponent. Not surprisingly, very little of the basics have changed for the sequel, but don't be fooled - this is a fully new game with a lot to offer to franchise newbies and veterans alike.
The biggest divergence from the first Starcraft is the single player campaign. This mode puts the player in the shoes of rebel Jim Raynor, a driving character in the events of Starcraft, and moves you through a very cinematic, story-driven sequence of missions. While you mainly play only the Terran race, you are able to undertake a few missions as the Protoss, mainly focusing on the Dark Templar Zeratul. These missions give a good change of pace during the campaign, but the real focus is on Raynor's group of rebels, and their struggle against the tyrannical emperor, as well as the Zerg threat. The best part of the campaign for me was upgrading your army between missions. You can use the funds you've collected to purchase upgrades to your units, or unlock completely new units, and you use knowledge you gain from research collecting during missions to gain powerful abilities and upgrades. The campaign is lengthy, varied, and full of interesting units and characters, as well as some epic scenes and encounters.
Of course, the main reason the campaign is so fun is just because the basic gameplay of Starcraft 2 is so stellar. And of course, this level of refined gameplay is most apparent in the game's online multiplayer. While there are less unit options for the multiplayer than available in the campaign, this allows for a heightened level of balance beyond almost any other game in existence. Every unit available across all three races has specific strengths and weaknesses, and the races themselves are wildly different, but the game overall reaches an insane level of balance. The available maps are also generally interesting and diverse, and the online matchmaking and ranking ladder system are all implemented to create a perfect competitive environment. Anyone with a competitive attitude can spend as long as you want playing this game online, and probably never get tired of it, but also people who are less thrilled about getting really into it can play casually, and your ranking, and therefore opponents, will reflect that.
On top of the campaign and online multiplayer, Starcraft 2 also boasts one of Blizzard's famously powerful map creation tools. While I've only played with the map editor on a fairly superficial level, even I can tell that it is just oozing with potential, and should be a source of nearly endless entertainment to those with a strong creative side. Every aspect of this game is built for longevity, from the lengthy campaign, map editor, and multiplayer, combined with the in-game achievements for completionists. Blizzard has also shown extreme interest in continued support for the game, with constant patches to improve the experience in any way they can think of. I guess the point I'm making is that while this may only be part 1 of the planned Starcraft 2 trilogy, it is well more than worth it's $60 price tag, and any fan of the original, strategy games in general, or really just well made games would be crazy to not at least give Starcraft 2 a try.
