StarCraft is a real-time strategy game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in 1998. In the same year, the only official expansion, StarCraft: Brood War, was released, which continues the story of the basic game and includes new game contents. In 2000, the game, including the expansion, was adapted by Mass Media and Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 gaming platform. With more than 9.5 million copies sold, StarCraft was the best-selling real-time strategy game in August 2007. On April 19, 2017, StarCraft was released for free, including the Brood War expansion and some customization’s.

StarCraft 2

After seven years of development, the new and highly anticipated second part of the real-time strategy game "Starcraft" has finally been released. The game was developed by Blizzard Entertainment, who already brought the fantasy action strategy game series "Warcraft" to the market. In contrast to the Warcraft series, the Starcraft game world is set in a futuristic science fiction world.

The first part of Starcraft was released in 1998 and is considered a popular sport in many countries, especially in Asia, where people play in their own Starcraft leagues. The game content is divided into several areas, roughly distinguished there is on the one hand the campaign, so the single player mode, and then the various multiplayer content in Battle-Net (free Internet platform for multiplayer games from Blizzard, such as Warcraft 3).

About the campaign content:

The story builds on the Starcraft 1 add-on "Brood War" and the player experiences a reunion with Terran hero Jim Raynor. However, it is not mandatory for the player to know the story from the first part. Jim Raynor is now the leader of the rebels, together with his buddy Tychus Findley, a former space marine, Raynor sets out to end the reign of Arcturs Mengsk, the leader of the Terrans and ultimate villain from the first part. In the excitingly narrated campaign, the player predominantly plays the Terrans (humans), the other races "Zerg" and "Protoss" appear more on the fringes and are played in isolated missions. In contrast to other real-time strategy games, the missions of the campaign don't run stubbornly one after the other. The player often has the option to choose which mission he wants to complete first, but this has no effect on the final gameplay. Between the missions, well-done video sequences run again and again, the player equips his buildings and units with the points he receives and can conduct dialogs to learn background information about the missions. The missions themselves are very varied in their sequence and thus also the game requirements, sometimes it is about defending a base, sometimes the player controls a small group of units to find artifacts, for example, or the construction of a base is in the foreground.

Traditional Simple!

First of all, it has to be said that "Starcraft 2" requires a permanent broadband internet connection. This affects the entry into the game in that there is an automatic update request to the server before each game start. This means that the player always has the latest version with the newest balancing and fixed bugs etc., but may have to wait 10 minutes before the game starts and the update process is finished. A game without the way to the "Battle-Net" is no longer possible in "Starcraft 2" even in single player mode, the profile with the mission progress etc. is stored online in an account to be created and can then of course be accessed from another computer, provided the game is installed. On the one hand this is good, on the other hand the game is useless as soon as the internet fails.

About the game entry:

The menu, the buttons as well as setting options for graphics, sound and gameplay are clearly arranged, the game player quickly finds his way around. There is also a help menu. The function has not changed in comparison to the predecessor and is therefore familiar to a large part of the players. Furthermore, it does not differ significantly from the function of Warcraft 3 or similar games. An extensive tutorial is available for beginners, in which the essential possibilities are well explained. The game is played with mouse and keyboard, as already mentioned, the function of Blizzard titles is traditionally simple and good. As a major advantage, it is now possible to group as many units as you want, which was still limited in the predecessors and led to confusion.

Variety guaranteed

Due to the connection to Blizzard's "Battle-Net", there are a lot of different game options, similar to Warcraft 3. On the one hand, there are the included games like single player campaign, scenarios and multiplayer battles against friends, computers or randomly selected opponents. In addition, there is a large number of maps and mods that can be created by the players themselves, thanks to the good map editor that comes with the game.

Ambience

The player controls various military units from a bird's eye view, resources are collected, and production and research buildings are constructed with the help of construction units. At first glance and in terms of basic gameplay, Starcraft 2 differs little from its predecessor, the environments are similarly designed and a large part of the units were also found in Starcraft 1. As a rule, the environments are dark, desolate and scarred by war, so the game's end is generally rather put in a gloomy mood. If you take a closer look at the game's graphics, you'll see that unlike its predecessor, the game can be played in a much higher resolution, allowing for much more detail. In addition, there are also appealing effects for various units as well as buildings. Particular mention must be made in this context of the graphically really very well and detailed animated and designed characters (like Jim Raynor) and the very good video sequences. Overall, the game's graphics are considered by the testers to be very good, rich in detail and fitting to the game content. The sound also provides a recognition value for Starcraft 1 players, but is well done and unobtrusive. The German voice output ensures that the game player can follow the story well and with pleasure, the characters have suitable voices.

Time pressure

There are only a few missions with a time limit for the player, but if there is, it's about defending a base over a certain period of time or something similar. Nevertheless, the real time gameplay demands a permanent attention of the player, because otherwise he/she can't react to attacks, which often happen from ambush, especially from the "Zerg". In addition, the player achieves better results if he/she builds up his/her base as quickly as possible, controls units quickly, but still maintains an overview. Often the tactics are not as decisive as their fast implementation.

Why Starcraft 2?

What makes Starcraft 2 different from other real-time strategy games, and what are the reasons why gamers choose it? There are many real-time strategy games like Starcraft 2, but Starcraft has the decisive advantage that on the one hand there is already a large community, which means that the game will continue to develop in the long term. On the other hand, the connection to the "Battle-Net", which is a bit annoying in principle, offers a lot of variety and high, constantly growing demands on the players. In addition, Starcraft 2 has a very well thought-out and presented campaign, which also makes the single player mode interesting.

Are heroes allowed to be brutal?

All in all, the presentation of the cutscenes and the game scenarios is kept in a very warlike and almost brutal design. War, even if seen from the protagonists' point of view, is considered the only possible solution for salvation. Even with Jim Raynor and others, regret or even sadness comes up again and again. The choice of words and the conclusions drawn are reminiscent of heroes from western movies.

Are learning successes conceivable?

As is often the case, a game of this genre brings along certain game requirements, from which certain learning successes can also result in everyday life. E.g. the player cannot succeed in the long run if he/she combines the strengths and weaknesses of the unit in a meaningful way and uses them strategically, foresighted action is required, as well as good resource management. In the most favorable case, the player adopts, for example, the policy that he/she cannot spend more than he/she takes in and plans this into everyday life. As mentioned above, the game glorifies war in parts, although in an exaggerated way, but it is necessary, especially in the age group of 12 years and older, to give the players the opportunity to talk about the content and to talk to an adult, in order to put the "splendor" of war in a realistic framework.

Applicability in youth facilities

Basically, a game like Starcraft 2, similar to Warcraft 3-Frozen Throne, offers a lot of possibilities, as it is a very good network game with many different game possibilities. However, the current purchase price is likely to prevent many institutions from acquiring, for example, 10 licenses. Due to the attractiveness of the game, it is estimated that the price will remain in the current range in the medium term.