Whiskey sometimes seems to be Raynor’s best friend. Both men let loose a little raw language (the s-word, “d‑‑n,” “b‑‑ch” and “a‑‑”). But the more visually descriptive cutscenes contain occasional blood spray, too.Īn ex-con compatriot of Raynor’s has a cigar constantly pinched between his teeth. Tiny figures erupt into flames, dissolve with acid and splat in a splash of goo. The RTS segments deliver a bird’s-eye view of the battles, so we experience little more than longshots of missile hits and laser blasts. But it does have a few “missed the spittoon” moments. With all that cinematic action and RTS battling, how messy does this space Western get? Not excessively. (Even before the other two episodes arrive, online multiplayer action lets gamers compete as any of the three main species.) Raynor also has to deal with two other threats in this neck of the galaxy: the Protoss, a humanoid group with advanced tech and psionic abilities and the Zerg, a race of insectoid aliens that hopes to obtain genetic perfection by assimilating other races. He talks with a Southern growl and can usually be found belly up at the Cantina when he isn’t out leading a rebel force against the current Terran (human) dictator. The 26th-century action follows a large, gruff guy named Jim Raynor. They’re elaborate HD creations that are so well-crafted, beautifully scored and character-driven that they almost make the game feel film-like as they explore its intricate storyline. Another features creatures that can’t stand the sunlight but become incredibly powerful adversaries at night.Ĭutscenes before and after each mission tie the gaming threads together and add a whole new dimension to Starcraft II. For example, one heart-pumping quest demands that forces are mobile enough to stay ahead of a deadly wall of flame that’s slowly enveloping the world they’re on. Battle missions, defense missions, rescue missions and race-against-the-clock missions are all part of the mix. The missions themselves become more diverse as well. And with each mission accomplished, new units are at your command and your strategic choices become more varied. Will you produce a corps of fast-moving marines or a few heavily armored marauders? Will you crank out flame-throwing Hellion dune buggies or a cannon-loaded robot mech? It’s all up to you. But before battling bad guys or rescuing good ones, you must manage your resources: building bases, fueling production with local minerals and natural gases, and then building up the forces best suited for the job at hand. With each mission, players are given a variety of sci-fi military units that they can control and move around on a good-sized map. The RTS side of the title is well-designed and as straightforward and intuitive as the genre gets. This first one is composed of a series of military strategy missions in outer space that are wrapped up in a sort of space-cowboy adventure tale. Never heard of it? Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is a T-rated RTS PC game that’s currently selling like hotcakes and has the entire gaming community buzzing-partly because this sequel is actually the first of three Starcraft “episodes” which will present the action from different species’ perspectives. And everything else has simply been buffed to a high-tech sheen. But fans who’ve been on pins and needles waiting for this sequel will find that the real-time strategy core of what made the original game a huge hit has remained intact. And by video game standards, well, that’s a very, very, long time ago indeed. It’s been over a decade since the first Starcraft strafed gamers’ PCs.
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