Starcraft puts hungry RTS fanatics in virtual heaven

It's commonly believed that the console gaming market is currently ruled by RPGs in the same way the RTS genre presides over the less popular but equally deserving PC frontier. Blizzard, to the PC gaming world is probably what Squaresoft is to many of us console owners. After putting themselves on the map with a certain well-known devil hunting title, the hardworking folks at Blizzard have once again proven that they've still got what it takes to be on top by releasing perhaps one of the greatest RTS games of all time. That game of course was Starcraft, a title that to this day remains unchallenged in terms of both addictiveness & sheer popularity.

Ever since its first appearance in 1998, Starcraft has become a world-wide phenomenon with the Asia Pacific region being the seat of its vast fanbase. As I have encountered a large number of Korean players during my sessions on battle.net, I assume the game to be especially popular in their home country. As a further indication of its immense popularity, there are even tournaments offering large sums of money to players good enough to participate. Invitations are based on worldwide ranking, where players are required to meet strict criteria. Since I have never been invited to one, I am therefore unable to elaborate further on this. Other more seasoned players might know a little more on the subject but for the most part, Starcraft's gameplay alone should be adequate in keeping us other non-professional gamers happy.

Graphics
In contrast to its superior sound effects & gameplay, the graphics are probably Starcraft's worst aspect. Even with the somewhat respectable detail job, the lack of variety in color & poorly lit scenarios do little in pleasing some of us nit-picky graphics aficionados. The top-down view is reminiscent of games like Microsoft's Age of Empires but in a far less pleasing way. You might have remembered the graphics in AOE looking very bright due to its mostly desert-based environments. On the other hand, Starcraft is a lot like playing a night version of AOE in a more hostile scenario.

The structures aren't really that pleasing to look at, especially if you're playing the bug-like Zergs but with that aside, players would immediately notice now vastly different they are between the 3 races. From the primitive looking Zerg hives to the high-tech metallic Protoss structures, the phenomenal degree of variation in architecture is matched in no other game, not even AOE 2. Overall Grade: C

Sound
Along with its gameplay, sound is certainly one of Starcraft's better points with each of its 3 races having their own distinctive effects & speech patterns. The Terrans appear to possess the best sounding dialogue followed by the Protoss whose speech sounded a little muffled at times. Then, finally we have the Zergs with creepy crawly effects reflecting their nasty bug-like appearance & gross nature. The music is nothing special, often overlooked from being drowned out by such beefy sound effects. Overall Grade: B+

Gameplay
This is the one defining aspect in which Starcraft shines big time above all others in the RTS world. Players can either go at it alone in selecting the single player campaign mode or opt for the more fulfilling online multiplayer option. The former puts you in control of one of the 3 races, starting with the relatively easy Terrans to the more challenging Protoss campaign. The AI is fairly decent but obviously it doesn't quite offer the depth & variety compared to human opponents in multiplayer mode. One complaint here is the possibility of cheating on the CPU's part since it already knows where all the important points are. The battle against the CPU isn't quite as frustrating an experience as a computer controlled multipolar game in AOE but it does however, like in all other RTS games, puts you at a disadvantage against your machine.

Winning the game involves the usual building up your army & managing your resources type activities similar to other RTS offerings. But what makes Starcraft stand out here is how immensely different each of its 3 races are, and I'm not simply talking about overall appearance. The strategies involved in winning are entirely different from 1 race to another, meaning you cannot recycle the same old tactics used on the Terrans against other races like the Zergs. Other earlier RTS titles had touched on this slightly but it wasn't really developed to a level equivalent to that of Starcraft.

Take the first AOE for instance. Although there were a total of 13 different civilizations to choose from, many of their weapons & characters sprites appeared to look pretty much the same as if they were recycled in order to seem different. The priests, soldiers & farmers all looked alike because they were all derived from the same shells. Upon comparison, the puny trio of races in Starcraft may not be much but when it boils down to true variation, the game simply cannot be beat.

One of the best things about Starcraft is its online multiplayer mode, which is probably the chief reason fueling the game's immense popularity. Matches are played over Blizzard's own battle.net, a site home to thousands of gamers at any given minute. Similar to chatrooms, there are several servers on which you are able to log on, depending on availability. Encounters can range from traditional 1 on 1 duels to the more multipolar 4 on 4 battle. The biggest problem with online multiplayer mode is the presence of cheaters or hacks & not forgetting of course, the early rush tactic employed by a few desperate individuals in an attempt to improve their lousy win-loss ratio. The occasional lag may be another problem to those without a cable connection but I for one, have never found this to be as big an annoyance compared to low-life cheats.

Anyone sick of the monotony in single player computer battles should definitely give the online mode a try. Rest assured, you'll never go back to the boring CPU battles ever again. Overall Grade: A+

Conclusion
Without mention, this is one title that belongs in every PC gamer's library alongside other honorable mentions like AOE 2. Although I'm now considered more of a console gamer, Starcraft is one of the few games that's kept me coming back for the PC platform every now and then. It's an RTS title unlike any other that should be played at least once by every PC owning individual and not forgetting the console people as well. Final Grade: A