http://www.gameshark.com/previews/3399/p_10/StarCraft-2-PAX-Preview.htm
Game: StarCraft 2
Platform: PC
Publisher: Blizzard
Developer: Blizzard
Genre: RTS awesomeness
Release Date: When Blizzard says it’s ready
Why You Should Care: Feels a lot like old StarCraft; new units; old units with new skills; faster, more intense battles
Why You Should Worry: A lot can change from internal alpha testing until release
As I walked towards the Blizzard booth at PAX, I assumed that they would just have demos of
Wrath of the Lich King. Imagine the look on my face when I found playable demos of
StarCraft II. Granted, it’s still in internal alpha stage, but I’d been dying to get my little hands to actually try it out.
During my brief demo, I was the Protoss, and I sent most of my probes to collect minerals and Vespene gas. Meanwhile, I had a few other probes create more pylons to power my buildings and put some photon cannons near the mineral fields to protect my workers.
Soon after I built a few Zealots and started exploring the map. My guys didn’t get very far when they ran into a bigger group of Zealots. A fight ensued, resulting in my explorers being wiped out. I then pumped out twice the number of Zealots I had before and sought out those guys. Revenge is so very, very sweet. Sadly, my trial time ran out and I turned the keyboard and mouse over to another journalist. Yeah, it was that quick.
Playing the game at least at this stage feels like stepping into an old pair of comfy shoes but with new laces and rubber soles. The interface looks the same, the controls are the same, and the returning units and structures look the same. However, these units have some new tricks and new friends. Don’t think that your same old strategies will work. Community Manager Kevin Yu explained that battles will be faster and more intense. Fans of the Turtling technique (*ahem* like me) are particularly out of luck since that plan won’t be as effective anymore.
As many know, each of the three races is getting a facelift. Many old units have returned, but with revamped skills. Terran dropships still act as transporting units, but they now act as medics. Meanwhile, Zerg overlords no longer immediately start out as Detectors; you’ll have to evolve them to Overseers first. They also can now generate creep. Hydralisks, which some have considered to be overpowered, now do high damage but have fewer hit points.
Having the same old units with new skills naturally doesn’t cut it though. Even a classic, beloved IP such as
StarCraft needs to evolve, and one way they do is with brand new units. Terrans have the Thor, a lumbering, two-legged behemoth of a unit that is primarily anti-air but also attacks ground units. The Thor’s anti-air cannons do splash damage, but it reacts slower when shooting at ground units.
Not to be outdone, the Protoss have a Colossus—long-legged, giraffe-like units that can climb cliffs and use lasers. While the Colossus can decimate ground units, its lasers are rather slow, not to mention that they’re vulnerable to air units. Finally, the Zerg have Changelings, which spawn from Overseers. Changelings are chameleons, disguising themselves as an enemy unit and infiltrating their base. Sensing a potentially overpowered unit, I asked Yu what the other races can do to counter the Changeling. He explained that they’re, “Still working on it.”
Like most of the world, I’m really, really looking forward to
StarCraft II. But it’s still so early in the process that a lot of what we have seen could change and there's a whole lot more to discover about the game than a quick demo of an early internal build, but I admit – playing the game from the show floor was a fantastic surprise treat.
