Why Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is Worth the Hype

I will be very honest – when Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty first came out, I paid it no attention. After deciding to give it a shot, I quickly came to realize that this was an amazing game. It wasn’t a game you play for a month, beat and never touch again. This is a game that continues to challenge you and allows for unlimited possibilities. Even after several months of playing it, I am still learning to grasp some of its subtle aspects and discovering new ways to win (and lose).

This is actually the reason I find it so appealing – there is a lot to learn and it makes me think. It’s not a simple point and click shooter or a one-dimensional RPG. There is a lot of strategy involved – do you want to play a defensive game and counter the opponent’s air attack or start off with a surprise rush with the cheapest unit available? At first, the game seems simple enough – there are only 3 races to choose from and each has similar units and buildings. However, there are different build orders, sacrifices and choices that have to be made and you can’t forget to counter what your opponent is doing. You can’t simply build one unit repetitively and expect to win – that is too easy to counter. You have to consider the terrain you are fighting on, know the difference between armored and light units, account for differences in the attack range of units, choose proper upgrades to buy, and recognize the many other intricacies the game contains.

To provide some context, the game features two modes – single player and multiplayer. The single player mode allows you to play as the human race – Terran. These missions allow you to familiarize yourself with the gameplay and discover what types of units and structures the game contains. Each of the 29 missions grows progressively harder as you go on and allows you greater freedom on the choices you can make. I highly recommend playing through the missions before moving on to the multiplayer as knowing the structures, build orders and units will greatly help you when trying out the multiplayer mode. If that is not enough incentive, perhaps the achievements to boost your Gamer score will be of interest.

The multiplayer mode is amazing. You can play the traditional match-ups of 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 and free for all. You get a total of 5 placement matches that will allow you to prove your worth before being assigned to a league where you can battle players of a similar skill set. Providing you win – you will move up, but lose and watch your ranking drop. Playing online will prove to an interesting experience – it was for me. You will see all kinds of strategies such as rushes or secret expansions. All in all, coupled with the fabulous graphics, well-thought out units and speedy game play, this game is the best I have ever played.


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