Let's examine that campaign. You play Jim Raynor, veteran space marshall, part-time cowboy. He is world weary, drunk and grizzled. He has faced multiple threats to the galaxy, from human dictators and rebellious traitors, to the repellent Zerg — squishy cartoon bugs that can infest a planet and tear it apart.
And there are his old sparring partners and occasional allies the Protoss: mystical space-elves. That's all been forgotten. Now, the human dictators are being dicks, the Protoss are back on the scene, and the Zerg are advancing. It's the perfect time to lead an army. And what an army. In the campaign you mostly lead the Terran forces — heavy metal space warriors that start every battle with a cigar fixed firmly to their bottom lip.
The Terran units at your command are brilliant. I love the Marauders: robot-suited men with rocket launchers for hands. And I adore the Siege Tanks, which drive into position before planting extended feet firmly into the ground and pounding away with an upturned artillery battery. I think the basic marines are hilarious, particularly when upgraded with a small shield and dosed with stim packs they run faster, shoot quicker and die easier.
And I've got a complete soft spot for the Firebat: a singleplayer-only soldier with flamethrowers for fists. Terran units ooze expression. It's not just in their barks and responses to being clicked on. It's in their art and animation. They jog into battle, arms swinging, eager to please. They die in glorious balls of goo. When a tank takes one too many rounds, it doesn't just fall apart, it explodes. StarCraft II is intensely readable — the results of every artillery shell and Void Ray beam instantly apparent.
The tech each side brings to the party might be advanced, but in singleplayer you expect its application to be unsophisticated. For years now, RTS campaigns have repeated the same simple formula: secure a base, ramp up production by harvesting local resources, hold the fort until you've got a walking ball of death, and then burst through any defences. Real-time strategy games have been killing the genre with this lack of imagination. The singleplayer campaign is superb. Early on, you're asked to defend a colony from infestation: hundreds of Zerg-infected humans and marines will shamble towards your gates at night.
Holding out means building bunkers and filling them with Firebats and Marines, and praying they hold. The same zergbie humans are burnt to a crisp when the sun rises the next morning: that's your cue to push out with Hellions — buggies with roof-mounted flamethrowers — to torch the remnants of the infested colony.
As the sun sets and rises every five minutes, there's a gorgeous transition, each little soldier casting a long purple shadow. And when the sun bursts through, the poor zombie souls flail and wave as they roast alive. You can see the effort and thought that has gone into every little model, every tiny animation. The zombie mission might be a standout, but it's not alone. I've enjoyed nearly every mission, including a raid on a prison planet that played out like a beginner's version of Defence of the Ancients: you control a single overpowered hero while waves of basic marines throw themselves at the defences.
And then there was the race for resources where I was fighting over mineral patches and scrap metal to buy off a vast mercenary army. When you can finally afford the bribe, their unstoppable regiments are turned over to your control. Or there's a last-ditch defence of a planet marked for extermination, where a Protoss mothership can only be shot down once you've defeated three powerful bases. All the while, the mothership is vapourising infected colonists.
None of these objectives can be completed by simply selecting everyone and sending them forward, nor would that solution be fun. The fun in singleplayer RTS is in figuring out the right combination of soldiers to send forward, and how best to neuter the opposition. StarCraft II delivers the most entertaining options, and the most entertaining solutions. You can't just select ten siege tanks and send them toward a Zerg base — they might outrange the Spine Crawler defences horrific fleshy spikes , but they'll get chewed up by fliers, such as Mutalisks, and any zerglings that can reach close range.
The sci-fi story pits three races against each other one of which is human and you can see red blood splatter from guns and limbs and other body parts on the ground. Some of the non-interactive cut-scene sequences also show battles or the aftermath of bloody battles. A suggestive drawing of a half-naked woman can be seen on the military suit of a lead character. It is reminiscent of drawings on the side of airplanes, as a tattoo or on the backs of some leather jackets.
While not over the top, there is plenty of cursing in the dialogue spoken between the human soldiers, or in cut-scene sequences. Words such as "s--t," "ass," "bitch," "hell", "damn," and "damned" can be heard. In many cutscene sequences, especially early on in the game, you can see a character drinking from multiple bottles at a bar one clearly says Cognac on it , as well as a pack of cigarettes on the table.
Another character has a cigar in his mouth even while wearing his spacesuit helmet. Parents need to know that StarCraft II : Wings of Liberty is a real-time strategy game set in the future and involves combat between three different alien races. The game includes plenty of violence with blood and gore , foul language, and scenes with drinking and smoking.
Violence will likely be the big concern, as players are battling rival factions to the death -- with blood and limbs flying. However, this violence is clearly within a sci-fi story that takes place in the future and on another planet as opposed to shooting police in a New York City-like environment a la Grand Theft Auto.
Plus, the angled top-down view is less "visceral" than an up-close-and-personal first-person view. Also be aware that this game supports open online text and voice communication.
The multiplayer aspect, with players earning ratings based on how well they play, makes this a compelling game that is hard to quit. Families will want to pay attention to the addictive nature of this type of game. Add your rating See all 8 parent reviews. Add your rating See all 26 kid reviews.
A dozen years is a long time to wait for a sequel -- especially when it's the follow-up to one of the most popular and influential computer games in history. But when you're game behemoth Blizzard Entertainment you can take your time to do it right. The sci-fi saga continues between the Terrans humans , the tech-savvy Protoss, and the swarming Zerg — three powerful and well-balanced races that face off on alien worlds, each with their own tactics, technology, units, and weapons, as well as unique characters and motivations.
The mission single-player campaign continues the adventures of Jim Raynor, a marshal-turned-rebel leader for the Terrans unlike the first game, you can't play as other races in the solo campaign, which might disappoint some. While the goals are set per level -- such as freeing allies, defending your base, recovering an artifact, or exploring the map to attack enemies -- you can often choose which technology and military upgrades to invest in and even select the desired path to take.
As with its predecessor, StarCraft II has you collecting resources, such as blue crystal minerals and vespene gases, creating new recruits, constructing varied units, developing new technologies, and battling against uncompromising enemy species. Along with introducing new and familiar units and characters, this sequel is rendered in full 3-D and can handle huge skirmishes on the battlefields.
The story-driven cut-scene sequences are stunning to say the least, complemented by well-written dialogue and a moody soundtrack. Get ready to fall in love with your computer all over again. Families can talk about the difference between fantasy violence and that of the more realistic variety. Why is it generally easier to stomach fantasy fights? Is it because what we see is so far removed from the real world?
Do standard morals not apply in battles against monsters and aliens? Families can also talk about how the people behind StarCraft II took their time in delivering this sequel -- 12 years after the first game and seven years in actual development. Is this a model other game development studios should follow budget permitting or is this too long?
Should game companies crank out a sequel every year or so or take their time with an aim to perfect it? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. See how we rate. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Thank you for your support. Our ratings are based on child development best practices.
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