Customer Ratings & Reviews

First time playing a RTS game and really glad I bought this game. Awesome graphics, gameplay and story mode. The game is challenging but easy to get; I started in easiest and after a couple of missions I was playing in normal, which feels my desired level of difficulty. Effects in battles are amazing, sound is spectacular and cut scenes are very good quality. Also, you have to be quick mind and understand each structure and unit due too many things have to be done to successful complete each mission. The game really challenges your intellect. Have in mind that I do not have that much experience with RTS, so consider I can be overrating this game. And for sure no experience with Starcraft 1, so nothing to say about improvements for experienced players.

This is an incredible game and a great sequel to the original. Graphics are wonderful and have lots of customization, so I can play it on my 3-year-old laptop and my beast of a desktop - both of which still look great. As for the price, yes it seems a bit steep, but it's completely reasonable. I did a quick search to find the MSRP of Starcraft I when it was released in 1998, and along with MANY jetskis for sale, I found what I was looking for: $40 for the game ($30 for the expansion). With inflation, that would be about $54 today. With all the work Bizzard puts into making near-perfect balance, gameplay, and variety, the $60 MSRP for Starcraft II is completely fair. Also considering that the PC gaming industry is being destroyed by piracy, I'm glad Blizzard is still releasing a great game at a reasonable price. This brings me to another point that others have complained about: Starcraft II does not have the traditional LAN capability. All players players must have valid copies of the game and be signed into Battle.net, but the servers still detect that you're on LAN and give you host. This means that LAN games can still play at practically the same speed as traditional LAN games. Others have also said something about needing to buy the game 3 times to get all the races. This is a bunch of bull. You get the full game with all capability, as well as the campaign, for the $60. In my opinion, you should ignore any reviews of a product if the writer hasn't actually purchased it. Most of the negative reviews on this game (at the writing of this review) were written before release. This means they based their review on the beta, speculative or rumored information, or on irrelevant data (such as Blizzard's new policy for forum-posting). Take advice from people who have already bought it. Starcraft II is excellent and worth the $60. If you just want LAN play, then bite the bullet, buy the game, and be surprised how happy you will be.

Hello everyone, I'm currently playing the SC2 beta and I've put about 200 games in. I'm a top 8 platinum league player in both 1v1 and 2v2RT. Most of my 2v2AT teams are in platinum too. The game is already quite polished overall. As of 4/9/10, it has gone through 8 patches already, each one containing balance changes and bug fixes. At any given moment, 8000-140000 players are logged in the beta on the new battle.net system depending on the time of the day. The user interface is familiar like it's predecessor's, but has quite a few improvements that make it more friendly to new players. Almost all hotkeys have been moved to the left side of the keyboard for easier access. Easier rally points setup and production queues make macro much easier. Smart-casting allows you to cast spells with multiple units without single-target selecting them. At the higher levels though, there are plenty of things that require your attention, from queen's birth larvae to chrono boost from the nexus, and even those with a very high APM (actions per minute) count will be busy macroing and microing at all points of the game. Even if the game was released today, I would definitely buy it, as even if it wasn't balanced perfectly as of now, Blizzard will definitely keep the game patched well and fix all bugs and imbalances. Personally, I am preordering the collector's edition from Best Buy as soon as it's available, so I can pick it up from the store on release day!

I really enjoyed playing the game. You can choose between multiple different levels, making the game feel less linear than the previous Starcraft. You can choose different power ups, and weaponry so you can power up as you see fit. Also, in a couple of levels you can choose different sides of a battle. The story line is good, the levels are fun, and graphics are sweet. But level play still hasn't changed much from the original starcraft formula, which is why I gave it 4 stars. I was hoping for a bit more from the level play. You better have a lot of RAM available to run this game too.

If you like the original Starcraft then you will love SC2. Blizzard has held onto the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." SC2 kept the old elements of the original SC and added some new twists to the single player campaign to add more depth to the game. Anyone who has played the original will be able to drop into SC2 without any major adjustments of how to play. Yet the strategies will be new as more units, a better AI and added elements such as between game upgrades ,research, mercenaries and even selecting your own mission path give the game more depth I have been playing it since yesterday and have enjoyed every minute of it. If you are expecting flashy graphics or a flood of new elements, its not here. the graphics are better than SC but nothing too fancy. Your units will not get lost in a clutter of colorful background and unnecessary foliage. Could of used a little more flash in the firing and explosion department, but it is still a nice looking game. (For those who complain about the lack of graphics, go play your Xbox or PS3. This is a computer real time strategy game, not some pretty click fest mind numbing shot em up game.) Only played multiplayer once and it was easy to connect and find an opponent SC2 allows you to practice online first with a real opponent before you start get into the racking and ladder part of online play. Yu can also play in a skirmish mode and there are training games that allow you to do your best at different scenarios and enemies, The only bad I have to say about it is that there is no manual to speak of, you must be online to play even the solo games ,and it seems to move a little to fast for me, even n the lowest speed setting. While the game is only set up to play the Terran in the campaign, it last long enough to not be that big if an issue for me. All in all if you liked SC then you will like SC2. Looking for a good strategy game in real time, this is it.

I've only played the original game a couple of times so I wasn't really sure of what to expect from this one. My son and a couple of friends were really hyped up about SCII so I picked it up. It IS a fun game, just not my cup-o-tea for the most part, well, for multiplayer anyway. Everybody plays the MP online at the fasted speed, games can be over in just a few minutes, really. Being an Age of Empires (2 & 3) player, I'm used to having a bit more time. This game almost seems like you need FPS reflexes to play, online anyway. The single player game was way more fun.The speed is more my style (playing on 'normal' difficulty) and the story isn't to bad either. It's worth playing it to the end. And my son enjoys filling me in on plot points that relate to the first game. Graphics are especially good for the most part. The terrain and units are deverse enough that looking at them doesn't get old to quickly. Special effects are nice (explosions, shots, lasers..., etc), but on the faster speeds they almost go by to fast to notice. In fact, the only complaint is that there's a lot of times where it's hard to tell how many units are huddled together when the action really gets going. They seem to "stack" on top of one-another. This is particularily true for air units, for some reason. Doesn't happen to often, so it's not a big deal. Game play is nice to, with multiple ways to group units and buildings. Mass producing units is a snap when you can group your buildings and queue up a couple of units at each, out pops an instant army at a gathering point of your choice. Nice. And an idle worker icon that appears on the side of the screen can be a real lifesaver. All in all, a good game, but the multiplayer isn't for me, which is probably the biggest draw for the game. If you can handle the speed of the online games, this one is for you.

I just bought the game yesterday, I gotta say it's the best game I played so far. I'm barely on the 5th or 6th mission and it's already fun as hell. Multiplayer was really challenging, I lost my first game today, but I was alright with it because I could see a replay of what I did wrong, REPLAY HELPS! USE IT!, The graphics in Starcraft II are top notch. Running on the highest difficulty settings, bases, troops, vehicles, and enemies all look highly detailed. The cutscenes -- which use in-game graphics -- also look fantastic. One great thing about the graphics in Starcraft II is that there is almost never a drop in the framerate. As long as your PC can compete with the graphics setting you have chosen, you can run super smooth. Overall, GREAT GAME, IF YOU HAVEN'T BOUGHT IT YET, BUY IT!!

So I just got this game, and unfortunately enough I never finished the first game or the Brood War Expansion (due to heavy multiplayer activity) and I decided to play the first 3 levels of the campaign and multiplayer... The gameplay is AMAZING, so many things I thought would be nice if they could have added had they further expanded the original appeared (addons to supply depots, higher squad cap). I have already logged about 5 hours into this game and I have owned it for 6 hours... The graphics are gorgeous and don't cripple my laptop on "High" settings and play amazingly smooth on my desktop on Ultra... Everything just looks beautiful and moves smooth as butter. Haven't gotten too deep into the storyline, but while installing it I was able to get a nice recap from the first storyline. While I haven't (and likely won't beat the storyline until I beat the first one..) beaten the game. I sincerely hope it's a long storyline beings as the game is split three ways... This is a must buy for PC gamers, or gamer's of any creed.

So I've been trying StarCraft 2 Beta. Aside from its much improved look and the new units and modified units, what really sells this as a worthy second to the first StarCraft is what *hasn't* changed. Dispite the changes made, if you played the first StarCraft you can jump stright into StarCraft 2 with almost a zero learning curve. That being said your not play just a "prettier" StarCraft. Starcraft 2 does stand on its own two feet as its own game. Think of it being the better looking, stronger, smarter, faster, and better looking cousin of the first StarCraft.

The singleplayer portion of the game falls short of the original. (The original camapign was more of a long tutorial for the online game) The missions while unique from each other lack the strategic structure of the starcraft 1 missions. There are about 30 mission in this game,about as much as seen in the original. Casual players may enjoy the missions alot more than the nostalgic players. My main disappointment was the watering down of the characters compared to how they were portrayed in the classic starcraft. The script feels childish and unconvincing at times. Multiplayer is where the game truely shines. When you first go online,you are given the opportunity to try 5 practice matches before going onto 5 more placement matches. The results from these placement matches determine your league. (higher leagues being more skilled players,lower leagues being less experienced players) Balance seems to work best 1 v 1 games. However,Starcraft 2 is not for everyone. Units in Starcraft 2 tend to require alot more "manual control" than in other RTS'es. In other words,you cant expect a unit to take care of itself,that is where micromanagement kicks in.If you are looking for a cover system,realistic vehicle physics,or innovation Starcraft 2 is not for you. Not expanding,not spending your income,or turtling tend to be losing starategies in Starcraft 2. Air units clipping into each other is an intentional feature of the game implimented from Starcraft 1. (Pro players would do this to prevent multiple air units from being targeted) As of the latest patch,chat channels have been implimented. People who spam the chatrooms can easily be muted. Player invites can also be done by right clicking on the player's name. Graphically,the game is gorgous.On my quad core (2.6ghz) pc with a hd 4670,it manages to look great on at a 1080 x 1920 resolution on medium settings running at around 60fps. Note: An internet connection is required to install the game,however it is possible to play the game offline by selecting "log in as guest"

Played about 3 hours worth and the game play is excellent. Great continuation for those who have been longtime players and will be just as addictive to newbies. Graphics and upgrades are pleasing to the eye and soul. But really bummed no LAN capabilities. The BNET multiplayer is better than ever but would be nice to have the opiton to have LAN parties. Only reason I did not give the game 5 stars is because the lack LAN and only campaign for Terrans. Definately recommend buying because this game jsut like the original will provide years of great game play at all levels.

I was a fan of this game from the first time I played... Great story line for campaigns, but I was never a single player kind of guy. I love going online and putting the foot to rear of my enemies. Plus it's just all around fun to play over and over. This coming from a player with over 15,000+ games online on B.net West. It just never really got old... Can't wait for the release... I just hope it isn't like D2 and a few others... where the release dates continues to get pushed further and further back, but they do it for a reason. To make sure it's ready for release with as few bugs as possible. Not just trying to make the quick buck.

I have played the beta for SC2 and i have to say that from what i have seen it is going to one of the most fun, challenging, and competetive game for PC this year, ( well actually mostly in 2010 ). I had alot of fun playing the game and the story line gets that much more exciting. For every unit in the game there is another that can counter it. For example the Zelots and hold off many zerglings for an amount of time... but once the zerglings turn into those little exploding things the zelots dont stand a chance. I hope everyone gets into SC2 and have as much fun as i did.

I have been a fan of Starcraft for quite a while. I just beat the game and I must say it was a very fun single player experience. However, many things were lacking. The Bad: I feel that the game itself is outdated and feels like it has been outdated since 2000. I will explain what I mean: The Camera: The camera is fairly lacking, the only thing the camera can do is zoom in and out. It would have been nice to have a camera where you can rotate it as well as zooming in and out. Structure placement: Wow, still based on the square floor design. This is one of my biggest dislikes. Using the square floor design limits so much of what you can do. I would have preferred a more dynamic floor layout, such as Command and Conquer Generals in 2003 to the newest Command and Conquer games, and even some RTS games from earlier. Also, the lack of structure rotation; with a lack of being able to decide on how you want a building to it face it gives it more of a dated feel. Unit movement: Just like in the first one, units will sometimes get stuck after constructing a building. Very, very, very annoying, and this can possibly be related to the floor design, but starcraft is the only RTS games that I experience this issue frequently. I was hoping Blizzard had fixed this in the second one, but they did not. The good: Awesome story mode, I was impressed with the story, and I was hooked on the game for 3 days. The game also had some good music, and the missions were very fun. I have yet to try multiplayer, but I will start that soon enough. Ending: SC2 is a good game, I gave it three stars because I feel that a lot more could have been improved, fixed, and changed from the first one. I do feel that Blizzard took the first Starcraft and just updated the graphics and wrote a new storyline, which after an 11 year wait it should have been far better than it was.

Although it took 12 years Blizzard finally released SC2 and they didnt dissapoint, while they didnt change much or take a big risk, with a game like starcraft it isnt needed, in the end the games just a addition to the story and a polished version of the online play its a great addition and it was well polished and like the first it is extremly fun with practice, no match is ever the same and every match is always fun, so glhf see you there =)

I've been playing Starcraft 2 since the start of the closed beta and I must say the game lives up to the hype. I'm a long time Starcraft player and this game stays true to the original game. I've been using the Shokz Guide to master the game and I'm already in Platinum League. The game is going to be just as epic as the original and hopefully will have the same replay value as the original as I still play the original Starcraft after 12 years.

this game should cost only39.99 or so 59.99 for game is outrageus but I decided to buy it anyway. Never played before but it reminds me on Age of Empires space edition I must say I loved AOE and im shure SC2 will grow on my favorite list. Game actually looks much more than is to it, if they would be able to include first person shooter in to it would be even better(with sim option) but I guess cant have it all. I played only about 1h so far mabey i get further in game will get even better

I purchased this game when it first came out and still actively play to this day. The story mode was very fun to play through (sucks you can only play as terren but i guess its okay because of the expansions coming out hopefully soon). The fact that you get to choose your path with different outcomes made me want to play the campaign more then once and i did but the real fun is the multiplayer aspect of the game. Battle.net for SC2 is much better the the Brood war days and more accurate to match you with someone with similar skill so you don't just get walked. And with the frequent balance adjustments to each race and maps the strategy's are always evolving so it keeps gaming pretty fresh. The co-op versus AI is pretty fun too. Sometimes i don't feel like thinking and playing heads up games and just jump into a random co-op vs. ai matches and you can meet some chill people and try new builds as well. i guess to sum it up If you loved Starcraft and Starcraft:Brood war, you'll love this game. The new units, updated controls and interface, and Battle.net match making system are great. I can't wait for the expansion to come out.

When I first saw the trailer to SC 2 I thought "Oh No! They're making Star Craft way too involved!". But after playing my first game, and not having to relearn many of the basic mechanics I realized that blizzard is just good at what they do! The game plays very similar to the first one, except they've added a lot of cool features that make it even better. The graphics are top notch as well! Word to other newbs...Watch some videos and play a few games versus a computer before getting pwned.

Overall this is a fantastic game, still feels like the classic and not some suped up version thats lacking, the missions are great and so is the multiplayer, I am still playing but climbing up the ranks fast why? because I am still the king at this game.. but anyway the only thing I have left to do is get another gig of ram in my laptop and then boom its all good, just look for Drakan 2010 if you want a challenge...