User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3772 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Aug 31, 2010
    10
    I have never been a fan of RTS games. I was born and bred as an FPS man all the way; however, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, has had me questioning my upbringing.

    I have found myself playing Starcraft and only wanting to play Starcraft. The single player campaign and story is phenomenal, with touching cut scenes and intriguing levels, but this game really shines in its multiplayer
    I have never been a fan of RTS games. I was born and bred as an FPS man all the way; however, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, has had me questioning my upbringing.

    I have found myself playing Starcraft and only wanting to play Starcraft.

    The single player campaign and story is phenomenal, with touching cut scenes and intriguing levels, but this game really shines in its multiplayer design. It's hard to describe the tension and excitement that you feel while playing someone that you've never met. There have been many games where I have been shaking from nerves after playing. Seriously, there are few games that do that to me and multiplayer Starcraft II literally causes me to shake from tension and excitement.

    All I can say: Starcraft II, even if you are not a fan of the RTS genre, try it out and see if you like it. I'm sure you will. I have hated RTS for many years, but this game has made me want to only play RTS games.
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  2. Aug 31, 2010
    10
    i wuoldn't say dat this is the best game ever made, but it's like 124 times better than the first one because the story is more intense like and the strategy gets like so crazy you can't even count your fingers in front of your own hands, it's as if you got like 5 hits of some crazy pomp and you got no sense about you - and plus the zerg is like EKA EKA EKA EKA EKA
  3. Sep 1, 2010
    10
    This game is unabashed and honest about what it is. It's an old school base-building fast paced rush heavy RTS. If you like that kind of game, stop reading and go buy it right now, because this is the best of that type of game that we've seen in a long time.

    If you don't like that type of game, then you won't like this game and you should move on.
  4. Sep 6, 2010
    10
    This game is the greates rts game ever made.The graphics are enjoying and the gameplay provides a perpetual enthusiasticy.Those who gave negative comments in this game.Eiether they dont know a thing about gaming or they play stupid games like gta.
  5. Sep 15, 2010
    8
    It honestly deserves less, but when pieces of garbage like the entire Halo franchise (ok the first one was original) get 9s this game deserves at least an 8. The game has a solid single player experience, albeit brief and severely disjointed if you want it to be (I can literally do the missions in some messed up orders). Still a bold style for the RTS genre. The online is terrible thanksIt honestly deserves less, but when pieces of garbage like the entire Halo franchise (ok the first one was original) get 9s this game deserves at least an 8. The game has a solid single player experience, albeit brief and severely disjointed if you want it to be (I can literally do the missions in some messed up orders). Still a bold style for the RTS genre. The online is terrible thanks to Bnet 2.0 which even the biggest fans must concede is terrible, thinking Xboxlive-ish junk is an improvement over previous Battlenet is just sad. Support for the game itself is poor, still no free name changes nor the much needed patch 1.1 to nerf siege tanks (I'm top tier diamond so please be quiet). When players like IdrA who play this game say no self respecting player would play terran something is up. Although overall the races are pretty balanced at top tier of play. The game itself is the same core SC with more emphasis on hard counters and some radically changed combat mechanics to bring the game into the modern RTS era. Its not a bad game, and its certainly better than a lot of the crap on the market, but its sub-par for Blizzard which has done much better with their RTS titles in the past. Expand
  6. Sep 19, 2010
    10
    Well worth the wait. Seeing the story with kerrigan and jim raynor continue was great. Story was well paced. All the voice actors did an outstanding job. MP is very similar to the original but with some nice updates. Very please, bring on heart of the swarm!
  7. Sep 27, 2010
    10
    Starcraft II Wings of Liberty, Is probably my favorite RTS game in my history of gaming. It has 3 fairly balanced race's. The game continues to get updates to make the game get better. They even recently changed there Icon design. There is no one in the world I would not recommend This game to. The campaign is good as there will be more ahead I am sure. Casual gamers and even the hardcoreStarcraft II Wings of Liberty, Is probably my favorite RTS game in my history of gaming. It has 3 fairly balanced race's. The game continues to get updates to make the game get better. They even recently changed there Icon design. There is no one in the world I would not recommend This game to. The campaign is good as there will be more ahead I am sure. Casual gamers and even the hardcore gamers would not get tired of this game. Well if you do, Then you are a noob go back to playing E.T. Expand
  8. Oct 13, 2010
    10
    This game right here.... This game right here.... This game right here player.... This game right here player.... IS STRAIGHT FIRE!!! IF I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT BLIZZARD DROPPED THAT NUKE ON JAPAN IN WW2!!!

    On a serious note, I hear your complaints about taking stuff out of the original game and I think they will put it back when they do the patches. I like how
    This game right here.... This game right here.... This game right here player.... This game right here player.... IS STRAIGHT FIRE!!! IF I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT BLIZZARD DROPPED THAT NUKE ON JAPAN IN WW2!!!

    On a serious note, I hear your complaints about taking stuff out of the original game and I think they will put it back when they do the patches. I like how they put another old school game back out there and I like that they will be coming out with a new Diablo and the World of Warcraft expansion. This game is a blast from the past and even if Blizzard is doing the same thing they were doing 10 years ago they are still 30 years ahead of the competition.
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  9. Nov 19, 2014
    9
    All I could have asked for out of StarCraft 2, it has given me over the last 4 years.

    It gives me the same rush I had when playing the original and/or other classic RTS games from the 90s and early 2000s, but in a more refined engine where you're not having to fight the UI or able to exploit the game with turtling tactics. The skirmish multiplayer encourages you to be more aggressive
    All I could have asked for out of StarCraft 2, it has given me over the last 4 years.

    It gives me the same rush I had when playing the original and/or other classic RTS games from the 90s and early 2000s, but in a more refined engine where you're not having to fight the UI or able to exploit the game with turtling tactics.

    The skirmish multiplayer encourages you to be more aggressive than previous iterations where strong defenses would win, meaning the game moves at a faster pace. This is perfect for people looking for a quick game that's also fun and requires some intuitiveness. The custom game/modding scene has also become more robust now, with 'slower' game options available like tower defenses and rpgs.

    Mind you, I would have immensily enjoyed SC2 even if the single player was a disappointment, but I know some people are more geared for the solo experience. SC2 does a much better job than the average RTS, giving the most cinematic experience possible and having story driven missions. Blizzard was ambitious as they possibly could have for the single player campaign.

    My only disappointments are very minor, like some missions not favoring creativity (especially on brutal mode), and the sound design not being as superb as it was in the original StarCraft. Lore buffs may also be able to poke fun at the "Blizzard cliches" that are used.

    If you are an RTS buff this game should be in your collection already. I've heard that some have avoided SC2 for psuedo-political reasons. It requires an online connection, which may be a nuisance to some, but LAN play in multiplayer games has pretty much been dead for a while. I applaud Blizzard however, for doing just about everything else right in regards to accommodating the player - updating the UI, improving the chat system, playable in multiple regions, balancing the game at a much faster rate than even the original. I don't always agree with the decisions they make, but if you're in StarCraft for the long haul like I am, you can trust that they will support this game until nobody is playing it (you can still even play the Battle.net 1.0 games).

    Try the Starter Edition and see if you like what you see.
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  10. Dec 2, 2010
    10
    DECENT Singleplayer. After playing the first for many hours over the years, I was even more excited for SC2. When I played through the singleplayer I found it to be nothing special. It was entertaining, but I don't agree with how the story progressed. I won't judge it on that though. Just as the first, the multiplayer is outstanding. This time it's even better as it is more balanced atDECENT Singleplayer. After playing the first for many hours over the years, I was even more excited for SC2. When I played through the singleplayer I found it to be nothing special. It was entertaining, but I don't agree with how the story progressed. I won't judge it on that though. Just as the first, the multiplayer is outstanding. This time it's even better as it is more balanced at release than the first and the new ranking system means you don't get your face smashed all the time. I don't play any RTS games except StarCraft. This game is amazing and i recommend it if you have the dedication of putting down the hours for fine tuning your skills. Expand
  11. Dec 3, 2010
    10
    SC2 is about as complete an RTS that has ever existed. It's sad to see some people poorly reviewing this game without objective analysis. You don't simply give a game a poor score because you don't like it, or you don't understand why it is the way it is. SC2 was not made to have some overwhelming storyline and then the game is over like RPG games are. It was made to continue an epicSC2 is about as complete an RTS that has ever existed. It's sad to see some people poorly reviewing this game without objective analysis. You don't simply give a game a poor score because you don't like it, or you don't understand why it is the way it is. SC2 was not made to have some overwhelming storyline and then the game is over like RPG games are. It was made to continue an epic storyline that people around the world grew to love. No other RTS storyline even compares. And let's not forget SC2's bread and butter is it's multiplayer AND map editor features.

    I've read that no LAN option is a problem for some people. The reality is 99.9% of games these days don't offer LAN. No console games offer LAN, and almost no computer games offer LAN because nobody really needs it. The multilayer was developed around one of the best matchmaking systems that has ever been made. It's designed to let casual players enjoy competition along with letting professional level players rise up and compete in MLG events. And it works WELL.

    I've read in a few below reviews that they are giving low scores for such shallow claims as "possibly few add-ons" and "cut scenes that have nothing to do with the game." These are as merit-less as claims come. The cut scenes in the game have EVERYTHING to do with the game. They directly connect the story, and are not merely eye-candy. I can't fathom how this assumption was made, but if you are even paying attention at all to the in depth story being told, you'd know exactly what was going on. Keep in mind that this is the first of 3 campaigns, and a continuation of a previous story in SC1/SC Brood War. The map editor in SC2 is above and beyond what I've ever seen in any game. there are countless games available under custom map play because users have the ability to use the versatile map editor to make creative works of game-play art. It's capable of reproducing classic RPG turn-based games, tower defenses, totally new game types, DotA style games, custom unit creation, etc etc. It's virtually limitless. Let's not forget that Blizzard recently announced that it is developing map mods for SC2 like "Left for dead" and official "DotA."

    When you combine the above aspects with almost perfectly balanced multi-player game-play featuring 3 totally different races, it's simply astounding how well this game was executed. The matchmaking is as perfect as it gets, the map editor adds thousands of potential game-play hours, and the story is top-notch for an RTS series. It just doesn't get much better than this.

    The graphics are phenomenal. I don't know why anyone would complain about this aspect. Critics agree, and so do most people that these are the best RTS graphics ever produced. Some other games look more "realistic" But Blizzard was purposefully trying to capture the original style of SC1 that so many people loved. SC2 is nowhere near a simple remake of SC1. The intent was to keep the top of the line game mechanics that made SC1 so successful. The atmosphere of the game continues to drop jaws, and the mechanics just simply work perfectly for "strategic" game-eplay. There is a reason SC2 is the main MLG game, and it is revered as a sport in Korea. It's because it is so well balanced, so well executed, and so well supported. What other games create JOBS dishing out potentially $MILLIONS in prize money through professional competition?

    Blizzard doesn't charge money to play this game after you buy it, even though it offers hundreds, even thousands of hours of online play. There are constant patch updates to fix every tiny balance issue, every tiny glitch. There is no game on the market that gets this kind of attention to maintaining the game. You buy any console game and chances are you get what you get, no updates, no patches. And on top of that you have to pay $5-$20 for "DLC." This is also true with most other PC games these days. With SC2 you can log in after a week and find custom maps that offer totally new experiences, and it doesn't cost a dime more. Blizzard could have easily kept the map editor in their own hands and released "DLC" to milk it's customers....

    For $60 you will never get more entertainment hours than SC2 offers. I am very satisfied with what Blizzard has produced in SC2. If you are looking for the ultimate strategy game, SC2 is it.
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  12. Jan 22, 2011
    10
    Arguably the best stratagy game of all time starcrft 2 just brings a great story and a huge multiplayer will with a great chat system and profile system.. The make/game making is just fantastic and possibilitys are endless this game Diserves a 10
  13. May 26, 2012
    8
    Starcraft 2 is a refreshing sequel with tons of action to enjoy! To start Blizzard this time added relationships between the main characters which is fun to follow. I personally like all the new units in the game and new features to go with (example: Thor unit which is like a Mech Warrior and more variety of flying units for all races). If your a strategy action fan you'll love the newStarcraft 2 is a refreshing sequel with tons of action to enjoy! To start Blizzard this time added relationships between the main characters which is fun to follow. I personally like all the new units in the game and new features to go with (example: Thor unit which is like a Mech Warrior and more variety of flying units for all races). If your a strategy action fan you'll love the new take. Blizzard also added some roll playing elements to the game. You can select which mission to do next, interact with objects on your ship and talk to your crew on your ship between missions. The ship your stationed on has 4 sections to browse through (lab, armory, lounge and control room). You can upgrade your units, hire mercenaries, and even upgrade your overall tech while on your ship between missions. There is the main story and side missions where you gain funds to improve your force. The interface of the game has similar characteristics as its previous predecessor. Simple controls makes for a fun experience and 5 different difficulties for everyone to try. While I didn't experience multi-player this time I know that Battle.net is world class for gamers. The only reason why I didn't give Starcraft 2 a 9 or better is because personally I don't like all the timed missions (race against time to complete goals). This doesn't mean that those specific missions didn't have same excitement. But for me the frustration was sometime at its peak. That's the only major negative I can report at this time. There is some reputation, but that is said for most things in life. Reputation is not always bad especially when it's a Blizzard created game.This one is a buy. Enjoy this one! Expand
  14. Nov 6, 2011
    10
    The single player game is fun and each mission gives a different type of challenge rather than just tweak variables of existing challenges. The multiplayer is where I value this game, it has everything - competitive or cooperative for 2-8 players with standard SC2 skirmish fare, or what I love, the custom maps. These have competitive countless Tower Defense games, RPGs, co-operativeThe single player game is fun and each mission gives a different type of challenge rather than just tweak variables of existing challenges. The multiplayer is where I value this game, it has everything - competitive or cooperative for 2-8 players with standard SC2 skirmish fare, or what I love, the custom maps. These have competitive countless Tower Defense games, RPGs, co-operative challenges, some DoTA clones, etc and keep making more and more. This is like how the Source Engine was to FPS Mods as SC2 is to RTS / Top-down mods

    Only annoying thing for me is that skirmish mode is not available offline. This means you can only play the single player campaign offline. Not a major issue for me as I don't travel as much anymore and thus effectively always-connected.
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  15. Nov 8, 2011
    10
    Starcraft has done it again. Yes terran may be a little be unbalanced, I don't see any other game thats as great as this game. The campaign was great, and online was better. They improved the graphics and brought in more units to the fight. This game is hands down the best stragedy game out there.
  16. Nov 10, 2011
    10
    Genius game, sequel to possibly the best RTS to have ever been created. Blizzard again deliver on their 25 year long standard of only releasing fully polished games with Starcraft 2 with a single player that fans of Brood War and newcomers to the series can both enjoy, and more importantly a multiplayer designed by Zeus himself. The balance is superb, the units engaging and theGenius game, sequel to possibly the best RTS to have ever been created. Blizzard again deliver on their 25 year long standard of only releasing fully polished games with Starcraft 2 with a single player that fans of Brood War and newcomers to the series can both enjoy, and more importantly a multiplayer designed by Zeus himself. The balance is superb, the units engaging and the opportunities for funky tactics to surprise your opponent limitless. There is a reason why this is already the best e-sport game out there today. Expand
  17. Nov 18, 2011
    9
    I'm going to write a fair review... Something nobody on this site does. If you come to metacritic... DO NOT judge a game based on user reviews. Come for the critic reviews because I swear half the people on this site have no idea what they are talking about and give unfair reviews.. You can't take off 4 points because you thought the color of the grass wasn't green enough.. ANYWAYS, myI'm going to write a fair review... Something nobody on this site does. If you come to metacritic... DO NOT judge a game based on user reviews. Come for the critic reviews because I swear half the people on this site have no idea what they are talking about and give unfair reviews.. You can't take off 4 points because you thought the color of the grass wasn't green enough.. ANYWAYS, my honest opinion of this game is a 9.0. The campaign is very entertaining and well written. If you were a fan of SC1 campaign, no doubt you will enjoy this one as well. But, the reason why I bought this game was for online. This game is no doubt one of the best RTS games out there. The online is one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had. The type of strats that people come up with always makes the game entertaining. I'm currently a diamond player, and I never get games that I don't feel challenged because the ladder system is very good at placing people around your skill level. The ladder system is by far one of the best ranking systems I've seen introducing an MMR and stigma system that properly ranks people where they should be. Starcraft 2 is just one of those game that any RTS fan MUST play. Even if you've never played an RTS, now it the time to start! Expand
  18. Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Truly amazing, multiplayer is a blast when you play with friends and single player can really be a challenge, if you like these kinds of games ( which I didn't have so much hype about when it first got release ). I don't see how people can put a low score on this, you can play without an internet connection, sure there's no lan but nobody would really use that anymore, battle-net server'sTruly amazing, multiplayer is a blast when you play with friends and single player can really be a challenge, if you like these kinds of games ( which I didn't have so much hype about when it first got release ). I don't see how people can put a low score on this, you can play without an internet connection, sure there's no lan but nobody would really use that anymore, battle-net server's never lag even across-sea. Expand
  19. Dec 23, 2011
    10
    I can't believe a game this long in development emerged AHEAD of games at the time. I wish I could have given this game an 11, I would have been fine with another expansion to the original Starcraft. But no, Blizzard goes above and beyond and gives me cinematics of godlike proportions, choices, great graphics, STELLAR characters (I can't remember the last time I loved the characters inI can't believe a game this long in development emerged AHEAD of games at the time. I wish I could have given this game an 11, I would have been fine with another expansion to the original Starcraft. But no, Blizzard goes above and beyond and gives me cinematics of godlike proportions, choices, great graphics, STELLAR characters (I can't remember the last time I loved the characters in game this much), AND even more strategy and insanely good story layout. Id recommend this game highly to anyone who enjoyed Starcraft at any point in their life, this game will suck you right back in! EDIT: Also, the final hammer on the head for me that some of you may find laughable, is that they made this for MAC and PC. They had no reason to, but they did, and it shows compassion and loyalty to fans I haven't seen in any company since Valve Expand
  20. Jan 1, 2012
    9
    Release Date Jul 27, 2010 and i just take notice that i finished the campaign only one single time in this one and a half year and still do not feel like starting a second round. Honestly a bit unusal for a blizzard game. Anyways if you like rts just go and get it. Rts sure doesnt get much better than this. Problem about this game most likely only is that its standing in the huge shadow of SC1.
  21. Dec 10, 2011
    8
    This game is great. It's addictive as hell if you one vs one ladder and a whole bucket load of amazing custom games too. So much content- like 100 games in one. Hide and seek style games or Starbattles in space with massive space ships. Plus you get a satisfying campaign. Worth the money it is. It's a blizzard game and they never dissapoint. But they lose two points for lack of clanThis game is great. It's addictive as hell if you one vs one ladder and a whole bucket load of amazing custom games too. So much content- like 100 games in one. Hide and seek style games or Starbattles in space with massive space ships. Plus you get a satisfying campaign. Worth the money it is. It's a blizzard game and they never dissapoint. But they lose two points for lack of clan support and LAN options. Expand
  22. Jan 20, 2012
    8
    A very well balanced, fast-paced RTS game with a whole lot of depth. Too bad that the multiplayer side of the game focuses so much on remembering build orders and multitasking, instead of real strategy. The singleplayer campaign is quite fun too, mostly because of the variations in the map design. Overall, I'd say that the game is more fun to watch than to play though.
  23. Jan 31, 2012
    9
    Warcraft 3, and Starcraft 1. Starcraft 2 surpasses both in every aspect from the campaign to the balanced multiplayer to map editing tools. The amount of custom game types that can come out of the custom map tools is simply staggering. One can lose thousands of hours in this iteration of starcraft. Buy it if you are a true pc gamer!
  24. Jan 20, 2012
    10
    Truly one of the best games ever made. It may take work to get the hang of it but starcraft 2 is by far the most amazing experiences a game can produce. Blizzard really took the time to make sure that the game was perfect. This games is a must buy.
  25. Dec 2, 2012
    9
    Was what I expected: good story, good gameplay... New battle.net is good I think, press button, wait awhile and enjoy game. Looking forward to HotS and continuation of story line.
  26. Jan 30, 2012
    10
    This game took a really long time to come out and when it did I really couldn't spot much difference with Starcraft one in terms of gameplay :). Now is that a good or bad thing? I guess we can only answer this ourselves. I've answered with my score.
  27. Feb 1, 2012
    9
    This is NOT just Starcraft with better graphics.
    Blizzard spent the time to innovate new units and making old units better. A great new gameplay from Brood war.
    Only let down is the slight imbalanced between the races in which Blizzard has fixed up quite a bit.
    Hopefully HOTS will fixed up the balanced issues.
    The story line of this game is also very intriguing if not a bit cliche at times.
  28. Mar 6, 2012
    9
    Very highly enjoyable. Even at low levels of play, each match is an intense battle of wits and speed. Not much needs to be said about the actual gameplay itself. One thing that still stands out to me to this day is just how clean and well developed the UI and controls are. It makes playing the game a pleasure.
  29. Mar 7, 2012
    8
    Very good game! Since the First Warcraft, Starcraft also, these two games has been my favourite Strategy Games. There is also games like Warhammer, which are good Strat games.. The Starcraft Lore was awesome, and they did not break it with Starcraft II. I think it stays true to what was originally being Starcraft, the new Units are awesome! Atleast for Terrans! (As we did not see much ofVery good game! Since the First Warcraft, Starcraft also, these two games has been my favourite Strategy Games. There is also games like Warhammer, which are good Strat games.. The Starcraft Lore was awesome, and they did not break it with Starcraft II. I think it stays true to what was originally being Starcraft, the new Units are awesome! Atleast for Terrans! (As we did not see much of Zerg/Protoss yet.). The Campaign is wonderful! Can take a LONG time to get done when you are Legitly playing it! As for Multiplayer, it is incredibly HARD! Players are good, some players are offensive, but that is what are Kids. The game overall would have a 8/10 for me, because the Game is not yet complete. Still missing PROTOSS, ZERG campaigns, and i want to wait to see how much more i will give this game, i think Blizzard did not fail their Starcraft Franchise. Thanks Blizzard, as always, Quality game made. Thanks for taking the time to create quality games, and not listening to people telling you to rush them. Blizzard is one of my favourite Game Developpers including EA Games. Thanks! Expand
  30. Mar 7, 2012
    8
    Most of the problems I have with this game are the way that Blizzard implements patches and fixes. It is an amazing game and the mini games that you can find on the custom game list are worth the price of this game by themselves. I would pay money to play nexus wars as a stand alone game. SC2 may not be for everyone, but it is an amazing game none the less.
Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 82 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 82
  3. Negative: 0 out of 82
  1. PC Zone UK
    Jan 18, 2011
    95
    "Quotation Forthcoming"
  2. Jan 18, 2011
    90
    If you are into real time strategy in any form, it's hard to ignore Starcraft II.
  3. PC Format
    Dec 24, 2010
    93
    Perfectly balanced multiplayer with old school elements intact, and rich and dynamic single player campaigns. [Issue#244, p.102]