Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3772 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,975 out of 3772
  2. Mixed: 410 out of 3772
  3. Negative: 387 out of 3772
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  1. MrFpeas
    Jul 16, 2011
    8
    A very great multiplayer game, only lacking a few elements in singleplayer. With a lot more emphasis on macro play and consistent patches to keep balance issues addressed, the multiplayer, which many people bought the game for, is very well drawn out. However, I felt that despite being at least 12 years since the first Starcraft, they would have implemented a 3-d scale environment (such asA very great multiplayer game, only lacking a few elements in singleplayer. With a lot more emphasis on macro play and consistent patches to keep balance issues addressed, the multiplayer, which many people bought the game for, is very well drawn out. However, I felt that despite being at least 12 years since the first Starcraft, they would have implemented a 3-d scale environment (such as Total Annihilation) but they decided to stick with the 2-tier + ramps design. Whether it was for balancing issues or not, that left me a little disappointed. The singleplayer is nicely designed, but the plot and characters were not very compelling. Some people have noted that the dialogue in Starcraft 1 was better written than Starcraft 2 and I have to agree with them. But, like I said earlier, this game is very big on the multiplayer and, seeing as it's been a year and many successful tournaments have been held, accomplished in being a very good multiplayer RTS. Only time will tell if they can improve the storytelling in Heart of the Swarm.… Expand
  2. TheArchaeon
    Oct 26, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty, the long awaited sequel to the award winning Starcraft... Let me blunt, it doesn't live up to the hype, but what game does these days? The first major flaw with it is the integrated online community, which forces you to be connected to the internet to even play the game. There is an offline option, but for some reason, Blizzard thought it a good idea to make you sign in every 30 days using the internet in order to keep using the offline mode. I aimed to play this game purely alone, i do not enjoy online gameplay. It's boring. So being forced to be a part of Battle.net in order to play a game which should be firstly single player, and optionally multiplayer, really annoyed me before i even started to play the game. The second annoyance came when you find out that the only campaign you can play is that of the Terran's. To be fair, the Terran campaign has a lot of effort put into the none gameplay sections, such as animated pre-mission screens in which you can see the interior of the Hyperion Battleship. However, that's about it as far as in-depth story goes. The majority of missions are quite boring, which seem to only get vaguely better the close you get to the end of the game. The graphics are an improvement, new unit types and the ability to upgrade units and structures before the battle are quite fun, but ultimately wont improve the standard gameplay all that much. That is what this is after all of these years of waiting, it's essentially Starcraft 1 with better graphics and missing two campaigns in place of a forced internet community. Rather than have a built in community, Blizzard could have easily crafted two more campaigns for customers to enjoy, but i guess the idea of milking us for more money with expensive expansion packs was too much to ignore... The game we have awaited for years is a disappointment, though any Starcraft fan will enjoy it, just don't expect any real innovation here. You will be playing Starcraft 1 with just a few new units and improved graphics and a pointless achievement system which you can only use if connected to the internet. This is the future of games it seems, linear single player options and multiplayer modes which are forced upon you. With Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty, you pay for the privilege to play the game Blizzard's way. Once you have completed the campaign there's not much to do, play the odd game against the terrible AI, and await the arrival of two more expansion packs each with a single campaign and a nice price tag.… Expand
  3. YeshuaAgapao
    Nov 2, 2011
    8
    Worthy of a 10, but it don't get a 10 because of the itelletual property tyranny (Battle.net runs like steam does) and especially the poor ability to independently publish and prmote mods outside of battle.net. StarCraft2 (along with Civ5) are a nice beginning welcome of the worsening police state in America. AWESOME game otherwise. The best single player. Conventional multiplayer isWorthy of a 10, but it don't get a 10 because of the itelletual property tyranny (Battle.net runs like steam does) and especially the poor ability to independently publish and prmote mods outside of battle.net. StarCraft2 (along with Civ5) are a nice beginning welcome of the worsening police state in America. AWESOME game otherwise. The best single player. Conventional multiplayer is good also. UMS multiplayer is so-so. Only maps that 'get with the program' are easily findable. Blizzard controls your map and will take it down if people white and people will never find it unless it is immensely popular. UMS or melee. People are engineered to find maps only through blizzard and I've never figured out to use a map dispensed outside of battle.net (downloaded thorugh web) in multiplayer. Totally 'please don't sue me'. Great game outside of those police state / lawsuite paranoia issues.… Expand
  4. Radi0head
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Amazing. Just amazing. SC2 is awesome both single and multiplayer. Many people complain this is the same gameplay as before but the SC1 didn't need to be altered. I like the new units and the balancing between the races. I look forward to the expansion with other new units and strategies.
  5. killzon32
    Jun 11, 2012
    9
    One or if not the best rts games of this generation and will be so for a very long time.
    The story is pretty good single player is fun, Online is where it shines being one of the most competitive games of Esport's. This is the Juggernaut of Esport's.
  6. Itzkannious
    Mar 12, 2013
    10
    It improves on every aspect of the original. Beautiful graphics, fantastically told story... What really blew my mind? How every single cutscene is so beautiful. My favourite scene was hands down the recreation of Sarah Kerrigan's death. It was flawless. There's just nothing quite like StarCraft.
  7. Vahva
    Nov 27, 2011
    10
    Many of these negative review people say that this game is a total copy of SC1 with slightly better graphics. SLIGHTLY?!??! There is new animations for EVERYTHING. The graphics put on ultra are nothing short of AMAZING. Sure these graphics suck....on a pentium 3....This is my most played video game by far, and I have alot. There is tons of new units and abilities. People that say thisMany of these negative review people say that this game is a total copy of SC1 with slightly better graphics. SLIGHTLY?!??! There is new animations for EVERYTHING. The graphics put on ultra are nothing short of AMAZING. Sure these graphics suck....on a pentium 3....This is my most played video game by far, and I have alot. There is tons of new units and abilities. People that say this game is redundant obviously haven't played it, or are just absolutely terrible enough to not notice any new feautures. But I seriously don't see how this game isn't visually new...SC1 looks like horrible crap (but was still fun as hell), and this game is amazing looking. The only people that don't like this game are the people that suck at it, and probably suck at video games overall. Most likely CoD-kids that liked the cover art on the box.… Expand
  8. WalkingOnWater
    Nov 29, 2011
    10
    Quite simply, the greatest game I've ever played. Multiplayer is amazing fun, the races are overall well balanced, the units do need a tiny bit of work but they're still sexy, and the gameplay itself is a ton of fun. I don't have much more to say beyond that, it's the epitome of gaming, it's the finest RTS, it's the pinnacle of strategy
  9. Mr_Critic
    Feb 24, 2012
    10
    Sometimes a few simple words can describe what u think about something better than a thousand words. In Starcraft II it's the case: This game is released since late 2010. We have 2012 now and i still play this game every second day. What better compliment can a game get?
  10. LazyGamerATN
    May 20, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing. what other game, of any genre, has this level of replayability? A campaign that is varied, addictive, has a great story and characters, as well as being long without becoming tedious or boring, on top of being challenging. The multiplayer is challenging, but it is so accessible to new players (such as myself when I bought it), and the ranking system is one of the mostThis game is amazing. what other game, of any genre, has this level of replayability? A campaign that is varied, addictive, has a great story and characters, as well as being long without becoming tedious or boring, on top of being challenging. The multiplayer is challenging, but it is so accessible to new players (such as myself when I bought it), and the ranking system is one of the most efficient ones I've ever encountered. On top of all this, there is the map editor and custom games section, which has SSOOOOOOO much content that it is essentially giving you 100 games in 1 (people have even recreated the SC1 campaign with the editor). All in all, one of the greatest game sI have ever played, and don't judge it for taking 12 years to make: it's here, and it's a great game. Would you prefer a game that took 2 years to make, like say, Call of Duty? I thought not.… Expand
  11. SaH
    Apr 30, 2012
    10
    I was wondering, how high can I rate SC2. And the answer is one. It's one of the best game I played, with great emotions and fun during multiplayer game. Single player give some more less fun, but we must remember, that it's only a tutorial for multiplayer. Story is not so great as in SC1, but it is only Terran part, lets wait for more... And game? Fun, music, even graphic (for some pplI was wondering, how high can I rate SC2. And the answer is one. It's one of the best game I played, with great emotions and fun during multiplayer game. Single player give some more less fun, but we must remember, that it's only a tutorial for multiplayer. Story is not so great as in SC1, but it is only Terran part, lets wait for more... And game? Fun, music, even graphic (for some ppl outdated) - everything do the job, and game, as a whole is just great. There aren't much games, that make me sit against monitor for couple of months, and SC2 did it.… Expand
  12. wuwei
    May 18, 2012
    10
    Simply the smoothest, most balanced RTS game since the first Starcraft. Those that complain about graphics or story, no serious SC player has ever cared about those things. Good players play with lowest graphic settings just to reduce framelag.
  13. Knukkohead
    Oct 15, 2013
    10
    A job well done Blizzard, this is everything a fan of Starcraft can dream of, the graphics, the animations, the effects... everything is just amazing, the story is simply great very addictive, i don't see a point of writing a long thought out review about it's pluses and minuses... cause i simply like everything about this game.
  14. crunchor
    May 24, 2012
    10
    Comparing to Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 is a much better and complete game. Starcraft 2 really continue the legend of Starcraft with so many updates and new things to make it an even better game. Diablo 3 has been released and I had spend sometimes on it, but Diablo 3 is a serous disappointment and it is the worst game ever while people wrongly believe it is good just because of wonderfulComparing to Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 is a much better and complete game. Starcraft 2 really continue the legend of Starcraft with so many updates and new things to make it an even better game. Diablo 3 has been released and I had spend sometimes on it, but Diablo 3 is a serous disappointment and it is the worst game ever while people wrongly believe it is good just because of wonderful marketing. I really enjoy the marketing of Diablo 3 with so many advertisements and events to make people feel like Diablo 3 is the best game ever but everyone fall into this marketing trap. Just look at this, starcraft 2 has 8.1 points user reviews points while Diablo 3 only has 4.1 now. 8.1 is almost double of 4.1 while 10 is the upper limit. Everything in Starcraft 2 is well designed and you can just feel it after playing it. I am sure the team who makes starcraft 2 is not the same team as Diablo 3, because anyone can just feel Diablo 3 is not even close to complete, Diablo 3 is just a beta of a demo, the design team doesn't even try to make it longer and create a game system which can last for long. People can play Starcraft 2 for 10 years and still find it is even more fun with crazy many patches. I download and install starcraft 2 patches with at least 30 minutes, that is a lot of patches just like Windows 7 itself. I played Diablo 3 for like 30 minutes then already feel it is so boring. It is just stupid to ask for Diablo 3 players to just play the exact same game again after finish the game once. Graphic of Starcraft 2 is actually much better than Diablo 3 even starcraft 2 is made 2 years ago. Anyway Diablo 3 is a pixxx of shxx while starcraft 2 is the best of its kind. Don't buy the crazy expensive but horrible quality Diablo 3 just because of its marketing effect, make the right choice.… Expand
  15. selenta
    May 23, 2012
    9
    I wasn't that excited for this game when it first came out, I expected to play the single player and maybe a few coop games with friends and be done with it. I've now been playing it for over a year, and I still play it regularly. I probably watch more than I play these days, which is certainly a first for me with any game, in a good way.
  16. Subterra
    Dec 26, 2012
    10
    Best game ever made period, if i could score it an 11 i would.
    In all my years of gaming i have never played a game as addictive as this.
    This game literally created a new hobby for me and i will continue to play it for the rest of my life, absolutly incredible game.
  17. Militaizi
    Jun 9, 2012
    10
    Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty is the best 'Real-time strategy' ever made. It doesn't need to be explained. The singleplayer is cool, it's shifty and it gives many different style of maps, in one map you are running from the zerg, in other you are battling the protoss, and vice versa. The multiplayer is the focus of the game, it can be seen from far. Blizzard is still making updates to keepStarcraft 2: Wings of Liberty is the best 'Real-time strategy' ever made. It doesn't need to be explained. The singleplayer is cool, it's shifty and it gives many different style of maps, in one map you are running from the zerg, in other you are battling the protoss, and vice versa. The multiplayer is the focus of the game, it can be seen from far. Blizzard is still making updates to keep the races balanced, the custom games are fun, and the arcade thingy will put the custom gaming into new dimensions.… Expand
  18. robindrew
    Jun 10, 2012
    10
    This is a remake of Starcraft pure and simple. I can appreciate those who were expecting something radically different would be disappointed. It is a remake, and a fantastic remake it is. The balance of the 3 races is exceptional, refined over numerous patches. As with all blizzard games, the attention to detail is exceptional and the visuals are breathtaking. The campaign is an acceptableThis is a remake of Starcraft pure and simple. I can appreciate those who were expecting something radically different would be disappointed. It is a remake, and a fantastic remake it is. The balance of the 3 races is exceptional, refined over numerous patches. As with all blizzard games, the attention to detail is exceptional and the visuals are breathtaking. The campaign is an acceptable length, but not overly long. However, the multiplayer is something else entirely, with arguably the best multiplayer experience of any strategy game to date. If you enjoy real time strategy games with resource management, there is nothing better.… Expand
  19. gruese
    Jun 13, 2012
    9
    A truly great game that still suffers from a few shortcomings. First off, Starcraft 2 is no doubt one of the most competitive multiplayer games ever. Blizzard supports this with good matchmaking and a ladder system that I have no qualms about. Due to the great editor that comes with the game, the community is heavily involved in making maps and custom games, and I have probably spent asA truly great game that still suffers from a few shortcomings. First off, Starcraft 2 is no doubt one of the most competitive multiplayer games ever. Blizzard supports this with good matchmaking and a ladder system that I have no qualms about. Due to the great editor that comes with the game, the community is heavily involved in making maps and custom games, and I have probably spent as much time playing fan-made content as I have playing content made by Blizzard. Although there is much arguing going on about this, my personal opinion is that the three races are very well balanced while being almost completely different. If the game was exclusively multiplayer, I think it might be close to perfect. I have rated it 9 out of 10 points because of the single player experience, which I found enjoyable overall, but the characters and the story are just a little bit too cheesy and stereotypical. All in all though, my money was very well spent on Starcraft II and I am looking forward to the expansion sets.… Expand
  20. ZuberM
    Jun 15, 2012
    10
    I am extremely stunned to read some of the user reviews on this site. This game is quite possibly one of the best if not the best game ever made. A lot of you complain about the story, it may have its holes yes, but the fundamental aspect of Starcraft 2 is its multiplayer. It is unmatched in the RTS genre and you cant put any other RTS infront of it. Ive played tons and tons of other RTSI am extremely stunned to read some of the user reviews on this site. This game is quite possibly one of the best if not the best game ever made. A lot of you complain about the story, it may have its holes yes, but the fundamental aspect of Starcraft 2 is its multiplayer. It is unmatched in the RTS genre and you cant put any other RTS infront of it. Ive played tons and tons of other RTS and I did not find love.. at all. When I played the original Starcraft I was bewildered with being able to play with 3 races with unlimited possibilities,strategies and mental focus. This game LIVES online, South Korea has declared it a national sport and Starcraft players are currently the highest paid professional gamers. I cannot begin to describe to you the amount of strategy and techniques it takes to beat your opponent 1v1. You cant get sick of this game honestly. 10/10 score for this game Thank you critics for agreeing with me!… Expand
  21. Zelosfan
    Jul 1, 2012
    10
    This game is a worthy sequel. The perfectly fitting graphic adds up to the skill based game-play.
    The user base is very mature and rounds up the beautiful experience this competitive game creates.
  22. Zegu
    Jul 21, 2012
    9
    I am amazed by all the negative reviews saying it is similar to the first.. OF COURSE IT IS, its a sequel. I enjoyed the single player and have probably sunk about 40ish hours into it, but remember this is primarly not a single player game. Community made content (UMS games) kept the first starcraft alive and Blizzard actually did an alright job showcasing user made games. Ladder gamesI am amazed by all the negative reviews saying it is similar to the first.. OF COURSE IT IS, its a sequel. I enjoyed the single player and have probably sunk about 40ish hours into it, but remember this is primarly not a single player game. Community made content (UMS games) kept the first starcraft alive and Blizzard actually did an alright job showcasing user made games. Ladder games have kept me coming back to this over 2 years, any game that can do that has done a good job. It looses a point because blizzard seems a bit over zealous wit no LAN, but it is way more free than Diablo, mainly because (my opinion) this was made before activision got their hands in the pile. Good game, great multyplayer, huge player base, 3 different yet equal races, and an amazing community.… Expand
  23. wilsxe13
    Aug 5, 2012
    10
    Starcraft is just the best RTS out there. Just that! The custom games make the game already worth, with the ladder the game is perfectly complete. You should try this game , you not gonna be disappointed.
  24. VoidWarrior
    Aug 23, 2012
    10
    Starcraft was my favorite RTS of all times. And now I can say it's Starcraft II. Amazing gameplay, story and graphics. I just can't wait for the sequel.
  25. Tacoss23
    Mar 14, 2013
    10
    Starcraft 2 is simply a better, modern Starcraft 1. An improvement in basically everything that made SC1 the greatest competitive RTS ever made. Now, the campaign is personally not my taste, because considering the wonders you can do (in terms of Sci-Fi story) with the Starcraft universe, they wen't with the worst possible writing, which is a "love story" single characters focus, insteadStarcraft 2 is simply a better, modern Starcraft 1. An improvement in basically everything that made SC1 the greatest competitive RTS ever made. Now, the campaign is personally not my taste, because considering the wonders you can do (in terms of Sci-Fi story) with the Starcraft universe, they wen't with the worst possible writing, which is a "love story" single characters focus, instead of focusing in the massiveness and epicness of the fight for survival between 3 alien races. However, the campaign is not what you judge Starcraft on, it would be silly. The rest of the game looks extremely polished, fun, and most importantly keeping the basic Starcraft formula that made it so successful. I'm glad Blizzard went with the good ol' formula that works and improved it, not hired a new team and went on it's own shenanigans with a "new modern version" of the game, like they did to Diablo 3 and destroyed the franchise. So yes, Starcraft 2 is and will be the greatest Competitive RTS just like Starcraft 1 was. And without the competitive side, it's still a great RTS, second only to Company of Heroes maybe. The no LAN, new battle net, controlled modding, etc, should not be a reason to deduct points from this masterpiece, because...well...times change, and if you are still living in your basement hoping the 90s era of PC gaming continue to exist, then you are in for a surprise.… Expand
  26. ShadowiOS
    Nov 6, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Starcraft 2 is a great game for everybody! It`s probably a must have game for all strategy-fans. The tree races of the game are very interested and motivated too become a pro gamer. The "Arcade" mode is excited to play too other players. I mean that the story mode is interested too.
    Because of this it`s at moment my favourite strategy game. Like!    … Expand
  27. LucasTheMan
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Starcraft II delivered everything that was promised. Amazing game with excellent gameplay (as expected), great story, great characters and overall campaign. Can't wait for the next installment.
  28. BlackAkatosh
    Apr 7, 2013
    9
    Old school Real Time Strategy at its best. RTS gamers certainly enjoy it.
    Despite the fact that the player can't control hero units, experience gained by units is almost meaningless, and a group of units are not arranged and they get all together without formations, it's the perfect game.
    Good graphics for a RTS, Very interesting campaign, perfect gameplay and enough variety between each    Old school Real Time Strategy at its best. RTS gamers certainly enjoy it.
    Despite the fact that the player can't control hero units, experience gained by units is almost meaningless, and a group of units are not arranged and they get all together without formations, it's the perfect game.
    Good graphics for a RTS, Very interesting campaign, perfect gameplay and enough variety between each of the 3 races to keep you playing it over and over again. Skirmish matches provide limitless game experience, so a gamer can play it almost for ever!
    But that is expected. I still play Warcraft 3, after almost 10 years, and that's what I expect to be the time I'm going to play SCII.    … Expand
  29. Akelaar
    Dec 13, 2012
    10
    I think Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is the best RTS at the moment. It's a Classic Blizzard game with great campaign and definitely deserves 10/10.
  30. HotFuze
    Jan 2, 2013
    10
    This game has sucked my life away for a full year. The game is fun but nothing special, while the online multiplayer is a fascinating world where one can lose himself in the hardcore strategies as one tries to rank up from bronze to grandmaster league. I had a great time learning new skills to beat my friends. I do not recommend playing this game unless you are looking for a hardcoreThis game has sucked my life away for a full year. The game is fun but nothing special, while the online multiplayer is a fascinating world where one can lose himself in the hardcore strategies as one tries to rank up from bronze to grandmaster league. I had a great time learning new skills to beat my friends. I do not recommend playing this game unless you are looking for a hardcore experience that will consume your life, but if that is what your looking for there is no better game than this.… Expand
  31. Markuus555
    Jan 10, 2013
    10
    I played this game before playing SC 1 or Brood Wars, but I immediately enjoyed it and became hooked on the game and the lore. The campaign is admittedly easier than Brood Wars, but the difficulty levels can accommodate anyone; from a weak player like myself to seasoned gamers. The intertwining stories of the deadly Zerg, the plight of the Protoss, and the raging rebellion within theI played this game before playing SC 1 or Brood Wars, but I immediately enjoyed it and became hooked on the game and the lore. The campaign is admittedly easier than Brood Wars, but the difficulty levels can accommodate anyone; from a weak player like myself to seasoned gamers. The intertwining stories of the deadly Zerg, the plight of the Protoss, and the raging rebellion within the Terrans can easily entertain a fan of the series. While I found the ending to be slightly anticlimactic, I very much enjoyed the lore. For me, a game doesn't have to challenge me (I'd prefer it if it DIDN'T), it just has to entertain me. I enjoyed the variance of units, the depth of the story, the characters and personal plotlines, and the game experience. I'll admit, the online gaming can be slightly daunting, but I have found that the StarCraft II community is one of the most polite and helpful communities in gaming. In a personal account, I was getting wrecked by an online opponent, and he stopped his onslaught and started ordering me on builds so that I stood a chance. Ultimately, it is an excellent game. No, it is not the greatest game to ever be played, and no, it is not a difficult challenge, but I cannot say I've played an RTS that I enjoy more than StarCraft II.… Expand
  32. Vickriman
    Jan 22, 2013
    10
    Clearly the definitive strategy game of the decade. Inevitably all other strategy games produced these next ten years will be compared to this game, just as they were for the first Starcraft over the past ten years.

    Starting with the campaign, this game is flawless from a strategy gamer's perspective. Not only do you have the classic RTS elements in every map, but you have to    Clearly the definitive strategy game of the decade. Inevitably all other strategy games produced these next ten years will be compared to this game, just as they were for the first Starcraft over the past ten years.

    Starting with the campaign, this game is flawless from a strategy gamer's perspective. Not only do you have the classic RTS elements in every map, but you have to strategize about how to upgrade your forces and what missions and research to focus on. Each mission is uniquely challenging and never feels repetitive because of the interesting new game elements it introduces. There is a real sense of progress through the accumulation of upgrades and units from previous missions. Aside from gameplay, the story is also engrossing and interesting. It kept me interested throughout the campaign and almost always seem to leave a cliffhanger after each cutscene.

    Multiplayer is, of course, genre-defining. It isn't the world's number one e-sport for no reason. The simplicity of the gameplay and yet endless variety of approaches make it a great experience for any strategy gamer. The only difficulty is that multiplayer is extremely intimidating for new players to get into. Even the beginner league is full of very strong players, so the learning curve is very steep. If you can keep up with it, though, you will have a great time.    … Expand
  33. Desias
    Feb 18, 2013
    10
    Starcraft 2 is miles above other RTS games on the market. The campaign is amazing, it is the perfect length and the missions are very well thought out. Starcraft 2 adds to the story that the original created, and that store continues to be the best I have experienced in any RTS game and many games in general. Blizzard does an amazing job telling the tale of Jim Raynor and Raynor'sStarcraft 2 is miles above other RTS games on the market. The campaign is amazing, it is the perfect length and the missions are very well thought out. Starcraft 2 adds to the story that the original created, and that store continues to be the best I have experienced in any RTS game and many games in general. Blizzard does an amazing job telling the tale of Jim Raynor and Raynor's Raiders. When it comes to multiplayer it is the most popular RTS game in e-sports with a huge following. I can not find anything wrong with it. The graphics are great. The sound is great. The game-play and story are great. If you do not already own this game you should. Everyone should experience the Starcraft universe at some point.… Expand
  34. Wonder_Boy
    Mar 5, 2013
    9
    Sweet game. Almost as good as Brood War. The ladder functionality is nice and polished and works well. You get value from their online service but you're still able to play offline if you want to. The game play is fun, entertaining and smooth. I've got Heart of the Swarm on pre-order now.
  35. Ecclesiastes
    Mar 11, 2013
    10
    Yes, there are some features missing. LAN would be nice. Share replays would be nice. But the competitive online experience is far beyond anything achieved by any other game. No matter how many tens of thousands of games you play, there will always be room for improvement, for evolution, for trying new things and finding new ways to have fun.
  36. ktamlyn
    Mar 17, 2013
    9
    This game is great from almost every perspective. Multiplayer, single player, and the story is fairly engaging. Its incredibly hard to pull off 3 different balanced races in a multiplayer strategy game and truly make them different. If you are looking for something truly new though, this is not the game.
  37. Miss_Foxy
    Apr 1, 2013
    10
    Initially I had second thoughts about this game, and I really hated it.
    However, the day I bought the game, I was pretty much unable to put it down.
    The gameplay is simply awesome and it has a great multiplayer base to back it up.
    10/10 at least.
  38. ZeratulofAiur
    Jun 26, 2013
    9
    The several year-long wait for this game has gotten me impatient, but it's a great game. The storyline could be better and is not as good as HotS storyline, but is a great one still. The game its self does need some tweaks (what game doesn't), but the reason I switched from BW to SC2 was because the BW graphics were killing me. Drones the same size as siege tanks!? It's a great game withThe several year-long wait for this game has gotten me impatient, but it's a great game. The storyline could be better and is not as good as HotS storyline, but is a great one still. The game its self does need some tweaks (what game doesn't), but the reason I switched from BW to SC2 was because the BW graphics were killing me. Drones the same size as siege tanks!? It's a great game with plenty of hours of gameplay and epic cinematics that will keep you loving it for a long time.… Expand
  39. Red-Rocket
    Jun 23, 2013
    10
    A superb game that was worth the wait, it dealt with any issues that most people except hardcore players (like me but i dont care either way) liked like the 12 unit max and difficult pathing. This is easy to play, campaign is phenomenal and so many options plus the arcade that is pretty much unlimited. Unfortunately Activision screwd with Blizzard and forced region lock and accountA superb game that was worth the wait, it dealt with any issues that most people except hardcore players (like me but i dont care either way) liked like the 12 unit max and difficult pathing. This is easy to play, campaign is phenomenal and so many options plus the arcade that is pretty much unlimited. Unfortunately Activision screwd with Blizzard and forced region lock and account stuff but isnt enough to lower score, but just a warning… Expand
  40. lxliNsAniTylxl
    Jun 2, 2013
    9
    Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. Where to begin. I love the campaign, even though it's really really really really long, but worth it in the end. Then you have to get Heart of the Swarm. The arcade games are fun too. So, I will give it a 9 because in squad td, you can't really do much after getting to prestige 15
  41. KingofSomalia
    Jul 23, 2013
    10
    The best game ever if you do not buy it you are a casual and dont even deserve to play it. I havent even played the campaign yet and it has the best multiplayer i have ever experianced
  42. Plasmaneedle
    Mar 15, 2014
    9
    This is the best RTS game I have played. The gameplay is amazing with the best SP of any RTS game I have played. The multiplayer is also very good with the three different races that play differently and unlock a whole lot of strategic potential. It is very fun, satisfying and rewarding to learn to use all three. The plot is very well done and the characters are great and there is lots ofThis is the best RTS game I have played. The gameplay is amazing with the best SP of any RTS game I have played. The multiplayer is also very good with the three different races that play differently and unlock a whole lot of strategic potential. It is very fun, satisfying and rewarding to learn to use all three. The plot is very well done and the characters are great and there is lots of humor in this game.… Expand
  43. Maycus
    Oct 29, 2013
    10
    At first, if you weren't good at RTS games, it was going to be hard. However, after some time, the game gets funner the better you get. Even the Campaign was good. It was a continuation from Starcraft, and Starcraft: Brood Wars. The Arcade games are good, however, there are few good games around, however I'm sure there will be more good games coming out. The Races you play on Multiplayer,At first, if you weren't good at RTS games, it was going to be hard. However, after some time, the game gets funner the better you get. Even the Campaign was good. It was a continuation from Starcraft, and Starcraft: Brood Wars. The Arcade games are good, however, there are few good games around, however I'm sure there will be more good games coming out. The Races you play on Multiplayer, or even single player (not campaign) were really good and fun and all equal, however with other bonuses.… Expand
  44. jiffypop333
    Mar 12, 2014
    10
    Blizzard has done it again. After playing and being hooked on the original playing starcraft 2 was great. Playing the campaign was fun. It brought back many old units and introduced some new ones to go along with the mix. The greatness of the original story continues here with Jim Raynors story. Adding difficulty levels is nice as well to make the game itself a little more challenging. TheBlizzard has done it again. After playing and being hooked on the original playing starcraft 2 was great. Playing the campaign was fun. It brought back many old units and introduced some new ones to go along with the mix. The greatness of the original story continues here with Jim Raynors story. Adding difficulty levels is nice as well to make the game itself a little more challenging. The landscapes an movies in the story are great and overall the improvement from 1 to 2 is easily relevant. Online multiplier is also fun as well.… Expand
  45. Tuz0
    Dec 7, 2015
    10
    The best Real Time Strategy game returned with an overall improvement and brought the RTS genre on a whole other level. Since the Starcraft universe is so complex, Blizzard Entertainment decided to split its successor into 3 games to unfold even more background story.
    The first game of the trilogy features the Terrans, who are a humanlike species. Furthermore players will follow Captain    The best Real Time Strategy game returned with an overall improvement and brought the RTS genre on a whole other level. Since the Starcraft universe is so complex, Blizzard Entertainment decided to split its successor into 3 games to unfold even more background story.
    The first game of the trilogy features the Terrans, who are a humanlike species. Furthermore players will follow Captain James Raynor and his crew through a rebellion against the Terran Dominion. The Storytelling is outstanding in this one since it is told interactively. The story of the game is just breathtaking, from the beginning until the end of the game since it engages the player to interactively explore the background story.
    Everything in this game is top-notch, for example the character design makes every character very approaching, lively and reasonable and at the same time the music is outstandingly spirited. It feels incredibly smooth playing this game compared to its predecessor and even more fun with playing the story campaign. Every single mission is well-thought-out, considering that in over 20 missions it never feels the same nor it ever gets boring. All in all there is nearly nothing to complain about this game except the graphics. Nevertheless every gamer should at least try playing this one.    … Expand
  46. Sting_RD
    Apr 30, 2015
    10
    The game has amazing graphics. The game itself contains such content that all RTS players crave for and an amazing economy system, the units we're amazing to discover. Trust me, its a great RTS Game.
  47. Flemat
    Jul 27, 2020
    9
    9/10

    A very good game.
    Was a huge fan to the original Starcraft and Brood war. Was hyped when it was announced and came out. Solid story and campaign, and just as good multiplayer. Its almost starcraft 1 but with better graphics and sounds and some general changes.
  48. dlcatalin
    Jul 12, 2020
    10
    I'm gonna give it a perfect 10. Loved the Campaign, loved it. The graphics and feel of the game.
  49. Ruzaky
    Aug 6, 2020
    9
    Pretty much the best you can do out of Rts. Campaing is super fun. Finished it like 5 times at this point. And will comeback to it more in years :)
  50. JesterTRT
    Jan 17, 2020
    9
    Such an old game now... And it still holds up. After playing other RTS, I still find myself returning to Starcraft. I've played this game to death back when it first launched, and every year I return to it.

    A lot of other RTS games always try to over complicate the games. So I like the simplicity, yet still huge variety that Starcraft offers. The campaign mode is actually good for an    Such an old game now... And it still holds up. After playing other RTS, I still find myself returning to Starcraft. I've played this game to death back when it first launched, and every year I return to it.

    A lot of other RTS games always try to over complicate the games. So I like the simplicity, yet still huge variety that Starcraft offers.

    The campaign mode is actually good for an RTS. Each three class, now with their own campaign as well. But main characters to follow their storylines. And of course, the many many custom maps and mods, arcade modes, and now the really fun co-op mode!

    I wish they'd expand upon the co-op mode and make some 4 player co-op modes. And then redo an entire full campaign with a co-op mode. I'd love to go through the campaign, gaining gas and mats and money, just like the normal campaign. But only with a friend. Upgrading our units differently as we go. And take on a full co-op campaign.    … Expand
  51. Ignattanto
    Oct 27, 2019
    10
    за последние 10 лет это лучшая кампания в которую я играл. Плюсы: 1-отличный сюжет. 2-отличная фирменная озвучка и анимация персонажей. 3-общая красота мира. 4-много пасхалок!!!! 5-мне очень понравилась возможность 2 веток исследования. Ладно один минус-музыка на 4 из 5за последние 10 лет это лучшая кампания в которую я играл. Плюсы: 1-отличный сюжет. 2-отличная фирменная озвучка и анимация персонажей. 3-общая красота мира. 4-много пасхалок!!!! 5-мне очень понравилась возможность 2 веток исследования. Ладно один минус-музыка на 4 из 5
  52. laertan
    Feb 7, 2020
    8
    Awesome cinematic, great balance, various missions, decent plot, return of loved characters, nice management of the troops. Also I like ideas with achievments & icons. God damn it, I wrote it and now I want to play it again :)
  53. Canadian_Blakon
    Mar 15, 2020
    10
    this game has some of the most cool features out there today [2020] the only real complaint by me is the graphics i mean there not that bad you know [crashing] but other than that i think it's amazing game

    and the creators of starcraft are awesome
  54. Magjk
    Feb 24, 2020
    10
    Игра бесплатная, игра большая, игра интересная, игра атмосферная, красивая графика 14 из 10.
  55. Rimpy1996
    May 23, 2020
    9
    Meticulously designed, balanced effects, ineffable storyline and an egregious supervillan!
  56. DaPonti
    Mar 20, 2021
    9
    My only complaint about Wings of Liberty is the scale of the campaign story. In Starcraft and Brood war, 3 races were fighting for supremacy of the sector. Here, you're a small rebellion fighting for scraps.
    Apart from that, the campaign is actually great, with a lot of variations and a good progress mechanism.
    Blizzard tried hard for both single and multiplayer to make the game    My only complaint about Wings of Liberty is the scale of the campaign story. In Starcraft and Brood war, 3 races were fighting for supremacy of the sector. Here, you're a small rebellion fighting for scraps.
    Apart from that, the campaign is actually great, with a lot of variations and a good progress mechanism.
    Blizzard tried hard for both single and multiplayer to make the game approachable, but it remains very challenging to master. It is definitely varied and more challenging than the original Starcraft.    … Expand
  57. zzz_DeV1L_zzz
    Jun 7, 2020
    9
    Great, great story. The game is addictive, worry about the main characters. Definitely 9 points.
  58. Sal1k
    Jul 7, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nice game, but 9 is the best that I can give because of rank system. And, I think that this game can have third part! (Hope it will be!)… Expand
  59. HealedDog
    Nov 26, 2020
    10
    A very great game with unbelievable depth, graphics still beautiful 10 years after release and a very grown up and well alive community.
    A few inevitable minor bugs, like absolutely every online game ever, but nothing gamebreaking.
    (Talking bout multiplayer of course, because otherwise why are you playing Starcraft after all)
  60. Spider_7
    Dec 7, 2020
    10
    Most played game all time for me. Online mode is addictive. I never cared about campaign too much.
  61. Torgall
    Dec 13, 2020
    9
    Very good real-time strategy, one of the real-time strategies that I played the most. Fans of the original game seem to be very divided in their score, but all I can say it was worth the money.
  62. Marko91
    Dec 14, 2020
    10
    10 years later and I keep playing this game regularly. Definitely the best RTS out there.
    The campaign is great and the story is nice although the tone of it was made to appeal to younger audiences as well, but I am ok with it.
  63. Eaisworse
    Jan 5, 2021
    10
    I've 3850 hours in this and the other three DLS's (Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the void and The Nova Campaign) and on the online mode. This is by far the best RTS game that I have played (I played a lot of RTS games, like Age one, two and three (the original and remasterd versions) and all c&c games). The A.I is by far one of the best, the online mode is fantastic (don't play on KoreanI've 3850 hours in this and the other three DLS's (Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the void and The Nova Campaign) and on the online mode. This is by far the best RTS game that I have played (I played a lot of RTS games, like Age one, two and three (the original and remasterd versions) and all c&c games). The A.I is by far one of the best, the online mode is fantastic (don't play on Korean servers, you gonna lose). The performance is also good I get over 300 FPS on ultra settings (Gtx 970, without V-Sync). The voice actors have down great work. I never had bugs. The first part/DLC is the three (Wings of Liberty), for me this is the best campaign of all, but the others are also worth it. But it if you like RTS games and like the future setting… Expand
  64. noobr
    May 9, 2011
    6
    Suffers from being designed for high level professional tournament play, not enough creativity and effort is put into making the game fun and diverse
  65. JimmyP
    Aug 1, 2010
    10
    The people giving low scores to this game know nothing about gaming. This is STARCRAFT "2" - why would you expect anything like company of heroes? Starcraft was and is the most successful RTS franchise in the history of gaming and rightly so. Why would they try to change and innovate the game play? This is the perfect sequel. It is the first starcraft with a vastly improved game engine, The people giving low scores to this game know nothing about gaming. This is STARCRAFT "2" - why would you expect anything like company of heroes? Starcraft was and is the most successful RTS franchise in the history of gaming and rightly so. Why would they try to change and innovate the game play? This is the perfect sequel. It is the first starcraft with a vastly improved game engine, battle.net, and the addition of a number of cool units and features - which is exactly what a sequel should be. WHY would they change one of the most successful games in the history of computer gaming? So many games have been ruined with lousy "innovative" sequels. If you're looking for innovative, buy a new, innovative game - not a sequel. There are plenty out there. If you're looking for another 5-10 years of fun and insane multiplayer on battlenet - buy SC2. Blizzard does everything right, this is just another example. Although, not including all 3 campaigns in an expensive game is definitely a little ridiculous. If your framerate drops while playing this game, you need new hardware. It is far from hardware intensive. If you think your FPS drops playing SC2 - try a new FPS.… Expand
  66. MaxGayLord
    May 16, 2013
    0
    I often hear people say, "Hitler was a good guy, he built a lot of roads." I also have heard people say, "Starcraft II is amazing, the gameplay is fun and very balanced".
  67. GlenA.
    Aug 6, 2010
    7
    Starcraft 2 is essentially just a graphics boot up from the original game play wise though honestly when you have a game so close to flawless it's hard to improve. The game runs great, it's awesome to play. So while it had a solid core everything that surrounds it seems weak, lackluster and in some cases cruel. Okay, the campaign's plot and characters are bland though the Starcraft 2 is essentially just a graphics boot up from the original game play wise though honestly when you have a game so close to flawless it's hard to improve. The game runs great, it's awesome to play. So while it had a solid core everything that surrounds it seems weak, lackluster and in some cases cruel. Okay, the campaign's plot and characters are bland though the mission's fun and you will easily get your money's worth in just the campaign alone which is something that's rare to find nowadays. But prepared to be unimpressed by the story which is told not in nice little discussions pregame but instead in bland 30 second conversations between characters and it lacks the scope of the first as half of the missions feel like side quests and don't advance the plot. I'll say this again EVERY mission except like four of them are extremely fun so don't worry about feeling bogged down in grind like the original tended to do. The multiplayer, at least the Battlenet multiplayer is solid and flawless the game groups you based on skill into different ladders and you usually only fight people in that group which makes well matched games, plus there is a newb ladder to help you get a hang of things early on so don't worry about being out classed by psycho crazy players and never learning. The teams as usual are perfectly balanced and each fun to play, plus Blizzards mapmaker makes it so you can just play custom maps (like DOTA spin offs and Tower Defenses) and not even bother with traditional play. As of now just looking at the games features it easily warrants a 9 only losing one point for the poor story, but now we get to the real problem at hand, the corporate bull crap. This game has no LAN! There is no way to play it with a few buddies without them each spotting $60 which is disgusting, but if you don't have friends who do that sorta thing then who cares. Also you get one profile, that's it, you can't go back and restart at lower ladders or have an account for a buddy to use if u don't want your record wreaked. Finally there are going to be two expansions, set in stone! that's at least $50 dollars more of investment to keep up, which sucks. All of that combined makes this game drop from nearly flawless to a mere 7 which is below its quality. If that last paragraph didn't faze you then get it if it did then I'd mooch off another guys copy until you figure out if it's worth the money.… Expand
  68. NickC
    Jul 27, 2010
    9
    Not 10 because the graphics arent up to scratch. AND i know that they deliberately toned down the graphics for lowere end PCs, but bad graphics is still bad graphics. But bloody awesome game.
  69. GlennJ
    Jul 28, 2010
    10
    This game deserves nothing but the highest praise possible, the Multiplayer is dead on and the Single player is absolutely fantastic and well worth multiple playthrough's. The game runs fine on highest settings on my 3 year old computer (running 8800GTX and a Core2Duo. The only thing that I don't like about Starcraft 2 are some of the Battle.net features such as there being no This game deserves nothing but the highest praise possible, the Multiplayer is dead on and the Single player is absolutely fantastic and well worth multiple playthrough's. The game runs fine on highest settings on my 3 year old computer (running 8800GTX and a Core2Duo. The only thing that I don't like about Starcraft 2 are some of the Battle.net features such as there being no lobbies, but nothing that can detract from the final score. Great work Blizzard. 12 years of wait, well served.… Expand
  70. ngh2b
    Apr 7, 2011
    4
    As an fervent follower of the Starcraft narrative since Brood War, I was eager to say the least for this game. But oh how my hopes were crushed.

    The story line is terrible with boring cliches and poor dialogue combined with ridiculous retcons and reinterpretations of characters and events. You'd think that since they had 10 years they'd have at least had a better grasp of what they were    As an fervent follower of the Starcraft narrative since Brood War, I was eager to say the least for this game. But oh how my hopes were crushed.

    The story line is terrible with boring cliches and poor dialogue combined with ridiculous retcons and reinterpretations of characters and events. You'd think that since they had 10 years they'd have at least had a better grasp of what they were doing. People try to make the excuse that 'so what if it's 1/3 of a game, you still get 29 missions for race, that's more than the original or brood war". Well, the main storyline is really only made up about ten missions or so, the rest are filler. The entire storyline including the other races could have been done for 30 to 40 missions.

    The gameplay itself is also quite disappointing after an extended play through. So much more could have been done with the technology that so many other games have taken advantage of, such as cover. The developers even admitted that they kept the game the way it was in order to preserve the e-sports leagues surrounding it. Talk about the greed factor :/

    It's strange that age of empires 3 and command and conquer 3 were criticism and their game scores lowered for being behind the times, Starcraft 2 is being praised for it for the most part. If this wasn't called STARCRAFT 2, say Space Wars, it'd be getting alot more criticism for being behind the times.

    It's fun, don't get me wrong, but it's not worth $60, and is the most overrated game of 2010, and my biggest gaming disappointment.    … Expand
  71. theNILE
    Dec 9, 2012
    3
    Where should I start. Most BW fans were disappointed with the game and Blizzard just did a horrible job with this game. BW has a far higher skill-cap and feels more fun, WoL is a watered down version of the game. Even as a non Starcraft/RTS player, you'll probably easily understand the advantages, vulnerabilities and mechanics of WoL, it's just really simple and barely requires mathematicsWhere should I start. Most BW fans were disappointed with the game and Blizzard just did a horrible job with this game. BW has a far higher skill-cap and feels more fun, WoL is a watered down version of the game. Even as a non Starcraft/RTS player, you'll probably easily understand the advantages, vulnerabilities and mechanics of WoL, it's just really simple and barely requires mathematics unlike BW. So... you have to pay for another account in a different region...if you're playing on a foreign region then your ping is terrible even though the ping was perfectly fine in the beta. The lack of social interaction is a big issue which they are only now coming to address. They removed units from the game itself from BW and changed the meta to encourage turtling. That being said, it is more balanced than BW and it is better spectator-wise which was the main problem with BW. Now the single-player...is the single-player, with a bad story and less memorable characters than in SC1/BW. All in all, Blizzard tried to capitalize on old franchise (as they did with Diablo 3) and it was just a waste of space.… Expand
  72. AnthonyC
    Jul 28, 2010
    6
    The game itself is fun, with overall fun missions for single player, fairly well balanced units, and fantastic graphics. It severely lacks in quality storyline, story telling, and character acting/dialogue. I'm very dissapointed with both the storyline and the dialogue during the single player campaign. It comes off as cheasy, and the love-story with Raynor and Kerigan is completely The game itself is fun, with overall fun missions for single player, fairly well balanced units, and fantastic graphics. It severely lacks in quality storyline, story telling, and character acting/dialogue. I'm very dissapointed with both the storyline and the dialogue during the single player campaign. It comes off as cheasy, and the love-story with Raynor and Kerigan is completely unnecessary after looking back at the SC1 storyline. An example of the bad character scripting happens during an early cutscene with Captain Matt and the Convict. The player [Raynor] tells Matt that him and the Convict go way back and they're good friends and he trusts him. Then when talking with the convict he starts warning the convict that he better not be leading them into a trap with his deals for the Protoss relics. If they were friends wouldn't he be asking the Convict if they were walking into a trap? Or tell the Convict that they had better plan for this being a trap? Rather than subtly threatening him? That's not even a very good example, especially when you start looking at the rest of the cheasy dialogue... You might be thinking "why do you care about the dialogue"? Because if you're going to make it into a major portion of the game, and spend eleven years making said game, you think someone in their QC department would have said "wait... this is really pretty bad acting. We can do better..." The game itself offers a ton of new units, and some oldies. I was pleased to see the Vulture replaced by a powerful-when-upgraded dune buggy. Firebats were upgraded to be walking fortresses, and my favorite marines are still all-around great units (love rushing with them). The game was complicated more by the addition of more types of infantry and I was surprised to see the Goliath back (always disliked making that unit, and the experience hasn't been improved since it dies easily and takes forever to produce). The missions are usually a hoot, and have been more complicated than SC1's typical "destroy the enemy base" mission. I've especially enjoyed how several missions have been added to make a defensive player happy - the "survive thirty minutes" style games. In all I would purchase this again, but have lost respect for Blizzard for dropping the ball on a storytelling experience that had great potential. I look forward to reading reviews for expansion packs before I purchase them.… Expand
  73. bob
    Aug 6, 2010
    6
    Very disappointing overall. Don't try to buy this game digitally from Blizzard! - The service hasn't even been programmed properly, resulting in a (waiting after purchase) queue line a week long, with customer service completely overwhelmed with complaints, and unresponsive save a voice message stating so. If you can actually play the game, it's basically a 3D port of SC1, Very disappointing overall. Don't try to buy this game digitally from Blizzard! - The service hasn't even been programmed properly, resulting in a (waiting after purchase) queue line a week long, with customer service completely overwhelmed with complaints, and unresponsive save a voice message stating so. If you can actually play the game, it's basically a 3D port of SC1, save the flashy but poorly written and schizophrenic single player campaign. Blizzard has become a subsidiary of Activision, and they just want your money now. Mutiplayer for this game was slapped together before the server was even finished. There's not even a chat room as of August 4th.… Expand
  74. Mike
    Jul 31, 2010
    5
    Pretty meh, all over. Western setting with a cowboy jukebox mixed with boring conversations written by 10 year olds... what just happened to my Sci-Fi war story? There is nothing new to this, since the first. Just shinier and cheesier. I guess it plays well enough, but good lord there are some awful design choices with the characters and story. I guess they really did only care about Pretty meh, all over. Western setting with a cowboy jukebox mixed with boring conversations written by 10 year olds... what just happened to my Sci-Fi war story? There is nothing new to this, since the first. Just shinier and cheesier. I guess it plays well enough, but good lord there are some awful design choices with the characters and story. I guess they really did only care about multiplayer and the millions of Koreans.… Expand
  75. Avadon
    Oct 13, 2011
    4
    A little over a year after SC2's release, Blizzard have yet not added clan support, LAN (which leads to massive problems during tournaments) or Gateway selection. You are also still limited to one account per cd key, which means that if you step away from the game for a couple of months or want to try a different race you will have to get stomped for many, many games until your rankingA little over a year after SC2's release, Blizzard have yet not added clan support, LAN (which leads to massive problems during tournaments) or Gateway selection. You are also still limited to one account per cd key, which means that if you step away from the game for a couple of months or want to try a different race you will have to get stomped for many, many games until your ranking plummets to where it's supposed to be. They are also reacting in a tragically slow manner to balance concerns, and usually in the wrong direction, as if they are incapable of fixing the game or don't really care about WoL's balance, since they have two more games on the horizon.

    As for the single player, it's widely viewed as terrible. The story, characters and dialogues were absolute rubbish, and its only saving grace was the relative variety of the mission objectives. Even so, I know many people who have played SC1 and Brood War's campaigns >10 times, but never bothered with SC2's campaign again after they were done with the achievements, which is not a good sign.

    Its graphics are still bad and not much effort has been done to improve them or optimize them. Even 5 year old games like SupCom and C&C3 look much better than SC2, but you still need a **** quad core CPU and a good GPU to run SC2 with everything maxed, for disappointing results, and still have it lag when maxed armies collide. Unacceptable for an e-sport, every professional player out there plays on low settings to avoid graphical lag that could cost him the game.

    Still, even though it doesn't offer much to the casual player, SC2 is a rapidly growing e-sport with hundreds of shiny tournaments going on. It is also amazing to watch, unfortunately much more enjoyable to watch than to actually play. I do enjoy watching SC2 tournaments, even though, like everyone else, I often get bummed out by imbalances that Blizzard timidly attempt to address once every 6 months, but always end up short.

    If you would like an e-sport to watch and be entertained, I would recommend buying SC2, it does have potential and maybe 2 years after Legacy of the Void it will actually be balanced. I can't however recommend it to casual players who don't play a lot, or people who expect a unique and immersive single player experience like Brood War had.    … Expand
  76. trashciii
    Aug 15, 2010
    6
    Starcraft II is a way overrated game. Is this what Blizzard can accomplish in all those 7 years? Am I looking at some kind of joke, is this Starcraft 2 or an expansion set which makes the game HD? Storyline is cool but nothing new. The missions could be fun when you think that this is not Starcraft II, its just Starcraft HD. I don't know people, I won't pay for a game that provides nothingStarcraft II is a way overrated game. Is this what Blizzard can accomplish in all those 7 years? Am I looking at some kind of joke, is this Starcraft 2 or an expansion set which makes the game HD? Storyline is cool but nothing new. The missions could be fun when you think that this is not Starcraft II, its just Starcraft HD. I don't know people, I won't pay for a game that provides nothing but an upgraded experience. Sorry, I'm just fine with original Starcraft...… Expand
  77. BenA
    Aug 5, 2010
    6
    Campaign is amazingly fun, lots of options, varied mission design. Normal difficulty devolves into spamming as many of your chosen unit as possible. Hard difficulty actually involves thought, though the difficulty of a "hard" mission can vary greatly. The new battle.net interface has a lot of changes, unfortunately they're almost entirely focused on leaderboards, ladders, and Campaign is amazingly fun, lots of options, varied mission design. Normal difficulty devolves into spamming as many of your chosen unit as possible. Hard difficulty actually involves thought, though the difficulty of a "hard" mission can vary greatly. The new battle.net interface has a lot of changes, unfortunately they're almost entirely focused on leaderboards, ladders, and starcraft as an e-sport, leaving little room for casual players. Playing the campaign in no way prepares you for playing normal matches. Defensive structures are practically useless, and get flattened quite easily. Unit ranges have been shrunk overall, so that the difference between say the range of a siege tank and the range of a marine is quite small. On the whole Campaign is fun, but the new battle.net, the multiplayer balance, and lack of much in the way of user generated content at this point combine to kill any interest I had in playing online.… Expand
  78. AndyG
    Aug 5, 2010
    5
    This game is not bad, but surely its not that miracle many reviewers seem to sell us. Starcraft II is the same game as the original with the same plus and issues, with better, but yet outdated graphics. But now is not 1998 and what was "acceptable" at that time now is no more. Its like thinking an improved graphic version of pacman released now must be a blockbuster cause the original was This game is not bad, but surely its not that miracle many reviewers seem to sell us. Starcraft II is the same game as the original with the same plus and issues, with better, but yet outdated graphics. But now is not 1998 and what was "acceptable" at that time now is no more. Its like thinking an improved graphic version of pacman released now must be a blockbuster cause the original was so acclaimed (btw never liked pac-man at all personally). The reason of this low rating is cause the game is overpriced (… Expand
  79. DaneilD
    Aug 6, 2010
    5
    Like most of the users here, I haven't actually played this game; but that won't stop me from commentating on it. I thought about giving it a perfect score, and I also thought about giving it a 0/10. But I felt about that. So instead, I'm giving it a 5/10 in order to balance out the 10/10 and 0/10 scores given by everyone else who hasn't played the game.
  80. Luki
    Aug 11, 2010
    9
    Not many games made me spend so much time there - this does. Single player is really nice, mult really much fun. Only bad thing is high price but well, blizzard know how to make profit...
  81. ChuckFarley
    Aug 19, 2010
    7
    This game is like 'go', only there is no taking turns. Frankly i thought the units and structures seemed a bit mismatched and sometimes bizarre, in the sense that there are some concepts in the game that only a videogame developer would come up with. for my personal taste, the confined view & maps and the odd tactics the game requires you to master won't have me dialing into lobbies; butThis game is like 'go', only there is no taking turns. Frankly i thought the units and structures seemed a bit mismatched and sometimes bizarre, in the sense that there are some concepts in the game that only a videogame developer would come up with. for my personal taste, the confined view & maps and the odd tactics the game requires you to master won't have me dialing into lobbies; but it's not like they'll miss the numbers. having said that, the single player campaign was substantial and challenging, the cutscenes were cool, and no-one (certainly not me) is going to say they didn't get value for their money.… Expand
  82. SelkciPlum
    Aug 20, 2010
    7
    Starcraft 2 is a fun game. Battle.net 2.0 has good features with it's new quick match setting, and the custom games section is well done. Basically overall the game is pretty good. It's the redone version of Brood War which I enjoyed a lot. The graphics are better, the main story is longer (though only one race) and there are new multi player features. I'm giving it a 7. I would giveStarcraft 2 is a fun game. Battle.net 2.0 has good features with it's new quick match setting, and the custom games section is well done. Basically overall the game is pretty good. It's the redone version of Brood War which I enjoyed a lot. The graphics are better, the main story is longer (though only one race) and there are new multi player features. I'm giving it a 7. I would give it a 8 if there was a tournament option (with a party of 8, P1 v P2, P3 v P4, P5 v P6, P7 v P8 all at the same time with 2 people battling on each map. Then the winners face off, and those winners face off etc.) I would give it a 9 if it had the tournament option, and it also didn't require you to be online to do almost everything. There are times when my internet is down, and I want to just play against A.I, but Blizzard won't let me do that. Finally, it would get a 10 if it had the two prior features, and the races were balanced. Not only did the races lose their defining traits (Zerg can no longer swarm, and Protoss is weaker than Terran HP-wise) but the races are now just plain imbalanced. Zerg is underpowered compared to both races, and no I'm not saying this just because Zerg is my main. Even the professional Korean players are starting to complain that Zerg is too weak especially after the Roach and Ultralisk got nerfed. Fix all these things, and Starcraft 2 gets a 10.… Expand
  83. ultrafang
    Aug 21, 2010
    5
    Graphics aren't too great compared to previous rts releases, story isn't that immersive and get's a little silly at points, same old sh** I suppose for a rts, gets old fast! I will admit I'm not a real fan of rts style games, but all this hype is ridiculous.
  84. frank84
    Aug 24, 2010
    6
    The game is great, it's definitly Blizzard and a great balanced STR... but how sad that they have not renewed a little bit more the universe, the units, the gameplay... I'm looking foward to an extention pack with more differences !
  85. TastyOishi
    Jan 3, 2011
    9
    An extremely well polished experience. While lacking in some areas (Campaign). The online is something else, while fustrating as hell if you're new to playing online. I keep coming back for more.

    A really well rounded experience, which is fun too!
  86. Weggy
    Mar 20, 2011
    10
    What else can I say but MASTERPIECE. This game gets full marks in all areas. The single player is enjoyable and different yet deep. The Multiplayer is superb as expected and oh so competitive. The UI flows and is flawless and the game it's self runs on every PC which is something I like the most about it. Triple A stuff!
  87. bernardtcx
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Great game with an enjoyable storyline. Blizzard is really good with their plot development and cliffhangers - the story itself has some closure but leaves me wanting the heart of the swarm NOW. I will not play melee maps over and over again though - I'm just a casual gamer. However, the games are that are being made by the community are getting better and better! Its a pity that the worldGreat game with an enjoyable storyline. Blizzard is really good with their plot development and cliffhangers - the story itself has some closure but leaves me wanting the heart of the swarm NOW. I will not play melee maps over and over again though - I'm just a casual gamer. However, the games are that are being made by the community are getting better and better! Its a pity that the world editor has gotten so complex!… Expand
  88. akelz7
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    Dear everyone complaining about this game, OF COURSE it is just Starcraft with some polish, Starcraft is one of the best games of all time! Why would they make any radical changes? I mean THINK for once in your "I'll divert from the crowd and hate this game" life.
  89. davenbettridge
    Jul 19, 2011
    8
    Overall the longevity of SC2 is as good as it ever will get, millions will be playing this game for years to come which is a stupendous achievement and makes Blizzard a master video game company. The multiplayer side of Starcraft 2 is almost flawless (perhaps only for the lack of LAN support). More than any other recent release, Starcraft 2 is incredibly fun and is both easy to play butOverall the longevity of SC2 is as good as it ever will get, millions will be playing this game for years to come which is a stupendous achievement and makes Blizzard a master video game company. The multiplayer side of Starcraft 2 is almost flawless (perhaps only for the lack of LAN support). More than any other recent release, Starcraft 2 is incredibly fun and is both easy to play but hard (very hard) to master and is continuing the momentum of E-sports. The custom maps as always are brilliant, provide endless amounts of content for pros and the noobs and will likely continue to evolve in the years to come. The art and sound design of SC2 are fantastic. Blizzard has some of the best artists in the industry and it really shows in its visuals. The UI and gameplay are also next to flawless. And for the singleplayer side of SC2, Blizzards decision to split the Starcraft racial campaigns across 2 expansions is a tricky divided one. On the one hand I certainly want a lot of content for Starcraft 2 and the promised two expansions are great and exciting, the idea of having long Terran, Zerg and Protoss stories are great, solely focusing on the Terran story for SC1 provides an awesome opportunity to REALLY get a good satisfying, memorable story rather than the short 10 mission Terran campaign in SC1. However the execution of Starcraft 2s single player is a mix. Dont get me wrong the gameplay is great, production values are outstanding, many levels are memorable and awesome, and the characters at times are interesting but the overall story that holds it all together, while not too bad, lacks the captivating and satisfying awesome factor that made up Starcraft 1. The story does have some moments; the upgrade system is a good idea but not truly realised and by the end feels a bit empty. It will take the promised 2 expansions to reveal Starcraft 2s true worth, but as it stands in The Wings of Liberty, the game is great in all accounts but for its lacking story.… Expand
  90. Hamez07
    Sep 25, 2011
    9
    Starcraft 2 is not anything new. It's not revolutionary. It's not new, it's not the first RTS. But it is the same as the last one. Starcraft was amazing and Starcraft 2 has shown that a game doesn't have to be any different to the last one to be amazing. The gameplay of Starcraft 2 is amazing, but not new. Blizzard have taken everything they did right in Starcraft and just improved on itStarcraft 2 is not anything new. It's not revolutionary. It's not new, it's not the first RTS. But it is the same as the last one. Starcraft was amazing and Starcraft 2 has shown that a game doesn't have to be any different to the last one to be amazing. The gameplay of Starcraft 2 is amazing, but not new. Blizzard have taken everything they did right in Starcraft and just improved on it for Starcraft 2. The game is amazing. The game does have its downsides though, The cut scene aren't very action pack and can be quite boring after a while as it is just talking but when you turn the pc graphics up to the highest, your PC will explode but in those few second where its just on fire you can see the beauty of this game. This game is so good, I cannot express that enough. The storyline is beautiful and it's full of amazing characters. The gameplay is amazing and so fast pace when you want it to be. This game is amazing and now Blizzard needs to get going with the next one, Heart of the swarm because one of these games every decade is not enough. I need more starcraft...

    Or Diablo 3...    … Expand
  91. Daisai
    May 29, 2012
    5
    Starcraft 2 basicly is a typical Blizzard game with the same rock paper scissor mechanics we know from games like World of Warcraft.
    Its their way in making a balance in games and they seem to be succesfull in it.
    Gameplay however does make it very boring, basicly you need to counter the counter that counters you because you counter that which you counter and counter a bit more, if you    Starcraft 2 basicly is a typical Blizzard game with the same rock paper scissor mechanics we know from games like World of Warcraft.
    Its their way in making a balance in games and they seem to be succesfull in it.
    Gameplay however does make it very boring, basicly you need to counter the counter that counters you because you counter that which you counter and counter a bit more, if you understand what im trying to say.
    Bit like rock counters scissors then paper counters rock and and scissors counters paper.
    Graphics are pretty pathetic for a 2012 game which such a budget, outdated even.
    They really could have done alot better on the graphics with this game, at least for single player, they are just not up to par with current games.

    So this game scores a bit in between, it has decent gameplay if you are into the "rock paper scissor" mechanics blizzard is known for.
    However if you are looking for a game with graphics you can expect from a developer of this level then Starcraft 2 isnt your game.

    The only reason why Starcraft 2 is a succes is the huge esport community around it, so basicly living of its succes of the first version.
    Bit like what the same company Blizzard is doing with Diablo.    … Expand
  92. Vio
    Nov 20, 2011
    8
    The Good: SC1 + graphics upgrade + a dash of innovation. The Bad: No LAN support, learning curv/required playing ability. I love this game I really do, I love the way it plays, the way it looks its story, its sounds, I really love it. I just wish I could play as insanely fast with all the insane amounts of knowledge necessarily to play competitively in the back of my head. In short thisThe Good: SC1 + graphics upgrade + a dash of innovation. The Bad: No LAN support, learning curv/required playing ability. I love this game I really do, I love the way it plays, the way it looks its story, its sounds, I really love it. I just wish I could play as insanely fast with all the insane amounts of knowledge necessarily to play competitively in the back of my head. In short this game's ultimate problem is it's 'professional success'. As a casual player I find it hard to enjoy this game due to the amount of things you need to be able to do per second in order to fill the minimum requirements to enter into the lowest ranked multiplayer legues. On the other hand watching people play this game and having good commentry on whats happening (aka day9) is awesome. For me at least it seems this game I will be delegated to spectator/fan rather than player. Ok - tacticaly the battles in this game are intense with any mistake meaning winning or losing, strategicaly you need to have your story together with options or you will just be out played. Is it a good strategy game? YES. Did I like it? Yes!!!!!!(and No ;) - I got rushed too much)… Expand
  93. dionissos
    Dec 31, 2011
    9
    An excellent strategy game with a excellent gameplay and mechanics and a fantastic story. Blizzard has never done a revolution to the genre but he know hot to create a game.
  94. Mike_Morhaime
    Jul 30, 2012
    10
    Great Game and Huge replay value, one of the few Game's i played through not just once but 3 times just to get all those shiny Achievements ;)

    Also has one of the best Multiplayer Mode's and Communities in the gaming industry. The Multiplayer matches are highly entertaining, not only to play for yourself but also to watch. Great game overall and lifes up to the first starcraft
  95. PunhaR
    Jul 27, 2010
    3
    Cliche history, short campaign, overpriced, 1/3 of a game for the price of a full game, graphics doesnt scale well (i have a radeon4870, playing int on max at 1920x1200 the game drops to 15 fps when there is 5 or more units doing shit on the screen), pathetic attempt to please the casual masses with a bullshit history line. i wish my money back.
  96. syrik
    Apr 26, 2011
    4
    I was disappointed with this game. I'm a long time Blizzard fan going back to the mid 90's. I played the original Starcraft for hours and hours. After 12 years I expected that there would be some grand story to tell, turns out there wasn't. The game itself is glitch free and plays seamlessly. It's supposed to, I take points off for things not working, I don't add them. That's reallyI was disappointed with this game. I'm a long time Blizzard fan going back to the mid 90's. I played the original Starcraft for hours and hours. After 12 years I expected that there would be some grand story to tell, turns out there wasn't. The game itself is glitch free and plays seamlessly. It's supposed to, I take points off for things not working, I don't add them. That's really the only good thing there is though. The single player campaign is just a small part of a larger marketing campaign that was really a huge let down. The maps are boring and the storytelling is disjointed. They attempt to make it nonlinear but if you do the missions in different orders some parts of the story don't make sense. There is definitely the "right" order, though you're not forced to do it that way. Multiplayer is not my bag personally, but there is nothing new and exciting here. You will play on a map with fewer units than in the campaign against other people in exactly the same way I did 12 years ago against my friends. Except now, you can't spawn a copy to their machine, everyone has to pay $60 or you don't play. Blizzard has become the same as the other major game companies like Activision and EA and is only about the almighty dollar now. Skip this unless you absolutely have got to have more Starcraft multiplayer like it used to be, because that hasn't changed.… Expand
  97. Falling_Hammer
    Sep 14, 2010
    2
    When I heard that the new Starcraft II was coming I was so happy, but when I bought the game I realized that this game is just a copy of a Starcraft I. I was very disappointed because the only new things are some abilities and a few new units. For me this is the Disappointment of the decade. I used to love games coming from Blizzard games factory but now I get the real picture...
  98. GökhanH
    Jul 27, 2010
    1
    The only reason that this game will get high scores will be a strong fan base. But in my opinion, this game just doesn't worth it. 60 Euros even for digital download, and I expect that we'll be charged at least another 80 (40+40) euros for the expansions. You won't be able to play with Zerg / Protoss campaign till they're out and you get them. Only Terran campaign is The only reason that this game will get high scores will be a strong fan base. But in my opinion, this game just doesn't worth it. 60 Euros even for digital download, and I expect that we'll be charged at least another 80 (40+40) euros for the expansions. You won't be able to play with Zerg / Protoss campaign till they're out and you get them. Only Terran campaign is available, and this is a big (-) for / from me. So far, it just looks like Starcraft 2010, with a graphic overhaul, removing/adding some units, and crippling the single-player, dividing it to 3 seperate games. Bad move in my opinion. Bad move Blizzard. Very bad move. It's a shame that 99% of the buyers will jump to the game blindfolded, and it's a shame that many of the reviewers give this game 85+ not considering the pricing of lack of the story.… Expand
  99. SteveJ
    Jul 28, 2010
    3
    Very disappointing, but not because of the core gameplay. The load times are ridiculous, the menu is confusing and messy, the newsflash cutscenes try to be 'funny' but end up like something that would be in a show for 7-year olds. Worst of all are the regional locks.... making online play with international friends nigh-on impossible. You can't even add people from other Very disappointing, but not because of the core gameplay. The load times are ridiculous, the menu is confusing and messy, the newsflash cutscenes try to be 'funny' but end up like something that would be in a show for 7-year olds. Worst of all are the regional locks.... making online play with international friends nigh-on impossible. You can't even add people from other regions to your Battle.NET friends list. The game itself, once started, is not so bad.... but woefully uninteresting. It's changed from StarCraft quite a bit, notably units won't just run around in a single file and get killed one by one when assaulting a base, which was never fun. However, some problems that were bad already in StarCraft still exist, such as SCVs getting stuck behind buildings if they are built too close to something else. There is less micromanagement, but in the end it's mostly just a graphical update with a few different units and few interesting features. Overall, the problems don't necessarily stem from the game itself but rather its presentation. The single-player campaign isn't bad, and it has a few attempts at original and good missions while still leaving in nods to the original game, but it doesn't really shine as an outstanding example of story-telling and originality. I got the collector's edition, which is quite impressively designed but beware; the art book has several pictures that are clearly just scaled up from a low resolution, and as a result they look pixelated in the final product. This is extremely poor work on their part. I cannot honestly give this a high score. With some luck, Blizzard will fix their menus and optimize the load times, while also removing the regional locks. That would go a long way to making the game more playable both offline and online. The lack of LAN play, the requirement to stay connected to Battle.NET and regional locks all contribute to making this game inferior to the set standards and expectations.… Expand
  100. JDS
    Aug 1, 2010
    3
    This game is nothing but a cash cow. Here is my review: Pros: --Runs pretty well --Decent art on the static screens in the ship --Resembles old Starcraft somewhat Cons: --Boring, trite story that is less interesting than your average Saturday morning cartoon, with even worse dialog: (things like: "the end of all things is nigh!!" "It is your destiny!!" and "Your efforts are futile!"...) 9 This game is nothing but a cash cow. Here is my review: Pros: --Runs pretty well --Decent art on the static screens in the ship --Resembles old Starcraft somewhat Cons: --Boring, trite story that is less interesting than your average Saturday morning cartoon, with even worse dialog: (things like: "the end of all things is nigh!!" "It is your destiny!!" and "Your efforts are futile!"...) 9 year olds will eat it up, and so will the legions of mouth breathers and diabetics who will spend time with this game. --No LAN play...seriously?!? --Facebook and Realname? Wow I can smell the corporate parties already as their bank accounts fill. Glad I got the collector's edition and sold off the pieces to pay for the game, as it wasn't worth it.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PC Game of 2010
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. Video Game Talk
    Jan 18, 2011
    90
    If you are into real time strategy in any form, it's hard to ignore Starcraft II.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »