StarCraft

 PC
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 1307 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,190 out of 1307
  2. Mixed: 74 out of 1307
  3. Negative: 43 out of 1307
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  1. KurtisStryker
    May 15, 2015
    10
    One of the best RTS in existance, and only one of three RTS I was able to finish without any cheat codes. Challenging, yet playable, unlike the expansion.
  2. ThecriticGoD
    Mar 24, 2016
    10
    Definetely one of the best RTS's ever, right next to Warcraft III in my opinion. Campaign is great, a lot of missions, great storyline, only the voice-acting seemed a bit off for me, but overall it was grat. And what to say about multi-player... this is the definition of competitive gaming, if you want high level competition it won't get any better than with this game, at least back in theDefinetely one of the best RTS's ever, right next to Warcraft III in my opinion. Campaign is great, a lot of missions, great storyline, only the voice-acting seemed a bit off for me, but overall it was grat. And what to say about multi-player... this is the definition of competitive gaming, if you want high level competition it won't get any better than with this game, at least back in the day, don't know how it's like nowadays.… Expand
  3. Leoka
    Aug 19, 2016
    10
    Si bien siempre me gustó mas la saga Command and Conquer, debo reconocer que este juego es probablemente el mejor juego de estrategia de la historia, no solo por su interface que es genial sino también por su estética y sus diferencias estructurales entre la jugabilidad de cada raza.
  4. Arbiter61
    Sep 16, 2017
    10
    Starcraft, as almost anyone who grew up playing it will tell you, is one of the most important RTS games of all time. In this reviewers opinion, it is one of the best and most important games of all time across any genre, or platform. And what modern gamers need to understand, is that discussing Starcraft in this way is a bit like trying to explain to young boxing fans why fighters likeStarcraft, as almost anyone who grew up playing it will tell you, is one of the most important RTS games of all time. In this reviewers opinion, it is one of the best and most important games of all time across any genre, or platform. And what modern gamers need to understand, is that discussing Starcraft in this way is a bit like trying to explain to young boxing fans why fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr would never stand a chance against legends like Rocky Marciano from the past.

    The reason is simply that games like this one were successful in a time where the competition was intense. In the 90's, gaming graphics were overall still pretty terrible. 3D gaming was limited in its capabilities, and still mostly relegated to the FPS genre. As a result, the decade produced some of the finest RTS games to have ever been designed before or since.

    Games like those in the Civilization franchises, the Red Alert Franchise, Warcraft, and others all were incredibly popular, and innovative for the time. So when I describe Starcraft as the king of RTS, I say that will the weight of a champion who has bested not only its peers of the day, but those who are considered among the best that have ever been.

    Frankly, this game is 20 years old, and I feel a review on the nature of its play is virtually irrelevant at this point. But I will say that despite its age, it continues to feel enjoyable to play even now. The greatest bulk of this game's design was in the replayability factor. It's simply off the charts. It is still played around the world to this day, professionally and there is ample reason why.

    As a young gamer, I knew what Starcraft was. Starcraft was the modern day Chess...except there were 3 unique armies, instead of one. In this way, and on a cubic scale, Starcraft will continue to be important in the same way Chess has been for centuries, for years to come. It's no coincidence that the re-mastered edition has only just come out, and in time I predict we will see that that release is just the first of many re-releases of what is unequivocally the best RTS ever made.

    Why do I keep saying that? Its re-playable, yes. But why? Simple. It's the most balanced game to ever be built. In any game system, in any genre, anywhere across time, you will see flaws in any system wherein differing groups are sent to face one another. Whether you look at games like Street Fighter or Tekken, or others like Call of Duty or even any given pinball machine, there will always be an *optimal* approach, race, character, or design which is simply superior to all others in the game. Inevitably, the game becomes more of a competition of who is the best at using that particular configuration to win.

    But Starcraft proved that games *could* be made which lacked this fatal flaw. While many players on the professional level seem to believe that the Zerg race offers an overall slight edge, this may be more about the likely psychological preferences of the kinds of players who are the best in the world, rather than a true edge inherent in that species.

    Moreover, outside the realm of top 1% of professional gamers, the rest of us will gladly be able to enjoy a seamlessly perfect warfare, with each race inhabiting unique advantages and challenges to overcome, as well as intricate and various means by which to counter any given enemy assault or defense.

    In spite of all the complexities the game offers though, the end result is the same: A simple to pick up, difficult to master, masterpiece of RTS perfection which will forever be the yard stick by which its successors will be measured.

    As a fan of all races, but one who's heart will forever belong to the mighty Terrans, I will finish off this review with a "Shields up, weapons online!" "Awwww yeah!"    … Expand
  5. Yukle
    Sep 20, 2017
    10
    As close to perfect as anybody can make, StarCraft is the legacy Blizzard has long since tried to replicate.

    Three balanced races, a stunning single-player story and endless LAN potential make this the definitive RTS. In fact, it's fair to say that it's the only game of the genre that survived the DOTA map in WarCraft III that caused a transition from RTS to MOBA. The game has just    As close to perfect as anybody can make, StarCraft is the legacy Blizzard has long since tried to replicate.

    Three balanced races, a stunning single-player story and endless LAN potential make this the definitive RTS. In fact, it's fair to say that it's the only game of the genre that survived the DOTA map in WarCraft III that caused a transition from RTS to MOBA.

    The game has just been re-released and it is as compelling as ever - a game that is unmatched before or since.    … Expand
  6. TomCat86
    Dec 4, 2017
    10
    Great game, love the artwork, storyline, grit and everything else this game has to offer. I wish blizzard would revist why starcraft 1 was so much better than starcraft 2, and diablo 1-2 were so much better than diablo 3. It seems blizzard drops the ball on franchises as time goes by. Maybe its time to fire who is in charge. Give us some good products like these blizzard.
  7. Yeoda
    Jan 6, 2022
    10
    I grew up on this game and it has amazing childhood memories for me. Some of the Blizzard cinematics and story was my favorite growing up
  8. voditelnlo
    Dec 19, 2018
    10
    One of those rare games that is not overly complex, but provides a challenging and fun gaming experience. It never seems to get old or boring.
  9. Yomi07
    Mar 8, 2019
    10
    This is one of my all time favorites. one of the best RTS games out there.
  10. Nerevarinho
    Mar 23, 2023
    10
    Fun and challangeing gameplay, good music, EXCELLENT sound design, interesting story, and a bit of nostalgia!
  11. Azuris
    Feb 2, 2020
    10
    This Game is a Milestone in real Time Strategy.
    Three total different and perfectly balanced Races.
    A real good Story, that has a perfect cold Space Mood. Good Mission Design, good Sound and Music Design. A really Fun Map Editor (spend more Time in this one than in the Game itself). It has not a "forced Epicness", no foreseeing and not an "good Overmind", thats what the second one    This Game is a Milestone in real Time Strategy.
    Three total different and perfectly balanced Races.
    A real good Story, that has a perfect cold Space Mood.
    Good Mission Design, good Sound and Music Design.
    A really Fun Map Editor (spend more Time in this one than in the Game itself).

    It has not a "forced Epicness", no foreseeing and not an "good Overmind", thats what the second one just made bad.
    The Queen of Blades is one of the most to be hated Villian ever.    … Expand
  12. laertan
    Feb 3, 2020
    10
    Even though more then 20 years passed, I still remember my first expirience in this game, and it was overwhelming. Great story, awesome & atmosperic music, strong and unusual characters, unexpected plot twists, hard missions, instresting units & strategies. Ah, those days when Blizzard actually cared about quality of their games!
  13. KepasaAmigo
    Jul 11, 2021
    10
    best rts out there. 10/10. played it for so long. with friends on "hamachi" just love it.
  14. FekiNup
    Jun 23, 2020
    10
    This game is a master piece, thanks to Starcraft today the eSports exists. It´s, year 2020 and I´m still playing SC.
  15. Memitus
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    Juego muy adictivo, sencillo. El multiplayer es entretenido y siempre hay jugadores.
  16. Qoo88039
    Aug 4, 2022
    10
    Simply put, Starcraft is the finest game ever to be made. People have literally died from playing too much Starcraft. It essentially created eSports. It popularized RTS (real-time strategy) games. The balanced asymmetry was truly a unique feature, one that has been difficult for other studios to emulate. The use-map settings created an incubator in which entire genres of games were… Expand
  17. HalfLife9000
    Jul 19, 2020
    10
    This game is one of the best games that I have ever played. I give it a 10 because of the RTS Gameplay, and That this is just pure fun to play- sad that blizzard sucks now.
  18. Moogal
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    The best strategy game ever imo. Great battles, competitive possibilities and requires much practice/skill. Graphics are great for its time. I don't have much negative to say about this classic.
  19. ertyz
    Jan 13, 2022
    10
    legend RTS
    legendary game if I need to compare among all other games by the way.
  20. Bastion750
    Mar 29, 2021
    10
    Лучшая стратегия в реальном времени того времени.
    Прорыв индустрии в своё время.
    Имеет одну из лучших сюжеток.
    Останется в истории гейм-дева навсегда.
  21. Reboss
    May 11, 2021
    10
    I can't be objective here, because this is my first ever strategy played, and years by years, strategy was my favorite genre. And my eyes still burn when i see this old beautiful game. My personal best ever game for life.
  22. whatname
    Jul 4, 2021
    10
    In 2021 I am writing reviews for the best games that I ever played.
    This is one of them, and I played it a lot.
  23. Woolee
    Sep 26, 2021
    10
    One of those rare games that is not overly complex, but provides a challenging and fun gaming experience. It never seems to get old or boring.
  24. Soso4ek
    Nov 12, 2021
    10
    Гениальная легенда. Одна из любимых игр. Лучшая РТС, увлекательный сюжет, офигенный сеттинг и харизматичные герои.
  25. andyg33
    Nov 23, 2021
    10
    My fav game of its type combining aoe style growth and c+c war tactics. The keyboard shortcuts are your friend use them
  26. Ciocolici
    Aug 20, 2023
    10
    "Starcraft" is just something else – a game that comes packed with an incredible story, a world that's nothing short of beautiful, and characters that really hit the mark. It's safe to say this game didn't just set trends; it flat out revolutionized the RTS genre. And can you believe it? It even skyrocketed to the status of a national sport in Korea. That's some serious impact!
  27. Radrin
    Apr 17, 2023
    10
    Replayed it so many times, extremely good gameplay and story.

    The characters were well written with great voice acting, the world building and universe was super compelling so I'd always want to learn more about it. The story was full of plot twists, sacrifices and fairly complex war situations. The animations for units and buildings were inventive and really fun to look at as well    Replayed it so many times, extremely good gameplay and story.

    The characters were well written with great voice acting, the world building and universe was super compelling so I'd always want to learn more about it. The story was full of plot twists, sacrifices and fairly complex war situations.

    The animations for units and buildings were inventive and really fun to look at as well as the unique designs for each race.

    The soundtrack was a banger and it really fit each faction like a glove.

    Every faction was unique in philosophy, military strategy and had relatable characters that had me fully invested in them, including the ones you would normally consider "evil".

    Messed around in scenario mode for hours on end, which offered a great deal of extra gameplay options and experimentation. Incredibly fun.

    Modded custom game modes added a lot as well to the game.

    Hard to find weak points, this game was a masterpiece. One of the few games ever made that I can unironically consider to be perfect. The multiplayer especially, this game has given birth to E-Sports in Korea, was played for well over 2 decades and it only had ONE big balance patch in ’99 and a small one in 2001. In 20 **** years. New strategies and counters to popular ones were found even after a decade of playing.

    CONS:
    Small issues like pathing for some units
    Arguably the higher focus on micro management due to unit control limitations can be seen as tedious, separating it from other RTS's at the time    … Expand
  28. C1KOS
    Feb 7, 2022
    10
    best strategy. I really love this game. I love all the starcraft world. I love the plot.
  29. Cat12w
    Feb 13, 2022
    10
    I really liked the game. My favorite game from the games of those years, along with Warcraft on an equal footing.
  30. mdk567
    Jun 11, 2023
    10
    내 인생 최고의 전략게임
    어린 시절과 크고 난 이후까지 수십년간 즐겼고 앞으로도 대체할 수 없는 게임
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PC Game of 1998
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 1998
6
#6 Most Shared PC Game of 1998

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. TotalGames.net
    93
    If real aliens turn up while you are playing this, they don’t stand a chance of getting your attention.
    Read full review
  2. Yahoo!
    90
    You get a fun, instantly appealing, easy to play-hard to master real-time strategy, with character and an endless amount of playability.
    Read full review
  3. All Game Guide
    90
    It truly revolutionizes and sets a new standard for real-time strategy games on the PC.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »