Twelve years is an eternity is the video-game business. In 1998, the Microsoft Xbox didn’t even exist, and games for the top consoles — Sony’s PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 — were still regarded as kids’ stuff in comparison with the more demanding fare you could play on a PC.
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Blizzard Entertainment’s science-fiction strategy epic StarCraft was one of the highlights of that year, and fans have been craving a sequel for a long time. Blizzard, however, has been busy, most notably with its blockbuster online game World of Warcraft.
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At long last, though, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty ($59.99) has arrived, but Blizzard has made few concessions to the current marketplace. The sequel, again, is only available on the PC or Mac — never mind that consoles have gotten so much more powerful. And the core gameplay doesn’t hold many surprises for folks who have been hooked on the original for a dozen years.
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With a few exceptions, each of the levels in StarCraft II unfolds the same way. You land on a planet with a few buildings and a handful of robots. You gather the resources needed to erect more buildings, train troops and develop weapons. Then you pound the enemy with some good ol’ shock-and-awe.
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There are enough variations on this strategy to keep things interesting. You may be assigned to defend a landmark — say, a giant laser — from increasingly aggressive assaults. You may need to escort a group of civilians to escape ships. Or you may be asked to sabotage enemy trains before they abscond with valuable artifacts.
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StarCraft II is described as real-time strategy, meaning your enemies are in motion even when you’re plotting your moves. I am not a big fan of the genre, so it’s a considerable tribute to Blizzard’s skill when I say I was…