Starcraft: Brood War

"One of the greatest games of all time..."

When Starcraft came out, it became an instant hit. This expansion, is no different.

New Stuff : 9

I will list the new things this expansion adds.
- New units! Terran gets a Medic and a Valkyrie. Protoss gets the Dark Templars, Corsairs, and the Dark Archons. Zerg gets Devourers and Lurkers.
- New upgrades
- Extra missions (8 per race)
- New Heroes! (you can use them in Use Map Setting type games)
- Sorry, no new races.

Graphics : 7

It really should be getting a 3 but since the poor graphics lets people on crappy computers play the game, I give it a 7. Animations look decent, game uses 256 bit color. Its below average, but slow computers can still play this game without and lag.

Story : 9

The story is well put together. This expansion is like a sequel that tells what happened after the first Starcraft. You meet a slew of new characters and the old ones are still here. No complaint here.

Audio : 4

Well, no game can be that perfect. Your units attacking sound decent, but there music that is in this game isn't all that good. There is some music playing in the background when you play, but most of the time you will just be ignoring it anyway.

Controls : 9

Just your basic Real time strategy type controls. Complete with hot keys, rally points, patrolling, etc. Its too bad you cant change the hot keys on units.

Gameplay : 10

This is a strategy game. And a pretty damn fun one. Blizzard has mixed in just the right amount of everything that makes it perfect. When you start, you build workers who gather minerals and gas and make the stuff you need to attack your enemy. It comes with a bunch of game modes. Like Melee, Use Map Settings, Greed, Team Melee, Capture the Flag, etc. The first 2 are the only things you will be playing though. And best of all, its an online game! You can test your skills against a single opponent or more online! Its very fun, and almost never gets boring. The game requires you to think about what you are going to do next. And plan your attacks carefully. One failed attack can mean the difference between life or death.

Replay : 10+

I have owned the original Starcraft for over 2 years now, and I still play it. Thats how much replay this game has. And this expansion just adds to it, by putting in new things. The games challenge can vary, depending on your opponent, which makes it very fun and unpredictable. No matter how good you get, this game wont get boring. Its challenging, but its just the right amount that makes it fun.

Should I buy this? : YES!

Starcraft: Brood War requires you to have the first Starcraft to play it. But you can always buy the battle chest, which comes with both games, and two very detailed guides. Thats like a 60 dollar value all rolled into a box that only costs 30 bucks! Buy it NOW!

Trust me, you WILL love this game, I guarantee it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/06/02, Updated 10/06/02