"One of the best RTS games of all time"

Starcraft is a critically acclaimed Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game that was released by Blizzard Entertainment in 1997. It features 3 races, the Terran, who are humans, Zerg, cruel xenomorphs, and Protoss, who have extremely advanced technology. The ultimate testament to the greatness of this game is the continued popularity it has, especially in South Korea.

Starcraft's gameplay is simple, but it's the myriad options you have at your disposal that makes Starcraft a deep game. Like all other RTS games, Starcraft requires you mine resources before you can begin construction on your army of salvation or doom. Starcraft's primary resource is minerals, which you can mine from pre-placed mineral ore formations on the map. The secondary resource is Vespene Gas, which is essential for advancement of your race's technology, and you must have an extraction building constructed on top of the Vespene Geyser before you can extract the gas.

Units are produced at buildings such as Barracks and Gateway for the more conventional Terran and Protoss. Up to 5 units may be queued per building and each time a unit is queued the relevant amount of resources is deducted from your stockpile. Other buildings you construction will move your race up the technology tree and some provide research options to boost your army's lethality. Food is obtained by constructing Supply Depots or Pylons for the Protoss, and in addition to providing food, the Protoss can only build within the areas defined by the Pylon (with the exceptions of the main building, the Nexus, and the Pylons themselves).

The Zerg are no doubt the least conventional race out of the three. Buildings can only be placed on purple living land called “Creep”, and other races cannot build on Creep. Zerg lose their worker Drones when constructing buildings as the Drones themselves evolve into the large structures. Also, their food supply comes from Overlords, which are large, flying beasts with tentacles dangling down from the main body. The Zerg's unit construction methods are special as well. The main building, the Hatchery, can be upgraded twice into the Lair and Hive, which unlock other buildings. Instead of the buildings producing the units, the Zerg Hatchery periodically produce Larvae (up to 3 at any point in time per Hatchery), which are then allowed to evolve into the desired unit when building and technology requirements have been fulfilled. Thus, the Zerg can simultaneously build several units at a time, giving them the ability to raise an army horrendously quickly provided they have the resources to do so.

Starcraft's interface is very similar to other Blizzard RTS games, with a “command card” showing the various commands the unit can perform on the bottom right of the screen, a section displaying unit health and other statistics in the bottom middle of the screen, and the minimap on the bottom left of the screen. The wireframes actually display the amount of damage dealt to each part of the unit, which is a nice feature, but it is merely for show and does not affect gameplay.

The graphics of Starcraft are good for its time, and still look quite impressive today. Starcraft is primarily 2D, with illusions of 3D, by having shadows and elevations. The character portraits are well drawn, and the unit details on the map are nice. The wireframes you see on the bottom of the screen when units are selected look great too. The map tilesets are superbly made, and you can see each detail, from the writing on signboards to the distinct differences between types of grass.

The music is well-arranged and really fits the mood of the game. The Protoss have a music that feels ethereal and far-away, the Zerg have a biological hint in the music and sounds like something that belongs in Aliens, and the Terran have guitars in their music, creating a slightly pop feel. The sound effects are nice, the Zergling's claws have a distinct 'bonk-bonk-bonk' sound that is synchronized with each strike the Zergling makes. The lasers, rifles, plasma balls, blades whatever effect you can hear, they are all in.

Controls are just solid and very responsive. Right-click to order the unit to move to that location or attack an enemy unit, left-click to select, hotkeys for speed, all in a keyboard's work when you play any RTS. If you are playing on Battle.net, however, the response time changes according to lag in the game.

Game life should be short after the campaigns, but you surprisingly will not feel sick of playing Starcraft in a long time. There is a host of other maps in the 'Custom Map' Option. Scenarios, Blizzard-made other campaigns...You can even create your own! If you are tired of the default maps in the CD, download more from Blizzard's website. Yes, they are still making maps for StarCraft. If you've tried that and it didn't work, go on Battle.net.

Battle.net is arguably the main attraction of Starcraft, and it allows you to play together with players around the world and enjoy custom maps made by other people. This is also the game that launched online multiplayer gaming, and it is just that good. Other multiplayer options include LAN and TCP/IP.

Pros
- Races are finely balanced
- Highly addictive
- Long game life with Battle.net

Cons
- Seriously, absolutely none.

Overall
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound/Music: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Tilt: 10/10

Final Score: 10/10

Get this game for sure, and get its expansion, Brood War, as well. Starcraft is still a terrific game and you are missing on a lot if you still do not have it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/02, Updated 01/23/06