"The Best edition for the original RTS!!!!"

Warcraft II may not have redefined the RTS genre, but it atleast gave Command and Conquer some competition with its simple technology trees, easy game play, and deep storyline. Blizzard entertainment releases the ultimate edition of Warcraft II, primarily with the intention of quenching gamers thirst before Warcraft III. Warcraft II: BNE was an exceptional package, and combines the most updated version of Warcraft II, along with both expansions, and support for battlenet.

Graphically, Warcraft II is outdated and inferior to the likes of modern RTS games like Age of Mythology or Rise of Nations. The VGA graphics may have looked decent, 4-6 years ago.

The sound may not be the best. Repetedly clicking on your units will cause them to react with some interesting phrases...but it gets annoying afterawhile. The sound of units being killed, houses being burned, ships sailing....are all pretty standard fare, but just plain outdated compared to the sound quality of todays games.

Gameplay wise, Warcraft II is the most basic RTS game ever. The Campaign mode allows you to select from either Humans and Orcs, and requires you to complete certain tasks. The Technology trees for both races are not too complicated but all to similar. Unlike Starcraft, WCII: BNE allows you to wage war on the ground, on air, and in the sea as well, and there are a versatile host of units. However most matches can be won by simple Skirmish duels.

If you finished the Campaign mode, you can go on to the Dark Portal, or Tide of Darkness quests. If you finish that you can play a couple of custom games to get some sparring contents with the Computer before you can move on to the real meat and bones of BNE.....ONLINE PLAY!!!!

Warcraft II:BNE's most attractive feature is Battle.net support. You can easily find opponents online, and participate in a variety of fun and challenging matches with people online. Be sure to have a 56K modem, or DSL if you want to have better performance playing online.

Overall: All in all, what can I say? Its the best edition to a game I loved playing back in 1996. With the inclusion of Expansion packs, extra maps, and Battle.net support, you cannot go wrong with buying this game. Plus at 10-20 dollars its probably available in a walmart near you. However with a too basic gameplay design, it might not be everybodies cup of tea. However, its still a solid bundle!!!!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/04