Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty Beta- a Game Reborn or Recycled?
The original Starcraft has left such a legacy and created such a massive fan-base, that it has become the equivalent of a professional sport in some countries. With the beta version of the second Starcraft and the release of the full version looming on the horizon this summer, twelve years after the beginning of the series, many gamers are drawn towards its competitive nature.
It is like a game of chess. Chess on steroids. After so many years of success, Blizzard Entertainment has been very careful in approaching the changes for the latest installment. The strong but critical fans have become attached to the original game from 1998, which has evolved into a nearly perfect one through countless patches over the years. If you are a true Starcraft 2 fan then free unblocked games at school is the perfect online platform that will help you enjoy your favorite games for free.
So why begin again with a new game? Many of the professional players have switched over to the beta, testing its new waters. Many of the original units and structures exist, as do the three sides, Terran, Protoss, and Zerg. The same basic gameplay, similar to nearly any other RTS, has stayed the same, but by adding new elements to the game, a fresh type of competitiveness is created.
The original Starcraft and its expansion, Brood War, have become so overplayed that many of the top players go about playing a game in a robotic manner, without trying new strategies which would surely fail at the hands of the ones that work. The downside to a new game? Having to re-balance it through patches and possibly making one side too powerful is the greatest fear. However, the moment a game is done patching, it slowly loses its interesting gameplay and becomes quite linear.
That being said, the game has introduced units such as the Colossus, Mothership, Baneling, Roach, Viking, and Reaper. The Terran have a unit called the Mule that they can call into harvest resources faster, the Protoss have warp gates, which can allow units to be teleported across the battlefield to another structure, and the Zerg’s new Queen is a ground-based unit which can spawn additional larvae at a Hatchery, allowing for up to seven eggs to be hatched at once. All of these changes in addition to many upgrade and unit cost tweaks have created a new game with stunningly eye-popping graphics.
The sounds of the units are unique and very intriguing, although the female Zerg voice is slightly annoying. The game will be original enough for a plethora of new strategies. The new maps have interesting choke points and barriers which can be broken down. Special gold mineral expansions which have more resources per load will surely offer battles for map control over those areas.
Overall, a much stronger multiplayer community with charts and ease of watching replays adds to the competitive online nature, this is a game that any Starcraft or RTS fan should buy, it will be a staple classic in the future, much like its original self.