One of the greatest RTS games ever.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Gameplay never gets old Variety of strategies to use Great multiplayer

Cons: Addictive Somewhat predictable AI Some rush strategies employed by people in multiplayer

The Bottom Line: 
Buy this game!

Author's Review
Starcraft is the best RTS I have played ever, and I have plenty of experience playing various RTS games. I bought Starcraft reluctantly on a recommendation of a friend, but it has been one of my best investments in any game ever, as it has brought me hours of joy. Starcraft allows you to play as one of three balanced yet diverse races -- the Terran, Zerg, or Protoss.

The Terran are, for all practical purposes, human; however the game describes them as cousins of humans. Most consider the Terran to be the most balanced race -- they can not produce as quick or as cheaply as the Zerg, but the Terran units are generally more powerful, and they are less expensive than the Protoss whose units are generally power powerful than Terran units. The Terrans have a variety of units and abilities that will make them a formidable force if they are handled properly. Personally, I find Terran to be the hardest of the three races to play, but there are some exceptional Terran players who can obliterate just about anyone they play.

The Zerg are an interesting rates. They rely heavily on massive amounts of relatively cheap units. Furthermore, all of the Zerg units, including their buildings heal themselves over time. The Zerg buildings are made quite differently than that of the Protoss or Terran. The Terran use a unit called an SCV to construct buildings. While the SCV is building, it can not be given another task or it will fail to erect the structure. The Protoss use a unit called the probe to "warp" in buildings. The probe can begin a warp and then continue to move around. The Zerg, however, use a unit called a drone to morph into the building they need to erect. This means that once you make a building with a drone, that drone is lost forever, and only the building stands in its place. Another interesting fact about the Zerg is that all their units are created out of one building, unlike the Terran and Protoss who have different buildings for producing different types of units. Furthermore, the Zerg's buildings can "hatch" units three at a time, whereas Terran and Protoss can only do one at a time, which allows the Zerg player to create a massive army in a relatively short amount of time.

The Protoss are considered to be the most technologically advanced race in the game. They have the most powerful units, but Protoss units cost more than either Terran or Zerg units. Protoss units and structures have a protective shield around them which recharges over time. To destroy a Protoss unit or structure, one must first get through the shield. The Protoss also have what I feel is the best defensive structure in the game. The Protoss' photon cannon is equally lethal against both enemy air and ground units. With these placed strategically around your base, an enemy will find it difficult to penetrate deep into your base.

The single-player campaign starts you out playing 10 Terran missions. After successfully completing these, you progress to 10 Zerg missions, and then 10 Protoss missions. Most of the campaign missions start you out with a base, and a limited number of units and resources. You must then make either your SCVs, Probes, or Drones start mining minerals and harvesting vespene gas. You can create new units and structures by paying for them through these resources. You then generally have some mission objective to complete. Once completing this objective, you advance to the next mission. There are some missions, however, that start you out only with a few fighting units, and you can not create any more units because you have no units capable of erecting structures.

The multiplayer aspect of this game is in my opinion the most fun, and it's absolutely free once you buy Starcraft. This puts you up against other gamers from around the world, who you can cooperate with, fight against, or even backstab. These tend to be the most challenging games, as humans aren't generally as predictable as the Starcraft AI. You have to learn and employ completely new strategies playing against a human. When playing a multiplayer game, you generally start with 4 SCVs, probes, or drones, depending on which race you have chosen to play. Your objective, then, is to take out your enemies before they take you out.

Starcraft also comes with a campaign editor, allowing you to create your own maps and missions, however I have not experimented too much with that so I will not go into detail about it. From what I have heard, though, it is exceptional.

In conclusion, Starcraft is an awesome game which never gets old, as their are so many different outcomes and strategies to use when playing. If you do not have it, and are interested in RTSs, I strongly recommend buying this product. Nowdays it goes for as cheap as $10, and it is definitely worth that price.