Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty | 
| From: Blizzard Entertainment
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $59.13
as of 9/10/2010 10:59 CDT details
You Save: $0.86 (1%)
New (30) Used (5) from $49.99
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  1103 reviews
Sales Rank: 25
Format: DVD-ROM
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X
Genre: real_time_strategy_games
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Operating System: Windows XP
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.3 x 1.6
MPN: 72838
Model: Starcraft II: Wings
UPC: 020626728386
EAN: 0020626728386
ASIN: B000ZKA0J6
Publication Date: July 27, 2010
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the original game | | • | Three completely distinct races: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg | | • | Units and gameplay mechanics distinguish each race | | • | 3D-graphics engine with support for visual effects and massive unit and army sizes | | • | Full multiplayer support, with competitive features and matchmaking utilities available through Battle.net |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Starcraft II PC
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1103
 WARNING: cripple-ware September 9, 2010
tom
I'm sure many reviewers have pointed out aleady that this game is crippleware, meaning it has been purposefully crippled by the people who produced it. It does not include LAN play and won't let you play cross-regions.
Most importantly, it won't even let you play in OFFLINE MODE without "re-authorizing" from time to time. You can't even play against the computer on your own PC unless you get "authorization" from battle.net first, even though you have already paid $60 for the game.
To my mind, Blizzard has destroyed their previously stellar reputation.
 Starcraft II is a dream come true for anyone looking for a brand new old school real-time strategy game! September 9, 2010
K. Jutte
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Introduction:
This is the review for Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty - the follow-up to the hit real-time strategy Starcraft which was released in 1998. Rest assured that his review will be 100% spoil free and is meant as a guide to help you decide if Starcraft II is the right game for you. My review will focus on the broad picture (and thus will avoid spoilers), so I recommend looking to other reviews if you desire more details. Now, on to the review.
Gameplay:
Starcraft II (SCII) picks up right where starcraft left off. The gameplay is very familiar with some retuning, refinement, and the addition and subtraction of several units. SCII is an old-school RTS. It does not redefine the genre; rather it seeks to refine the genre. Like Starcraft, and most RTS games, you build a base, collect and manage resources, build armies, explore the map, complete missions (for singleplayer), manage you military, and finally destroy your opponent.
The game is amazingly very well balanced. There are three unique races which play very differently. The Terrain, for which the campaign is centered, are a standard futuristic human based race. The Protoss are a high tech alien race that relies on powerful shielded units for combat. The Zerg are an alien race that play like an insect swarm. They rely on ambushes, speed, and numbers. The three races play very different and none are overpowered.
The game is very quick and smooth and your ability to think quickly and multitask will be tested. During heated situations, you may be asked to manage several bases production, defense, and expansion all while overseeing your assault on your opponent. This makes for a very fast and action packed game that will demand the majority of your attention.
A huge letdown for me is that Starcrat II does not allow you to customize the controls. There are currently five presets, but there is no custom control option. Another minor complaint is that the game does not allow you to zoom out far enough for my taste.
9.5/10
Story:
The story for Starcraft II is basically a science fiction soap opera. This means that like most science fiction, while the story is often very serious and well-constructed, it shouldn't be taken too seriously. The story, especially for a video game, is very well told with great cinematics, top-notch voice acting, and generally excellent presentation values. I would not recommend this game on the story alone, but if you enjoy real-time strategy games, then you will appreciate the attention and effort that went into making the story.
8.5/10
Graphics:
Not surprisingly, Starcraft II looks great. The game looks and runs fantastic on my PC. I was able to max all the settings while holding an average of 35 - 60 fps during the campaign using fraps. The cut-scenes look excellent. The character's faces are particularly well rendered and a pleasure to look at.
10/10
Sound:
The music is wonderful. There are many classics songs with their lyrics replaced (for example sweet home Alabama). This is an excellent touch. The voice acting is among the best for video games. I thoroughly enjoyed the music and sound for the majority of the game. The voice when playing the zerg is rather annoying, however.
9/10
Singleplayer:
The campaign is very strong. After your first or second mission you are offered a few choices on which mission you want to play. Sometimes you are simply choosing the order you want to play the mission in as well as the order you want to receive new units in. Sometimes you must choose between different characters, ethical philosophies, or missions. This gives the singleplayer campaign at least two good play throughs to explore each mission and see all of the choices and their consequences. It will last about 10- 15 hours and there are 5 difficulties as well as optional missions.
Between missions, you are given a ship to explore. The ship offers optional opportunities to explore the story, characters, units, and background for Starcraft II. The ship is also where you will spend credits and research upgrades. Both of these two forms of upgrades carry over from mission to mission. Credits can be spent on stat upgrades for buildings and units as well as additional upgrade options. They can also be spent on mercenaries who are highly trained units that are expensive but arrive almost immediately. The research can be spent on upgrading units and buildings similar to the credits. They can also be spent on completely new units. Research is divided between the Protoss and the Zerg.
In addition to the campaign, there are 9 challenges which will test different skills with all three races and skirmish mode against computers. There are achievements which can be earned for all of these and the computers can become extremely difficult.
8.5/10
Multiplayer:
The Online multiplayer for Starcraft II is top notch. Starcraft II offers an innovative way of adding friends - through Facebook. Basically, you log on to Facebook (through the game), and battle.net looks for Facebook friends who have Starcraft II. The game offers a quick match feature for 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, and FFA. You can great parties of up to four with friends and join quick matches together. There is an option to play competitively against computers of various difficulties. I've found that 1v1 games tend to last about 10-20 minutes, 2v2's last about 20-30 minutes, 3v3's last about 20-40 minutes, and 4v4's last about 20 -50 minutes.
You can also play custom matches which are unranked. There is a tremendous amount of custom content that people have made, such as a Starship trooper mod or Tower Defense games. These can be worth the price alone and the selection of custom content continues to grow.
There are some huge flaws with the multiplayer portion of Starcraft II. These may constitute a deal breaker for many gamers. First, Starcraft II does not support LAN of any kind. All multiplayer games must be played through the internet on battle.net. Second, SCII is regionally locked which means you cannot play with people outside of your region (Europe, North America, etc.). This means that if you have friends that live overseas, you cannot player Starcraft II together.
9/10
Conclusion:
Starcraft II is a dream come true for anyone looking for a brand new old school real-time strategy game. The single player campaign is about 10-15 hours long. The challences add another hour or two and skirmishes can last forever. There are achievements for every game option which adds motivation for some. The multiplayer is tight, competitive, and well balanced. I have played over 300 online matches (and still counting) and it is a very fun online experience. The game has only crashed twice during the multitude of hours I've spent playing it (both times where after 6 hours of straight online gaming). SCII may not the new or innovative (it's not), nor is it the very best RTS to ever be made (that would be Kohan IMO), but it is extremely fun and should not be missed by any fan of the genre.
9.5/10
Computer used for this review:
OS: Windows 7 64 bit
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 - 3.0 GHz
RAM: 6 GB
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5870
Drivers: 10.6
Score Card:
Gameplay - 9.5/10
Story - 8.5/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Singleplayer - 8.5/10
Multiplayer - 9/10
Final Score - 9.5/10
 Starcraft II September 9, 2010
Khalil Khan (Caribbean)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I must say as someone who played the original starcraft, who never even finished beating out Brood War, who sucked at multiplayer and sometimes singleplayer, who never really liked RTS (Real Time Strategy).... I was undoubtedly satisfied with my SC2. You can see the thought and effort they put into actually desigining the game, into the details and crispness of the movies, graphics and interface.... I am truly satisfied even after forking out a fairly large sum of money for it....
The interface has been designed to help create and foster an actual GAMING COMMUNITY for the game... think of STEAM with how easily fellows gamers can acces you during in-game exploits, the achievement systems, but add to this the ability a matching system for multiplayer play, easy access to news from the community, exceptionally nice walk alongs/tutorials/challenges/achievements/tips to help people who are not that familiar with RTS to really come into the genre.
I am really really impressed with the thought put behind the development of the game and I think if there is anyone who is intimidated or even not interested in RTS should pick this one up as it so easy to play with at any skill level with the avaliable options. And it is nice to use to develop your skills by using achievements as a guideline as to what is possible. Really a nice overall production in my book.
The only thing I am sad about is not being able to use all the cool units/technologies you have at your disposal in the single player campaign for multiplayer; and the lack of support for LAN play, but overall a good production.
SC2 better for someone like me September 8, 2010
Jeremy Ballard (Atlanta, GA)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Starcraft 2 revamps starcraft 1 for casual and expert gamers alike. Single player is immersive and multiplayer is more fun than ever.
30 campaign missions (~20 hours per playthrough)
Interactive tutorials
Gameplay skill challenges
Co-op
Custom multiplayer maps
Organized multiplayer system
Easy to use friend system
Replay system
Create your own maps and missions
PROS:
The single player is great. There is a lot of variation in how you play the missions becuase depending on what order you complete them in, the next mission will have different technologies available. Depanding on your play style and comfort this can affect the difficulty of each mission drastically. All missions can be played at any difficulty at any time (after they have been unlocked of course)
Battle net provides a great platform for a beginner to get used to the multiplayer aspects of macro and micromanagement. There are practice league games (up to 50) and tutorials to teach a player the most crucial strategies.
Multiplayer has a huge community. There are always custom and standard games available
The replay utility is great. Can study strategies or just watch a high level match or immortialize a game that you really enjoyed playing.
Cutscenes are spectacularly made.
Gameplay is greatly improved from SC1, but still feels like starcraft.
CONS:
Dont like some of the [...] features. (Searching for custom games, navigating profiles feels clunky, no chatrooms)
I have lag issues when minimizing the game and returning.
Little worried about Activision getting their hands into the online community.
No zerg in single player campaign. (kinda...)
Have to regsiter game online
Better off playing Broodwar. September 7, 2010
has
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Battle.net 2.0 is a step backwards compared to its 1998 predecessor. The game has poor dynamics and is simply too easy. All of the interesting units like reavers, defilers, lurkers, and vultures have been replaced with inferior gimmick units.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1103
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