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lowroiJul 24, 2010
This was surprisingly well written.
agmlauncherJul 25, 2010
Read more of Ashelia's posts, she is an excellent writer and her points are always spot on.
solinvictusJul 24, 2010
Starcraft 2's release gives us a lot to look forward to this coming week. It's been over a decade since the last installment and I can't wait to continue Raynor's story. Even though most people spent their time in the game's multiplayer mode, my fondest memories of the game are within its single player. Hackneyed as the presentation was, it was still memorable and I owe some small portion of my childhood to Blizzard's evocative story.
1b2aJul 25, 2010
I remember savoring every new piece of technology that was unlocked and thinking it was the most awesome thing ever. Usually I would mass that on one base with my 4 starting scvs, only to find out that it sucked (the tank mission was a funny waste of time). Had I played multiplayer first, I wouldn't have gotten such an awesome experience.
rockiroad278Jul 26, 2010
Actually, Jailbreak and Tower Defense were my fondest memories of SC.
faithclubdotnetJul 24, 2010
Even if you're not good enough to compete, Starcraft2 is a big time game, and it should be worth it just for single player.
mrdiazJul 24, 2010
We can all but hope Blizzard delivered the story in the gameplay this time around. From most of the reading here and there we know the campaign should feel really epic. Over 30 mission per release sounds quite fascinating. I believe I'll finish the campaign before jumping into the multiplayer (during the beta I was playing on Platinum).
eisleyJul 25, 2010
Blizzard released a nice catch-up a few weeks ago that explained the lore, but I agree, it wasn't shown in the game well. So many people came from multiplayer and ignored the characters. I hope SC2 will fix this because it really is a good universe.
cannabistJul 25, 2010
Link?
mustang460Jul 26, 2010
You can find them here, "new era" and "uncertain future" are the vids he's talking about.
http://us.starcraft2.com/dominion/
SpeakOfTheDevilJul 25, 2010
Four minutes of movie quality trailer without even needing to insert actual gameplay. Man I can't wait til this comes out; it's going to be epic.
solinvictusJul 25, 2010
It makes me wonder if they have bigger plans for StarCraft beyond the RTS sequel.
rudegarJul 25, 2010
warcraft2-3 and diablo series had very much background story and the likes too
eagles7977Jul 25, 2010
Starcraft was one of my better gaming experiences. Really looking forward to the sequel next week. Amazing writeup, btw!
agmlauncherJul 25, 2010
Here is the formula for gaming:
Storyline
Mechanics (gameplay)
Storyline
Mechanics
Storyline
Mechanics
etc.
Gaming simply will never be a smooth and cohesive storytelling platform when the player has to bash through a horde of zombies or defend your base from a zerg attack for 15 minutes in between points where the storyline advances. It's LITERALLY like watching a movie, putting it on pause, playing a game for 15 minutes, and then un-pausing the movie for a couple minutes to watch it.
Thus one could argue that gameplay mechanics in games is inherently disruptive to the storytelling experience, though since the point of a game is that you PLAY it, I would argue it's the opposite: storyline is disruptive to gameplay.
Solution? Don't waste time and money developing storyline, and focus on solid gameplay mechanics and replayability. I would much rather spend $50 on a game I'll play for thousands of hours (yes, thousands) over the course of a few years, than a game I'll play for a few hours just so I'll have experienced a "memorable" storyline. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Closed AccountJul 25, 2010
Someone should have said that to Robert Jordan.
archangelzltJul 25, 2010
I take it that you play on an Xbox.
agmlauncherJul 26, 2010
PC actually. I don't own any consoles.
evilspoon21Jul 25, 2010
Two words: "Deus Ex".
chitiwokJul 25, 2010
And two more: "Heavy Rain"
dontthinksoJul 25, 2010
Mass Effect.
kingmanicJul 25, 2010
There are many games for which the story uplifts it's other elements. A semi-broken game like planescape: Torment is entirely saved by the quality of it's stories. Numerous other examples exist where the story is what you are really buying. I disagree with TFA conclusion though. Starcraft has a story i loved and it stood out to me.
brynfJul 25, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
kingmanicJul 25, 2010
It's going to be $59.99 for WoL then $39.99 for each of the next two expansions.
rivfaderJul 25, 2010
Well that is just like your opinion man.
plastichotdogJul 25, 2010
Have you ever played Half-life 2? The story is seamlessly woven into the game.
agmlauncherJul 26, 2010
Yes I have, and no it is not seamlessly woven into the game.
You go from one story trigger point to the next by barreling through a bunch of bad guys. That's my point:
Story
Mechanics
Story
Mechanics
Story
Mechanics
The storytelling is ALWAYS broken up by mechanics. The only way for a story to never be broken up by mechanics is if the gameplay didn't exist and there was a single cutscene that told the story.
We call that a movie.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
I've spent about $50 on Gaunt's Ghosts novels. That storyline is worth a lot more than $50.
I'm up to over $100 on Horus Heresy novels, too. A great story is worth spending money on.
Closed AccountJul 25, 2010
Solution: Mass Effect RTS
ace429kJul 26, 2010
That would be interesting. I'd enjoy that! However, how do you bring spectres into the mix? I guess you could have the "super unit" for each team...but still.
mfaiolaJul 25, 2010
RTS is the best genre f**k this dumb ****.
ace429kJul 26, 2010
that has nothing to do with the article.
blugillJul 25, 2010
Bring on World of Starcraft already...
faithclubdotnetJul 25, 2010
Yes Blizzard, You OWE US
UOS, Universe of Starcraft.
timmyftwJul 26, 2010
Blizzard doesn't owe you s**t.
roy5000x2Jul 25, 2010
The hidden mission in SC didn't add much to the story? I'm going play the SC2 campaign because I want to know more about it! Duran is one crafty motherf**ker.
xmidoJul 25, 2010
articles in hellmode are well written
gotbannedagainJul 25, 2010
Link to trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_E83GfWM-A
tyrghastJul 25, 2010
Closed the article down after insinuations that Starcraft's story was somehow sub-par and ill-told. She's grasping for straws, trying to make a point that isn't there in order to rile up fans. Starcraft and Warcraft's stories were great and well-presented, anyone who has actually played both games can tell you that.
Watching cutscenes on youtube and some pre-recorded gameplay footage doesn't give you the necessary immersion that actually playing the game grants.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
solinvictusJul 25, 2010
You "closed the article" after some "insinuations" that Starcraft's story was sub-par. It was. Why deny that? It offered what it could based on the limitations of its engine at the time, but it was hampered also by the fact that it was one of the first RTS games to attempt a narrative. It hadn't been done before, and it shows in how raw the game's presentation really is. The engine was never cooked up for that sort of thing and it almost felt like an afterthought to have a narrative.
Beyond that, the article goes on to laud Warcraft 3 for its masterful storytelling and says, pretty explicitly, that Starcraft told a damn good story in spite of everything. Had you read the article instead of closing it early on, you'd have withheld your commentary.
I think you'd find that you agree with most of it, if you'd read it in full.
Closed AccountAug 8, 2010
Stop sucking at Starcraft 2! http://tinyurl.com/sc2guide