After utilising incredibly well implemented scalability to help players sidestep potential compatibility issues, also achieves an expanded degree of audience appeal by cleverly grounding StarCraft's single-player Terran campaign amid a very human narrative. Wings of Liberty may provide only the first of three single-player campaigns, but hardcore fans and newbies alike will be left gagging for the forthcoming Protoss and Zerg expansions after (re)connecting with the universe via an enigmatic story of lost love, self-destructive guilt, and ultimate betrayal as it collides with murderous conspiracies, shadowy organisations, twisted agendas and a very real threat to humanity.

But what about my open lack of enthusiasm where gameplay is concerned? Surely demographic-busting accessibility, stunning presentation, story appeal and scalable compatibility can't bridge such a yawning chasm? They certainly help. But, if I'm being honest, StarCraft II's gameplay is so much more than just the mining and processing of planetary resources in order to construct military bases, train elite troops and develop devastating weaponry. That typical prerequisite RTS guff is in evidence, of course, but it's eclipsed by the game's true pivotal point of success: the immersion it creates through its ability to surprise and thrill in equal measure.

For example, what appears to be a standard mission to help human colonists escape a Zerg-besieged planet turns into a pseudo turn-based battle of attack and defend when it emerges that the colonists have succumbed to some strange virus. Mutated and deadly but vulnerable to ultra violet light, the colonists repeatedly attack the player's base of operations after each twilight, before then fleeing to the safety of their dwellings come the dawn. During daylight hours, the player is free to wander the greater environment, seeking out mutant-rich regions and destroying the wretched souls therein, with the mission only complete when all settlements have been completely obliterated.

While the rules of engagement seem clearly defined, the game is only too willing to throw tantalising bonus objectives into the mix by tasking the player to venture out at night to hunt, kill, and harvest important research from specific creatures responsible for the entire infestation. However, to do so leaves the player's away party highly susceptible to being swamped by vastly superior numbers.

Calculated risk constantly weighed up against the pros and cons of loss versus gain. These are the rock solid foundations that is built upon. And, once layered into a wide selection of planets and environments to do battle upon, the constant sense of not knowing what's coming next proves to be the perfect distraction from the otherwise mundane resource management.

Perhaps aware of the potential boredom associated with the 'collect it-process it-build it' gameplay mechanic, Blizzard has even created a level on a volcanic mineral-rich world that's awash with freak lava tides. Of course, the all-important mineral fields are located on patches of low ground and the player must feverishly shepherd their harvesting teams to and fro, protecting them from unpredictable flows of molten death - not to mention the occasional unwanted rush of Zerg activity.

If you need any more proof that StarCraft II is the game that all console fanboys should seek out, consider it much like a good that numbs the bum but keeps the mind blissfully unaware of the gathering discomfort. Extensive sessions of gameplay with StarCraft II provide challenges and dangers galore, thereby creating an immersive experience likely to prevent the player from noticing the acute dorsalgia building throughout the spinal chord, the fiery pins and needles clawing at the legs, and the swollen elbow caused by long bouts of chin-resting on the palm of the non-mouse hand.

Packed with a never-ending stream of variety across 30 single-player missions, StarCraft II certainly ticks all the boxes for those looking to ease themselves into the against an A.I. opponent. But, once the campaign is over, the Challenges have been completed, and the four-tier difficulty has been conquered, the true longevity of Blizzard's creation lies in its multiplayer. Specifically, fuelled by a fervent community of galactic strategists, no two matches are ever likely to be the same, no single approach will ever guarantee success, and the level of difficulty is nigh-on inexhaustible.

Not that I'd know - because I hate PC games remember - but the last 12 years have been well worth the wait and there's enough content packed into StarCraft II that franchise fans would probably be willing to wait another 12 for the next instalment if they had to. Luckily that isn't the case, and the individual Zerg and Protoss campaigns should be available well before we bid farewell to another decade of existence. I'm loathed to say this, but whenever those species-specific expansions do arrive, Blizzard is assured of my money. Now, I'm off to scrub myself clean in the shower before slamming Call of Duty: 2 into the PlayStation 3.

96%

By Stevie Mostyn

  • StarCraft II
  • Platform: PC
  • Publisher: Blizzard
  • Developer: Unknown
  • Release Date: TBA