The last entry was actually an uploaded text file from my PC that I wrote about two years ago, around the same time I wrote a similar article for Devil May Cry 3. (You know, one of the very first entries on this blog?) Aside from a few updates, it doesn't better reflect why I consider the original Starcraft one of my top five favorite games of all time.
I bought SC1 shortly after it first came out for the PC. I just started 7th grade, age 12. I had played Warcraft II and loved it, and had heard that SC1 was even better. Turns out; it was. It was a lot more than Warcraft in Space. Of course, no one could have predicted the game's success on Battle.net, nor in South Korea. Kids I knew at school were talking about Starcraft. Of course, being the asstards that they were, most of them favored Terrans. I myself am a Protoss man. Of all the Starcrafteteers I've met in real life, exactly one favored Zerg, and one besides myself favored Protoss. A few years back, I asked somebody, "Why does everyone favor Terrans? Most of their units die easily, it takes forever to repair their mechanical units, and Wraiths suck compared to Scouts. Why?" The guy I asked gave me one reason:
"Cuz they got nukes!"
Pi-shaw, I say. PROTOSS 4 LIEF!
But of course, there was more than that. Like I mentioned previously, SC1 excelled in the aesthetic department. It was one of the best-looking 2D games of the times, and the pre-rendered cutscenes were, for the time, really good. Actually, scratch that somewhat: the intro for Brood War remains one of the most moving and chilling sequences in videogame history. (Speaking of which, I got Brood War shortly after that came out, age 13. Now I have Dark Templars, and you fuckers with your Valkyries are toast.) Not only that, the story is one of the best in game history. When I first played SC1, I wasn't expecting a sweeping space opera, one filled with betrayal, warfare, Xanatos Gambits, and occasional humor, all set to a dark yet mature tone that's all too rare in the videogame industry. I still regard Jimmy Raynor, Tassadar, Fenix, Zeratul, and Artanis as some of the greatest heroes in history. Still, I shouldn't have been too surprised; I had played Chrono Trigger and the beginning of Final Fantasy 7 prior to playing SC1; I knew games could have strong writing.
12 years later, I still regard Starcraft as the best real-time game ever that depicts warfare. Command and Conquer? Too much action, too little strategy. Warcraft III? The campaign that played like Diablo was more fun (Oh, but the fall and rise of Arthas was worth it). Homeworld? Control scheme is too cumbersome. The only, only RTS wargame that comes close to SC1 in terms of overall package is the first Warhammer: Dawn of War. There are days when I think I have more fun playing Dark Crusade than SC1, but that's the only true challenger I've seen in my life as a gamer.
Now, I did say I spent my money recently. You wanna know what I spent it on? A new video card. That costed quite a bit. Then I bought Starcraft II. At first, I had some issues. However, I have worked around such issues.
My life for Aiur.
(Next time, my thoughts on SC2! En Taro Tassadar!)
