Upcoming ‘Starcraft’ seems to live up to Blizzard legacy
At Blizzard’s recent BlizzCon, we were able to go head-to-head with thousands of other fans and developers in “Starcraft: Ghost” multiplayer, and what we played was enough to restore our faith in the long-delayed project.
At this point, with the sure hand of the former Swingin’ Ape Studios (now part of Blizzard) at the helm, it’s clear that “Ghost” is well on its way to living up to the Blizzard legacy. The four playable unit types for each of the three factions in objective-based multiplayer make sure that everyone knows that this is “Starcraft.” Yes, that’s right, you’ll be able to play as your choice of Terran, Protoss or Zerg online.
The ability to use points gained by killing enemies and completing objectives to spawn as (or mutate into) a more powerful unit makes both modes of “Ghost” multiplayer that we saw a unique way to fight online. A round of Mobile Conquest can be an elaborate undertaking, with two sides using a mix of ground vehicles and aircraft to take over a flying Terran factory. This mode is teamwork-oriented, and tends to reward planning and organization as much as twitch skill for Battlefield junkies.
Invasion mode, on the other hand, borrows heavily from Unreal Tournament 2004’s Onslaught gametype, charging players with the capture of midfield nodes and eventual destruction of the enemy base. Having played this extensively at BlizzCon, we have to admit to being quite impressed.
The difference between Terran and Zerg playstyles is stark. The Terrans have vehicles such as Vultures (hoverbikes with grenade launchers, basically) and two-seater jeeps to tool around the map, and deployable turrets to aid in node defense, which would make you think that they hold an advantage against the Zerg.
However, a few key strengths on the part of the bugs offset the Terran technology. Zerglings and Hydralisks, in addition to having powerful melee attacks, are able to burrow to regenerate health and set up ambushes for unsuspecting enemies. Infested Marines can instantly turn the tide of battle with their incredibly strong suicide attack.
And finally, once a Zerg player has enough points, he can take to the skies as a mighty Mutalisk and decimate Terran forces from above. Controlling these old RTS favorites in fast-paced action gameplay is a fan’s dream come true.
As for the single-player campaign, it seems to be shaping up similarly. Though “Ghost” features a mix of stealth and action (a difficult concept that can utterly destroy a game if done poorly), the team seems to be attacking the problem in the right way.
“The balance (between stealth and action) is really up to the player,” says Steve Ranck, vice president of console development at Blizzard. “Take a great game like ‘Half-Life 2,’ which is action-oriented, and change the main character to a Ghost. Not only you do have access to the weaponry you would in a game like that, but you have access to these very unique Ghost abilities.”
Though main character Nova will be armed to the teeth with the very best in futuristic death-dealing weapons, the deadly situations she faces will ensure that her cool psionic and super-spy powers don’t go to waste.
“You’re not just running and gunning through it. You have to think like a Ghost,” Ranck says. And really, that’s the point of playing something more complex than a standard “kill all the enemies to open the next door” fragfest.