StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty Campaign Mode Review

I finished the campaign mode of StarCraft 2 last night. I was a bit disappointed because it was actually quite short. I mean I’ve been waiting for this game for almost a decade and I was expecting to play for at least 2-3 weeks for the campaigns. Part of the reason why I’m a bit frustrated is because the campaign mode is awesome and I just wanted more, haha! Seriously, Blizzard did pretty well with the story. I loved how they were able to bring most of the characters full circle, especially with Raynor.

My personal game highlights of StarCraft 2 after the break.

Superb character development
One of the things I appreciated the most with StarCraft 2‘s campaign mode is how they really made a huge effort to properly develop the characters. They obviously focused on Raynor and Kerrigan but even the support cast like Horn, Tosh, Tychus, and Mengsk all had their 15 minutes of fame as well. All the characters in the story had distinct personalities so it was effortless to get to know them better. Add to that the cut scenes which were all well-made! Blizzard basically used the same technique with WoW, they had 3D models for a lot of the scenes and cinematics for the very important parts.

What I also found interesting was the interaction between the characters in between the missions. In StarCraft 2 you get to hang out at the Hyperion and you can move in and out of the different rooms (namely Bridge, Armory, Canteen, and Laboratory). Usually various characters have new things to say after each mission. Pay very close attention to Horn and Tychus throughout the game.

My 2 favorite characters of StarCraft 2 are definitely Tosh and Tychus. I’ll write more about that later.

Choose-your-own Adventure!
StarCraft 2′s campaign mode also offered different options for players. For example, in one part of the story you’ll be asked to pick between trusting a suspicious comrade or not. This will lead to you getting a different unit which you can control in succeeding missions. There are times which you’ll be forced to make really tough choices. Based on what I’ve seen though there’s only one ending so I’m not sure if the choices you make will actually make a difference in the over-all plot. To those who know better, please do leave a comment below.

Research & Upgrades
Another cool feature for the campaign is the research and the upgrades. Raynor earns credits during missions which you can use to buy abilities (active and passive) for your units and buildings. Other than the credits, you can also get “research points” which you earn from collecting various Zerg or Protoss artifacts for your laboratory. When you collect certain amount of points, you can get new abilities for your buildings and units.

Just an aside, it sucks that they took away the EMP from the Science Vessel unit. I was looking for it all throughout the campaign. It looks like they replaced it with a “mechanical” heal of sorts. :/

Mercenaries
If WarCraft had heroes, StarCraft 2 has Mercenaries. In the dock you can talk to one of the people in the canteen who can arrange for you to have mercenaries on call during your fights. They’re a bit pricey compared to the normal units but they get instantly deployed and they usually have much higher stats (+25% damage, health, etc). My two favorite mercs are the super siege tanks and the pirate Battlecruiser.

Overall I had tons of fun during the campaign. My only problem was that it was so short. Hopefully Blizzard will come out with downloadable content while we wait for the next expansion – Heart of the Swarm. ‘Till then I’ll probably spend sometime trying to get my game up for Multiplayer. Based on my experience with the campaign, StarCraft 2 plays a whole lot like StarCraft 1 so if you’ve played the first game believe me when I say that you won’t have any trouble navigating through this one.

More StarCraft 2 articles soon!