StarCraft
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Another game created by Blizzard. It is a RTS game of similar style to the earlier Warcraft games, but set in a futuristic space setting. Unlike Warcraft or Diablo, Starcraft is set in a future version of our own universe, most of the action taking place in the 2499 and early 2500s. As well as a single-player storyline, it also has a multiplayer option playable over Battle.net.
It consists of three playable races:
- Terrans: the descendants of hackers, rebels and other undesirables exiled from Earth.
- Zerg: a swarm of vaguely insectoid, completely biological beings bent on assimilating or eradicating every powerful species they come across.
- Protoss: an empire of psionic, near-humanoid beings who maintain their corner of the galaxy with honor and advanced technology.
The original StarCraft was released in 1998. Its expansion pack, Brood War, was released later that year and introduced new units and expanded the storyline. Blizzard was developing StarCraft Ghost, but it was put on hold in March 2006 indefinitely to focus its efforts on next-gen console games. Blizzard did not answer questions relating to StarCraft 2 until Saturday the 19th of May 2007, when they officially announced its release.
For information on the rest of the StarCraft universe, namely the novels and expansion, see StarCraft franchise.
Contents |
Plot
Rebel Yell
The game starts on the 12th of December, 2499 CE, four days after the destruction of the Terran colony on Chau Sara by a Protoss war fleet. Unknown to the Terrans, the planet was infested with Zerg, prompting the swift reaction of the Protoss. From this point, the player assumes the role of Magistrate of the neighbouring colony on Mar Sara. The Terran Confederate government ignores the gradual infestation of Mar Sara by the Zerg, and the player then allies with a rebel faction. The remainder of the campaign deals with the activities of the rebel group.
Overmind
The player is then thrust into the role of an insidious Zerg cerebrate, designed to guard a very special chrysalis for the Zerg "Overmind" the hive mind of all the Zerg in the galaxy. Over the course of this campaign, we meet the Queen of Blades, voted #2 in Gamespot's top ten villains of video game history.
The Fall
Assuming the role of a Protoss Executor, the player must learn how to control the most advanced (technologically, at least) species in the game while fighting back a Zerg invasion and helping to alter the course of his people's history.
Parallels to WarCraft III
Several gaming elements first introduced in StarCraft were later adapted for use in "Reign of Chaos" and "The Frozen Throne."
Plot Progression
Previous WarCraft games offered two campaigns, Orc and Human, which essentially dealt with the same events through different eyes. With three races, Blizzard decided to stack the campaigns to deal with different events, told in chronological order in one combined story arc. Essentially, you were dissuaded from playing the Zerg or the Protoss, because you didn't learn the plot details of the Terrans. This was adapted for WarCraft III with a minor difference: you no longer had option to defy the chronology. Additionally, the campaigns for both games proceeded similarily (For the original game, the Human campaign went first, then the Evil campaign second, and finally, the "Neutral" party third. For their expansions, the "Neutral" party went first, then the Human campaign second, and the Evil force third).
Specific influences
In the final mission of the game, the player commanded two armies, one Protoss, one Terran, in a last-ditch effort to save the universe by defeating the insidious Overmind of the Zerg, which is hell-bent on assimilating the Protoss and Terrans as the next step in the Zerg's unnatural evolution. Similarly, in the final mission of WCIII, the user commands a Night Elf army reinforced by Orcs, Humans, Trolls, Furbolgs, Tauren, High Elves and Dwarves, to stop Archimonde from ascending Mount Hyjal. The two Antagonist/Anti-Hero characters, Arthas Menethil and Sarah Kerrigan are similar to one another.
Non-Blizzard Influences
Like many science fiction stories and games, Starcraft is heavily influenced by Robert Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers, from both a storytelling and technological perspective. Particular examples include:
- Terran Military Doctrine & Hardware
- Emphasis on mobility (movable bases)
- Powered Armor Suits
- Races
- Protoss (similar in profile to skinnies)
- Zerg (xenodiverse race, social caste system similar to the arachnid race)
Unequal units
WarCraft I and II were completely balanced: for each human unit or building, there was a corresponding Orc unit or building with similar damage, armor, and requirements. The only differences occurred with spells. In Starcraft, no such perfect equality existed.
Example
The basic Terran combat unit, the Marine, is a fairly durable ranged unit, capable of attacking both ground and space units. By contrast, the first fighter unit available to the Zerg was the tiny, brittle Zergling who could only attack ground units and whose usefulness came mostly from its low cost, speed, and that two spawned from one larva. Finally, the Protoss Zealot, though only attacking ground units, is extremely durable, in addition to shields. Similarly, the central Zerg building, the Hatchery, evolves into a Lair and later into a Hive, while the Terran Command Center and Protoss Nexus do not evolve.
In WarCraft III, the races are balanced from the perspective that they all have infantry, ranged, cavalry and spellcasters, with similar-type production facilities, but feature different specific abilities and traits.
References to Warcraft
Gaming
- In World of Warcraft, Zerging is a term that now means attacking a player or mob (or a group composed of them) with a far bigger group. The word is derived from the Zergling rush strategy in StarCraft.
- Zerg Drones mutate into structures, the player using the Drone unit. In [[Warcraft III]], night elf wisps morph into structures, the wisp likewise being lost.
- All Zerg structures must be built on creep. The undead in Warcraft III must build all their structures on a substance known as blight, which possesses similar properties.
- The Protoss summon their structures onto the battlefield. The undead do so likewise in Warcraft III.
- Many Terran structures are mobile. The same applies for many night elf structures in Warcraft III, which are able to 'uproot' themselves.
- The Protoss Stalker possesses an ability known as "Blink". An identical ability is possessed by the night elf warden in Warcraft III.
- Marine, Zergling and Hydralisk models can be found in Warcraft III.
- Zerglings can be summoned as non-combat pets in the World of Warcraft Collector's Edition.
- Lord Marshal Raynor is found during the Burning Crusade portal event in World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. His name is a reference to the Terran hero Jim Raynor
- Zhar'doom, Greatstaff of the Devourer is an epic DPS-caster staff that drops from Illidan Stormrage in the Black Temple. The staff looks like a Zergling. Alternatively, this may be a reference to a Devouring One (an upgraded Zergling NPC unit.
- On top of the Merc Haven in StarCraft II, a holographic woman can be seen doing the night elf dance (each gender of each race having their own dance in World of Warcraft).
Lore
- The Alliance is one of the two main factions in Warcraft, having been created in response to the threat of the Horde in the Second War. The Alliance in StarCraft parallels this, the Protoss and Terrans facing the universal threat of the Zerg.
- StarCraft possess the Argus Stone, Argus crystals, Argus talismans, etc. The homeworld of the draenei is a world called Argus.
- The capital of the island nation of Kul Tiras in Warcraft is Boralus. In StarCraft, the capital of the planet of Braxis is Boralis.
- Demon fel hunters in Warcraft bear great similarity to Zerglings.
- The Titans, a race of supreme beings which seed life on various worlds in the Warcraft universe, could be taken from the Xel'Naga, a similar god-like race in StarCraft.
- A picture of Sarah Kerrigan can be seen in the cockpit goblin shredders in World of Warcraft.
- Two StarCraft Dropship callsigns, Doomhammer and Lightbringer, are taken from Warcraft characters Orgrim Doomhammer and Uther Lightbringer respectively.
Quotes
- Acolyte: My life for Aiur...er I mean Ner'zhul! (a quote of the Zealot taking precedence over an Acolyte's worship of the Lich King)
- Artanis: This is not Warcraft in space! (a reference to the phrase used to coin the StarCraft alpha, which bore great resemblence to Warcraft II)
- Artanis: What do I look like, an orc? (Warcraft orcs, if clicked on enough times, will exclaim "stop poking me!")
- Mortar Dwarfs: Tassadar has failed us. You must not. (a gag quote in Warcraft III and a repeat of Aldaris in the first mission briefing of Episode III)
