Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 11

11: Starcraft (PC/N64 for some reason)
Developer: Blizzard
Year: 1998

Here we are, at the threshold of the top 10 games, and Starcraft didn’t make the cut. Its a travesty, I know, and its one I hope you will come to understand in the following few weeks left for this list. But, in the meantime, there’s a very important game to discuss, here, that deserves the proper treatment. And so, let’s talk about Starcraft, the game that single-handedly revolutionized the RTS gameplay mechanics and turned an entire generation of gamers into ass holes over Battle.net. Let’s talk about Starcraft, the game that is still played today, even over the sequel which came out earlier this year. Let’s talk about Starcraft.

I got into the game late, after having played Warcraft for a billion or so years. Spying screens and articles in PC Gamer (is that around anymore?) led me to know real decision about the game’s greatness. In fact, it wasn’t until after the game was out and the Brood War expansion was released and I’d borrowed them from a friend and rented them on the Nintendo 64 via an awful (but spirited) port that I really got into it. So, dropping all of my “hard earned” money, I picked up the battle chest that contained all of the games and was met with quite a surprise: Starcraft is a prince amongst games, in general, but the king of all RTS titles.

I can’t really explain how many times I’ve blasted my way through this game, or – at the very least – the Terran campaign. I couldn’t. Sometimes I get a nostalgic feeling for simply playing that one level where you have to survive for 30 minutes and then get rescued. Sometimes I like to see how good I can do there and how far into the wilds I can get in an attempt to thwart the evil Zerg from even stepping into my over-fortified base. That level is my Tricks and Traps (from Doom II) in that I can play it over and over and try different things each time, all in the hopes of bettering my run through.

But one level isn’t enough to love the entire game, is it? I mean, everything has been said that can be said about the epic story line, the interesting characters, and the revolutionary three-race mechanics that set the game apart from the word “go!” and changed how RTS’s are made. Everything has been said about the wonderful implementation of Battle.net’s online interface, the trees, and the awesome fun of toppling someone with your Zergling rush or – better yet – stopping a rush of their’s with a force of your own. Everything has been said about the soundtrack, the voice work, and the level/map design. What’s left to be said, then?

How about the personal experience of playing this game over my high school’s LAN, against friends and family members? I can’t count the number of days and afternoons, hours and hours of class time and after school time designated for homework completion that were wasted playing this game. I simply can’t. But the fact that I could lay down into my classmates time and time again without having to worry about getting bored meant one thing: the balance of the awesome single-player experience was masterfully implemented into the multiplayer aspect, as well. One thing many games don’t do right is get this balance right; Half-Life 2’s deathmatch sucks in comparison to its single player… likewise, once you’ve played enough of the multiplayer aspects in a game like Red Dead Redemption, parts of the single player experience seem empty. Starcraft balanced this divide perfectly, marrying both the awesomenss of the game with that one thing that makes multiplayer work, in the end: fun.

All in all, Starcraft – like the past few games, and all those left to come – is a game that I could talk about forever. But, if you’re following this list to this point, you likely are already aware of how much talking could be done about any of these games. No game will ever really be done justice in these short paragraphs, but the fact remains that these games – Starcraft included – are the best of the best (in my opinion) and likely to be around for years to come. Never will another RTS game come out and topple my love for this one, nor should it: a game based around pure innovation turned out to be a blast to play, as well, and continues to be for years to come (I hope!).

Classic Moment:
The moment in which you discover Kerrigan is in that cocoon happens before the game tells you via cinematic, but only if you’re paying attention (i.e. you’re intelligent at all). But while you’re guarding her you are issued six Hyrdalisks that are tougher than shit. In fact, they’re stronger then the normal ones unless those are upgraded all the way to the top in attack and defense. So these guys hang out and just stay being awesome. If you take your time, they can even take minimal damage, resulting in kill counts for each one that become staggering if you keep track of such things. I wish those bastards would have stuck it out and been The Queen of Blades’ personal bodyguards through the whole game. Alas…

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Added April 11, 2017
There is an HD remaster of this game coming in the near future but I don’t know. StarCraft II soiled me on the franchise, somewhat. We’ll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, playing this game is still a treat and I treasure the memories.