12 Years later, Raynor is Back: Starcraft II | A

When Starcraft was released in 1998 by Blizzard Entertainment, it quickly became the highest selling PC game up to that point. Hailed as one of the greatest games ever made, it picked up an enormous international following especially in South Korea. There it is credited with starting the countries' burgeoning competitive gaming industry; professional players have achieved celebrity status comparable to American football players or film stars. The Starcraft phenomenon continues today, and is still centered on the aged game and its expansion pack, Starcraft: Brood War. However, change is coming as Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is slated to release sometime this quarter.

Wings of Liberty will be the first game released in a 3 part saga, and will feature a 30+ mission Terran campaign along with full multiplayer support. Once again, the player will follow Jim Raynor through a new chapter in the Starcraft universe. Two more releases, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void, will follow the Zerg and Protoss races respectively. Though the campaign is sure to be exciting, Blizzard's prime focus is producing a multiplayer experience balanced for casual and professional play.

The game plays much like the original, but incorporates vast improvements in graphics and mechanics. Selection groups are no longer limited to 12 units, which makes it much easier to micromanage your forces. Additionally, production buildings can be grouped and given dynamic rally points similar to Warcraft III which eases the burden of managing multiple bases in the mid to late game. Each race has also received new and unique mechanics furthering the game's core ideal of making the three races play differently while maintaining balance.

The tech trees for each race have also been revised, featuring old favorites from the original along with many interesting new units. Though some will lament the exclusion of old favorites like the Firebat and Lurkers, all of the original units will make appearances in the campaign and will be available in the map editor.

All in all, Wings of Liberty promises to be the next generation in the RTS genre and will likely be distracting you from your schoolwork for years to come. The Galaxy Editor, available to beta testers this week, will be even more powerful than the expansive Warcraft III editor. Its aim is to attract indie game developers to the Starcraft community and is sure to yield a heap of custom content such as Tower Defense games and the hugely successful Defense of the Ancients.

If you are interested in joining the beta test, GameStop is now offering free beta access to anyone who preorders the game.