StarCraft 2 review

[solidsamurai]

I honestly think 2010 was a year where blizz was still getting used to being a big corporation. Those figures indicate naivete.

Big companies tend to have ridiculous spending budgets, but they generally know what they're doing... most of the time.

Also, that wasn't 100 million + dollars spent on the story. The article says that was the entire budget.

[Hawki]

I disagree with a lot of what he says

You're not the only one.

where did Tychus go in the Valerian cinematic?

Does it even matter?

Again, the game was lazy in that it didn't adequetly reflect on why colonists prefer Raynor over Mengsk.

No, it made it quite clear. Colonists dislike Mengsk because he abandoned them. They turn to Raynor and others like him because they're willing to help.

The theme of the game is largely black and white - people like you because you're a good guy and because the other guy is evil.

No, they like you because you help them, and dislike Mengsk because he abandons them, not to mention all the crimes he perpetrates against them.

Realistically, Mengsk propaganda should have reminded people of Mengsk's 'glorious liberation of Mar Sara from the zerg'.

Firstly, he didn't liberate it, he just rescued the people of a single city. Secondly, it would come off as hollow when Mar Sara's been lost to rebels and then to zerg in the span of a few days.

I guess blizzard was afraid that the player would side with Mengsk, when they could have instead made a much more intriguing plot line that has the player siding with Raynor on a more intellectual level.

It's still preferable to SC1 where such a choice is left on the pseudo level and the story suffers for it.

Sure, except that the house was a bar that Raynor probably expropriated.

No, it wasn't. And it was a burnt out house at that.

It was a really good analysis. I can listen to it while doing other things (didn't read everything Gradius wrote, sorry). The only problem I had was that it could've been a little more entertaining - entertain the audience to keep their attention, like the Plinkett reviews do.

True, at least Plinkett's reviews are funny, even if I disagree with a lot of things with them.

I thought Raynor always hated Mengsk even in the original?

He did, and remained hating him in BW, something that the reviewer either misses, or fabricates.

Raynor saved Mengsk from the UED and they worked together. Ever since then, Mengsk hasn't done anything to particularly upset Raynor (besides being a big fat cat evil dictator), but Kerrigan has.

You've got it backwards. Kerrigan's done nothing to Raynor over the past four years. Mengsk has however.

I suppose that the best answer to why Raynor hates on Mengsk is because he's projecting his inability to kill Kerrigan by grafting it onto the next deserving person. He's trying to rationalise his guilt and conflict at not being able to save Kerrigan nor be in a position to kill her by blaming it on Mengsk.

True, and it's good character development when the externalization stops and he's able to confront Kerrigan directly.

Either way, it's never made clear at any time because despite following Raynor for the entire duration of WoL it's quite ironic that it's still up to anyone's guess what he's thinking about the whole time.

If you say so. I never had any question as to his motivations.

Yes, I'm done defending WoL's plot. The only person who still defends it is a troll, and we all know his name...

Gee, thanks.

What Arcturus says in the speech, is that -- humanity should not be fighting each other anymore. They should be fighting the Zerg and Protoss. The closest thing that comes close to ambiguity in StarCraft II is something Donny Vermilion echoes Mengsk's speech -- he scolds Raynor for waging a revolution whilst the Zerg and Protoss are doing blah blah blah.

Tosh wants a word with you.

Its' a lot like the Illusive Man in Mass Effect. In 2 there was ambiguity about him, but in 3 it all gets thrown out the window.

There was never any ambiguity about the Illusive Man in ME2. Moral greyness, yes, but not ambiguity.

Blame shifting is pretty anti-hero. If only blizz had gone in that direction.

Which they did. Which adds to character development when the blame stops being shifted.

What? Not you. I'm quite sure only one person still defends StarCraft II on the whole internet, and he's a troll.

The Internet wants a word with you.

The main antagonist was a ninja that used a Japanese sword from the 1700s to fight. He also liked to break into people's apartments and eat their cereal and pee in their vases. He also kills people with toothbrushes, including the main protagonist from the book-series. Gradius gives him as an example of a worthy antagonist but I disagree.

(yes he kills a major character with a toothbrush and breaks into people's houses to eat cereal... And HE IS the main antagonist of ME3)

Kai Leng isn't complex, but he isn't needed to be. There's no moral ambiguity about the Reapers. That's the point. Kai Leng is a servant, so he personifies the Reapers through his actions and persona. He's a good contrast with Saren in that regard. Not nearly as compelling, but still serviceable to the plot.

I wish someone at Blizzcon would ask Blizzard why they've gone for such a cheesey and contrived story.

Firstly, they have, in the Q&As, and they suffered for it when Kindragen answered them. Secondly, it's a derp question. It's like me asking someone "why are you so stupid?" It's a question that begins with a supposition and can't be answered objectively.

Saying they've already done so much work on the story that it's too late to change it is not a good excuse. Blizzard is known for delaying products so it can improve their quality and I'll willingly wait 5 years for LoTV if it means I get something closer to the original in terms of storytelling

Keep as far away from the original if possible please. As much as I like its story, SC1 is marred by numerous storytelling gaffs.

Because this is how they are now. There's no more 'when it's done',

What about Titan?

Either that, or they might try something new, but that's less likely I think.

Titan, Hearthstone, and Blizzard All-Stars. New universe, and two genres they hadn't previously touched.

Yes, I'm done defending WoL's plot.

Yeah, I guess I should follow suit. Haters gonna hate.

[LestersPetZergling]

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[Hawki]

They WEREN'T ambiguous in Mass Effect. They got retconned into the stratosphere. Organics were these things that they hated and had contempt for, wiping them out every 50,000 years. Now in Mass Effect 2, REAPERS ARE ORGANIC (WTF?!?!?), and intend to make organics 'ascend'. In Mass Effect 3 they are reduced to servants, who are good guys saving organic life from being wiped out by synthetic life (uh...). They turned super ambiguous in a bad way.

None of those things are retcons. Revealing new info isn't a retcon unless it clashes with old info.

He's the main antagonist of the game, and he is...

- A ninja.

So?

- In a time where you can travel across the galaxy in seconds; he uses a Katana to fight a guy that held off thousands of trained raiders and starships by himself. No, not an 'energy' sword like in Halo or StarCraft. A katana that Japanese samurai used to use thousands of years ago.

That's presumably made of durable material.

- He breaks into an elite military commando, former Spectre and Admiral's house, only to sit around at the dining table eating cereal.

- Then, he proceeds to look around for a vase to pee in.

While erratic, it shows he has contempt for his foes.

HOW, HOW IS THAT THE MAIN ANTAGONIST IN AN AAA GAME?!

If Kai Leng was the main antagonist, I'd be more put off. But as he isn't, I can can accept that he's what he is. A serviceable foil.

And...I've just realized that somehow this has turned into another ME3 conversation. I'll stop now.

[LestersPetZergling]

aaaaa

[TSCR]

Firstly, they have, in the Q&As, and they suffered for it when Kindragen answered them. Secondly, it's a derp question. It's like me asking someone "why are you so stupid?" It's a question that begins with a supposition and can't be answered objectively.

There are polite ways of asking. IIRC nobody has asked them yet on why they went for such a different writing style. It seems that Metzen had no role in wiriting SC1 judging by how SC2 is written.

I honestly don't know what to make of your approval of SC2. You're not a troll. I'd expect someone like you to dislike the campaign as well. You have plenty of relevant literary knowledge but you just seem to apply it all wrong.

[LestersPetZergling]

aaaaa

[Turalyon]

I wish someone at Blizzcon would ask Blizzard why they've gone for such a cheesey and contrived story.... Why does Blizzard continue to ignore the feedback?

Thing is, Blizz don't agree that it's cheesy or contrived and believe it or not, there are a great many of those (despite us naysayers taking up most of the limelight) who don't think it is either. As long as that base is pandered to, there will be no hope for any change. Besides, Blizzcon is for the fanboys anyway so you shouldn't expect much hard-hitting criticism of Blizz there.

Saying they've already done so much work on the story that it's too late to change it is not a good excuse. Blizzard is known for delaying products so it can improve their quality and I'll willingly wait 5 years for LoTV if it means I get something closer to the original in terms of storytelling

It's all about big business now and that's serious business. Sequels are not about creativity as much as one would like to believe otherwise. As such, the excuse that it's too late to change the story is a viable one for them because it just wastes more money and time for a return that is intangible, negligible and nebulous. There's no guarantee that a large number of people won't just still hate the story even if they took another 5 years. It's better spent on things like balance and gameplay.

If you say so. I never had any question as to his motivations.

Of course I say so unless you somehow happen to know that I'm not saying so....

It's good that you know what it is, but not everyone is as smart as you. Due to the varied interpretations and confusion that people have about it (Raynor's motivation being no deeper than a drunken schizophrenic with a death wish is just as valid as any other motivation ascribed to him), it's hard to know what to believe.

[TSCR]

Chris Metzen's role in Wings Of Liberty was story. Brian Kindregan (who wrote the worst bits of Mass Effect 2) was the lead writer. James Phinney and Metzen wrote StarCraft and Brood War.

I still find it hard to believe that he could have botched the story so much. It's like he never understood his own story.

It makes me wonder if James Phinney wrote the entire script of the original while Metzen was reading his comics

[LestersPetZergling]

aaaaa