New novel: Devils' Due

[Visions of Khas]

Ghosts had a slight southern drawl, and wraiths were caricatures of airplane pilots. All the units were jokes. And that's an inescapable fact, I think. I have more "respect" for SC2 units than I do from the original.

But I agree. There should be more diversity in the characters. We need more Toshes, Horners, Warfields, Durans. Even if they're caricatures too, we need 'em. And there are more races than just blacks and whites. srsly

[Pandonetho]

I didn't notice any southern drawl at all. And whether the Wraith was a reference or joke, it doesn't matter, he had personality. Rednecks can have personality too but they're just crude and unappealing.

And having a southern drawl/voice/accent doesn't mean you're a redneck, they're totally different. Would you say Mengsk is a redneck? No, and he definitely has a southern accent.

And I don't think rednecks need to have a southern voice either. In fact, I don't see much of a relation between the two except for a generalization. There are lots of rednecks in Alberta too. I always imagine rednecks to be these guys who just love screaming their own local slang while being gun lovers, riding on a lawn mower modified into a motorbike. Having bad hygiene, and being inbred.

Of course that's also just a big generalization too. The vulture in SC1 can probably be considered a redneck but I think he's cool. The original voice actor for the Thor, was not cool. He just kept screaming in over exaggerated tones and stuff.

[Dragoonx]

Ghosts had a slight southern drawl, and wraiths were caricatures of airplane pilots. All the units were jokes. And that's an inescapable fact, I think. I have more "respect" for SC2 units than I do from the original.

But I agree. There should be more diversity in the characters. We need more Toshes, Horners, Warfields, Durans. Even if they're caricatures too, we need 'em. And there are more races than just blacks and whites. srsly

That guy with the shades and pointy hair looks Asian. Lol.

[pure.Wasted]

the protoss died with tassadar and fenix

sadly the protoss just don't live up to badassery like this anymore

Y'know, I was with you on the whole "something about the Protoss isn't quite as epic as it used to be" bandwagon right up to this point. But then you conflated Tassadar with Fenix, and I just can't allow that.

See, I don't like Fenix -- never did. I think he's a loud, obnoxious one-note cliche who goes on and on and on and on about mystical Protoss voodoo. "The Khala this" and "honor that." Yes, I realize that the Khala does actually exist, and does represent a part of Protoss culture... but at the same time, when's the last time Tassadar talked about it?

Tassadar was "bad-ass" because when he returned to Aiur to aid the Protoss and was confronted with Aldaris's bickering, he just flat out interrupted Aldaris. "Silence!" That single word, uttered with such force that both Aldaris and Fenix could do nothing but listen, to me exemplified the might of the Protoss. Not talking about being fearless, but being fearless, as Tassadar was in that instant.

One of my favorite quotes from the original game (not just mine, probably) comes from Zeratul. "You speak of knowledge, Judicator? You speak of experience? I have journeyed through the darkness between the most distant stars. I have beheld the births of negative-suns and borne witness to the entropy of entire realities... Unto my experience, Aldaris, all that you've built here on Aiur is but a fleeting dream. A dream from which your precious Conclave shall awaken, finding themselves drowned in a greater nightmare."

Compare & contrast with, "The Cycle nears its end. The artifacts are the key [...] to the end of all things." How powerful can Zeratul really sound when he's talking about vague, mystical mumbo-jumbo?

I'm gonna give Blizz some time here, I've heard like two quotes from Zeratul so far, so there's a good chance they just caught him at a bad time. But I know this much -- Christie Golden didn't come close to capturing the essence of that awesome, frightening power that was hinted at in the original games. For all the alien culture she fleshed out for the Protoss, she made them seem mundane, and I'm worried that that characterization might carry over into the games.

[Gradius]

If there's anything in here I agree with it's that lots of races took some hits to their badassery in SC2.

[Chili]

Zeratul is the new Medivh. But Kerrigan rivals his vague and mystical blabla...

[Visions of Khas]

I've never liked prophecies. If it turns out that Zeratul fabricated this whole prophecy thing to manipulate everyone, I'd laugh my ass off.

I can't say I've liked Zeratul's dialog up to this point, but then I remember that we've heard two lines from him, as noted by Gradius. All very cryptic stuff, which is only bad when it isn't thought provoking or contains hints at something else... which it didn't, and therefor sucked. Zeratul is making for a poor enigmatic and mystical figure. But I'm judging before I've seen him do anything.

It still cannot be denied that Zeratul retains a level of badassery; he's, what, the equivalent of a sixy year old pwning hydralisks with their own scythes. That demands respect. So if he continues doing that, and injects a little more meaning into his crptyicisms, then I'm happy.

[pure.Wasted]

I can't say I've liked Zeratul's dialog up to this point, but then I remember that we've heard two lines from him, as noted by Gradius.

pW. As noted by pW.

[Visions of Khas]

... As noted by pure.Wasted.

[Sarov]

pW. As noted by pW.

... As noted by pure.Wasted.

That made me laugh.

But, yeah, Tassadar was/is still the bad-ass Protoss and he definitely is my favourite Protoss of all-time, with Zeratul coming in second. Although the Dark Templar Saga almost completely ruined the image I had of Zeratul - you know, the whole moping about scene. Thankfully, the intro of him killing hydralisks restored some of it... but not quite enough.