Metascore
88 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. One of those rare games that is not overly complex, but provides a challenging and fun gaming experience. It never seems to get old or boring.
  2. 95
    The distinctive races, units, spell abilities, and bases are all unique and clever, so it's amazing that the game is as well balanced as it is. This is what gameplay is all about.
  3. Another glowing aspect of StarCraft is its absolutely brilliant Campaign Editor. This is the very best make-your-own game interface ever made.
  4. The cinematic animations are outstanding, dramatic and funny. Even the voice-over acting is really good.
  5. If real aliens turn up while you are playing this, they don’t stand a chance of getting your attention.
  6. Strong strategy, great graphics, and variety make this one of the year's best. [July 1998, p.114]
  7. The game has so much life in it - whether in the great, narrative-driven single-player campaign or the multitude of multiplayer options - you won't grow tired of it anytime soon.
  8. 90
    By virtue of simple, solid gameplay, Starcraft has managed to rise above a predictable approach and been-there-done-that mechanics, and the final product (much like "Warcraft II" in 1995) seems fresh and new.
  9. You get a fun, instantly appealing, easy to play-hard to master real-time strategy, with character and an endless amount of playability.
  10. It truly revolutionizes and sets a new standard for real-time strategy games on the PC.
  11. Its well-developed plot, unique races, intuitive interface, and excellent campaign editor make it worth the price of admission, especially for those that liked "Warcraft II."
  12. It won't win any awards for originality, but it's good enough to shrink your nightly sleep to just a couple of hours.
  13. If you're looking for something new, if you're looking for groundbreaking gameplay, you won't find it here. What you will find is a very solid game engine, with fantastic multiplayer support, and nice units and technologies to choose from.
  14. While the game isn't necessarily revolutionary, it is refreshing in the gameplay it provides and the ability it gives players to create new challenges and prolong their gaming experience.
  15. All in all, if you buy StarCraft, you're buying it for the multi-player. The single-player is just too short and disappointing...The game just doesn't live up to the lofty goals of its predecessors, and for that, it suffers.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 270 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 90 out of 95
  2. Negative: 4 out of 95
  1. AMAZING!!! even better than WOW!!!
  2. 10
    This game is never getting old :) Now that SC2 is finally out I put my Starcraft cd-s onto my shelves.. One week before Starcraft 2 Beta I was still playing with the 1st sequel and i have been creating and scripting custom maps for that game for years!! Love the feeling, epic ending, characters, stories, races, music, cutscenes and everything about this game! Full Review »
  3. LiamR
    5
    Starcraft had a solid potential to be an epic RTS game but unfortunately the vast amount of hype surrounding it seems misplaced. The game plays like any other RTS of the time, many people claim that Starcraft was the first RTS ever made, which again seems to be an example of fan boys over hyping the game. The first real RTS is arguably Dune 2, or it's later spin-off Command & Conquer. This is my main problem with Starcraft, there is virtually no originality in it. The gameplay seems to be a direct rip-off of Command & Conquer, with the races all being a cheap rip-off of three of the races from Warhammer 40,000. The actual gameplay in Starcraft seems pretty solid but once you realise that the Blizzard almost completely copy and pasted other content into the game it soon loses all it's appeal. Also what annoys me, and this has nothing to do with Blizzard is the majority of fanboys who flame anyone who disagrees with Starcraft being a perfect game. Perhaps if you opened your eyes to other games you'd enjoy gaming more. I have respect for Rash M's review as he seems to also not be brainwashed by Blizzards attempted epic. Full Review »