A very traditional RTS game that brought nothing new to the table. The interface was quite unwieldy and dated considering it came out in 1998. The actual strategy/tactics emphasis was quite low, and battles were mostly stats vs stats and numbers vs numbers.

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.… Expand

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!

a very overrated game. even at the time it was made, it had poor graphics, horrible UI, just plain annoying resource collection. ridiculously low unit cap (there are 20 people on the ENTIRE PLANET) terrible unit AI requiring silly amounts micromanagement. has a horrible case of scissors paper rock, made worse by the small selection of units. it has two saving graces- firstly its story is fairly ok, but this is fairly extraneous on a multiplayer oriented game. secondly, it has the best support for any game ever. but while lack of polish can break a game, lots of polish does not make a game… Expand

An RTS game that does not depend on strategy, rubbish, horrible, terrible, and stupid, a big embarrassment for the so called Blizzard.

I bought this game and though it was going to be a cool game like halflife but instead I got some crappy graphics game with some guys running around on a dirty map Waste of money, DO NOT GET IT

Easily the best RTS game in history. Not for the faint of heart. For mavericks only. If you are a candle in the wind, this game is not for you. However if you consider yourself not to be a grab it and have fun

Even after 10 years, this is still a standout title. It's aged very very well. One of those games that you can't stop playing. It's an absolutely perfect example of easy to learn, hard to master, there's something here for anyone with any interest in RTS. Still doesn't look too bad graphically, well except for the cutscenes. After the first mission theres one in particular where the people are so badly rendered and the dialogue is so hilarious I was busting my sides. Even the better people look ridiculous. Blizzard had a nasty habit of having horribly modeled people with freaky faces. It's a really awesome game though, and I really suggest it to anyone.… Expand

I think if the world ended in 1999, the would would not have missed much in terms of P.C. gaming. Fallout 2, Half-Life, Grim Fandango, Balder's Gate, Thief, Unreal and Starcraft all came in 1998. Starcraft had a killer matchmaking system and A.I. Coupled with diverse units, races and maps. Ran on a low end machine and was fun, fun, fun. A good fulfilling single player campaign to round it out.… Expand

This game is really fun.

Over five years after release and still thousands play it both for its awesome Singleplayer and even better multiplayer. A game so popular top players went on TV and starred in TV ads (Fanta, anyone)... A Classic.

If you can accept the poor graphics in this game, it will blow you away. Each race is totally unique and balanced, and mostly everything that is offered is required to reach victory. Everything has a counter, and taking better positions extremely affects outcome of the battle. Since all statistics and abilities are simple and easily understood, there is no such thing as luck in Starcraft, and this simplicity makes it perfect. Good multiplayer and custom maps also get this game hard to be bored of.… Expand

Still playing it years after its release! Multiplayer is simply the best ever made.

Best RTS ever and one of my favorite games of all time.

This game is beautiful, awesome, never gets old, one of those rare gamse that always remain playable and enjoyable. I love zergs!

A great RTS. Thousands of players still play, even eight years after it's release in 1998. Once you play this, you will be hooked!

The Best RTS game ever brilliant story-line and perfect balance for e races. This game is all about strategy, especially when play against other players.

Arguably the most balanced RTS game ever created. Even 8 years after it hit the market, it still has a very strong following outside of South Korea. This game is that standard in which all other games of it's genre will be compared to.

One of the best RTS games ever! 3 completely balanced factions that are extremely distinctive and imaginative. Great gameplay. The graphics may be out of date for sure but 10 years after the original the most amazing game is about to get released. Starcraft 2!!! Fixes all graphical issues and takes the battle to places that can't be competed with. Adds so much more to the fantastic original. 10 years was well worth the wait!… Expand

This is the best on line RTS ever. It is so balanced and with all the UMS it never gets old.

Whoever said this was not the best RTS needs therapy. Blizzard's greatest creation. We still play it after 506 years reguarly. Anything below 95 is a disappointing review

I think this is the best game ever made, becuase even years ago it was developed a lot of people is still playing it. I love this game, it is the game of the century!!!!!!!

This game took months of my life away. Simply the most addicting game ever!!

The best RTS ever!

Amazin GAME.

Well now i think its still awesome even though the graphics are a bit off but back then the graphics were beautiful and now the action the gameplay still better I think its better then warcraft 3 if they ever make starcraft 2 its over cuz i cant wait to see the graphics and the gameplay mostly the gameplay.

Best RTS EVER! I'm so sick of swords, magic and axes! Blizzard.....Please resume with Starcraft (not ghost!).

Only 88%? And no 100 rating by critics? Starcraf's got perfect single, multi and editor! And what about much worse Warcraft 3? it had better ratings, while it's much worse than Starcraft or WC2.

Very well balanced making for great competitive play. Unique units among all races. Other than workers, none are evven similar! Very little automation or advanced commands makes the game very simple. Not too many units, and only 3 damage/armor types to know. While it may seem simple, the great part is that it takes hellishly large amounts of skill, to scout, predict what your opponent9;s doing, fake strategies, innovate strategies, useful to have good micromanagement, etc.… Collapse

I've been playing Starcraft since its inception, and now more than 10 years later I still haven't found a game that is more pleasurable, noob-friendly and yet intricate and involved, and whose graphics have stood the test of time. Blizzard's best work on show here...and that's saying something!

Hands down the best RTS ever. When it originally came out, I would have agreed with a score of 88, but I had no idea (like a lot of the critics) how big the online competition would become, how much of a social phenomenon the game would be, how the balance would continue to be tweaked to perfection, etc. 10/10

Rash M obviously doesn't know anything about Starcraft. "The actual strategy/tactics emphasis was quite low..." Are you kidding me? Starcraft is the ONLY RTS which has been in every single WCG. No emphasis on strategy/tactics, psh. Don't judge something you obviously have no idea about. Starcraft is by far, the most complete, most balanced RTS ever made. After 10 years, Starcraft is still being revolutionized in terms of gameplay. If you don't believe me, just look at the Korean Starcraft scene. This game is golden.… Expand

This is the best balanced multi-player RTS game ever made. We still play it every time we bring our computers together for 20h of non-stop LAN fighting. Low complexity without being boring. Fast pace... a 10.

Do not believe any review here less than 90%!! This is one of the (if not THE) best computer games ever, and certainly the best RTS. It has everything that makes a great game: good interface, great gameplay, high replayability, great multiplayer, the graphics and sound work with the game and don't overload your system. It is simply a solid 10, and I can continue to enjoy this game over 5 yrs after it's release.… Expand

This is by far the best game ever made!!! And if u dont believe me go online and check out all the pep that are STILL PLAYING IT AFTER 8 YEARS!!!!!

Few games amaze on first impression, bring a tear upon further exploration...and leave a lasting smile of satisfaction upon completion...even after 5 years. A truly brilliant execution of presentation with gameplay.

This games plot is so good, dated but never the less it is one of the best rts games of all time.

Brilliant gameplay, races, technic etc., and most important, excellent multiplayer. I can just recommend this awesome game.

Im sorry, is that an 88? That makes me ever so pissed. Cincinnati- its not original?????? GO ON BATTLE NET AND LOOK AT ALL THE MAPS. The map editor alone is worth the price right now. Even after (1..2..3..) 8 years, its still a hit. Go on BNET, every day there's like at least 3000 people playing starcraft. I will admit however, that the single player is slightly less fun, but still. If you can't get online (heaven forbid) and you love the game and want to. Email me. I will GIVE you the internet system required to get online (no i won't, but my intentions are good) :). And to all of those who say Starcraft is an old, crappy, obsolete game, i say, in the word's of Moe(the simpsons) IM GOING TO STICK SAUSAGES DOWN YOUR THROAT AND STUFF STARVING DOGS UP YOUR BUTT. (Yes, my name on sc online is jelly_bean_man)… Expand

This is the best RTS game every produced. *sigh* Why hasn't Blizzard come out with Starcraft 2? And to criticize the critics, you guys are stupid not to give this game the highest of marks.

It's a cool game to play best game i'v played on pc by far.

Most brilliantly designed multiplayer RTS ever, AND with a kickass single player story. Theres a reason this is THE most competitively played RTS of all time, with hundreds of thousands of people still playing EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS LATER. Hell, I still play this game. Along with an immensely steep skill curve in multiplayer, it has one of the most balanced and deep assymetrical race deisgns ever- it pioneered the concept. GG.… Expand

Yeah what is wrong with these critics... Revolutionary, massively multiplayer community, huge fan base, still over 10,000 players online in the year 2006. Released in 1998.

I don't ordinarily like RTS games. I like Starcraft. Great story, loads of fun little missions (especially with the expansion, which I suggest you get as well), good sound and fun army building. One of the original Blizzard trilogy with Warcraft and Diablo. Worth getting.

Best game for ever!

This is an incredibly solid, balanced, fun, and addicting game. The very fact that people still spend hours playing it on Battle.net every day even ten years after its release is a testament to the power of actually giving a hoot and caring about game quality on the developers' part.

Okay, docking marks because a game isn't groundbreaking or pioneering a new genre is ridiculous... If that were the case, everything save a few games would have lowered marks. You need to see it for what it is, and as has been said a couple times, it really is a complex game with alot of thought behind everything you do. To be amazing at it isn't simple, and I think that counts for something.… Expand

Hands down the best PC game ever made, especially if you look at the RTS genre. Critics don't know shit about real time strategy, just because something isn't flashy or new they dock points... metacritic has something seriously wrong with it if this isn't even in top 20 and a sports simulator is top 5.

Best game ever period. Just the fact that its still in stores 10 years after its release, not mentioning its the second best selling game ever behind the sims, shows how awesome the game is.

Best RTS ever... The balance is so amazing, that it's still immensely popular 10 years after its release when hundreds of far flashier RTSs have had the opportunity to swipe ideas from it. And the single player is brilliantly designed, so that a person who never played an RTS can pick it up without opening a manual, and become an expert by the end with all 3 races. Never played another game that did any of those things as well as SC, and SC: BW.… Expand

I think this game has been underrated by critics because they didn't know the impact it was going to have. It's an extremely well-balanced game with a great story and gameplay.

A decade later and this is still my favorite game of all time and I still play it on a regular basis. The storyline is fantastic, the single player is very rewarding and worth playing through over and over again, the gameplay is perfectly balanced, and so very much fun overall. Even a decade later it still beats the pants off of every other game I've played to date. I doubt that even the sequel will be better than this game.… Expand

Simply the best RTS of all time. So many permutations one can use in winning the game. Still amazing gameplay after around 10 years.

Best RTS of all time... DON'T listen to these idiot "critics" (Game Revolution) who only played the game for 2 days to meet a deadline for their boss and only gave it a 75%. Unparalleled online experience in its genre.

10 year ago this game came out, and it is still a great game. complex enough that it isn't a walk through the breeze, but simple enough that everyone can pick up on. Multiplaying is the most challenging aspects of this game considering that you don't play against the computer's AI.

This is THE RTS. After years it still is fresh and has a cult-like following across the globe. A game has to be amazing to support professional players, which Starcraft does: South Korean professional starcraft gamers have celebrity status and the top make more many than an exec. Now that is gaming!

What makes StarCraft stand out is it brilliant campaign. The briefings are boring, which adds simply nothing, you can say. The gameplay seems tedious, the process getting easier and not so hard campaign. The story is great although at some point confusing. Overall I give 7, something I didn't expect from Blizzard.

The score for this game needs to be updated. There is no way its only 88. "Thank God for cold fusion" "You Pig ! ; What? I didn't say anything. ; no, but you were thinking it ! " "I love you sarge" I lost jobs and GFs for this game. No game ever came close to the perfection of starcraft. Best game ever made. Awesome single player. (with awesome cinematics) Bnet was amazing when SC came out. The ease of finding games. I wonder how many milions of Big Game Hunters matches have been played.… Expand

Well, what to say thats haven't been said, I played it for years, first back in the late '90 on my old P233 with 32 MB of RAM, was late in high school because of it :-). Have spent on it hours and hours and don't regret a single minute. By my humble opinion the nearest thing to perfection the game can get and my all time personal favourite. Maybe I'm not 100% objective but it is still 100/100 game from it's huge and interesting singleplayer to multiplayer to expansion Broodwar and hopefully StarCraft 2. Thanks Blizzard. Greetings from Zg.… Expand

What hasn't been said? I played it for years at end, I don't regret all the time which was spent on the multiplayer. It set the standards for any RTS, it revolutionized the entire genre.

A timeless masterpiece. At the time of writing, StarCraft is 11 years old. I still play it to this day. The perfectly balanced gameplay never gets dull or boring. I hope StarCraft II will be able to live up to its predecessor.

One of the best games I have ever played...not the first of it's kind, but arguably the best of it's kind!

The best in the class in the time of release. it can stand up to warcraft III even, although the graphics are not cutting edge, the story and playing fun factor is simply the best.

Breathtaking. The best RTS I have ever played. Manages to fit so many different styles of play and strategy into one game, yet still maintaining the balance. Presentation is extraordinary and atmosphere is unparalleled and unique. If you care anything for RTS's, pick up SC. WC3 has nothing on this shimmering gem.

This game is so great I cant find the right word to describe it but just simply as , A Masterpeice. This is the best RTS no doubt about it. Everything about this game is so amazing, the graphics, the story, the cinematics, the gameplay, the music, the distinct races and their units, even the free on-line multiplayer feature is great. This game truly belongs to be on all gamers hall-of-fame games.

This the best rts ever!! better the command and conquer and everthing!!!!! great action, but the graphics are a bit sub-par.

this game has taken not only months but years away from my life... the single player i played and didnt beat without codes. and it took me probably a month of playing every day and thats what 50++ hours of gameplay... that is true but it also goes for both starcraft and BroodWar put together so its still a wicked long single player so to the final critic who said the single player is too short you should never rate another RTS and there are no 100s from critics so i think this is a very weird rating from cricis since if you go to blizzard.com and look at awards this game won game of the year from a 10+ companys idk exactly thou.… Expand

I'm going to have to go with these guys here. What's wrong with these critics? This game has won video game of the year both for the original AND Brood War. This game still pwns after so long, and it makes me sad that I can't play BW anymore because it broke in my CD-ROM. Blizzard really got on the shelves with this game, and I can't believe they're spending more time one WoW when SC has made them more comparative moolah then any of their other games.… Expand

I have been playing this game sincec it first came out in the 90's and I still pull it out and play from time to time. Story line and gameplay all ways keep me invalved. The came has yet to fined an equal, many have attempted to duplicate it but nun have succeded.

Simple gameplay, complex strategies no frame lag if comp is less than 6 years old BEST RTS ONLINE EVER coop scenarios are abundant custom maps are common never a dull moment graphics are the only weak point BUT who realy needs graphics gameplay is 100% key for long term success.

Still the best RTS ever, and the only game EVER to reach the status of a national sport, no more needs to be said, don't mind the piss poor excuse for a game critics that are 4 of the reviewers.

It changed the face and set the pace of the RTS world, and no RTS game has more of an online cult following nor an equal paid-competitive (See South Korea) scene as Starcraft. Flawless balance!

This is the best Real-Time Strategy game ever. It has three races, all are completely different, which makes for some interesting tactics. This games three races are perfectly balanced, unlike Age of Empires when all of the civilizations are exactly the same, so there is much more strategy involved in Starcraft. This game is incredibly cheap at 20 dollars with its Expansion Set and strategy guides included. This is a must buy for anybody who likes strategy games in general.… Expand

Starcraft is definitely the best game I've ever played. I stilil play online to this day to the point of total addiction. I've tried playing other RTS but I have yet to find any that are as challenging.

I wish SC2 is just like an expansion gives some new units and better graphics because StarCraft is already the BEST real time strategy game.

Best real time strategy ever.

Greatest RTS ever made hands down. This game defines competitive multiplayer, the difference in skill between players is unbelievable, there are guys that can take on 3-4 people at once.... The balance of the game is just about perfect, and the variety and completely different play styles for each race is amazing. 10 years later this game is still so amazing playing online. Warcraft III added some niceties,,,,some of which went against the competitive nature of this game but in the end this game is a way better competitive experience.… Expand

A completely new, incredibly innovative, absolutely must-have game for the PC. With a massive amount of maps and an overall decent online experience, this game should not be overlooked. If you don't know Starcraft, you don't know RTS.

StarCraft became more than a game. Became the reference in competitive gaming, leading a revolution in what we know today as e-Sports, giving birth to legends such as Lim Yo-Hwan. This masterpiece is arguably one of the greatest games ever made. For me, it is.

Best RTS Game ever made, i must agree that the score needs to be updated 88 is simply too low. this is easily one of the best video games ever created and is the best multiplayer game ther is, no question. it is so balanced, and it is complex enough to make you think and stategize against others, but it is easy enough to learn without too much trouble. Double thumbs up and 11 ot of 10

Ten years later, this is still the RTS I personally recommend. So the graphics aren't as pretty as other RTS (COUGHTODAYCOUGH), so what? The gameplay is still addicting, some later campaign missions are still difficult compared to other RTS of today, and the three races are virtually perfectly balanced. Not to mention you still have a massive online community for a game ten years running. But the campaign/story itself. Yes I did say that it would be very challenging later on but the beginning is quite novice friendly with the difficulty. But the story overall will MAKE you want to get Brood War and later SC2 once it comes out in the near future, yes it is a pretty good story. Honestly I don't think I've ever run into a problem in this game. Sure the online connectivity to other users computers can be frustrating once in a while. But even if you took out the online part of the game, the single player part of it is just as fun.… Expand

Good plot, interesting campaign, great playability. As singleplayer this game is great strategy, need thinking and planning (especially in Brood War), and does have THIS. Even it's really primitive, it's great, I can hardly understand, why it's so addicting, but it realy is. As a multiplayer: it's not a strategy, it requires to much agility (>250apm is for people with ADHD, not for strategists).… Expand

I still remember coming home from school to play this game with friends and stopping just in time for bed time and thinking "I forgot to eat again" ah the good days~

Even this game is pushing on 13 years old it is still one of the best RTS games ever released for PC/MAC, and until Starcraft II, the best game released by Blizzard ever!

This has to be the best RTS iv ever played! 3 different chapters with 3 different groups and some levals that you really got to put up a good fight and make good strategy's and decisions and just a really fun game, it even has multiplayer if you get bord with the campain. Create classes, make building to help further your base and then destroy the enemy. This is a really solid PC game.

Blizzard had become the evil empire of gaming, perhaps even more so than EA since the release of WoW - but you cannot deny the incredible ingenuity and epic scope of the games they made before that time.
Starcraft was not the first RTS that Blizzard made (all the Warcraft titles) but was certainly the best. Anyone criticizing this game for anything needs to have their head hit against a wall.
This game is so good, it is literally a national sport in Korea. The guys who win the national championship for this game are put on the Wheaties box - yes, just like Olympic athletes. Unreal.
This is one of the best games ever, and certainly the best RTS ever - the incredible balance of the game has never been equaled since.
Play this game now - then go play StarCraft II, it is not as good, but far more updated.… Expand

One of greatest RTS of all time, but personally im not a big fan of how its all about APM. "You snooze, you lose" is very accurate for this game, you must be 100% focused when playing it. No wonder its treated more as a sport than a game.

I used to play this game back in the day with an old friend of mine, this game was just plain fun at the time it was a must have if you like strategy games.

The best RTS period! Drop a copy on any old computer you can find and give away! Put a copy on your new computer for nostalgia! This old game don't really get that old.

Best RTS ever released for a few simple reasons.
Its 3 solo campaigns are perfectly balanced from start to end, perfectly scripted, versatile, challenging and supported by an intense storyline that easily outshines other rts.
Multiplayer and matchmaking was close to beeing perfectly balanced on release and just needed a few minor fixes to reach a level that allowed starcraft to be the nr.1 platform for competetive gaming in rts genre.
Every single unit of the 3 races in this game has its value and it is just up to the player if he can make use of it or not. A hand full of the cheapest units can be enough to win a game even after a long game of for example an hour. This is also what seperates starcraft from other games.… Expand

Epic. After almost 14 years, I still play it with my friends. Although his game created e-sports thanks to battle.net, its best multiplayer mode is LAN! LAN ftw!

Classic game.
Best RTS ever.
On the golden table in Hall of fame for PC games.
Just one word: Starcraft !
10 of 10 and no other mentions to consider).

Blizzard is master at creating games that require skill, thinking or planning. Starcraft requires all of them and plays out beautifully, on top of a good story.

Starcraft is truly a landmark RTS game, and an absolute joy to play. I have spent hour upon hour playing this game and every moment was worth the experience. Even today Starcraft is still played, which is a testament to it's brilliant design.

Great singleplayer coupled with great mutliplayer creates an experience like no other. The music is great, the gameplay is fluent and solid. You'll have a ton of fun playing it.

Starcraft is a classic. Today,it is still one of the most popular franchises in the world! Yes its player base is set mostly in south Korea, but the skill involved in veteran game play is unbelievable! Imagine playing any other game with over 300 APM, not many games can claim that. It's too bad Blizzard (the producers of the game) set their sights on other projects including Diablo III and Starcraft 2 - it's projected to die within the year.… Expand

Blizzard es palabra mayor cuando de estrategia de trata. Personalmente la saga Warcraft me gusta mucho mas, pero no puedo dejar de alabar las excelentes prestaciones de este título: jugabilidad perfecta, buenos gráficos, muy lograda curva de aprendizaje y una buena historia.

This is truly the best RTS out there. Its very skill based game with a really competitive game design combined with a balanced unit design. Just watching the games of competitive players is fun and entertaining.