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Starcraft

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9.3 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 150 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: February 28, 1998

Summary

In the distant future a small group of human exiles have been doomed to fight for survival on the edge of the galaxy. Through military strength, espionage and deceit, a unified Terran government has maintained an uneasy peace. As resources run short, however, these Confederate nations find themselves looking towards the rich worlds of their alien neighbors, the enigmatic Protoss. To further complicate matters, it seems that a previously unknown and deadly species known only as the Zerg has entered Protoss space and is destroying everything in its path. The time for war has come... As the military leader for your species, you must gather the resources you need to train and expand your forces and lead them to victory. 30 unique missions will challenge you across three different campaigns as you control the fate of the galaxy.

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: StarCraft II

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Gamers' Temple

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.

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Electric Playground

Another glowing aspect of StarCraft is its absolutely brilliant Campaign Editor. This is the very best make-your-own game interface ever made.

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IGN

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.

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Gamezilla!

The cinematic animations are outstanding, dramatic and funny. Even the voice-over acting is really good.

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TotalGames.net

If real aliens turn up while you are playing this, they don’t stand a chance of getting your attention.

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PC Gamer

Strong strategy, great graphics, and variety make this one of the year's best. [July 1998, p.114]

GameSpot

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.

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Yahoo! Games

You get a fun, instantly appealing, easy to play-hard to master real-time strategy, with character and an endless amount of playability.

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All Game Guide

It truly revolutionizes and sets a new standard for real-time strategy games on the PC.

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Computer Games Magazine

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."

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GamePro

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.

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Cincinnati Enquirer

It won't win any awards for originality, but it's good enough to shrink your nightly sleep to just a couple of hours.

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Adrenaline Vault

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.

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Happy Puppy

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.

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Game Revolution

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.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 150 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Paul E. gave it a10:
One of the best games I have ever played...not the first of it's kind, but arguably the best of it's kind!

Vinicius R gave it a10:
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.

Syed S gave it a7:
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.

Marek M gave it a10:
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).

Sean O gave it a9:
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.

Jesse TheNoob gave it a10:
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

Liam R gave it a5:
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.

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