StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed and
released by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. A sequel to the award-winning
worldwide on July 27, 2010.[6] It is split into three installments: the base game with the subtitle Wings of Liberty,
The game revolves around three species: the Terrans, human exiles from Earth;
a technologically advanced species with vast mental powers.
Wings of Liberty focuses on the Terrans,
while the expansions Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void will focus on the Zerg and Protoss,
respectively. The game is set four years after the events of 1998's StarCraft: Brood War,
and follows the exploits ofJim Raynor as he leads an insurgent group against
the autocratic Terran Dominion. The game includes both new and returning
characters and locations from the original game.
The game was met with very positive reviews from critics, receiving an
aggregated score of 93% from Metacritic. Similar to its predecessor, StarCraft II
was praised for its engaging gameplay, as well as its introduction of new features and
improved storytelling. The game was criticized for lacking features that existed in
the original StarCraft game including LAN play and the ability to switch between multiplayer
regions. At the time of its release, StarCraft II became the fastest selling real-time strategy game of all time, with
over three million copies sold worldwide in the first month.[9]
Gameplay
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GameplayWings of Liberty has 29 playable campaign missions, but only 26 of them are playable in
a single playthrough since three missions are choice-related alternates. There is one
secret mission named "Piercing the Shroud", which can be unlocked on the "Media Blitz"
campaign, the original StarCraft briefing room is replaced with an interactive version of the
battlecruiser Hyperion, with Jim Raynor, now a bitter and hard-drinking mercenary captain,
as the central character. In a departure from previous Blizzard games, the campaign is
non-linear, with Raynor taking jobs for money and using that money to buy additional units
and upgrades. Although each play through will vary, the end result remains consistent,
will function very differently.[10] The Terran campaign, Wings of Liberty, places players
in a mercenary-style campaign, as Terran rebel group Raynor's Raiders raise funds by
taking assignments from outside groups. The second release, Heart of the Swarm, will
be Zerg-focused and have role-playingelements. Kerrigan will be the focus of the
campaign, and the story will revolve around the possibility of her redemption.
The Protoss-themed Legacy of the Void will be the final expansion, with the
Dark Templar Zeratul attempting to raise funds and obtain supplies through diplomatic missions among his people.
The Wings of Liberty campaign contains several missions with unique features,
such as lava that floods the battlefield every five minutes, forcing the player to move
their units to high ground before they're destroyed. In another mission, enemy
units will only attack the player at night, forcing the player into a form of siege
warfare. Finally, in one mission, the player must use a single unit, a Spectre, to
influence the tide of an AI-controlled battle. The single player missions are highly
customizable and are featured in the StarCraft II Community Zone. Between
missions, players can choose units, buildings, and upgrades that are not available
in the multiplayer missions.[13] A major new addition to the map-making community
will be the StarCraft II Marketplace, where high quality maps will be sold for a small
fee as "premium maps" over Battle.net. The mode of payment has not yet been
announced. Lead Designer Dustin Browder has mentioned that even maps like
player-created Defense of the Ancients in Warcraft IIIwould not meet the quality
requirements to be branded as a premium map.[14]
Wings of Liberty features approximately the same number of units as the original
StarCraft.[15] Some units from the original game have returned, some featuring new
upgrades and abilities. For example, the Protoss Zealot, a melee unit from the
original game, now has the researchable ability to dash forward and quickly reach
nearby enemies as a refinement of its speed upgrade from the original. Other units
been inspired by story events in StarCraft and its expansion, StarCraft: Brood War,
replacing old units with new or renamed versions which sport different attributes and
abilities.[16] Units in StarCraft II have new abilities, compared to the original, that
encourage more complex interaction with the game environment. Among these
are the inclusion of units that can traverse varying levels of terrain,[18] or have the
ability to teleport short distances.[16] Some Protoss units can be warped into
pylon-powered areas using the Warp Gate, a slight modification of an existing
units which are only playable in the campaign and not in the regular multiplayer
mode, though they are available for custom maps. These mostly consist of
units which have been scrapped from development such as the Terran Diamondback
as well as various returning units from the original StarCraft such as the Terran Wraith and Vulture.[20]
Editor[edit]
The StarCraft II Editor is a campaign, map, and mod editor. It is more sophisticated
and campaigns, and it is the first editor by Blizzard to feature built-in mod creation
and usage support. Updated art and data from the original StarCraft that were not
used, along with models and data that were scrapped during the development
process (including those made as April Fools jokes) will be available in the editor.[21]
Unlike previous editors made by Blizzard, it is the first to have Internet connectivity
features such as map publishing, retrieval, and online activation of the editor client.
Lead Producer Chris Sigaty has stated that the editor gives players the ability to create RPG,
Blizzard demonstrated a build of the StarCraft II Editor showcasing its capabilities,
such as the ability to customize the user interface to include features such as the Item
system from Warcraft III. The final build includes a third-person style perspective for missions.[23]
The editor was available for the first time during the phase 1 beta testing of StarCraft II,
when it came with a patch. With the start of phase 2, the editor was updated. At present,
there is a large map-making community using the editor, creating first-person shooter games,
RPGs, tower defense and AoS-type games. The map database is constantly being updated as
more map makers create mods for the community. The new editor also changes the way
maps are distrubted: rather than hosting games using local map files, users now create
and join games using maps that have been published to Battle.net. map or mod uploads
are limited to a total of 50 MB of storage, divided between ten files at most, with no file
being larger than 10 MB. Although the StarCraft II Editor offers more features than the
originalStarCraft Editor in terms of game customization, there are concerns that the
publishing limitations of Battle.net will not allow for large-scale custom maps or extensive
The Starcraft II editor uses a censor system, which prevents words like 'God', 'Blizzard',
'Suicide', 'Warcraft' or similar sensitive word in the description when ta map is saved or published to Battle.net.[26]
Synopsis[edit]
Background[edit]
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The campaign storyline of StarCraft II takes place four years after StarCraft:
and Jim Raynor. It also features new characters such as Rory Swann and Tychus Findlay.
In StarCraft II, players revisit familiar worlds, like Char, Mar Sara, and Tarsonis, as well as
new locations, such as the jungle planet Bel'Shir and New Folsom. The Xel'Naga, an
ancient space-faring race responsible for creating the Protoss and the Zerg, also play a
major role in the story.[10]
At the conclusion of Brood War, Kerrigan and her Zerg forces became the dominant faction
in the Koprulu Sector, having annihilated the United Earth Directorate's Expeditionary Force,
defeated the Terran Dominion, and invaded the Protoss homeworld of Aiur. However, after
the conclusion of Brood War, Kerrigan retreats to Char, despite having more than enough
power to crush all remaining resistance in the Koprulu Sector. In the four years leading up to
the events of StarCraft II, she has not been seen or heard from by any of the other characters.[28]
Arcturus Mengsk has been left to rebuild the Dominion, and is consolidating his power while
fending off harassment from rival Terran groups. Mengsk has become power-hungry, declaring
Jim Raynor an outlaw and showing little desire to protect or aid the colonies under his
jurisdiction. Valerian Mengsk, a character introduced in the novel Firstborn, will play an
important role in Dominion politics, due to his position as heir apparent to the throne.
Meanwhile, Jim Raynor, whose role in the events of StarCraft and Brood War has been
marginalized by the media under the Dominion's control, has become a mercenary who
spends his free time drinking in Joeyray's Bar. Chris Metzen, Vice President of Creative
Development at Blizzard, has emphasized that by the events of StarCraft II, Raynor has
become jaded and embittered by the way he was used and betrayed by Arcturus Mengsk.
Other new characters to the series include Tychus Findlay, an ex-convict and marine who
becomes a member of Raynor's crew, and Matt Horner, Raynor's second in command
, a character originally featured in the novel Queen of Blades.[28]
Following the fall of Aiur and the death of the Dark Templar matriarch Raszagal, the
a former student of Tassadar, is trying to unify the Khalai Protoss and the Dark Templar,
who have nearly separated into warring tribes as a result of centuries of distrust. Zeratul
, tormented over the murder of his matriarch, has disappeared to search for clues to the
meaning of Samir Duran's cryptic statements regarding the Protoss/Zerg hybrids in Brood
Plot[edit]
See also: Plot of Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm
See also: Plot of Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void
Four years after the Brood War, the Dominion is once again the dominant Terran power
in the Koprulu sector. News reports reveal that in the four years since the end of the
Brood Wars the standing Dominion military forces have been reduced and trillions have
been spent hunting down rebel forces that operate against the Dominion. For reasons
unknown, Kerrigan gathered the swarm at Char and then vanished from sight. With the Zerg gone,
the Protoss have once again taken a passive role in the galaxy. Jim Raynor has formed a
revolutionary group named Raynor's Raiders in order to overthrow Dominion EmperorArcturus Mengsk.
On Mar Sara, Raynor meets with an old comrade, Tychus Findlay. Together, they liberate the
local population from Dominion control and also discover a component of a mysterious Xel'Naga artifact.
As the Zerg begin to overrun Mar Sara, Raynor arranges an evacuation to his battlecruiser, the Hyperion,
captained by Matt Horner.
The Raiders embark on a series of missions to find the remaining pieces of the Xel'Naga artifact,
which they sell to the enigmatic Moebius Foundation in order to fund their revolution. Along the way
, they meet with Gabriel Tosh, a rogue Dominion psychic assassin known as a Spectre, and Ariel Hanson,
a researcher on the Zerg and leader of a small farming colony. The Raiders perform missions to
help Tosh procure the raw materials to train new Spectres. They also aid Hanson as she attempts
to secure her colonists who are caught between the Zerg infesting their planets and the
Protoss attempting to eradicate the infestation. Horner also arranges a series of missions to
undermine Mengsk, recovering intelligence information about his war crimes and broadcasting
them to the Dominion. Finally, Zeratul sneaks aboard the Hyperion to deliver a psychic crystal
which allows Raynor to share visions involving an ominous prophecy where Zerg-Protoss
hybrids and an enslaved Zerg swarm wipe out Humanity and the Protoss. The vision reveals
that only Kerrigan has the power to prevent the eradication of all life in the sector and beyond.
After collecting more artifact pieces, Raynor's forces encounter Dominion battleships
at the pre-agreed Moebius Foundation rendezvous point. The Moebius Foundation is
revealed to be under the control of Valerian Mengsk, Arcturus' son. Valerian, intending to
show himself as a worthy successor to his father, asks Raynor to help him invade Char
and use the artifact to restore Kerrigan's humanity, thus weakening the Zerg.
To the initial dismay of the crew, Raynor agrees. With Valerian's aid Raynor recovers the final
artifact piece and the Raiders and Dominion invade Char. The Dominion fleet is severely
damaged by the heavy Zerg defenses, but Raynor secures a foothold on Char and
rendezvous with Dominion forces led by Horace Warfield. Warfield is injured and appoints
Raynor commander of the Dominion survivors. The combined forces push towards the
main Hive Cluster of the planet, protecting the artifact while it charges energy, and the
artifact eventually destroys all Zerg within its blast radius. Raynor's team finds Kerrigan
restored to human form; however, Tychus reveals that he made a deal with Arcturus Mengsk,
trading Kerrigan's life for his own freedom. Raynor defends Kerrigan from Tychus' attempt to kill her,
shooting Tychus in the process. The closing scene shows Raynor carrying Sarah Kerrigan
across the battlefield in his arms.[29]
Cast[edit]
The English language version of StarCraft II has Robert Clotworthy and James Harper
reprising their roles from StarCraft as the voices of Jim Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk.
replacing Michael Gough as Tassadar, and Fred Tatasciore filling in for the late Jack Ritschel as Zeratul.
The voice director for the game was Andrea Romano.[30] Over 58 voice actors were hired for the game,
some of whom voiced multiple characters.[31]
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