There's an old song that starts off "War! Hoo! Good gawd y'all! What is it good for?" Well, the folks at Blizzard have an answer. It's good for a damned fine video game. But what else would you expect from Blizzard, eh?It all started with Warcraft. A great game, and one that I actually still play from time to time. A classic in its own right that nearly singlehandedly launched Blizzard as a successful company. Ah, the classics...
Then came Warcraft II. And it was, to put it delicately, a hell of a lot better than Warcraft. The addition of naval warfare added a whole new dimension to the strategies of the game. More units, better interface, and nifty spells all added up to another blockbuster hit from Blizzard. And the map editor. Ah, the map editor. It added nearly limitless replayability to the game. And it was a well done bit of software, too. But after a lone expansion, the land of Azeroth went strangely silent. Naught was heard about the world of Warcraft for quite some time, save a few rumours of a sequal to one of the greatest strategy games of all time.
But finally, after many delays, Blizzard finally released it. Warcraft III. Frankly, I was rather skeptical going into it. I won't lie, the idea of a 3d strategy game didn't raise my hopes much. I was jaded by Force Commander, after all. But me oh my oh me oh my, was I ever wrong.
This game blew me away. From the graphics (drool) to the beautifully animated cutscenes (Beautiful, beautiful) to the trademark interface of Warcrafts past, Warcraft III set out to bring the franchise back with force, and it delivered.
One of the most interesting new aspects of the gameplay is the Hero system. I have wasted hours just taking my hero around the map and leveling him up. The hero is a damned good idea. It adds an RPGish element to the whole thing that gives the game a more immersive feel. The storyline is intricately woven and has so far been full of twists and turns, making me want to beat the game even more if only just to see how the thing turns out in the end. A great game.
Oh yeah, and one more thing. The new and improved Map Editor. I wasted my afternoon recreating the land of Mordor by using the books as a reference. I was amazed at the tools at my disposal in the editor. It is all very well done and easy to use (and create).
Yeah, that's all I have to say. I'm not gonna touch on the whole Open source thing here, because it doesn't have anything to do with the game.
Buy it. Now. And if you're boycotting... Buy it anyhow. It's that good.
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Wait! It's a trick. Get an axe.
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