Released on March 31st, 1998, StarCraft is a coveted sci-fi saga that set a golden benchmark for real-time strategy games to follow and established a wildly popular pro-gaming scene in South Korea. The story and gameplay revolves around three races in which players will rotate between at major junctions in the narrative, providing both new perspectives and mechanics while furthering the plot. There is Terran, the human race of space marines looking to colonize in the far reaches of space; Zerg, an aggressive hive-mind alien race looking to expand and conquer; And Protoss, an advanced alien race that fights to prevent the spread of Zerg. The way in which the player jumps between these races is a really unique and compelling storytelling tool, and serves wonderfully as a single player campaign and subtle teaching tool of varying race mechanics. The high quality cinematics were further reason to explore this tantalizing campaign before diving into the online / LAN multiplayer.
Multiplayer matches are the heart of StarCraft that keeps the game chugging for endless hours to come. It requires resource management and finely tuned multi-tasking skills to play as players choose their race, gather minerals and gas, and proceed to build an array of structures and armies. Players must be able to anticipate enemy movements and build the necessary counters; They must walk a fine line to assert dominance and extend their territory for greater gain; And they must be able to command vast numbers of units for assaults, flanks, and effective retreats as needed. With witty one-liners and a superb ambient soundtrack, it was easy to slip into a groove in which hours could pass fighting for total dominance, that is if you weren't rushed by zerglings (a famous tactic used to crush ill-prepared opponents early in the game).
And should you grow tired of the main game but still want to dive deeper into this universe, StarCraft also offered a level editor, in which endless other campaigns and games could be created, including Tower Defense games, RPG's, and even Pac-Man spin-offs. If you're so intrigued to play StarCraft after this nostalgic reminisce, it turns out this game and its expansion (Brood Wars) can now be downloaded for free at Blizzard. This classic is also set to be remastered come August 14th, so be sure to be on the lookout.
Fun Fact: If you type "Zerg Rush" into a Google Search, hordes of O's will begin attacking the search page. You can frantically click on the O's to take them down, but you will eventually be overwhelmed and taken down. See what high score you can achieve!
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