StarCraft (video game)

Last updated

StarCraft
StarCraft box art.jpg
Box art depicting a Protoss warrior, a Zerg creature, and a Terran soldier
Developer(s) Blizzard Entertainment [a]
Publisher(s) Blizzard Entertainment [b]
Producer(s)
Designer(s)
Programmer(s) Bob Fitch
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
  • Derek Duke
  • Jason Hayes
  • Glenn Stafford
  • Tracy W. Bush
Series StarCraft
Platform(s)
Release
  • Microsoft Windows
    • NA: March 31, 1998
    • EU: April 9, 1998
  • Mac OS
    • NA: March 12, 1999
  • Nintendo 64
    • NA: June 13, 2000
    • AU: May 25, 2001
Genre(s) Real-time strategy
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

StarCraft is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. The first installment of the video game series of the same name, it was released in 1998. A Classic Mac OS version was released in 1999, and a Nintendo 64 port co-developed with Mass Media and published by Nintendo was released in 2000.

Contents

Blizzard started work on the game shortly after Warcraft II , another real-time strategy game, was released in 1995. The first incarnation debuted at the 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo, where it was unfavorably compared to Warcraft II. As a result, the project was entirely overhauled before being showcased to the public in early 1997, at which time it received a far more positive response. The game's multiplayer is particularly popular in South Korea, where players and teams participate in professional competitions, earn sponsorships, and compete in televised tournaments.

Set in a fictitious future timeline during the 25th century AD in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector, the game revolves around three intelligent species fighting for dominance: the Terrans are humans exiled from Earth who are now skilled at adapting to any situation; the Zerg are a race of insectoid aliens in pursuit of genetic perfection and obsessed with assimilating other races; the Protoss are a humanoid species with advanced technology and psionic abilities who are attempting to preserve their civilization and strict philosophy about their way of life from the Zerg.

Many journalists of the video game industry have praised StarCraft as one of the most important [1] and greatest video games of all time. [2] The game is also said to have raised the bar for developing real-time strategy (RTS) games. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide by February 2009, StarCraft became one of the best-selling games for the personal computer. It has been praised for pioneering the use of unique factions in RTS gameplay and for having a compelling story.

StarCraft has had its storyline adapted and expanded through a series of novels published between 2000 and 2016, the expansion pack StarCraft: Brood War , and two officially authorized add-ons, Insurrection and Retribution. A sequel, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty , was released in July 2010, along with two expansion packs and a campaign pack between 2013 and 2016, while a remastered edition of the original and its expansion pack was released in August 2017. The original game, along with the expansion, was released for free in April 2017.

Gameplay

A Protoss force attacking a Zerg colony, shown from StarCraft's isometric perspective Zerg colony (StarCraft).png
A Protoss force attacking a Zerg colony, shown from StarCraft's isometric perspective

Blizzard Entertainment's use of three distinct races in StarCraft is widely credited with revolutionizing the real-time strategy genre. [3] All units are unique to their respective races, and while rough comparisons can be drawn between certain types of units in the technology tree, every unit performs differently and requires different tactics for a player to succeed.

The psionic and technologically adept Protoss have access to powerful units and machinery and advanced technologies such as energy shields and localized warp capabilities, powered by their psionic traits. However, their forces have lengthy and expensive manufacturing processes, encouraging players to follow a strategy of the quality of their units over quantity. [4] The insectoid Zerg possess entirely organic units and structures, which can be produced quickly and at a far cheaper cost to resources, but are accordingly weaker, relying on sheer numbers and speed to overwhelm enemies. [5] The humanoid Terrans provide a middle ground between the other two races, providing units that are versatile and flexible. They have access to a range of more ballistic military technologies and machinery, such as tanks and nuclear weapons. [6]

Although each race is unique in its composition, no race has an innate advantage over the other. Each species is balanced out so that while they have different strengths, powers, and abilities, their overall strength is the same.

StarCraft features artificial intelligence that scales in difficulty, although the player cannot change the difficulty level in the single-player campaigns. Each campaign starts with enemy factions running easy AI modes, scaling through the course of the campaign to the hardest AI modes. In the level editor provided with the game, a designer has access to four levels of AI difficulties: "easy", "medium", "hard", and "insane", each setting differing in the units and technologies allowed to an AI faction and the extent of the AI's tactical and strategic planning. [7] The single-player campaign consists of thirty missions, split into ten for each race.

Resource management

Each race relies on two resources to sustain their game economies and to build their forces: minerals and vespene gas. Minerals are needed for all units and structures, and they are obtained by using a worker unit to harvest the resource directly from mineral nodes scattered around the battlefield. Players require vespene gas to construct advanced units and buildings, and they acquire it by constructing a gas extraction building on top of a geyser and using worker units to extract the gas from it. [8] In addition, players need to regulate the supplies for their forces to ensure that they can construct the number of units they need. Although the nature of the supply differs between the races—Terrans use physical supplies held in depots, [9] Protoss use psionic energy channeled from their homeworld via pylons, [10] and Zerg is regulated by the number of controlling overlord units present [11] —the supply mechanic essentially works in exactly the same way for each race (just with differing impacts on gameplay), allowing players to create new units when there are sufficient resources to sustain them.

Base construction

Protoss and Zerg building construction is limited to specific locations: Protoss buildings need to be linked to a power grid, [10] while almost every Zerg structure must be placed on a carpet of biomass, called "creep", that is produced by certain structures. [11] Terran buildings are far less limited, with certain primary base structures possessing the ability to take off and fly slowly to a new location. [9] Terran buildings, however, require the worker unit to continue construction on the building until it is completed. Also, once a Terran building has taken a certain amount of damage, it will catch fire and can eventually burn to the ground without further enemy action if repairs are not performed by a worker unit. The Protoss, by contrast, only require a worker unit to begin the process of transporting a building to the theater of operations via warp, and their buildings' shields (but not their structure) are regenerative. The Zerg worker unit physically transforms into the structure created, which is capable of slowly healing itself.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer on StarCraft is powered through Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net Internet service. Through this, a maximum of eight players can compete in a variety of game modes, including simply destroying all other players (which may be competitive, as in Ladder play, or non-ranked, as in melee play), to king of the hill and capture the flag objective-based games. In addition, the game incorporates a variety of specialized scenarios for different types of game, such as simulating a football game, using the Terran hoverbike unit to conduct a bike race, or hosting a Zerg hunting competition. [7] StarCraft is also one of the few games that includes a spawn installation, which allows for limited multiplayer. It must be installed from a disc, and requires a product key to work just as the full version does. However, one product key can support up to eight spawned installations with access to Battle.net. Limitations of a spawned installation include the inability to play single-player missions, create multiplayer games, or use the campaign editor. [12] Newer releases of the game available through Battle.net or discs that include the Windows Vista label don't support the spawn installation. [13]

Synopsis

Setting

StarCraft takes place in a science fiction universe created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney for Blizzard Entertainment. According to the story presented in the game's manual, the overpopulation of Earth in the early 24th century has caused the international governing body, known as United Powers League (which was later succeeded by United Earth Directorate), to exile certain members of the human race, such as criminals, the cybernetically enhanced, and genetic mutants, to colonize the far reaches of the galaxy. [14] An attempt to colonize a nearby solar system goes wrong, resulting in humanity's arrival in the Koprulu Sector. In the distant Koprulu Sector of the galaxy, the exiles form several governments, but quickly fall into conflict with each other. One government, the Confederacy of Man, eventually emerges as the strongest faction, but its oppressive nature and brutal methods of suppressing dissidents stir up major rebel opposition in the form of a terrorist group called the Sons of Korhal. Just prior to the beginning of the game, in December 2499, an alien race possessing advanced technology and psionic power, the Protoss, makes first contact with humanity by destroying a Confederate colony world without any prior warning. Soon after this, the Terrans discover that a second alien race, the insectoid Zerg, has been stealthily infesting the surface of several of the Terran colonies, and that the Protoss are destroying the planets to prevent the Zerg from spreading. With the Confederacy threatened by two alien races and internal rebellion, it begins to crumble. [15]

Characters

The player assumes the role of three nameless characters over the course of the game. In the first act, the player acts as the Confederate magistrate of an outlying colony world of Mar Sara, threatened by both the Zerg and the Protoss, and is forced through events to join the rebel Sons of Korhal under its leader Arcturus Mengsk. Mengsk's campaign is accompanied by Jim Raynor, a morally conscious law enforcement officer from Mar Sara, and Sarah Kerrigan, a psychic assassin and Mengsk's second-in-command. The second episode of the game sees the player as a cerebrate, a commander within the Zerg Swarm. The player is ruled over by the Zerg Overmind – the manifestation of the collective consciousness of the Swarm and the game's primary antagonist – and is given advice from other cerebrates of higher rank and status while accomplishing the objectives of the Swarm. In the final part of StarCraft, the player is a newly appointed Executor within the Protoss military reporting to Aldaris, a representative of the Protoss government. Aldaris is at odds with Tassadar – the former occupant of the player's position – over his association with Zeratul, a member of a heretical group known as dark templar. [16]

Story

Plot exposition often takes place in menu-like screens, with only the characters' faces shown, and their captioned voices are heard. Briefing room (StarCraft).png
Plot exposition often takes place in menu-like screens, with only the characters' faces shown, and their captioned voices are heard.

The story of StarCraft is presented through its instruction manual, the briefings to each mission, and conversations within the missions themselves, along with the use of cinematic cutscenes at key points. The campaign is split into three episodes, each allowing the player to command one of the game's three races. In the first segment of the game, the player and Jim Raynor are attempting to control the colony of Mar Sara in the wake of the Zerg attacks on other Terran worlds. After the Confederacy arrests Raynor for destroying Confederate property, despite the fact that it had been infested by the Zerg, the player joins Arcturus Mengsk and the Sons of Korhal. [17] Raynor, who is freed by Mengsk's troops, also joins and frequently accompanies the player on missions. Mengsk then begins to use Confederate technology captured on Mar Sara to lure the Zerg to Confederate installations and further his own goals. [18] After forcing Confederate general Edmund Duke to join him, Mengsk sacrifices his own second-in-command, Sarah Kerrigan, to ensure the destruction of the Confederacy by luring the Zerg to the Confederate capital Tarsonis. [19] Raynor is outraged by Mengsk's true aims of obtaining power at any cost and deserts, followed by the player, taking with them a small army of the former colonial militia of Mar Sara. Mengsk reorganizes what remains of the Terran population into the Terran Dominion, crowning himself as emperor. [20]

The second campaign reveals that Kerrigan was not killed by the Zerg, but rather is captured and infested in an effort to incorporate her psionic traits into the Zerg gene pool. She emerges with far more psionic powers and physical strength, her DNA completely altered. [21] Meanwhile, the Protoss commander Tassadar discovers that the Zerg's cerebrates cannot be killed by conventional means, but that they can be harmed by the powers wielded by the heretical dark templar. Tassadar allies himself with the dark templar prelate Zeratul, who assassinates Zasz, one of the Zerg's cerebrates in their hive clusters on Char. [22] The cerebrate's death results in its forces running amok through the Zerg hives, but briefly links the minds of Zeratul and the Zerg Overmind, allowing the Overmind to finally learn the location of the Protoss homeworld Aiur, which the Overmind has been seeking for millennia. The main Zerg swarm promptly invades Aiur, while Kerrigan is dispatched to deal with Tassadar, and despite facing heavy Protoss resistance, the Overmind is able to embed itself into the crust of the planet. [23]

The final episode of the game sees Aldaris and the Protoss government branding Tassadar a traitor and a heretic for conspiring with the dark templar. The player (later retconned to be Artanis) initially serves Aldaris in defending Aiur from the Zerg invasion, but while on a mission to arrest Tassadar, the player joins him instead. [24] A Protoss civil war erupts, pitting Tassadar, Zeratul, and their allies against the Protoss establishment (known as The Conclave.) The dark templar prove their worth when they use their energies to slay two more of the Zerg cerebrates on Aiur, and the Conclave reconciles with them. [25] Aided by Raynor's forces—who sided with Tassadar back on Char—the Protoss break through the Overmind's weakened defenses and destroy the Overmind's outer shell, but take heavy casualties in the process. Tassadar channels his own psionic energies in combination with those of the dark templar through the hull of his command ship and crashes it into the Overmind, sacrificing himself in order to destroy it. [26]

Development

Blizzard Entertainment began development on StarCraft in 1995, shortly after the release of highly successful Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness . [27] Using the Tides of Darkness game engine as a base, StarCraft made its debut at E3 1996. [28] The version of the game displayed, assembled by the team's lead programmer Bob Fitch, received a rather weak response from the convention and was criticized by many for being " Warcraft in space." [29] According to programmer Patrick Wyatt, the E3 1996 build of StarCraft fared especially poorly in comparison to Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 , another science fiction real-time strategy game which was being demoed at E3, despite the fact that the demo had been faked by Ion Storm employees; in reality, the demo for Dominion was actually a pre-rendered video that the employees were merely pretending to play. [30] As a consequence the entire project was overhauled, bringing the focus onto creating three distinct species. Bill Roper, one of the game's producers, stated this would be a major departure from the Warcraft approach, comparing its two equal sides to those of chess and stating that StarCraft would allow players to "develop very unique strategies based on which species is being played, and will require players to think of different strategies to combat the other two species." [31] The hand-drawn graphics seen in the E3 version were also replaced with rendered graphics. [32] In early 1997, the new version of StarCraft was unveiled, receiving a far more positive response.

The Zerg in an early alpha build of StarCraft Alpha build (StarCraft).png
The Zerg in an early alpha build of StarCraft

However, the game was still marred by technical difficulties, so Bob Fitch completely redesigned the Warcraft II engine within two months to ensure that many of the features desired by the designers, such as the abilities for units to burrow and cloak, could be implemented. [33] Later improvements to the game included pre-rendered sprites and backgrounds, constructed using 3D Studio Max. An isometric in-game view was also adopted, in contrast to Warcraft II's auxiliary bird's eye perspective. In addition, the game utilized high quality music, composed by Blizzard's resident composers, and professional voice actors were hired. [34]

Despite the progress, StarCraft was slow to emerge. The continual delays inspired a group of StarCraft fans on the official forums who labeled themselves "Operation: Can't Wait Any Longer" to write a series of fictional stories in which the members of Operation CWAL attempted to retrieve the beta version of StarCraft from Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California. [35] To pay homage to their presence on the forums and enthusiasm for the game, Blizzard Entertainment later incorporated the group's name into StarCraft as a cheat code to speed up the production of units [36] and gave the group thanks in the game's credits. [37] The game was released for Windows on March 31, 1998 [38] [39] and in the United Kingdom on April 9, [40] [41] with the Classic Mac OS version following a year later on March 12, 1999. [42] Development on a Nintendo 64 version, StarCraft 64, began in 1999, converted from PC by Mass Media Interactive Entertainment—a subsidiary of THQ [43] —and published by Nintendo. [44] [45] StarCraft 64 was released in the United States on June 13, 2000, and in Australia on May 25, 2001. [46]

Music

The musical score to StarCraft was composed by Blizzard Entertainment's composers. Glenn Stafford composed the Terran and Protoss in-game themes, while Derek Duke, who was a contracted composer at the time, wrote all the in-game music for the Zerg. The cinematic scores were composed by Stafford and Hayes. Hayes also collaborated with Stafford on one of the Protoss in-game tracks. Tracy W. Bush provided additional support in composing. [47] The musical score of the game was received well by reviewers, who have described it as "appropriately melodic and dark" [48] and "impressive", [49] with one reviewer noting that some of the music owed much of its inspiration to Jerry Goldsmith's score for the film Alien . [50] The first official game soundtrack, StarCraft: Game Music Vol. 1, was released in 2000, comprising tracks from both StarCraft and Brood War , as well as a sizable portion of remix tracks and music inspired by StarCraft, created by several South Korean disc jockeys. The soundtrack was distributed by Net Vision Entertainment. [51] In September 2008, Blizzard Entertainment announced that a second soundtrack, StarCraft Original Soundtrack, had been released on iTunes. This soundtrack consisted entirely of the original music from StarCraft and Brood War, both from in-game themes to music used in the cinematic cutscenes. [52]

Expansions and versions

Computer expansions

Before the release of StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment released a free-to-download game demo entitled Loomings, comprising three missions and a tutorial. [53] The prequel was made available for the full game in October 1999 as a custom map campaign, adding two extra missions and hosting it on Battle.net. [54] In addition, the full release of StarCraft included a secondary campaign entitled Enslavers. Consisting of five missions played as both the Terrans and the Protoss, Enslavers is set in the second campaign in StarCraft and follows the story of a Terran smuggler who manages to take control of a Zerg cerebrate and is pursued by both the Protoss and Terran Dominion. Enslavers acts as an exemplar single-player campaign for the game's level editor, highlighting how to use the features of the program. [55]

StarCraft 64 had a lower resolution and a redesigned interface for the Nintendo 64's gamepad. StarCraft 64 screenshot.jpg
StarCraft 64 had a lower resolution and a redesigned interface for the Nintendo 64's gamepad.

StarCraft's first expansion, Insurrection , was released for Windows on July 31, 1998. [56] The expansion was developed by Aztech New Media and authorized by Blizzard Entertainment. [57] Its story focused on a separate Confederate colony alluded to in the manual to StarCraft, following a group of Terran colonists and a Protoss fleet in their fight against the Zerg and a rising local insurgency. Insurrection was not received well, being criticized by reviewers for lacking the quality of the original game. [58] Insurrection was followed within a few months by a second expansion, Retribution. Developed by Stardock, published by WizardWorks and authorized by Blizzard Entertainment, [57] Retribution follows all three races attempting to seize control of a powerful crystal on a Terran Dominion colony. The expansion was not received with critical support, instead being regarded as average but at least challenging. [59] After the release of Retribution, Blizzard Entertainment announced a new official expansion pack that would continue on the story of StarCraft. StarCraft: Brood War was consequently created, developed jointly by Blizzard Entertainment and Saffire. Brood War continues the story of StarCraft from days after its conclusion, and was released for both Windows and Mac to critical praise [60] [61] on December 18, 1998, in the US and in March 1999 in Europe. [62]

Before Insurrection, an unauthorized expansion pack, called Stellar Forces, was published by Micro Star but was recalled weeks later when Micro Star settled a lawsuit brought by Blizzard against it. It consisted of 22 single player maps and 32 multi-player maps which are considered to be rather plain. [63] [64]

Nintendo 64 version

In 2000, StarCraft 64 was released in North America for the Nintendo 64, co-developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Mass Media and published by Nintendo. [45] The N64 port features all of the missions from both StarCraft and the expansion Brood War, as well as some exclusive missions, such as two different tutorials and a new secret mission, Resurrection IV. [65] Blizzard Entertainment had initially considered releasing a home console port onto the PlayStation, but the team ultimately decided to develop and release it for the Nintendo 64 instead. [66] Resurrection IV is set after the conclusion of Brood War, and follows Jim Raynor embarking on a mission to rescue the Brood War character Alexei Stukov, a vice admiral from Earth who has been captured by the Zerg. The Brood War missions required the use of a Nintendo 64 memory Expansion Pak to run. [67] In addition, StarCraft 64 features a split screen cooperative mode, also requiring the expansion pak, allowing two players to control one force in-game. [68] StarCraft 64 lacked the online multiplayer capabilities and speech in mission briefings. In addition, cut scenes were shortened. [65] StarCraft 64 was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best Game Story" and "Best Strategy Game" awards among console games, which went respectively to Summoner and Ogre Battle 64 . [69]

Remaster

A remastered edition of the game, StarCraft: Remastered , released August 14, 2017, preserves the gameplay of the original while adding support for ultra-high-definition graphics, Blizzard's modern online features, and re-recorded audio (soundtrack and sound effects). [70] [71]

StarCraft: Cartooned

On June 8, 2019, as part of the grand finals of the third season of the KSL, Blizzard announced a graphics overhaul pack for the game by Carbot Animations, the producers of multiple Blizzard-related parody animations, including their first and longest-running one, the StarCrafts series. As a graphical overhaul, its effect applies to all game modes and menus in StarCraft: Remastered. [72] It was released on July 10, 2019, as StarCraft: Cartooned alongside an announcer pack featuring South Korean YouTuber and children's television host Hyejin "Hey Jini" Kang. [73]

Cultural impact

Reception

StarCraft was released internationally on March 31, 1998, and became the best-selling PC game for that year, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide. [86] In the United States, it was the best-selling computer game of 1998, with 746,365 units sold. [87] It was the country's 14th best-selling release of the period between 1993 and 1999, selling 916,000 copies. [88] By April 1999, South Korean players had purchased almost 300,000 units of the game, [89] increasing to 1 million units sold in Korea by November 1999. [90] StarCraft's worldwide sales reached 4 million units by July 2001; South Korea accounted for 50% of these copies. [91] By May 2007, StarCraft had sold over 9.5 million copies across the globe, with 4.5 million of these being sold in South Korea. [92] Since the initial release of StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment reported that its Battle.net online multiplayer service grew by 800 percent. [93]

Generally, StarCraft was received positively by critics, with many contemporary reviewers noting that while the game may not have deviated significantly from the status quo of most real-time strategy games, it was one of the best to have applied the formula. [48] [50] In addition, StarCraft's pioneering use of three distinct, unique, and balanced races over two equal sides was praised by critics, [81] with GameSpot commenting that this helped the game to "avoid the problem that has plagued every other game in the genre". [48] Many critics also praised the strength of the story accompanying the game, with some reviewers being impressed by how well the story was folded into the gameplay. [81] The game's voice acting in particular was praised; GameSpot later hailed the voice work in the game as one of the ten best in the industry at the time. [94] Equally, the multiplayer aspects of the game were positively received. StarCraft has received multiple awards, including being named as one of the best games of all time by GameSpot, IGN, and Game Informer . [3] [95] [96] [97] According to Blizzard Entertainment, StarCraft has won 37 awards and has received a star on the floor of the Metreon as part of the Walk of Game in San Francisco in early 2006. [85]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it five stars out of five, and stated that "The quality of the play balancing and the elegance of the design mean that StarCraft sets a new high watermark for all real-time strategy games." [83]

The reviewer from the online second volume of Pyramid stated that "One of the most hotly anticipated computer games of the last two years, Blizzard Entertainment's Starcraft has had a tremendous amount of hype to live up to. The fact that it does live up to the high expectations set for it may be the only recommendation it needs." [98]

Although at the time StarCraft's graphics and audio were praised by critics, [78] later reviews have noted that the graphics do not compare to more modern games. [81] The capacity for the game's artificial intelligence to navigate units to waypoints also faced some heavy criticism, with PC Zone stating that the inability for developers to make an effective pathfinding system was "the single most infuriating element of the real-time strategy genre". [84] In addition, several reviewers expressed concern over some familiarities between the unit structures of each race, as well as over the potential imbalance of players using rushing tactics early in multiplayer games. [80] Blizzard Entertainment has strived to balance rush tactics in later updates. The Nintendo 64 version of the game was not received as positively by reviewers, and was criticized for poor graphics in comparison to the PC version. However, critics did praise the game and Mass Media for using effective controls on the gamepad and maintaining the high quality audio. [49] [65] [82]

At the inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards (now known as the D.I.C.E. Awards), StarCraft won "Computer Entertainment Title of the Year", and tied with Age of Empires for "PC Strategy Game of the Year". [99] [100] Starcraft also won the Origins Award for Best Strategy Computer Game of 1998. [101]

In 1998, PC Gamer declared it the 5th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it "a strategy game that continues to evolve and surprise many months after its release, and that currently represents the state of the genre's art". [102]

With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide by February 2009, StarCraft became one of the best-selling games for the personal computer. [103] It has been praised for pioneering the use of unique factions in RTS gameplay, [81] and for having a compelling story. [48]

Legacy

GameSpot described StarCraft as "The defining game of its genre. It is the standard by which all real-time strategy games are judged." [3] IGN stated that StarCraft "is hands down one of the best, if not the best, real-time strategy games ever created." [95] StarCraft is frequently included in the industry's best games rankings, for example it ranked 37 in Edge's top 100 games of all time. [2] StarCraft has even been taken into space, as astronaut Daniel T. Barry took a copy of the game with him on the Space Shuttle mission STS-96 in 1999. [104] StarCraft's popularity resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the game four world records, including "Best Selling PC Strategy Game," "Largest Income in Professional Gaming," and "Largest Audience for a Game Competition" when 120,000 fans turned out to watch the final of the SKY proleague season 2005 in Busan, South Korea. [105] Researchers have shown that the audience for watching StarCraft games is diverse and that StarCraft uses instances of information asymmetry to make the game more entertaining for spectators. [106] In addition, StarCraft has been the subject of an academic course; the University of California, Berkeley offered a student-run introductory course on theory and strategy in spring 2009. [107] [108]

After its release, StarCraft rapidly grew in popularity in South Korea. [109] Professional gamers in South Korea are media celebrities, and StarCraft games are broadcast over three television channels dedicated to the professional gaming scene. [110] Professional gamers in South Korea have gained television contracts, sponsorships, and tournament prizes, allowing one of the most famous players, Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan, [111] to gain a fan club of over half a million people. [112] One player, Lee Yun-yeol, reported earnings in 2005 of US$200,000(equivalent to $312,012 in 2023). [113]

StarCraft was part of the United States Air Force's Air and Space Basic Course, used to teach newly active officers about crisis planning under stress and joint service teamwork. [114] Other efforts to make more 'realistic' current-day battle software led to distractions when simulated hardware didn't align with the real hardware active duty officers knew about. The science fiction setting allowed students to focus on the battle tactics.

The annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment hosts a competition for AIs playing the game. As of 2015, humans still win. [115]

In 2014, an unofficial version for the Pandora handheld and the ARM architecture became available by static recompilation and reverse engineering of the original x86 version. [116] [117]

The original game, along with the expansion, was released for free in April 2017. [118]

In 2021, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted StarCraft to its World Video Game Hall of Fame. [119] During the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian presidential spokesman and Chief of Staff Oleksiy Arestovych described reports of a potential Russian offensive as a "zerg rush" of 10,000 volunteers (in reference to Zerg swarm species tactics from the game), and proceeded to explain the meaning of the term. [120]

Merchandise

The storyline of StarCraft has been adapted into several novels. The first novel, Uprising, which was written by Blizzard employee Micky Neilson and published in December 2000, acts as a prequel to the events of StarCraft. [121] Other novels—Liberty's Crusade by Jeff Grubb [122] and Aaron Rosenberg's Queen of Blades [123] —retell the story of the game from different perspectives. At BlizzCon 2007, StarCraft creator Chris Metzen stated that he hoped to novelize the entirety of StarCraft and its expansion Brood War into a definitive text-based story. Later novels, such as Gabriel Mesta's Shadow of the Xel'Naga [124] and Christie Golden's The Dark Templar Saga, [125] further expand the storyline, creating the setting for StarCraft II .

A number of action figures and collectable statues based upon the characters and units in StarCraft have been produced by ToyCom. [126] A number of model kits, made by Academy Hobby Model Kits, were also produced, displaying 1/30 scale versions of the marine [127] and the hydralisk. [128] In addition, Blizzard Entertainment teamed up with Fantasy Flight Games to create a board game with detailed sculptures of game characters. [129] Blizzard Entertainment also licensed Wizards of the Coast to produce an Alternity based game entitled StarCraft Adventures .

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ N64 version co-developed by Mass Media
  2. ↑ N64 version published by Nintendo

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zerg</span> Fictional alien race

The Zerg are a fictional race of insectoid aliens obsessed with assimilating other races into their swarm in pursuit of genetic perfection, and the overriding antagonists for much of the StarCraft franchise. Unlike the fictional universe's other primary races, the Protoss and Terrans, the Zerg lack technological inclination. Instead, they "force-evolve" genetic traits by directed mutation in order to match such technology. Operating as a hive mind-linked "chain of command", the Zerg strive for "genetic perfection" by assimilating the unique genetic code of advanced species deemed "worthy" into their own gene pool, creating numerous variations of specialized strains of Zerg gifted with unique adaptations. Despite being notoriously cunning and ruthlessly efficient, the majority of Zerg species have low intelligence, becoming mindless beasts if not connected to a "hive-cluster" or a "command entity".

<i>StarCraft: Ghost</i> Cancelled video game

StarCraft: Ghost was a military science fiction stealth-action video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It was intended to be part of Blizzard's StarCraft series and was announced in September 20, 2002. It was to be developed by Nihilistic Software for the GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. After several delays, Nihilistic Software ceded development to Swingin' Ape Studios in 2004. In 2005, Blizzard announced plans for the GameCube version were canceled.

<i>StarCraft: Brood War</i> Expansion pack for StarCraft

StarCraft: Brood War is the expansion pack for the military science fiction real-time strategy video game StarCraft. Released in December 1998 for Microsoft Windows and June 1999 for Mac OS, it was co-developed by Saffire and Blizzard Entertainment. The expansion pack introduces new campaigns, map tilesets, music, extra units for each race, and upgrade advancements. The campaigns continue the story from where the original StarCraft ended, with the sequel, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, continuing from the conclusion of Brood War. The expansion was released first in the United States on December 18, 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Kerrigan</span> Fictional character in StarCraft franchise

Sarah Louise Kerrigan, the self-styled Queen of Blades, is a character in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft franchise. She was created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and her original appearance was designed by Metzen. Sarah Kerrigan is voiced by Glynnis Talken Campbell in StarCraft and Brood War, Tricia Helfer in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void, and Vanessa Marshall in Heroes of the Storm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Raynor</span> Fictional character in StarCraft

James Eugene Raynor is a major protagonist in Blizzard Entertainment's science fiction StarCraft series. Raynor is a predominant character in the science fiction real-time strategy video games StarCraft and Brood War and is a player character in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. He also appears as a playable character in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena game Heroes of the Storm. Outside video games, Raynor appears in the novels Liberty's Crusade and Queen of Blades, while his backstory is explored in the novels Heaven's Devils and Devil's Due. Robert Clotworthy voices the character in all video game appearances.

StarCraft: The Board Game, published by Fantasy Flight Games, is a game inspired by the 1998 computer game StarCraft. Players take control of the three distinctive races featured in the video games, the Terrans, the Protoss, or the Zerg, to engage in battle across multiple worlds in order to achieve victory. Each of the three races features a fairly different playing style. A prototype of the game was shown at BlizzCon 2007, with pre-release copies sold at Gen Con 2007 and Penny Arcade Expo 2007. It was publicly released in October 2007.

<i>StarCraft</i> in esports

The real time strategy (RTS) computer game StarCraft had an active professional competition circuit, particularly in South Korea. The two major game channels in South Korea, Ongamenet and MBCGame, each ran a Starleague, viewed by millions of fans.

Major and recurring characters from the military science fiction series StarCraft are listed below, organised by respective species and most commonly affiliated faction within the fictional universe. The story of the StarCraft series revolves around interstellar affairs in a distant sector of the galaxy, where three species are vying for supremacy: the Terrans, a highly factionalised future version of humanity; the Protoss, a theocratic race of vast psionic ability; and the Zerg, an insectoid species commanded by a hive mind persona. The latter two of these species were genetically engineered by the Xel'Naga, a fourth species believed extinct. The series was begun with Blizzard Entertainment's 1998 video game StarCraft, and has been expanded with sequels Insurrection, Retribution, Brood War, Ghost, Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, and Legacy of the Void. The franchise has been further extended with a series of novels, graphic novels, and other works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisu (gamer)</span> South Korean Starcraft player

Kim Taek-yong, known by his screen name Bisu[Shield] or simply Bisu, is a professional South Korean StarCraft player, playing the Protoss race. Famed primarily for sublime performance in the StarCraft: Brood War professional competitions against Protoss and, especially, Zerg, Bisu scored three successful Starleague performances, the most of any Protoss player. Bisu was nicknamed the Revolutionist for innovating the metagame of Protoss versus Zerg matchup.

StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among four species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the ever-evolving insectoid Zerg, the powerful and enigmatic Protoss, and the godlike Xel'Naga creator race—in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector. The series debuted with the video game StarCraft in 1998. It has grown to include a number of other games as well as eight novelizations, two Amazing Stories articles, a board game and other licensed merchandise, such as collectible statues and toys.

<i>StarCraft: Insurrection</i> Extension video game to StarCraft

StarCraft: Insurrection is an expansion pack to the StarCraft video game with new campaign missions and multiplayer maps. It was licensed by Blizzard Entertainment to be developed by Canadian studio Aztech New Media and was released on June 10, 1998 for Windows.

<i>StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty</i> 2010 real-time strategy video game

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is a science fiction real-time strategy video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released worldwide in July 2010 for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. A sequel to the 1998 video game StarCraft and the Brood War expansion pack, the game is best known as the original installment of StarCraft II which was later followed by a number of expansion packs. Wings of Liberty has been free-to-play since November 2017.

<i>StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm</i> 2013 video game

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is an expansion pack to the military science fiction real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, and the second part of the StarCraft II trilogy developed by Blizzard Entertainment, with the final part being Legacy of the Void. The game was released on March 12, 2013.

<i>StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void</i> 2015 video game

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void is a standalone expansion pack to the military science fiction real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, and the third and final part of the StarCraft II trilogy developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The game was released on November 10, 2015.

StarCraft II is a real-time strategy video game created by Blizzard Entertainment, first released in 2010. A sequel to the successful StarCraft, released in 1998, it is set in a militaristic far future. The narrative centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among various races.

<i>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness</i> 1995 video game

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy real-time strategy computer game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows in 1995 and Mac OS in 1996 by Blizzard's parent, Davidson & Associates. A sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, the game was met with positive reviews and won most of the major PC gaming awards in 1996. In 1996, Blizzard released an expansion pack, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, for DOS and Mac OS, and a compilation, Warcraft II: The Dark Saga, for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The Battle.net edition, released in 1999, included Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, provided Blizzard's online gaming service, and replaced the MS-DOS version with a Windows one.

<i>StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops</i> 2016 video game

StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops is a downloadable content (DLC) single-player mission pack for the military science fiction real-time strategy game series StarCraft II. Consisting of nine missions, it was released over the course of three installments as DLC, with three missions in each separably purchasable pack. The first mission pack was released March 29, 2016, the second mission pack released on August 2, 2016 and the final mission pack was released on November 22, 2016.

<i>StarCraft: Remastered</i> 2017 video game

StarCraft: Remastered is a remastered edition of the 1998 real-time strategy video game StarCraft and its expansion Brood War, which was released on August 14, 2017. It retains the gameplay of the original StarCraft, but features ultra-high-definition graphics, re-recorded audio, and Blizzard's modern online feature suite. The remaster was developed over the period of a year and included playtesting from professional StarCraft players.

References

  1. ↑ "The 52 Most Important Video Games". GamePro . Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Top 100 Games". Edge . July 2, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Greatest Games of All Time: Starcraft and Starcraft: Brood War". GameSpot . June 20, 2003. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  4. ↑ Kasavin, Greg. "StarCraft Strategy Guide: The Protoss Conclave - Units and Structures". GameSpot . Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  5. ↑ Kasavin, Greg. "StarCraft Strategy Guide: The Zerg Swarm - Units and Structures". GameSpot . Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  6. ↑ Kasavin, Greg. "StarCraft Strategy Guide: The Terran Dominion - Units and Structures". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "StarCraft - StarEdit Tutorial". CreepColony.com. June 24, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2001. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  8. ↑ "General Strategy: Resources". Battle.net . Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Terran Basics". Battle.net . Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  10. 1 2 "Protoss Basics". Battle.net . Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  11. 1 2 "Zerg Basics". Battle.net . Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  12. ↑ Underwood, Peter; Roper, Bill; Metzen, Chris; Vaughn, Jeffrey (1999). "Multiplayer Games: Spawned Games". StarCraft (manual). Blizzard Entertainment. p. 11.
  13. ↑ "Spawn Version FAQ". Blizzard Entertainment. August 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013.
  14. ↑ Underwood, Peter; Roper, Bill; Metzen, Chris; Vaughn, Jeffrey (1998). "Terran: History". StarCraft (manual). Blizzard Entertainment. pp. 26–28.
  15. ↑ Underwood, Peter; Roper, Bill; Metzen, Chris; Vaughn, Jeffrey (1998). "Terran: History". StarCraft (manual). Blizzard Entertainment. pp. 30–33.
  16. ↑ "The Story So Far: Part 1: StarCraft". Blizzard Entertainment. November 21, 2007. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  17. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode I, mission 3: "Desperate Alliance". Transcript
  18. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode I, mission 7: "The Trump Card". Transcript
  19. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode I, mission 9: "New Gettysburg". Transcript
  20. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode I, mission 10: "The Hammer Falls". Transcript
  21. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode II, mission 4: "Agent of the Swarm". Transcript
  22. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode II, mission 7: "The Culling". Transcript
  23. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode II, mission 10: "Full Circle". Transcript
  24. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode III, mission 5: "Choosing Sides". Transcript
  25. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode III, mission 9: "Shadow Hunters". Transcript
  26. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode III, mission 10: "Eye of the Storm". Transcript
  27. ↑ Bailey, Kat. "Why We Play: StarCraft". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  28. ↑ "The Evolution of StarCraft". sclegacy.com. September 28, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007.
  29. ↑ Keighley, Geoff. "Eye of the Storm: Behind Closed Doors At Blizzard". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2006.
  30. ↑ Wyatt, Patrick (September 27, 2012). "StarCraft: Orcs in space go down in flames". Code of Honor. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  31. ↑ Dulin, Ron (May 1, 1996). "StarCraft Preview". GameSpot . Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  32. ↑ "In the Studio". Next Generation . No. 21. Imagine Media. September 1996. p. 17.
  33. ↑ "Bob: StarCraft!". 10th Anniversary Celebration. Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  34. ↑ Giovetti, Al (January 1, 1997). "Interview with Bill Roper". The Computer Show.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2006.
  35. ↑ "The Official CWAL FAQ". Operation CWAL. February 20, 2004. Archived from the original on May 19, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2006.
  36. ↑ Kasavin, Greg. "StarCraft Strategy Guide: Cheat Codes - The Spoils of War". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  37. ↑ Underwood, Peter; Roper, Bill; Metzen, Chris; Vaughn, Jeffrey (1998). "Credits". StarCraft (manual). Blizzard Entertainment. p. 95.
  38. ↑ "Starcraft In Stores Now". Blizzard Entertainment . March 31, 1998. Archived from the original on February 10, 1999. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  39. ↑ "StarCraft's 10-Year Anniversary: A Retrospective". Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 2, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  40. ↑ "Disks + Discs Computer Store". Staffordshire Newsletter . April 9, 1998. p. 38. Retrieved March 28, 2024. Just in Stock//StarCraft (CD ROM)
  41. ↑ "Latest Games Out Now". Evening Standard . April 9, 1998. p. 35. Retrieved March 28, 2024. StarCraft//New - £34.99{{cite news}}: External link in |quote= (help)
  42. ↑ "Blizzard Entertainment News Archives - March 1999". Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 13, 1999. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Mass Media Interactive Entertainment official company site". Archived from the original on January 14, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  44. ↑ "StarCraft 64 Preview". GameSpot . June 16, 1999. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  45. 1 2 "StarCraft 64 - Nintendo 64". IGN. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  46. ↑ "StarCraft 64 - Nintendo 64". IGN. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  47. ↑ "StarCraft". Soundtrack Collector. Archived from the original on May 16, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  48. 1 2 3 4 5 Dulin, Ron (April 15, 1998). "StarCraft for PC Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  49. 1 2 3 "Review: StarCraft for N64". GamePro . November 24, 1999. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  50. 1 2 3 Olafson, Peter (November 24, 2000). "Review: StarCraft for PC". GamePro . Archived from the original on October 21, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  51. ↑ "StarCraft: Game Music Vol. 1". Game OST. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  52. ↑ "Blizzard Entertainment Soundtracks Now On iTunes". Blizzard Entertainment. September 4, 2008. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
  53. ↑ "StarCraft - PC Demo". Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 2, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  54. ↑ "Map Archives: Precursor Campaign". Battle.net . Blizzard Entertainment. October 13, 1999. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  55. ↑ Underwood, Peter; Roper, Bill; Metzen, Chris; Vaughn, Jeffrey (1998). "The Campaign Editor". StarCraft (manual). Blizzard Entertainment. p. 24.
  56. ↑ "Insurrection: Campaigns for StarCraft for PC". GameSpot . Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2007.
  57. 1 2 "Official StarCraft FAQ at Battle.net". Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007.
  58. ↑ Kasavin, Greg (August 26, 1998). "Insurrection: Campaigns for StarCraft for PC review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  59. ↑ "PC Game Reviews: StarCraft: Retribution". GameGenie. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2007.
  60. ↑ Chen, Jeffrey (June 7, 2002). "StarCraft: Brood War review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  61. ↑ "StarCraft: Brood War for PC review". GameSpot . December 23, 1998. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  62. ↑ "StarCraft: Brood War for MAC". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 30, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2007.
  63. ↑ "Blizzard Wins in Starcraft Case". IGN. November 10, 1998. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Stellar Forces for Windows (1998) - MobyGames". MobyGames. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011.
  65. 1 2 3 4 Fielder, Joe (June 12, 2000). "StarCraft 64 for Nintendo 64 Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  66. ↑ "StarCraft on PlayStation?". IGN. April 6, 1998. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  67. ↑ "StarCraft Needs Some Expansion". IGN. November 16, 1999. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  68. ↑ "StarCraft 64 Preview". IGN. June 8, 2000. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  69. ↑ GameSpot Staff (January 5, 2001). "Best and Worst of 2000". GameSpot . Archived from the original on February 13, 2002.
  70. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (March 26, 2017). "StarCraft: Remastered coming this summer". Polygon . Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  71. ↑ Te, Zorine (March 26, 2017). "StarCraft: Remastered announced, releasing this summer". Yahoo Esports. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  72. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (June 20, 2019). "New StarCraft graphics pack turns the entire game into a cartoon". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  73. ↑ "StarCraft: Cartooned makes Remastered more animated for $10". July 9, 2019. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  74. ↑ "StarCraft Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  75. ↑ "StarCraft 64 Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
  76. 1 2 "StarCraft: PC 1998 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  77. ↑ "StarCraft N64 2000 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  78. 1 2 House, Michael L. "StarCraft: Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  79. ↑ GameFan, volume 7, issue 11 (November 1999), pages 17 & 58
  80. 1 2 Colin (April 1998). "StarCraft Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  81. 1 2 3 4 5 Chick, Tom (June 2, 2000). "StarCraft". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  82. 1 2 Boulding, Aaron (June 9, 2000). "StarCraft 64 Review". Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  83. 1 2 "Finals". Next Generation . No. 43. Imagine Media. July 1998. p. 108.
  84. 1 2 "StarCraft review". PC Zone. August 13, 2001. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011.
  85. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Developer Awards". Blizzard Entertainment. January 1, 2006. Archived from the original on August 14, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2006.
  86. ↑ "StarCraft Named No. 1 Seller in 1998". IGN. January 20, 1999. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  87. ↑ Staff (April 1999). "The Numbers Game". PC Gamer US . 6 (4): 50.
  88. ↑ Dunnigan, James F. (January 3, 2000). Wargames Handbook, Third Edition: How to Play and Design Commercial and Professional Wargames. Writers Club Press. pp. 14–17.
  89. ↑ Asher, Mark (April 7, 1999). "Game Spin: On an EverQuest". CNET Gamecenter . Archived from the original on November 18, 2000.
  90. ↑ "DataStream" (PDF). Edge . No. 79 (December 1999). November 24, 1999. p. 132.
  91. ↑ Williamson, Colin (July 2001). "Gaming Goes Global". PC Gamer US . 8 (7): 44–47, 50–52.
  92. ↑ Olsen, Kelly (May 21, 2007). "South Korean gamers get a sneak peek at 'StarCraft II'". USA Today . Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  93. ↑ "Blizzard's Battle.net Remains Largest Online Game Service in the World; Battle.net Dominates Online Gaming Industry With 2.1 Million Active Users; Korea Becomes World's No. 1 Market". Business Wire . Irvine, California. February 4, 1999. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2015– via TheFreeLibrary.com.
  94. ↑ Cheung, James. "The Best Voice Acting in Games: StarCraft". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  95. ↑ "IGN's Top 100 Games". IGN. January 1, 2003. Archived from the original on March 6, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2006.
  96. ↑ "Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)". Game Informer . November 16, 2009. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  97. ↑ "Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Starcraft". Pyramid . Steve Jackson Games. June 12, 1998. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  98. ↑ "The Award - Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  99. ↑ "And the Winners Are..." GameSpot. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  100. ↑ "Origins Award Winners (1998)". Academy of Adventure Gaming, Arts & Designs. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007.
  101. ↑ "The 50 Best Games Ever". PC Gamer US . 5 (10): 86, 87, 89, 90, 92, 98, 101, 102, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 118, 125, 126, 129, 130. October 1998.
  102. ↑ Kris Graft (February 11, 2009). "Blizzard Confirms One "Frontline Release" for '09". Edge . Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  103. ↑ "StarCraft in Space". Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 13, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  104. ↑ Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition. Hit Entertainment. 2008. ISBN   978-1-904994-20-6.
  105. ↑ "Starcraft from the Stands: Understanding the Game Spectator" (PDF). ACM CHI. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  106. ↑ Cavalli, Earnest (January 29, 2009). "U.C. Berkeley Now Offers StarCraft Class". Wired News . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  107. ↑ Crecente, Brian (January 28, 2009). "Competitive StarCraft Gets UC Berkeley Class". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
  108. ↑ Ki-tae, Kim (March 20, 2005). "Will StarCraft Survive Next 10 Years?". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  109. ↑ Evers, Marco (February 6, 2006). "The boys with the flying fingers: South Korea Turns PC Gaming into a Spectator Sport". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  110. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (June 21, 2006). "Playa Rater: The 10 Most Influential Video Gamers of All Time". MTVNews.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  111. ↑ Cho, Kevin (January 15, 2006). "Samsung, SK Telecom, Shinhan Sponsor South Korean Alien Killers". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2006.
  112. ↑ Rossignol, Jim (April 1, 2005). "Sex, Fame and PC Baangs: How the Orient plays host to PC gaming's strangest culture". PC Gamer UK . Archived from the original on February 2, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2006.
  113. ↑ "US Air Force: catalog". Air University Press. June 2000. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
  114. ↑ Ackerman, Evan (December 1, 2015). "Custom AI Programs Take on Top Ranked Humans in StarCraft". IEEE Spectrum . Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  115. ↑ Steinlechner, Peter (March 10, 2014). "Starcraft für ARM-Handheld kompiliert" (in German). golem.de. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  116. ↑ notaz (March 4, 2014). "StarCraft". openpandora.org. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  117. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (April 19, 2017). "StarCraft is now free". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  118. ↑ "StarCraft". The Strong National Museum of Play . The Strong . Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  119. ↑ Journal, Odessa (May 2, 2022). "Arestovich: "Zerg Rush" is being prepared for us – about the further situation at the front" . Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  120. ↑ StarCraft: Uprising (PDF). Pocket Books. December 18, 2000. ISBN   0-7434-1898-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  121. ↑ StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade (PDF). Pocket Books. April 13, 2001. ISBN   0-7434-2317-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  122. ↑ "StarCraft: Queen of Blades (Mass Market Paperback)". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  123. ↑ "StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga (Mass Market Paperback)". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on August 29, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  124. ↑ "StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga trilogy interview with Christie Golden". Blizzplanet. April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  125. ↑ "Blizzard tackles toys". IGN. September 1998. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  126. ↑ "1/30 scale Terran marine model by Academy". Hobby Outlet. Archived from the original on December 13, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
  127. ↑ "1/30 scale Zerg hydralisk model by Academy". Hobby Outlet. Archived from the original on December 21, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
  128. ↑ Wilson, Kevin (June 13, 2006). "Playtest in Minneapolis at the Source on 6/16/06". Boardgame Geek. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2006.

Further reading


  1. ↑ "The Duelist # 31". November 1998.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.