Genre: Real-time Strategy
Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Blizzard

Samwise Didier's finger prints can be seen all throughout Starcraft II's presentation DNA, and it is striking and interesting to see Didier's vision applied to a science fiction universe as opposed to his usual fantasy domain. Unlike Blizzard's most recent titles featuring the Warcraft universe, Starcraft II's areas generally feature some nicely blended color themes and a wonderful amount of detail, all without being too taxing on a reasonably modern PC's hardware.

Thankfully, the awful Hollywood trash featured in the title's intro gives way to a combination of folk-rock and acoustic guitar work mixed with not-too-overblown orchestral themes used throughout the rest of the game. Unfortunately, the selections are so mundane and humdrum that it's difficult to even recall the melodies while the songs are actually playing! Robert Clotworthy and Neil Kaplan prove to be a competent enough voice acting duo, though the rest of the voicework is forgettable.

Starcraft II does virtually nothing to change the winning formula that made the original such a classic, and while it is generally not wise to mess with success, one would have expected the game to make at least some attempt to evolve the formula, outside of the between-mission cash and upgrade system, which is interesting, but restricted exclusively to the single player campaign mode. Still though, as a straight-up modernization of the original title, its designers couldn't have done much better.

Each iteration of the Civilization series manages to feel true to its origins, yet fresh and with its flow and set of new mechanics. While Starcraft II does not manage to strike this same balance on the real-time side of the strategy fence, its solid art, fantastic balance and bountiful character make for a wonderful foundation on which real-time strategy fanatics to build for the next decade or more.