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Intro
 It's
time to grab your axe, sharpen your sword, and continuously click on small soldiers
to hear their humorous anecdotes; yes, WarCraft is back and not only has
it lived up to my expectations, it has surpassed them and has proven once again
why Blizzard is at the top of their game.
Gameplay:
9.5/10
First off, let me give a brief history of my WarCraft experience
- feel free to skip to the next paragraph to get on with the goods. This is meant
as a means of letting people know that, for me, like many others, the WarCraft
series is more than just a simple game, and is one of those key titles that helped
to define PC gaming in our eyes. Years ago, in a now-defunct PC magazine, I saw
a small ad to get a demo of a new title called WarCraft: Orcs and Humans
that was free for all, with a small $4.95 shipping fee. Needless to say, I repeatedly
played that demo's 3 levels until I knew exactly where to attack, when, and with
how many troops. Later on an official release was sent out on a CD with another
magazine, which I bought just so I could use the cheat codes. Then came the original,
the sequel, and the add-on; all received endless hours of play. Any one of the
titles has received more play-time than entire series of other titles, and they
continue to do so this day. When the Win95 / 98-friendly Battle.Net edition for
WarCraft II was released, I scooped it up and re-lived glorious gaming
moments of yore; while not a sequel, defending my kingdom from the invading Orcs
was enough to sustain my need to destroy all green beings. To say that the third
release had a lot to live up to would be an understatement; this release was the
culmination of years worth of anticipation, excitement, and worry, and would also
be a way that Blizzard could prove to me that their formula of "release->
add-on ->sequel -> add-on" could be broken by a third title that lived
up to its predecessors.
I am wholeheartedly pleased to say that WarCraft
III: Reign of Chaos not only lives up to my expectations, but also ushers
in a new era for real-time strategy games. By combining elements of role-playing,
action, and strategy titles, WarCraft III presents a new direction for
not only the series, but the genre as well. After the humans defeated the Orcs
in Beyond the Dark Portal, the Orcish hordes, once possessed by the Scourge, are
now left without their constant bloodlust and are left to wander and scavenge
for survival and protection from their former enemies. While the Human alliance
is holding, the chink in their armor is starting to show and is being held together
by an aging king. WarCraft III initially follows the story of Thrall, a
young Orc warchief who wants to reunite the horde and return them to their spiritual
ways; Arthas, the young Human prince, who has a fall from grace; Priestess of
the Moon, a young Night Elf that is now set with the task of leading the solitude
race after the death of their demigod and the return of their old enemy, the Burning
Legion, whom was resurrected by the Scourge; Ner'zhul, an Orc shaman who once
led the horde in Draenor, but now does the bidding of the dark lord as he rules
the Undead.
Played in a specific order, the Orcs lead the prologue as
the Humans, Undead, Orcs again, and then the Night Elves play out the tale of
the great crusade against the Scourge and the Burning Legion. As it turns out,
the Orcs were never ruthless savages, but instead were a noble and spiritual race,
something that is prominent now as they mix brawn and mysticism in a more 'Earthy'
fashion. The Humans have advanced technologically with tanks, mortar teams, and
riflemen. The Undead rely on mass numbers as the wood gathering / footsoldier
Ghoul, can be amassed with large numbers of skeletons; there is also the Undead's
catapult, known as the meatwagon that can transport bodies to form insta-armies
and attack in endless waves to slowly break down their opponent. Rounding out
the races are the Night Elves; this all-female race of stealth-oriented elves
favor working with the earth and long-range combat.
The nuances of each
race will play out beautifully alongside the story as the game progresses. New
abilities will come to be learned, spells are gradually introduced, and the beginning
is very comprehensive; that is, if you're one of the three people left who have
yet to play a real-time strategy title. The one flaw I did find was that, like
the previous titles, there was no real cohesion to the armies; while they will
stick together and a pre-numbered group can be bound to a number, there were no
extensive or even basic formations. There were several times where I would have
to bind long-range units to a different key so that I could keep them away from
the front lines, but a simple option to keep them in front, behind, or even to
go behind after being attacked would have been very welcome. Maybe it was kept
to keep the play so similar to its predecessors, but that is the only flaw I found
as I made my way throughout the races.
What's so fun about WarCraft
III is that while you're in a race's campaign, you take that hero and build
it up throughout the missions. This adds a bit of an RPG element as there are
main quests and side quests to participate in which also beef up your hero's experience
level. This is also a solid means of getting newer items; heroes can carry up
to six items with them, which can range from health regeneration potions to claws
of strength or even boots of agility, which looks oddly similar to Spider-Man's
foot. Thankfully, some can be bought from Goblin vendors that are randomly sprawled
throughout the maps. Taking that extra quest to kill some bandits will not only
gain some valuable experience, but might also produce some valuable booty.
The levels are a diverse bunch as well. Some require stealth, as you try
to find acolytes hidden within a human village (fun fact: take a look at two men
fighting behind a bar and check out their names, think Brad Pitt and Edward Norton)
- while another will have you trying to gather mass amounts of wood to secure
a base before the main army arrives. There's even an indoor level that harkens
back to the original, a nice touch. In-between the levels will be in-game cutscenes
that will explain who the main players are and help to bring those who haven't
played the previous titles up to speed - the manual does an excellent job of this
as well. Helping out the in-game graphics will be some of the most phenomenally
rendered cutscenes that have ever been seen, and the way they convey the atmosphere
of the time makes them more than just eye candy. Whether it's a cutscene or an
interesting side quest, there's plenty to do that keeps the levels varied enough
to where the various campaigns don't feel as if they are dragging along, but not
so different that they feel as if they don't belong together; I do believe that
would be called "great game design."
The units are a mixed
bunch and are surprisingly strong throughout. Right when one race looks to have
the upper hand, a new unit, spell, or strategy will make its presence known and
completely throw off the balance for power. Other small changes are that Trolls
are no longer part of the Orc Hordes; they, along with those lovable ogres and
a few others, are now mercenaries that can be hired in various goblin-like shops
throughout the levels. Also missing are sea units, although air units make a strong
showing. Finally, sprawled on maps are units called Creeps. These units serve
as a means of leveling up heroes, deterring people from rushing in multiplayer,
and to generally give life to the world by having it populated by more NPCs. While
the Creeps fail to stop rushes as effectively as they could, they are still a
cool and welcomed addition.
Rounding out the new features are some great
fan favorite concepts. Starting off; the humor is definitely back, and now the
sound bits have expanded beyond a few quips into pop culture with quotes from
countless movies, including Full Metal Jacket, and even a joke involving StarCraft.
The ability to blow up random non-creep animals is also back, along with various
Easter eggs and hidden jokes within the levels themselves. Amazingly enough, nothing
seems forced here; instead of being added as a means of doing so just to say they're
in, they really help to give it the same charm and wonder that made the previous
installments so incredible. There is also some solid multiplayer action going
on via Battle.Net that has a nice, but flawed, quick match system that is supposed
to match someone of your skill up to you within 30 seconds and on the map of your
choice, but it doesn't always work out that way. What really makes multiplayer
such a treat is the ability to not only share units, but to also give resources
to your allies; it's done so seamlessly that the features feel like they have
always been in the games. Along with a healthy pack of maps, the level editor,
and scenarios, there's plenty for friends to be fighting over for a long time
to come.
Another new and prominent feature
is the Upkeep and Food Limit limitations; upkeep has to do with gold and that
whenever a certain number of units are made, less gold is being put in the treasury
than is taken out, so instead of 10 out and 10 in treasury, it's 10 out and 7
or 4 - depending on number of troops - in treasury. Food limitations also limit
the size of your army, think of it as an army cap, of sorts; these implementations
are not only a means of keeping your army smaller and more manageable, not to
mention the fact that had there been none, 100+ 3D units on the screen at the
same time would have hiked up the system needed to play it. While both have gotten
mixed results from those I've talked to, I happen to enjoy both as I neither want
my computer to explode, nor my head.
In the end, Blizzard has come through
and released a title worthy of the WarCraft mantle. It's easy to be wary
or even to dislike WarCraft III at first, but it's only when one realizes
that it isn't and it wasn't meant to be WarCraft II that they can embrace
and enjoy the new style. This is the new standard for real-time strategy titles
and I can only hope that an expansion is planned to quench my renewed thirst for
the series.
Graphics:
9.5/10
What is first offsetting soon becomes the equivalent of an old friend
welcoming you home; the town halls, the knights, the soldiers, all bring the WarCraft
world to life in 3D with lush textures and solid designs. It isn't just the classic
Orcs and Humans that look good either, but all of the new races, including the
various creeps, are solid and show just as much polish as the aforementioned originals.
Whether it be the guts that are constantly bouncing out of the Abomination as
it lumbers across the map, or the translucent holographic Owl Scout of the Night
Elves, all the extra detail and added animations are beautiful from near or afar.
The environments are also a sight. At first, the sharp contrast of the objects
makes it difficult to discern what it is exactly that seems weird, but in time,
everything seems to fade together into a lively - or decrepit - world. Extra animations
where also given to buildings and the surrounding areas; zooming the camera in
to see the clock on the human's town hall clicking away while a spring drops water
off a small rise of rocks and a small flock of birds swoop by is all a scene to
behold. Other elements, like muck trails being left as peons mine for gold during
a storm, or tracks left in the snow, all really help to make the world seem alive.
Outside of these ingame scenes, gamers will find some of the most jaw-droppingly
gorgeous cutscenes to ever appear in a game. I'm normally not one to point them
out, as most games have such good in-game graphics that rendered cutscenes become
nearly obsolete, but Blizzard did an amazing job here; I was totally blown away.
If you ever wanted to imagine what an Orc would look like face to face, check
out a snippet of a cutscene and you'll see an image that is on par with anything
Hollywood's multi-million dollars could produce and is far beyond anything that
is on the PC market now or in the foreseeable future.
Sound:
10/10
Zug-Zug! Oh, how sweet it was to hear that time-honored phrase once
again. Similar to the graphics, the sound has received that extra special treatment
to ensure that the gameplay is snuggled in-between the best in aesthetics and
acoustics. Both the Orcs and Humans have slightly different tones this time; now
the Orcs have a sense of nobility in their voices, while the Humans sound brasher
with their sound bits. The Undead sound hellish and the Night Elves sound sultry,
along with the usual sayings; the heroes also have that extra bit of attention
that helps to make them so unique. The background music is also up to par with
the classic WarCraft sound that still fits the atmosphere perfectly after all
these years. Also making a welcomed comeback is the notorious humor found in Blizzard
titles; I still say my favorite is hearing a Night Elf huntress say, "this
is my owl, while there are other owls, none are like mine" - ah, who doesn't
love a good Full Metal Jacket reference?
Control: 9.5/10
This is pretty much standard fare with the current
crop of real-time strategy titles, where features like group binding helps to
keep things up to snuff. Another useful feature is the ability to use a sub-menu
to select certain units within a group of selected soldiers so that their powers
can be tapped without needlessly clicking around, trying to land your mouse on
that certain character. The addition of idle peasant icons and hero icons help
to keep the game's flow at a nice pace as this seemingly small feature helps to
shave a whole lot of time off constant searching. One feature that I found missing
was a solid formation unit; there is a basic formation that keeps the units in
rows and one that simply scatters the soldiers. I would have liked to have seen
something a bit more in-depth, like a feature to keep long-range soldiers in front
or behind the bulk of the melee assault force. Other than the problem with formations,
everything is cut and dried, but with a few extras to make the new style more
manageable. Overall: 9.5/10
Polished, outstanding, addictive, beautiful, revolutionary; WarCraft III
runs the gamut of positive adjectives and still requires more to really get across
how enjoyable it is. All of its nuances are slowly revealed in time and even more
drastic changes are made in such a manner than seasoned veterans of the series
might not even notice the changes; doing such and introducing the series, and
the genre as a whole, with so many innovative and fresh ideas will not only delight
gamers, but will spawn countless imitators, much like its predecessors. Blending
RPG, action, and real-time strategy elements together in a seamless manner with
an epic story, all while keeping the charm and humor of the series intact is a
feat that I wouldn't have thought could have been pulled off. Not only was it
pulled off, but it was done so with a surge of vigor and energy that is rarely
seen in games these days. [
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