WHY YOU SHOULD BE PLAYING STARCRAFT II HEART OF THE SWARM BY TARA BABCOCK - www.impulsegamer.com
WHY YOU SHOULD BE PLAYING STARCRAFT II HEART OF THE SWARM
BY TARA BABCOCK
Sarah Kerrigan, recently saved by
her long-lost and beloved Jim Raynor, groggily wakes up in an isolation cell.
Head pounding and confused, she smells the familiar aroma of Terran mechanics
and cleaning products. As the clarity sets in, so does the fear, confusion and
paranoia. She needed to escape... what had become of the swarm? Where was Jim?
What had even happened to her? With her will and fragile humanity seemingly
destroyed, she was now Terran again; but why were the remnants of darkness still
weighing on her soul? StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm launched a couple of days
ago. Will you be Zerg rushing the stands to get a copy?
The StarCraft universe began with a
pixelated, yet robust, storyline and multiplayer modes in 1998. An expansion and
a second game followed before the anticipated new Heart of the Swarm expansion,
increasing in popularity and quality with each. This rich and intricate universe
is not only a multi-million dollar worldwide electronic sports industry stemming
from the most difficult and competitive real-time strategy gameplay experience
available; it also has a deep and captivating storyline. I am here to give you
five solid reasons why everyone and their grandmothers must play StarCraft II,
now that Heart of the Swarm as launched!
1. Kerrigan is as Hot as Her
Campaign Story
The Heart of the Swarm expansion
follows the curvy Sarah Kerrigan on her journey of badassery and Zerg dominance
as she threatens revenge and fights her own personal struggles. For unknown
reasons, Kerrigan can't seem to cover any of that body as the gifted psionic
Terran Ghost, or the Zerg encrusted Queen of Blades. Not only will you be
traversing a diverse and enthralling expanse of the galaxy crushing foes, you
also won't be displeased with the visuals.
I was hoping for more
girl-on-girl action.
If you have not yet played
StarCraft I, Broodwar, or StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, you must jump on the
bandwagon, even if just to get to the hot Kerrigan action in this current
expansion!
2. Improved Casual Gaming
Experience
Are you a casual gamer? Maybe you
are someone who feels the competitive heat of the ladder to be just too hot.
Were you the guy who played Big Game Hunters in Broodwar, but never participated
in ladder? Think StarCraft is too hard? Think again, grasshopper! Not only has
Blizzard implemented an unranked mode to the ladder system, allowing you
practice without the pressure, they also refined fun custom gaming with the
Arcade!
BarCraft is a fun card
game based on drinking, punching, and using StarCraft heroes!
This shiny new answer to the
clustered and confusing custom game search now allows you to go straight to
where all the fun games are, find the best ones, and even play new modes! Fun or
Not allows you to sample games and rate them to better sort the good
developments from the bad, and Blizzard is always adding new official games that
can be hours of fun. If you are new and wondering what to try, I recommend
StarDodgeball, Aiur Chef, BarCraft, StarJeweled and Marine Arena! There is life
after the campaign for those of you who are not into ladder life! Good luck,
have fun!
3. The Graphics are Insane
If you thought the latest computer
games had come a long way in terms of graphics quality that can knock your
socks--or panties--clean off, then you're right, but if you haven't played HotS,
you ain't seen nothing yet! I was so impressed with the graphics of the in-game
cut scenes, that I actually confused a few of them for full-on FMVs! I love the
gameplay graphics with the adorable units and the amazing detail already, but
the in-game cut scenes, FMVs, and the death and movement physics of the new
expansion are mind blowing! See for yourself, and keep an eye open for my
favorites: the medivac death and the last FMV of the campaign. You also can't
pass up seeing the limbs of Marines flying, guns still in hand, as a new
collector's edition Ultralisk slices through them!
Kerrigan waking up in
the Terran laboratory.
4. The Community is the BEST
There is nothing more amazing than
the StarCraft community. They are, without a doubt, the warmest, most
interesting, and most intense group of diverse individuals I have ever had the
pleasure to experience. They truly want the game to succeed, and they support
their streamers, casters, players, and other fans as if they were a close-knit
family unit. Reddit, Team Liquid, and TwitchTV provide hours of entertainment,
education, and companionship. You'll find friends in others who enjoy the game;
how many video games have that kind of power and resonance?
And the community
produces the absolute best fan art! Try Carbot Animation's Starcrafts on
YouTube!
5. International Events with
Huge Turnouts
Ever feel like you want to get out
of the house and away from the computer more, and you feel that getting addicted
to StarCraft might hinder your progress? Well, the case is quite the contrary.
Not only are there weekly BarCrafts in all corners of the world featuring recent
or live StarCraft plays on the TVs, alcohol in the glasses, and bustling locals,
but there are also live sports tournaments and expos all over the globe as well!
StarCraft and other eSports have made it possible to feel with gaming as you do
if you were a lover of conventional sports. Bring friends, visit booths, cheer
for your favorite players, travel to new events, get autographs, you can do it
all at a StarCraft tournament! With the release of Heart of the Swarm so many
improvements have been made all over the board, and viewership and turn out will
rise with production quality. Get your ticket to the next MLG or WCS before it's
too late!
An IronSquid event.
These things are a complete rush, and I know this first-hand!
You'd like a conclusion to my tale
of persuasion? Do you really need one? Just get out there and get that game!
Learn the back story, play the earlier games, try out multiplayer with all its
new improvements, and join the Swarm! FOR THE SWARM!
I have been absolutely swamped with
work lately, guys! Thanks for your continued viewership of my articles and other
content on Impulse Gamer! My new Atari shoot from last month was a hit, and I am
looking into shooting some Pacman epicness at a vintage arcade very soon! I am
doing more video content as well, including unboxings and reviews, and hopefully
some interviews at the next gaming event. You can support me by subscribing to
my YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/modeltarababcock)
and making sure you continue to check for my articles here at Impulse Gamer
every month! Next month you can look forward to some Worms Nostalgia... or maybe
a list of my top ten mobile games! Who knows; my list of topics grows longer
each day! I can never tire of writing about my little part of the gaming
universe! GLHF!
