StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Reviews
A brilliant strategy game that manages to be both broad and deep, challenging and accessible.
Legacy of the Void is the most fun I've had with StarCraft 2, perhaps because it's more mellow, and more generous with players who don't want to focus entirely on the elite competitive experience. It's a challenging RTS when you want one, but it also lets you have fun stomping AI with friends and trying out new toys. Legacy remembers that it's a game as much as it is an esport.
The campaign fails to deliver compelling storytelling, but varying faction unit styles and custom call-in abilities add a jolt of life. Multiplayer is better than ever, featuring new units, daily and weekly tournaments for all skill levels, and co-op action
Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void is an excellent follow-up to 2013's Heart of The Swarm, even if it doesn't quite match the brilliance of Wings of Liberty.
Both the campaign and multiplayer are as great as they've ever been.
Legacy of the Void has been a long time coming - so long that in some ways it feels like a bit of a throwback. But Blizzard has packed plenty of value into their final expansion, piling co-op missions on top of their solo campaign while tinkering with the multiplayer's pacing and mechanics. The story is ultimately disappointing, but on a mission-to-mission basis, StarCraft II represents the apex of old-school real-time strategy design. Mostly, I'm relieved that it's finished. As Tychus once said, "Hell, it's about time."
Legacy of the Void is an excellent conclusion to Blizzard's trilogy. While one can get impatient with the familiar mission structure, it's impossible to argue with the excellent faction balance and action. As a genre, real time strategy games have lost a bit of appeal and the StarCraft 2 trilogy doesn't move them into new territory. Let's leave that for the next generation. Right now, there's Legacy of the Void. It's all good.
Blizzard's third, and final, expansion for StarCraft II adds new units and game modes, and ties up loose plot threads in the galactic saga of this storied real-time-strategy franchise.
It doesn't have the cleanness or the slow-burn escalation of your old-school C&Cs or the first Warcrafts and StarCraft, so certainly don't approach it as a return to the old ways, but if you want a giant sci-fi army bashing buildings and monsters to death while a crazy lightshow rages, Legacy of the Void is hard to argue with on that basis.
With a visible and oft-recited commitment to further balancing efforts and post-release content, Legacy is shaping up to be among the best games in the genre, and a fitting final performance for South Korea's would-be national sport. [OpenCritic note: GamesBeat separately reviewed the single player (73) and multiplayer (92). Their scores have been averaged.]
A powerful standalone expansion that feels like a last hurrah for Blizzard's seminal RTS franchise.
If you're invested in StarCraft II's story already, you likely won't be disappointed by Legacy of the Void's tale. If you haven't played any form of StarCraft II yet and are intrigued by the prospect of another RTS, this is probably the strongest the game has ever been. It's a perfect time to jump in.
A solid end to StarCraft II's five year journey, although beyond the co-op missions it offers no real clue as to the genre's future.
Its campaign is a joy to play, only hampered by a story that doesn't do the franchise justice. However, it's easy to look past that as this is the first time that veterans can not only become engrossed in the rich strategy of StarCraft, but have a good reason to invite even their most RTS-reluctant friends to come and see why the franchise is one of the industry's greatest.
Legacy of the Void has something for everyone with changes to multiplayer that shake up the formula, cooperative play, and a satisfying conclusion on the story front.
Legacy of the Void is a good release for those already fans of the series. Priced too high for my liking, but the game still offers a decent length campaign marred by a bad and poorly wrote story. The changes and new features made to the online portion of the game should reinvigorate the community and potentially bring people back to it.
A cracking climax to the StarCraft 2 saga, Legacy of the Void combines the best ever StarCraft multiplayer experience with what's arguably the strongest of the three campaigns. If you played and loved Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Storm then you've probably bought this already and loving every minute. If you haven't, Legacy of the Void gives you all the more reason to give StarCraft 2 a try.
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void is both a fantastic conclusion to Blizzard's five-year saga and a great entry point into one of the most complex, but satisfying, strategy games ever. It's a towering achievement.
Whether you're a casual marine-medivac dropper or the most hardcore, Idra-level max APM player in the world, Legacy of the Void offers a rich, varied experience. With an amazing campaign, phenomenal multiplayer, numerous gameplay options, satisfying story, nigh-infinite unlockables, and tons of nooks and crannies to explore, Legacy of the Void stands as one of the proudest entries in the Starcraft legacy.
Legacy of the Void, in true Blizzard fashion, doesn't break astounding new ground but does build expertly on what's come before. With an ending so ridiculous I couldn't help but love it, including three of the finest levels ever put in a strategy game, and a plot that never lets up on twists and went brilliantly unspoiled in marketing materials thus far, I don't know how else I would have put the series to rest. No matter your experience with the RTS, StarCraft 2's campaigns are only matched for value and fun by one another.