StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Reviews
Legacy of the Void is a grandiose Space Opera of the highest order, a stunning conclusion to not only StarCraft II but the entire StarCraft epic that began a decade and a half ago. That's only part of the story though: Blizzard has also managed to embrace new players with a more forgiving entry point, while also providing more depth and increased skill ceiling for the long time devotee. That might be the real legacy of this game.
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.
Legacy of the Void doesn't so much conclude StarCraft II with a bang as it helps to re-invigorate interest in a game that has been through dozens of ups and downs over the last few years.
A good trilogy is a hard thing to pull off. Far more common than success stories like Return Of The King are third installments like The Dark Knight Rises or The Godfather Part III, where the series ends with a fizzle rather than a bang. Legacy Of The Void rises to this trilogy-concluding challenge. It closes the door on a story that started 17 years ago but opens new ones of its own with a multiplayer mode that has the promise to live on for years to come.
For fans of the series, Legacy of the Void is a no brainer. For fans of strategy games, I say the again, StarCraft II is the best strategy game you can buy on PC. If you've been waiting for any reason at all to jump in, don't. The game is deep, the competition is fierce and anyone of any skill level can jump in and appreciate what the game is all about. There aren't a whole lot of games that can say that.
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.
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.
As always, multiplayer remains the lifeblood of StarCraft; but with competitive multiplayer having become so insular, it's nice to know that more casual fans have options outside of the campaign. As for the campaign itself, I'm going to have some more thoughts on that next week when I wrap up this review-in-progress and offer some thoughts on StarCraft II as a whole. En Taro Tassadar.
Both the campaign and multiplayer are as great as they've ever been.