Matt Chat 36: Starcraft

This week, I cover the greatest real-time strategy game ever made: Blizzard's Starcraft. Released in 1998, Starcraft is still moving copies 11 years later--as well as inspiring thousands of people to go online everyday to battle it out in multiplayer. Starcraft offers some of the best gameplay in any RTS, with a perfectly balanced tri-faction system and an epic single-player campaign. Although the graphics may not have aged as well as the gameplay, Starcraft is still very playable today and well worth your attention. As we eagerly await the sequel, let's see what all the fuss was about. Enjoy!

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• starcraft
• games
• videogames
• blizzard
• warcraft
• rts
• real-time strategy
• strategy
• command and conquer
• multiplayer
• battle.net
• matt chat
• armchair arcade

[vintagevideogamegeek]

I just bought that shirt at Target!

[blacklily8]

LOL. I like it, too!

[blade004]

I must ask for your opinion though Matt when it comes to the "first" real time strategy game. Would you not consider Bullfrogs Powermonger on the Amiga as one of the first? Mega Lo Mania had elements, but i guess Powermonger stick in my head, and even though you were not designing mobile mechanical units..etc.. it was in a more primitive sense (pikes, building armies, swords..etc.) essentially the same thing.

What do you think mate?

[blacklily8]

There's an early game from Dani Berry (MULE) called Cytron Masters from 1982. That's the earliest one I know about.

[kimeric94]

When Starcraft II: Wings of Libery comes out, can you review it? Thanks.

And if you want somebody to help you out with Starcraft: Brood War, i'm your man.

Now, i'm no pro gamer, but i'm decent.

You can find me on the East server.

My ID is usually "Neveah" or "saranghae"

gl hf gg.

[blacklily8]

Nice, thanks for the offer! I'll definitely be getting the new SC game, hopefully as soon as it comes out. It will be a blast to review, I'm sure.

[BackForwardPunch]

Hehe great stuff man, I love to watch your stuff because It's all stuff I know nothing about. It's really interesting to get it from someone as knowledgeable as you.

That said, Starcraft looks interesting but I have never been able to get through the RTS gameplay, I'm more of a pick up an play kind of guy and shooters, fighters, etc are king in my gaming world. I'd liek to get into RPGs or RTS someday...

Good to see you back!

[Soulgotha]

Everytime I watch one of your videos I want to run right out and purchase the game you reviewed. Another excellent video.

[Chronische]

@kohan69 I prefer DoW to SC in any case, honestly. DoW II is as close to tabletop as any game has gotten without emulating tabletop prices.

Mark of Chaos is kind of close to tabletop WH fantasy as well.

[Chronische]

@blacklily8 So did you like it? I was disappointed in how short the singleplayer was, as well as how imbalanced multiplayer still is (terrans wreck EVERYONE)

[kohan69]

Love your show. I just wanted to add that Starcraft was basically warhammer 4k, i even read somewhere that they were going to license war40k to blizzard, but backed out, and blizzard just rename the classes - biggest franchise mistake ever, right?

[Sampoe83]

You're doing a great job Matt! Doom episode with history about the game was excellent, going to subscribe to you and watch every episode that has come out and comes out. Greets from Finland, keep up the good work!

[Chubzdoomer]

I wish the Blizzard that created this game was still around today. I still can't believe just how underwhelming Starcraft 2 really was.

[pktzer0]

That multiplayer match was hilarious. Proxy gating someone who's still only at the "these bug dudes are pretty cool" stage is all sorts of mean.

Anyway, have you checked out Starcraft 2 since? They really went to great lengths there to explain what you need to do to get started with the game, and the matchmaking is excellent, so the multiplayer part is about as accessible as it can get.

[rawkfist208]

You should do Diablo II.

[mantax55]

Lol, you made the Brood War intro perfect HD, did you convert it?

[amig90]

We have a joke in college about StarCraft players where we photoshopped a visual evolutionary chart to make the final product look like a zerg with the words "Koreans" on the side and we all use them as desktops backgrounds. A friend of ours got pissed off pretty bad because his best friends are Koreans and he didn't like the stereotyping. We had other jokes like "You require more lesbian gas".

But I still like Starcraft, but I'm not sure if it'll still work on a modern OS like Windows7.