Do I need to play Starcraft 1 before playing Starcraft 2?

Is it very essential?

Most likely not. I expect it's made to appeal to old and new fans alike.

I don't think so. If you're interested in the story so far just read it somewhere online.

no, but I suggest playing the first one anyway.

Ign made a quick recap of the story. I advice you to check that out

You probably don't need to but I say get the collectors edition which has the first one and the expansion pack with it.

if you plan on playing the single player i would recommend playing through the first one...

I dont think blizzard expects anyone to know or remember the story of a game which came out 12 years ago. There are loads of sites which will give you an in depth explanation of what happened in the first game. There are also a couple of short recap videos on the starcraft 2 site which give the basic gist of the story so far as well.

Honestly after playing the beta i cant bring my self to play the first game anymore. Everything just flows so smoothly in the new game that its ruined sc1 for me. The only reason i think you should play it is if you want every detail of the story or a history lesson in gameplay design. There are only a couple of days left for the release though, so i'd say dont bother now, buy it some time later if youre still curious about a few things after youve played starcraft 2.

there you go sir : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQa8co522zc starcraft story in 5 minutes !

there you go sir : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQa8co522zc starcraft story in 5 minutes !

Farkeman