People are usually scared of Starcraft, and they should be! The first game is littered with pros and there is rarely a matchup. What would you expect after 12 years of gameplay and crazy South Koreans constantly playing? Back onto my point. Starcraft II has taken a turn. Playing the campaign is much easier and is much more "casual". Is this a turn for the worst? Absolutely not. The campaign trains you for online play, although it is way different then the actual online play. Why is it good to play the campaign? To learn the basics of macro, micro and multitasking of course! There is a bunch of training missions you can play that Blizzard supplied, but more importantly, Battle.net 2.0.

Think you might get your face dragged on the road while being pulled by a crazy zergling... or something? Well, the chance is you will BUT! You have to play five placement matches and they set you in a league. It might not be perfect but damn it's an improvement.

So, is Starcraft II too hardcore? Yes and no. The campaign is epic and has four different modes of play, along with addictive achievements that give you more avatars. The online has a system that places you in a league depending on your gameplay, and as you get better or worse, you can change leagues. The hardcore thing about it, is if you want to get really good, like platinum league, you'll need to learn strategies, build orders, timings and put in countless hours to get that good.

Since release I probably put in over 50 hours into the game. I was a huge fan of the first game and played it religiously for four years (2000-2004) and then off and on until now. I am very satisfied with the changes. They are quite different, but it still feels true to the first game. The campaign on the other hand is WAY different. It is jaw droppingly well done, as you can talk to many of the main characters. (I'll save the rest for the upcoming review!)

What I'm trying to get at, is that this game caters to both types of gamers. Casuals can enjoy the game just as much as the hardcore. If you want to get good at the game, you can with hard work and dedication. If you can get your hands on a collector's edition I'd get it, as it comes with the first game pre loaded on a 2GB flash drive!

PS: Add Zombie on NA if you want to talk or game!