The best Sci Fi RTS game made.
1. The story is fantastic:
The story is just hard enough to challenge you, while not driving you insane. The characters are all very engaging, as you go through the story you get attached to Jim Raynor, then Kerrigan, then Zeratul. The three different races getting involved in a battle for the universe is really very engaging and makes what you're doing that much more epic.
2. IT'S AN EPIC:
I've got a couple of games I consider to be, "EPIC's", God of War is one of them, they are just games that are (1) VERY fun, and (2) give you the power to do something very big, and very cool. In this case, it is controlling armies of super cool technology against formidable foes, in INCREDIBLY well balanced races, along with a great system.
3. The races:
In my opinion any game that goes for the races is bound to be a good game. But since 1999 when I started playing the game, I haven't seen a single game come close to the diversity and success that starcraft has. In Starcraft the three races are incredibly different, yet all three of them play just similar enough to make the transition between possible. I hate to throw the word around, but the classes are PERFECT.
4. the ability to add to online, UMS:
Any game that allows users to create maps is good. but a game that allows the kind of customization that starcraft allows is just shocking. Starcraft allows more map customization then probably any other game out there. There's not a single game I can think of that can turn it's original purpose into the Matrix, the battle of Normandy, and Cat and Mouse. Use Map Settings is probably the greatest idea real time strategies have ever seen, and the ease at which a person can make a map as well as the lay out is just phenominal. Some games have all the features but you can never find them, some games would never work in the way that starcraft does, but that's just the thing. Starcraft works.
5. The Balance:
I've said it already, but it needs to be put it in it's own category. The balance is PERFECT, when you're playing a game and you've got two skilled players, they can literally throw two full armies at each other and leave with only 1 or 2 unites (example, a skilled player with 12 carriers and 12 battle cruisers, if the bc's target the carriers, I usually see the battle ending with about 1 carrier, depending if there are Yamato cannons used b4 they engage).
6. Compatibility:
The fact that it's an old game means you don't need a next-gen PC plus a video card and all that junk. Odds are if you've got a dell, you can play it (cept vista) (and if you have a vista, you probably aren't reading this review anyways)
THE BAD:
1. Honestly, there's really nothing wrong with the game, but the lag online is annoying.
2. If you are really picky you could say that the graphics aren't as good as games these days but I'm serious when i say this, they look good enough. you don't graphics to look amazing in an RTS, the rest of the game makes up for it 100x PLUS if the game looked better it'd probably slow down and that would suck.
3. (i'm serious here) it will GOBBLE UP your day. I've spent an X-mas or more just sitting on my computer, looked up, and it was like 1:00 AM, the next day. On UMS time flies by so quickly, but it's worth it.
ALL IN ALL: As I said in my other review (Call of Duty 4), if you've got the system and the time (and the money, but it's worth like 20 bucks these days), buy it.