Warcraft, ah behold the masterpiece that shaped the future for all RTS games, and most RPG games. When I look back on the first game I realize how far games have come in the last 10 years. I can remember the days of lore. I can remember bashing my friend’s encampments with my Orc’s. I can remember when 133 Mhz MMX Pentiums were years ahead of anything any of my friends owned. This along with Doom was the game that kept me playing pc games. It is widely known that I am a console gamer, and collector. I never got the chance to get into Warcraft II; however, I do know its cousin Starcraft had consumed many days of my life. So when Warcraft III hit the stores I was one of the first in line. I must say that the timing of this game was perfect. Hitting the market at a time when pc gamers needed quality titles the most. However, It was not alone. An onslaught of titles came with it including Neverwinter Nights, and Morrowind. What sets Warcraft III apart is its general appeal. Not just D&D, or Traditional RPG, Its something original. Something well refined and most of all something both RTS and RPG fans will adore.
Then there is the completely awe inspiring LAN and Online aspects. Sometimes I have been known to spend hours on end in a single battle. With worthy opponents of course. Multi-player is one of the strongest parts of Warcraft III. Warcraft has long been a LAN party favorite.
The game is pretty simple. If you have played Starcraft you have about half the game under your belt. From there add in heroes with items and magic to the mix. From the moment you see the first FMV it’s obvious why Blizzard took so long in bringing us a sequel. Some of these are at the detail level of Square’s movie, “The Spirits Within.”
The voice acting is pretty good too, at least in the cut scenes. The voices of each unit can get a little repetitive and annoying. I still find nothing funnier than the “Work Work” of the local peons. The Humans are intolerable. Why do they have to use cheesy British voiceovers? Would it have been so hard to make them sound halfway decent? I don’t think so. However, the overall scale of the game is more than enough to make up for this little downfall. The music really sets the tone for the game it’s complex mixture of cheery and melancholy. Loud thunder and the clapping of horses hoofs on the blood stained ground are made ten times better with the edition of a good subwoofer or surround sound system.
Graphically the game is stunning. At first I was worried that I would miss the pixilated sprites of past games. Then I put the game in and was amazed at how well the style has been represented. Yes the game is polygonal. No it don’t look like typical polygons. I am not quite sure how they did it. But Warcraft III has the feeling of sprite-based games in full 3d. Perhaps it’s the textures. Whatever it is it brings back memories of the olden days. When I was new to computers. Freshly beginning my quest for greatness.
Nowadays everything is about shiny little robots, or big fancy effects. Warcraft III Sticks with the roots and has some of the best-developed game play I have seen in years. This game definitely gets my vote for game of the year 2002. Be warned the game will contain a slightly higher price tag. I guess if you want quality you will have to pay for it. But then again what’s an extra 5 bucks? For me, it was hardly anything to think about.