Tech: Starcraft II Announced

Hell, it's about time.

I still remember giddily holding the original "Starcraft" PC game in my hands after waiting for it all day in middle school. My Mom had managed to snag a copy for me on her way home from work. My cousin Gilbert and I were completely, hopelessly addicted to it for weeks to come. What I liked most about the game was the epic, space-opera story and atmosphere - compared to the emotionless automatons that in most RTS games pass for units, each of SC's units had a unique strategic function and a singular identity. The subsequent "Brood War" expansion pack also ensured that the Starcraft universe had a permanent place on my hard drive.

To be fair, "Starcraft II" doesn't look much different from its predecessor. I don't really blame Blizzard for that - why mess with the balance of a game that people are still playing a decade later? There's no tacked on 4th race, there's no new resource besides the original trio (minerals, vespene, and supply), and even most of the original game's units seem to be returning: