Starcraft 2: Heart of the World of Diablocraft

I’ve finally been able to put in time with Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm this last week. The game is good, recapturing the feel of Brood War quite well. It’s also fun in the deliciously vicious way that only playing a xenomorphic horde can be. But as I play, I can’t seem to shake the feeling that I’ve done this all before.

In Heart of the Swarm you play as ~~Sylvanas~~ Kerrigan, newly human as of the end of Wings of Liberty. Quickly into the game ~~Thrall~~ Jim Raynor is removed from the picture and purportedly killed, though it’s quite obvious he’s still alive somewhere. (I haven’t finished, so it’s possible he really is dead). So the game becomes the reverse of the Wings of Liberty in that Kerrigan will do anything to rescue Raynor, much as Raynor had to do in the first game – even if that means returning to her dark side and taking control of the ~~Forsaken~~ Zerg. Along the way you encounter old friends like ~~Illidan~~ Zeratul, and fight impressive enemies such as ~~Asmodan~~ ~~Deathwing~~ the Primal Ancient.

I’m enjoying the game, but it definitely feels like every Blizzard game I’ve played in the last ten years. From World of Warcraft to Diablo 3, these games seem united in plot, tone, pacing, and ESPECIALLY art style. Even the sounds of splattering flesh during battle are basically the same. In World of Warcraft, I remember being so excited when I walked the deserts of Tanaris for the first time, saw the giant quivering hives, and ended up fighting . . . the . . . zerg? And then the Protoss landed during the Burning Crusade, in search of energy. We’ve all made the jokes about shared Blizzard properties before, but after ten years, isn’t it starting to get a little old?

It seems weird to complain about regularity in a Starcraft game. I loved Starcraft 2 because it was nearly identical to the first Starcraft, which is probably one of the best games ever to be released. The art style was a little different, matching up with Warcraft 3’s bobblehead style instead of the old more realistically proportioned style, but the game was great because it was the same game. Now I’m complaining about the same thing I liked before. I think that Starcraft 2 felt more like preserving what worked from the original game, which was the gameplay, rather than just another episode of Super-Deformed Emo Fighter: Battle Edition.

I like Blizzard games (or should I say Blizzard game). I like that they have a flavor to them that lets you identify them as Blizzard games. Even when they make huge mistakes like Diablo 3, they feel exquisitely crafted. But I think that after playing the same deal and looking at the same art with a slightly higher polygon count ever since Warcraft 3, I’m ready for something different. So, Blizzard, show us something DIFFERENT. A new IP with an original story, a game not using the Samwise art style, a game without the same huge red lizard demon thing . . . please. Your games are rapidly becoming a commodity instead of a piece of artistic expression, and as someone that occasionally kicks up Lost Vikings, that makes me kind of sad.