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Public Disclaimer/Intro
About four months ago, I was blessed enough to get some
good old fashioned "hands-on" beta testing
with Warcraft III. What really perked my interest
was not only that I was able to play the game in a
testing stage; but also beta testers could actually play
this on Battle.net. Blizzard has always been known for
setting the standard for online play, and just couldn't
wait to take to the Net.
After playing the Beta for a few months, I was more than
familiar with the controls and online play. A little
over a week ago, I received my retail version via
overnight mail (don't ask because if I tell you I'll
have to kill you...). Needless to say, I've gone
through about two cases of Bounty paper towels to sop up
my drool.
The entire RTS (real time strategy) genre is an
incredibly tough genre to be in. Blizzard has always
been on the cutting edge for gamers, and when the
original Warcraft came out nearly a decade ago,
RTS fans have been gnawing at the bit waiting to get
their next installment. Games like Warcraft,
Starcraft and even Diablo have all combined
similar elements to produce amazing titles (although
somewhat unstable).
The basic premise behind WC3 is fairly simple.
There are four races competing for precious land,
and each race has their pro's and con's. From a user
interface, you control a race and have the ability to
create anything from buildings to weapons. To add a bit
to the storyline an encompassing evil (yawn) is
trying to overthrow the world and staying alive is your
primary objective...
Dungeon Siege meets Diablo
The overall ambience that WC3 gives you is a warm and
welcomed one at that. The interface is super clean, easy
to navigate and slightly customizable. While the Beta
version was highly unpolished in just about every
aspect, the retail version is just about perfect.
Blizzard has a huge challenge on their hand when it
comes to expectations. A game this long in progress sets
the bar quite high for the online juggernauts. For the
most part they do the job well, a bit of nit picking
will show a few design flaws...
One thing Warcraft fans will cheer about is that the
controls (and for the most part the interface) is
near carbon-copied from Warcraft II. Since
gameplay is the most crucial aspect of any RTS, it was
vital for Blizzard to re-create the feel of their old,
successful games. Hats off to them, for the migration is
seamless.
Many Beta players were hoping for camera angle changes,
although I'm glad they kept it the way it was. With
other RTS (such as Myth), the camera could be
rotated 360 degrees, thus allowing you to
"spin" around a point. WC3 does allow you to
zoom in and out, but spinning is not an option; although
you can slightly "side-step" a bit. Believe
me, as the battle intensifies you won't be thinking
about your camera angles... Simply by moving your mouse
to the edge of the screen moves the viewpoint scrolling
in that direction. The effect is superb, and makes
controlling your troops and workers easy and
effectively.
Most people know that RTS involve creating an army, a
building or weapon. This is standard fare for the genre.
I was happy that Blizzard has kept the meat of the game
in a "classic" style, but the improvements are
amazing. Little things like "the fog of war"
really increase the challenge of sight. One thing you
will notice is the effect of time. Morning changes from
a dusky orange to a mid-day squelter. Evening then turns
to night. Weather effects also increase the challenge of
play. Your sight can also be limited by obstructions
such as trees and buildings. You can see farther in the
day rather than the night; so planning and attacking can
be equally challenging. Remember this is an RTS
and not an adventure game, so planning is
everything. And if you don't have the resources to build
and expand, you are as good as Orc fodder.
The biggest (and most noticeable) change has to
be the overhauled viewpoint. The game is set in a 3D
setting, which allows greater detail to onscreen
activity. You can zoom in and out, which is mandatory
for troop placement and building development, but most
of the time is spent in awe with the wonderful 3D
environment. There are a handful of other changes that
you should expect going from WCII to WCIII. There are
annoying NPC's called "creeps" that guard
valuable treasures as well as randomly attack you. My
favorite addition is the creation and development of
special characters. These characters are called Heroes.
These heroes can learn new techniques and abilities, and
really become the core of your game. This adds a nice
RPG element that goes hand-in-hand with a good RTS.
Since most fans are familiar with the Orcs vs. Human
saga; there are two new classes available to you. The
first are the undead; which play off the whole "necro"
thing and are very similar to the Necromancer antics off
of Diablo. The night elf happens to be my favorite and
they combine the darkness of the undead, with human
aspects but with supernatural advantages. Expect the
night elves to be an online favorite...
 Again, the control is fairly straightforward with an
intuitive interface. Troops and individuals can be
controlled in a lump group or on a single basis. Each
character has specific traits with menus to boot.
Attacking, gathering and building is easily done with
the menu system; and even novices should be able to pick
up the game and play with no problems.
The single player mode should last you a good 15-20
hours. Chances are, however, you will only clock maybe
half that until you delve into the multiplayer world.
Blizzard is the absolute best at online play; and
it shows... Battle.net is wonderfully interfaced
and game creation really couldn't be easier. Simply
choose the type of game you want and hit play. It is that
easy. Online play is a total blast, and I've sunk scores
of hours into playing on the net with other lucky souls.
I expect the performance to take a hit when the game is
released to the general public; but Battle.net has come
along way and learned a ton from Diablo II. Those
who have played Starcraft for a while will truly
love the interface and play of WC3 as well as long time
Diablo fans. WC3 is really centered on the multiplayer
functions, and with a soon-to-be ladder it should really
keep the interest for long-term fans. Those who enjoy
clan play, expect a nice clan setup and control within
the waxworks of online menus... The "scoring"
method is still fairly enigmatic, for depending on your
win/loss percentage effects your number rating. I was up
to a level 10 at one time, and now have dropped down to
a level 7... [sigh] There won't be a shortage of online
games anytime soon, and online play is like binary
crack. Get ready to lose sleep over this one...
Everything but the kitchen sink...
Ok, so the game is everything the critiques and fans
wanted. The old school gameplay, with added features,
two new races and tons of subplots. But what really gets
most people is the amount of detail that went into the
game. The graphics are smoother than silk and just have
to be played to be believed. Every minute detail is
here. Things such as realistic physics, like swaying
branches and rain to the belt buckle on a lowly foot
soldier. Everyone who has ever loved RTS will be in
heaven. For far too long RTS fans have had the bottom of
the visual barrel in terms of graphics; but not any
longer...
Honestly, everything is here. The light and shadow
effects are amazing, and each building and character is
superbly detailed. For a game in this genre, it is best
of show; hands down. While taking a similar approach
that Dungeon Siege presents, it really doesn't
compare. The environments are so huge and so mind
numbingly big at times, that one can easily get lost in
this complex world. Since the maps are pregenerated, the
maps are limited but for some reason seem like
they never end. The performance is equally impressive.
Anything with at least 128-MB of RAM and a post 400 mHz
CPU should have no problems at all running the workhorse
of a game.
Really the game has to be played to fully appreciate the
extent of detail that went into the game, and can't wait
to see the publics reaction to it. As far as audio goes,
old time Warcraft players will be glad to see the
evolution of the games sound. Classic sounds and the
soundtrack are remixed and reimplemented. I was amazed
to see actually how much time was spent on the actual
voices in the game. There are dozens of unique
sounds for each character, unlike two or three from
previous games... Most expectations will be obliterated,
and the audio flows with the game perfectly. With the
classic and subtle humor of the various races to the
engaging soundtrack; this should satisfy a wide range of
players.
Lastly, the ambient effects work well and also play a
part of the strategy involved in the game. Sounds of
crashing, building and mumbling can be heard from
different directions. So, keep an ear out for badguys
coming through the forest...
 66 Says:
Sheesh. I can't help but not recommend this game
to every person that I come across with. As of now this
is a perfect game which is why I'm giving it the
five stars. The only way the game could actually be
hindered is if the online performance suffers when it
hits the streets in a couple weeks. But as for now, this
is the best game I've played all year on the PC and
should win a ton of awards.
The PC gaming scene has seen (nice use of words eh?)
a ton of great titles. This should be a nice addition to
any RTS/RPG fan. I recommend pre-ordering and getting
this as soon as you can. Don't go online for a few days
though, because I forecasting Battle.net to crash at
least a dozen times in the first 24-hours after it's
release. Give the single player a good workout for a few
days and then jump into the vast online play and I'm
sure you will be hooked... Truly a must have title for
any PC gamer.
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