Return and experience the adventure...once again

Genre: RTS-Hack & Slash RPG
Developed by: Blizzard
Published by: Vivendi

Aaah Warcraft 3, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the renowned Warcraft series. After all the fuss that's been made about it, you van't help but wonder: is it worth the wait? The answer is coming at you right away, but Reaper (our benevolent and eminent Editor-in-chief and almighty Administrator) <snort> has already cast a bright light on Warcraft 3's qualities in his beta review. He's asked me to write this review, because he's pretty engaged and thus only has gotten to the first mission of the Humans campaign. I myself already got to the seventh mission of the Undead. <Spoiler> In this mission your objective is to find a certain book in Dalaran, a Humans' town. <End spoiler> I'm new to the Warcraft universe, but I guess that won't matter too much now would it?

So, being a complete plebe story-wise, what I can say is that the Singleplayer story is pretty much about the Humans and Orcs getting interrupted (while they were so quietly waging war, death and destruction) by the arrival of the Undead and later, the Burning Legion (formerly known as the Demons). The entire story is depicted from beginning to end by FMVs and ingame cinematics. The FMVs are even more impressive than those of Diablo 2, and what's most impressive, Blizzard has pulled it to cramp the entire game on 1 CD! This was made possible due to the use of the DivX format, a format that finally gets official recognition. The ingame cinematics were made possible by Blizzard's long awaited 3D engine, which is quite a logical step. The good graphics have given the entire experience more atmosphere, despite being a tad cartoonish, the textures are good but the unit animation is simply outstanding. You just have to see a Frost Wyrm (a species of dragon)...so smooth.
The good people of Blizzard also made work of the sound & music. While not striking, the music blends in the atmosphere and doesn't annoy, which is good. Every race has it's accompanying tune, but I'm not telling you anything new here. Amongst the otherwise great soundeffects again we noticed the talkbacks from the units. We are yet to find the unit that says "Haha! Warcraft 3 IS in 3D!" :)

The races in an RTS are of course crucial: how are they designed, are they perfectly balanced, etc. Well, it's safe to say Blizzard succeeded (again). Reaper (our benevolent and eminent Editor-in-chief and almighty Administrator) <grumpf> has already gone through them and compared the races to Starcraft and TA: Kingdoms in his beta review, but let's briefly sum them up once more.



The Human Alliance are the "standard" race. Good allroudners with high marks for melee and good support via Heroes and spellcasters. Each race has a choice between three Heroes, but more about them later on. Humans' Heroes are the Archmage (spellcaster), Mountain King (melle master) and the Paladin (defensive melee). With the Priest, Humans have a crucial healing unit, which is not common to every race.




The Orcish Horde are the brawlers, the raw combattants. Superior in melee, they have the game's most powerful melee unit, the Tauren Chieftain (Hero). Next to that, Orcs also can call forth the Blademaster and Far Seer. They have some spellcasters like the Shaman and Troll Witch Doctor, but these possess mostly spells which boost melee performance. Amongst the special abilities are their perk to man Burrows (food producing buildings) with Peons to make a defensive structure, and the fact that Raiders can pin down air units (making up for the lack of basic ranged units).


Thrid in the row are the Undead Scourge: not very strong in melee with amongst others the Skeleton Warrior and Ghoul. They have a specific penalty to their economy, since they need 2 units to harvest resources (Ghouls for wood and Acolytes for gold) and also need to "haunt" a gold mine, but perks include that the Acolytes don't need to head back to base and that their "suppy depots" or ziggurats can be converted to a defensive structure (a bit like the Orcs, but without losing Peons) . What Undead also have, are powerful spellcasters like the Necromancer who can summon Skeleton Warriors out of carcasses (either race). Cool thing is that these units don't need food. Other great units are their flyers like the Gargoyle en especially the Frost Wyrm. Heroes are the Lich with his surprisingly powerful offensive spells and the Death Night (melee) and Dreadlord (fighter/mage). Undead structures need to be summoned (that's right, much like Starcraft's Protoss) on this substance called "Blight" (that's right, much like Starcraft's Zerg creep). Blight also grants regenerative bonuses to Undead units.

Lastly we've got the Night Elf Sentinels. This is Reaper's favourite race (note from Reaper: their design is simply stunning and the fact that most units are women also doesn't hurt :). More than the other races, Night Elves rely on stealth, Hero/unit abilities and ranged attack, since they simply lack the melee capability of the other races. The female units for example (Archer, Huntress, Priestess of the Moon) can cloak when standing still in the dark. Also, their buidlings can mobilize (that's right, much like Starcraft's Terran buildings) and even defend themselves! Night Elf Heroes include the melee/demon conjurer Demon Hunter, the centaurian Keeper of the Grove and the rocking babe-sittin'-on-tiger Priestess of the Moon.

So, that's pretty much it for the units. As you might have noticed, some ideas have been taken from Starcraft and have been implemented in the Warcraft universe.

So how does the game play? You must've surely heard of the RPG elements. There are also the Heroes and creeps (hostile NPCs) there is a foodcap of 90, and you have the Upkeep system. So far the differences between WC3 and Starcraft. WC3 though still uses a standard basebuilding and unit creation system, in contrast to Battle Realms' "peasant education". What I noticed most though, is the slower pace of it all. Maximum gamespeed is about the "medium" setting in Starcraft.
But well, I guess those RPG game elements have got somthing to do with that. In Starcraft, it was vital to have the right unit for the right enemy unit, and of course the overwhelming numbers through an effecient economy or multiple base
mini-management. In Warcraft III these things fade a bit to the background, especially concerning unit numbers. What's key here, is unit control, but even moreso then in Starcraft. The selection cap is still 12 (argh) but in Warcraft 3, every unit is a subgroup. This is done so that you can use every unit's special ability in a more efficient way (which is also pretty darn necessary), most especially for you Heroes. Heroes are really the backbone of your troops: Heroes level up, can carry special items which grant bonuses or unleash spells and Heroes can cast auras on nearby units (that's right, much like Diablo 2 Paladins). Heroes pick from their special ability pool when they level up, exactly as in Diablo 2. A batallion without a hero usually lacks a punch. Units are also automatically set in formations by the game: melee in front, archers behind, and siege and spellcasters at the back. While it may be onfortunate you cannot yourself set the formation, this setup usually is preferred in most situations.
The creeps or the hostile non-player units are units that are scattered around the map. They are a real nail in your coffin, and will fight back during daytime (they're asleep at night). Usually you'll find them guarding strategic points on the map, like 3rd party buildings (e.g. Goblin Laboratory, which builds Goblin Zeppelins, the game's only air transport) or possess special items. The creeps are also good for "Hero training". The low foodcap of 90 and the Upkeep system have as direct consequence that you can never gather a big army, so you are almost forced to make a smaller, yet more complementary "RPG party", particularly supported by your Hero(es).
There are 3 levels of Upkeep: if your food requirement stays under 40, you have no penalties. Between 40 and 70 you get "Low Upkeep" which means that you lose 30% of revenue in both Gold and Wood (which are the two resources by the way). "High Upkeep" for food requirements over 70, adds up to a 60% loss in revenue. The Upkeep system is concocted as a penalty for defensive players, to discourage "burrowing in" and to encourage fast raids by parties limited in numbers.
The new 3D engine also has consequences concerning gameplay: there is a day/night cycle, so some units can/can't use certain abilities.

Famed for their AI, Blizzard also doesn't let down this time. Everything that made tha Starcraft AI bonehard, is here. The Singleplayer campaign has been a breeze though, but that's probably because I chose the "Normal" difficulty upon beginning. If you want more of a challenge, be sure to pick the "Hard" setting. Be warned. The AI is fast (especially in Custom Games), will relentlessly pick on your base's weak spot, and will use every Heroes' and units' dirty trick to bring you down to your knees. The computer doesn't have the difficulty of a workload, something from which you, as human player, might suffer, especially in the beginning. The mix between RTS, RPG , the 4 races (instead of 3 in Starcraft) and the many technologies and subtleties add up to a heavy strain for the player. Luckily Blizzard has streamlined the entire gameplay (thanks to months of betatesting) so that possible adjustment periods to the RPG-RTS environment are reduced to a minimum. And also, thank God for hotkeys :)

Concerning multiplayer, there are also some subtle changes. You still connect free to Battlenet, but there are some new features: next to the regular 1vs1 ladder, you've got teamladders, which stimulate clan-formation. Also new is Anonymous Matchmaking which allows easy matchup with players of comparable skill. Also new is the Observation Mode. Added with the replays, this option is going to make for some saucy aftermaths!

As a final bonus, you get the World Editor, to make your own maps, scenarios, and even own campaign, but this is nothing new and has been introduced in Starcraft: the triggersystem remains, and thus ensures easy yet complete editing possiblities.


Pros and Cons

+ Atmosphere, FMVs
+ Refinement
+ Balancing, general gameplay
+- Upkeep system
- Player workload

EP sez:

Blizzard made Warcraft 3 a classic. Big surprise. Okay, it may not be a pure RTS anymore, but the RPG elements enrichen the gameplay and despite the added workload, Warcraft III has become a very accessable title. It's a worthy sequel in the Warcraft series. And now the wait is on...for Starcraft 2.

Score:

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 9
Sound & Music: 9
Addictiviness: 9,5

Overall: 91%

(c) 2002 Erwin's Pages
Hansen "Maniac" Tay

Links

> Warcraft III Beta Review

> Official Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Site
> Blizzard