Feature
Fans, creators, and pro gamers dissect the definitive real-time strategy game.
By Kat Bailey
In May 1997, Computer Gaming World magazine featured a cover that would prove to be deeply controversial among real-time strategy fans. It featured StarCraft’s trademark Hydralisk alongside the caption “Best Strategy Game Yet!”, a proclamation that raised the ire of everyone from Command & Conquer diehards to Civilization enthusiasts. Even internally, the magazine’s staff shared a heated debate over the headline as well. It was a dangerous bold statement, especially given that StarCraft was still more than a year away from release.
More than a decade later, however, StarCraft is hailed as one of the finest real-time strategy games ever made. It has long since become synonymous with gaming in Korea, and its sequel is one of the most hotly anticipated games of the year. The real-time strategy genre is arguably at a crossroads, but the StarCraft brand is as strong as ever.
