Based on the hearsay mill, Blizzard is at present engaged on a shooter sport within the StarCraft universe – once more. By my counting this may mark the corporate’s third try at creating a shooter StarCraft shooter, and given previous historical past, it’s simple to be skeptical this sport will ever see the sunshine of day.
However as we speak I need to take the glass half full method and assume the sport will arrive. What would I – a long-time StarCraft fan – wish to see out of a shooter on this universe?
I’ll begin by saying that the considered a StarCraft shooter shouldn’t be one thing that fills me with pleasure off the bat, as you might need gleaned from the tone of my opening paragraphs. As I’ve stated many instances earlier than, I feel StarCraft II is without doubt one of the biggest video games ever made, and I feel it might be greatest to only let the franchise lie. It feels to me that there’s nowhere to go from right here however down.
If StarCraft have been to proceed, I’d need it to remain true to its actual time technique roots. The RTS style is in a reasonably sorry state nowadays, and it might use a brand new champion to fill SC2‘s footwear. I’d hate to see the success of a StarCraft shooter kill hope of extra RTS within the franchise in the identical means World of Warcraft killed Warcraft RTS.
However once more, I’m making an attempt to be glass half full as we speak, so let’s attempt to think about how a shooter could possibly be a worthy continuation of the franchise. There are two issues any StarCraft shooter must do if it’s going to get any curiosity from me.
The primary is that it must have a PvE focus. Partly as a result of that’s my desire as a participant, and partly as a result of I simply don’t assume it is sensible for Blizzard to place out one other PvP shooter when Overwatch exists. With Overwatch 2 dropping the ball on PvE content material, there’s a spot in Blizzard’s roster ready to be crammed.
The second is that it wants to incorporate playable characters from all three of the principle races, not simply Terrans. I feel the selection of three factions is simply too central to the franchise’s identification to lose, and as a Protoss important because the age of seven, I’ve little curiosity in any StarCraft sport that doesn’t give me the choice to pledge my life for Aiur.
I may be prepared to make an exception for a story-driven sport centered on a single character, just like the by no means launched StarCraft: Ghost, however I don’t assume Blizzard has any urge for food for single-player video games nowadays. I’d guess any amount of cash this will likely be a dwell service title of some kind.
One apparent possibility can be make “Helldivers 2 However StarCraft.” That actually might work, however I feel that too simply lends itself to a sport the place solely Terrans are playable, and I don’t assume that type of match-based play would do justice to the depth of the StarCraft universe. I would like one thing with open world zones and correct storylines, and a latest job posting for an open world shooter sport does give me some hope on that entrance.
The extra I give it some thought, the extra I feel your best option is to make a looter shooter, and specifically one within the vein of Warframe or The First Descendant, with all kinds of playable characters from all three races.
There are a number of StarCraft models that could possibly be transformed into shooter characters, particularly if we embody marketing campaign and co-op particular models. For Terrans it’s an particularly simple match, as lots of their models are already simply dudes with weapons. Marines, marauders, medics, firebats, HERCs, and ghosts might all simply develop into characters in a looter shooter.
Protoss additionally has fairly strong choices, together with zealots, adepts, excessive templar, darkish templar, and ascendants. I feel among the smaller cybernetic models like stalkers and immortals might additionally work.
For Zerg it’s a bit trickier. Whereas I’m certain there are individuals on the market who can be comfortable enjoying as Random Hydralisk #24601, I don’t assume most Swarm models work very nicely as playable characters from both a lore or a gameplay perspective.
I do see an answer, although: the Primal Zerg launched in Coronary heart of the Swarm. Being free-willed people who can are available in a virtually infinity number of sizes and shapes, they’re a really perfect alternative for participant characters. You might additionally embody some liberated infested Terrans as playable characters.
I do assume that so as to do Zerg and Protoss characters justice the sport would wish extra strong melee mechanics than most shooters, however that could possibly be a enjoyable mechanical hook to assist set this aside from related video games.
A draw back of providing characters from all three races is that it will make the “looter” a part of the sport a bit tougher. It doesn’t make an entire lot of sense for Protoss zealots to be operating round with Terran gauss rifles, and creating distinctive loot for every character can be prohibitively costly, even for a giant developer like Blizzard.
A possible compromise can be to have a shared loot pool for every race. Terrans might accumulate weapons and devices such as you’d see in every other loot shooter, whereas Protoss might equip themselves with quite a lot of psi blades and khaydarin amulets, and the Zerg might empower themselves by gathering the essence of slain enemies. It might be fairly cool if Zerg characters might combine and match totally different appendages primarily based on their geared up essence.
You might even have some characters that draw from a number of loot swimming pools the place it is sensible. Infested Terrans might use a mixture of Terran and Zerg drops, and perhaps the psionic Terran characters might have restricted entry to Protoss gear.
By way of story, my massive concern is that the designers will do what World of Warcraft did and go straight again to complete struggle between the factions with none good justification for why. It doesn’t actually make sense for them to all be buddies, both, however I feel the present paradigm of everybody simply type of going again to their corners and agreeing to remain out of one another’s means makes the most effective sense. And it will simply be boring to maintain rehashing the identical conflicts of previous.
There are many smaller threats nonetheless lively that would make for good tales. The Kel-Morians, feral Zerg broods, the Tal’darim, varied smaller Terran pirate and terrorist teams, any hybrids which may have survived the Finish Conflict, and even the UED might all make for good enemy factions in a StarCraft shooter. An invasion by an imperialistic UED specifically could possibly be an fascinating story hook, although they’d want some new edge to justify why they don’t simply get curbstomped like final time.
I additionally assume this could possibly be an important alternative to introduce a wholly new risk to the setting. We all know there are a number of clever aliens within the StarCraft universe past the Zerg and the Protoss; we’ve simply seen nearly nothing of them. With out the necessity to fear about balancing a further RTS faction, a shooter can be an important alternative to introduce a brand new alien race as the subsequent massive bads.
It’s additionally a simple approach to create a risk that’s related to all three races. The Terrans get invaded, the Protoss resolve to defend them as a part of their dedication to the Dae’Uhl, and the Zerg are simply there to chow down on some juicy new essence.
Additionally, please don’t carry Raynor again. I really like him to loss of life, however the poor dude’s earned his retirement.
To be sincere, if and when the veil is lifted on this hypothetical StarCraft shooter, I nonetheless anticipate to be disillusioned. StarCraft II set the bar so excessive, and though the Worldsoul Saga for WoW has bucked the pattern considerably, most of Blizzard’s latest releases have been fairly bereft of inventive imaginative and prescient. I’ve a deep foreboding that it’s simply going to finish up being a trend-chasing extraction title.
However this thought train has not less than satisfied me that it’s doable to create a shooter within the StarCraft universe that I’d be excited to play.
