Well, I suppose I should become one of the cool guys and write a review of LOTV too. Note: this write-up was based on a playthrough that was concentrated mostly on a single day (with the final four missions stretched over two additional days). Not an approach I'd recommend, but I needed to finish it and get back to my reading at school (the idea of studying while knowing this was left unplayed seemed... unrealistic, to say the least).
Includes spoilers
It pleases me endlessly to proclaim LOTV as the best installment of the trilogy. It is not without its flaws, and it doesn't compare to the original game (though it could be argued it bests some of its individual episodes, particularly Overmind and The Stand), but it really is a good expansion.
I still hold the belief that Starcraft storylines in general should be dark and pessimistic, especially since Blizzard already has two "lighter" game series (Diablo, despite its grim and gothic presentation, is at its core still a semi-traditional tale of good versus evil), but as I've long settled with the idea that Starcraft wasn't going back to its roots, I was able to live with it.
Story
I was probably one of those few who defended the story of Wings of Liberty. By no means did I find it to be a masterpiece, but I struggled to see the disaster everyone else proclaimed it to be. It engaged me, even with its side plots (hey, I like seeing the universe extended). No, it was really with Heart of the Swarm that Blizzard lost me. I expected the dark, Empire Strikes Back-esque middle part, but instead I got a shallow love story. It certainly didn't help that the promised something far more sinister (it even opened with a line that doesn't appear in the game).
Legacy of the Void succeeds mostly by dialing back on the bad parts of the two previous installments. There is less cheesiness, fewer cringy lines, and in general, the story feels more focused and coherent. It is also more engaging, much because of an opening act that dares to do what Heart of a Swarm couldn't when it kills off a central character (in what surely has to be one of the series' saddest scenes, period).
Do I argue that Blizzard should have killed Raynor? Not necessarily. My problem on that part was primarily Blizzard's failure of committing to their promise. If they hadn't teased Raynor's death, there wouldn't have been a problem (modern audiences are too trained to expect a body before believing a death, and Blizzard should have been savvy enough to know this).
However, despite it generally being a good one, I must also admit that LOTV's story sometimes failed to reach a level that truly gripped me. Apart from Zeratul's death, I struggle to recall stand-out scenes or moments. There is simply too little drama. Artanis' struggle is primarily one of a physical nature, in the sense that there are enemies standing in his way that need to be crushed. The group of Protoss who stand against him are all corrupted, a far cry from the Conclave in the first game, who willingly opposed Tassadar (at the least opportune moment possible). Even the Tal'Darim are game for a union (sort of, anyway). Unlike Tassadar, Artanis doesn't win over his corrupted kin with his conviction, but rather by severing body parts.
I must give props to Blizzard for doing something with Legacy of the Void that Wings of Liberty couldn't, though, and that is to play on the existing lore of the first game. While the story of WOL could arguably have been played by a first-timer (with Kerrigan's fate and Mengsk's cruelty explained in a simple cinematic, and Zeratul conveniently forgetting Duran having made the hybrids), LOTV rewards the veteran, as it seamlessly integrates existing lore (like the Khala and the Aeon of Strife) into the main narrative, and it's all the better for it.
Gameplay
After WOL, I wondered how long Blizzard could continue their creative streak. Here was an installment where pretty much every mission offered something new, and I remember thinking how impressed I was by that. HOTS wasn't as creative, as some of the mechanics were pretty much blatant recycles of old concepts (sometimes from WOL, but also WC3's The Culling). I must also admit to feeling a strange sense of deja vu in the game when I was asked to destroy a building in one of the top map corners for the umpteenth time (LOTV replays this feeling by asking you to destroy crystals over and over).
LOTV sadly suffers from the same of the same creativity deficit as HOTS, but makes up for it with a consistently high level of presentation. LOTV's trump card is just as much its form as its content. This is a gorgeous game, with a great number of environments (I can't wait to start playing around with its tilesets). It's also a great-sounding game, with a soundtrack that I've played over and over already. A good example of the effectiveness of the presentation would be the Rak'shir mission, which takes a fairly simple concept (push the bad guy to the other side) and heightens it with its great visuals (Slayn looks so immensely cool) and fist-pumping music.
I must give extra props for the penultimate Aiur mission, Templar's Return too. Just as I began to wonder if I was ever going to get a Belly of the Beast-like mission (my favorite in WOL, and probably in the entire trilogy), I was given exactly that: a Belly of the Beast-like mission. I couldn't help but smile when it started out like Crimson Moon 6, before pleasantly turning into Bio-Tech Company 2 in the middle. Well done, Blizzard.
LOTV also gets a lot of mileage out of the Spear of Adun, which really is awesome (no other word is needed, really), as well as the numerous unit variations. I had a lot of fun building my army, and I can't tell you how many times I massed DTs, simply to see them blink everywhere (if that ability doesn't show up in some of my future work, I don't know what will). I also want to give extra props to Blizzard for giving the units traits that were true to their factions, both in looks and abilities. There is never a moment when a unit feels like it doesn't belong to its respective faction (surely, Blizzard must have consulted StealthToast).
Characters
Because Zeratul kicks it so early, the burden of carrying LOTV's story primarily rests on Artanis' shoulder, which is both good and bad. It's good because Artanis is better written than Raynor and Kerrigan, and because he is sympathetic enough for the player to stand with him through his trials. However, there is no denying that, for all his honor, he is kinda dull. He is the Leonardo character. He is honor-bound, loyal and ambitious. He's not a down-to-earth charmer caught in the middle of an alien conflict, like Raynor, nor is he an anti-hero like Kerrigan. I like Artanis, I really do, but I can't help to think of Tassadar, whose presence in the original game was so immensely profound. Artanis doesn't quite reach those levels.
It falls then, as it often does, on the side characters to color the palette, and most of them succeeds. Karax is wonderfully optimistic, so frequently enamored with the technological possibilities surrounding him that he seems to be forgetting the enormity of the situation he's in. Rohana, meanwhile, is given a solid and tragic arc where she has to slowly realize that she has to let go off her past to move. I can't say much about Vorazun, as she somewhat underused (which is surprising, considering she is the daughter of Raszagal, which surely could have inspired so many great arcs). Luckily, there's Alarak, who is so devastatingly honest about his own cruelty that you don't know if you should like him or not. Like Tychus in WOL and Abathur in HOTS, he is the break-out star, giving the campaign a well-needed spark of life.
And then there's Amon. For reasons I still can't understand, Blizzard chose to keep him in the shadows in WOL. Even in HOTS, he wasn't given much but a name. He is more present than ever in LOTV, but that isn't saying much. Unlike so many others, I don't have a problem with him being the traditional big-bad-out-to-destroy-the-universe (though something more complex would obviously have been preferable), but I still can't see the rationale of keeping him off-screen for so long. The idea of him requiring a host body is really cool (I'm a sucker for avatars, I guess), but it should have happened much sooner. Compare him to Archimonde in WC3, who was no more complex, but was at least given room to breathe in the story. SC2 deserved a great villain, and Amon wasn't it.
Final words
I liked Legacy of the Void, I really did. One day, I'm gonna play it again and see if that opinion holds, but I have a feeling it will. I also think I will like it more the second time. It's gorgeous to look at and great to listen to. It's also immensely difficult on Brutal (there was a few missions where I had to revert to Hard), which was a pleasant surprise after HOTS (which was way too easy). I don't want to give a grade (at least not yet), but instead repeat what I've said before, which is that this was a surprisingly good ending to the SC2 trilogy.
That was a good review as well, and as you said in my post, we pretty much agree on the consensus that LotV is the best StarCraft II, in storyline, at least. That is, because I can't defend the multiplayer, which at least in HotS was stronger. Check no more than a simple pro match video from the ESL channel, regarding LotV, and you'll see what I mean.
We both can agree and disagree too concerning the kickstart/sad scene of HotS concerning Raynor's supposed 'death'. As I said in another thread, my review to your Aureolin Eclipse, I think, it used the old cliche of 'making you believe your loved one is dead, when he's not', but it could've at least worked if there was a use of the 'power of suggestion', like Kerrigan keeping in contact with Raynor, hearing him fight and then scream. Yes, it'd be more hokey, but at least it'd give credence to the transmission, because we heard Raynor's screams and we wouldn't believe he's still alive and stuff.
I did that in my forsaken HotS - Alternate fanfic (Which I see more and more errors of mine, in writing and telling the story), and while it was over-cliched, the scene worked, as well as Kerrigan's abduction in that Fanfic, and all the confusion and piling up rage on the cruelty of the world contributed to her accepting a deal with virtually little option, also in that fanfic. That was both the best circumstance, the best motivations and the best construction of that time.
I disagree a bit on the fact that Artanis' development is akin to Leonardo, and that he didn't grew, at least in the way you wished it was, with Tassadar. Tassadar was more of 'standing to your convictions, and prove the world's wrong' and he sticked to it until the end. Artanis also did that, but grew in many respects possible - His character, though scarred by Zeratul's death, could also see sense and empathy even in the most dangerous of allies, otherwise he'd be such a pain in Alarak's ass, as well as he puts faith in all he can trust, including Kerrigan, and he even hesitates when it comes to saving her from her assailing Hybrid. He still remembers the atrocities she committed, yet the depictions on Ulnar, as well as Zeratul's previous faith, force him to get over his promises of payback to aid her, and he ultimately sees she's changed and not the Queen Bitch from before. Well, at least because he doesn't know what happened in Kaldir, at least...
He also grew in wisdom, with learning and accepting new truths, recognizing the Protoss needed change and unity more than ever, and also as a true leader - He convinces, by few words, the Purifiers to aid him and he's adamant that the Conclave of the past is gone, he takes the courage needed to end Shakuras, though it pains heavily his heart, so much as Vorazun's, as well as he constantly argues with Rohana on the views of the past and present, and that while her fortitude is admirable, change is ultimately required. He also stands up to Alarak constantly, regarding slaying his rivals - Just because he's got to do it, to secure an 'ally', it doesn't mean that he's got to enjoy it, or the Tal'Darim, but he at least comprehends them, as they were so much a product of Amon's manipulations as were the Protoss pre-Aeon of Strife.
And there is drama involved, as well, perhaps even more than I expected - The Korhal post-cinematic is a reaffirming of Raynor and Artanis' standing partnership, Rohana's severing is emotional and fitting to her arc, and even Karax gets to shine when even he didn't expect it, and the meaning to the end of the caste system, imposed by the Conclave years ago, means the ultimate change is inevitable - Where are Protoss see themselves as Protoss, despite their appearance, creed, belief or the feeling of bonding through a unity link. This doesn't mean, however, the Khala is bad, it did deliver a new age to the Protoss, putting an end to all slaughter, and satisfied all their emotional and psionic links when it was needed, and the Khala does mean 'faith' but it's also a lesson to never put too much faith, or become fanatic, like the Tal'Darim.
Amon, well... He's kind of complicating of where he's built up big time, but then ends up a big bad evil, but not as hokey as was Azmodan or Diablo in Diablo 3. He still does stuff, but yet I feel he could've done more, particularly in HotS, where it should be his setting up his orchestra of destruction, but we get absolutely nothing out of him. And his origins/motivations definitely needed some backing, as well. They were pretty much like Ultron was, in Age of Ultron, which was hated because, like HotS, it suggested a much more darker and sadder tone, almost in a Game of Thrones level. I'd say Season 4, at best, if you ask me.
I guess that while there are missions for about everyone's liking, I like to say my favorites were those whom were non-intrusive with time (The third Aiur prologue mission and the first Ulnar mission), as well as 'Last Stand' (But rather because of the said 'stress' test to your defenses), the first Aiur comeback mission and the second Korhal mission.
/edit BTW, I'm believing more and more that, pretty much like HotS ripped 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' in some aspects, the 'Into the Void' drank heavily from Age of Ultron in the respect of two super-beings fighting one another, one representing life while other erroneously believing he can fix the universe by just killing the shit out of everything. Figures...
Man, I must be getting old. I play the crap outta these games and just can't think of much detail beyond "oh, that was cool" or "oh, that was weird".
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You just need to look at them from a lot of many angles, and beyond 'Oh, nice', 'Oh, how cool' and 'It left a bit to be desired'. Stuff like the meaning of the scene/dialogue, the narrative aspect, the emotional impact, the connection to the story, etc.
A good example to look at is 'Coming of the Horde' which delivers pretty much what could've been the WarCraft movie, beyond just showcasing 'humans and good orcs fighting bad orcs'. It delivers drama and machinations, gives us much more depth into Gul'Dan and Medivh's characters, behind the action of the first WarCraft game and also connects pretty well with the third, with Thrall father and his clan resisting Gul'Dan and Blackhand for what they did, sacrificing their people's souls and bodies to demons for mere power.
As well as the Blood Elves campaign, set post TFT, I think, which was much more political, so to say, including the uneasy alliance with the Forsaken and stuff. And that was pretty engaging, in a way, as well as the final cutscene where Dalaran tries forcing the Blood Elves hand like they did in the past, just because they think it'd work, this time, or even Sylvanas blackmailing them in the final hour, making you realize that her aid was a trap and a play in military agreement, as well.
Man, I must be getting old. I play the crap outta these games and just can't think of much detail beyond "oh, that was cool" or "oh, that was weird".
I get where you're coming from: and that's why I haven't been discussing it much. If someone makes an interesting point that may or may not be off I might put work into pointing it out, but the most important thing in the end is the experience you got out of it. If you played through it and felt really good all throughout, then what point is there really to nitpicking lore details and complaining about retcons? The experience I had was good, and I stand by that. All events were good enough to be believable for me, and I think they would be for others as well. Discussing character development and other specifics is really only arguing for arguing sake.
P.S. Eivin, I added a spoiler tag to your thread. Otherwise another nice review.
You just need to look at them from a lot of many angles, and beyond 'Oh, nice', 'Oh, how cool' and 'It left a bit to be desired'. Stuff like the meaning of the scene/dialogue, the narrative aspect, the emotional impact, the connection to the story, etc.
I guess what I mean is that I can see all these angles, but just don't care that much anymore to analyze them - it just feels exasperating to me. And it's not just Starcraft... pretty much everything, hence the 'I'm an old fogey now'. It may also be because I commentate for 5-6 hours a week on my videos so I'm burnt out on analyzing/reviewing things. Now, if it's something I enjoy in my free time, I just hope the creators did their jobs well to make me feel that "oh, how cool" feeling without me having to analyze why I should feel that way.
Either way, I'm glad you and Eivind still take the time to do this because these sorts of reviews articulate what people like me feel about the game.
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I disagree a bit on the fact that Artanis' development is akin to Leonardo, and that he didn't grew, at least in the way you wished it was, with Tassadar.
It's not his development that's the problem, but his personality (maybe I worded myself poorly, I don't know). It's pretty common for the main character in a story to have this quality. A good example would be Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Not a bad character per se, nor one without development, but it seems everyone and their mother prefers Han Solo, because he's... well, cooler and more charismatic (it certainly also helps that Harrison Ford is a better actor than Mark Hamill). It's a hard character to get right. I'm not saying Blizzard wrote Artanis in a bad manner, but simply that his personality lacks color.
And there is drama involved, as well, perhaps even more than I expected - The Korhal post-cinematic is a reaffirming of Raynor and Artanis' standing partnership, Rohana's severing is emotional and fitting to her arc, and even Karax gets to shine when even he didn't expect it, and the meaning to the end of the caste system, imposed by the Conclave years ago, means the ultimate change is inevitable - Where are Protoss see themselves as Protoss, despite their appearance, creed, belief or the feeling of bonding through a unity link. This doesn't mean, however, the Khala is bad, it did deliver a new age to the Protoss, putting an end to all slaughter, and satisfied all their emotional and psionic links when it was needed, and the Khala does mean 'faith' but it's also a lesson to never put too much faith, or become fanatic, like the Tal'Darim.
I appreciate those points, but what I would have liked is to have something like, say, a faction who refuses to cut their nerve cords, not because they want to serve Amon (like the Tal'Darim pre-Alarak), but because they see it as a ploy by the dark templar (or something like that). This would be a nice callback to the Protoss campaigns in the original game, in the sense that they still struggle to unite, even against a common foe. Not only is that great drama, but it easily translates into gameplay as well, as you would have to fight this faction in a mission (in the same way you fought the Conclave, when you should be allying with them and fight the zerg instead). They do touch upon this with Rohana, but that's just one character, and there's no gameplay involved.
I guess you could say this is something similar to what I wanted to convey with the Amina rebellion in Amber Sun 08, where you had your allies switching sides because they thought the fight was unwinnable.
It's not his development that's the problem, but his personality (maybe I worded myself poorly, I don't know). It's pretty common for the main character in a story to have this quality. A good example would be Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Not a bad character per se, nor one without development, but it seems everyone and their mother prefers Han Solo, because he's... well, cooler and more charismatic (it certainly also helps that Harrison Ford is a better actor than Mark Hamill). It's a hard character to get right. I'm not saying Blizzard wrote Artanis in a bad manner, but simply that his personality lacks color.
Isn't that the entire point of the Protoss though, that they never change?
I'm not even talking about the Conclave and all that stuff from Starcraft 1, I mean that the Protoss are a race which are rarely-capable to adapt and change. The few individuals that cause some big changes are, paradoxically enough, praised as saviors by future generations (Adun, Tassadar, Artanis, Zeratul).
This makes for some "boring" stories with the Protoss because there is little to relate to for the player. No sudden bursts of emotions, no irrational actions etc.
(This also was an issue with Heart of the Swarm and most of the Zerg characters the player could talk to within the Leviathan.)
Alas, the writers have to maintain the realism and let the characters act accordingly. "Reality isn't always entertaining" as they say.
Sometimes it is a case of bad writing of course, but sometimes it's not. I though that Artanis had at least a little bit of personality beyond his commander role at least.
I'm not sure the point is that they don't change, as much as it is that they have a hard time changing. Because, after all, they do change a lot during the two games. In The Fall, they learn to embrace the dark templars once more (they even side with humans), with Aldaris and the rest of the Conclave realizing the error of their ways. In The Stand, this alliance is challenged, first because they have to leave Aiur for Shakuras, and second because they decide to ally with Kerrigan. True, Aldaris reverts to his old ways somewhat, but we later learn this is because he knows Kerrigan is controlling Raszagal.
Between the first game and the second, they slowly reunite again, though there is obvious tension, which Artanis tries to suppress with his attempt to reclaim Aiur in LOTV. When this fails, the Protoss has to change once more, first by surrendering the Khala, then later by uniting with the Purifiers and the Tal'darim to defeat Amon. They also come to the rescue on Korhal, returning Raynor's favor when he helped them with the Overmind.
It's also immensely difficult on Brutal (there was a few missions where I had to revert to Hard)
You created Aureolin Eclipse 10 and the Perfect Soldiers trilogy, one of the hardest campaign series on sc2mapster, i cannot believe this, i did all the campaign on blind with Brutal difficulty and all side objectives... It was hard, really hard sometimes, but not impossible, maybe you had to revert to hard the mission of the Keystone defence ? If you did... I have an answer for you... Karax... I think you already understand what i mean...
Yeah, from the moment I could build Void Rays the entire campaign became really easy :D Have finished everything on brutal except for the last two epilogue missions (wonder why...)
As far as units went some of the options where so disgustingly powerful. The Tal Darim Immortal, combined with the Tal Darim Sentry led to some serious ground level destruction, or the Nerazim Dark Templars blink slash ability which also annihilated ground units quickly, and the void rays where just absurd. But they all certainly made the campaign more interesting.
And on the note of characters I agree with your thoughts on really everyone but with Karax I must disagree. His awe and self doubt always felt out of place and he never really developed in my opinion. Not to mention how the fucking artifact was the end all be all of any real problem. It just kept having additional uses stretching it's value a bit to thinly.
Gameplay I found to be a much higher caliber then HoTs in many ways. The Hero focus in HoTs I always felt was a mistake and made things much to easy. If things started to go sour Kerrigan was always there to clean up the mess. If she had been used much more intermittently, like Heroes in LoTv it would've worked better. The ability to switch up the army was always great and the fact that you could make all the production facilities warp ins was great! The constant excuses for solarite felt flimsy but necessary to continue expanding the Spear of Adun.
All of these things are minor and don't come anywhere near ruining the game for me, and it wrapped up the series well for me. Plus it bears to point out that for the most part Video Games (Perhaps most media in general) have a much smaller focus on story and focus more on the immediate satisfaction (think explosions and action in movies, easy punchlines in TV, or games like Call Of Duty). It seems the majority of people prefer things which don't involve a lot of investment. Even big RPG games suffer from this. Fallout 4 is no where near as in depth in story as I found 3 or NV and focused a bit more on the fighting and crafting. I'm not saying this is a bad thing but I certainly find things a bit one sided.
Yeah, from the moment I could build Void Rays the entire campaign became really easy :D Have finished everything on brutal except for the last two epilogue missions (wonder why...)
The last two missions of the epilogue were hard indeed, first mission you must spam kerrigan powers to can build up a sh*tload of tanks, turrets-vikings to help your allies, do bunkers only for you and artanis; The last mission you must go mutas, cap 200 psy of Muta asap and keep kerrigan with a bunch of queens and ultras, use your ultimate only vs very big waves
Legacy of the Void - Review
Well, I suppose I should become one of the cool guys and write a review of LOTV too. Note: this write-up was based on a playthrough that was concentrated mostly on a single day (with the final four missions stretched over two additional days). Not an approach I'd recommend, but I needed to finish it and get back to my reading at school (the idea of studying while knowing this was left unplayed seemed... unrealistic, to say the least).
Includes spoilers
It pleases me endlessly to proclaim LOTV as the best installment of the trilogy. It is not without its flaws, and it doesn't compare to the original game (though it could be argued it bests some of its individual episodes, particularly Overmind and The Stand), but it really is a good expansion.
I still hold the belief that Starcraft storylines in general should be dark and pessimistic, especially since Blizzard already has two "lighter" game series (Diablo, despite its grim and gothic presentation, is at its core still a semi-traditional tale of good versus evil), but as I've long settled with the idea that Starcraft wasn't going back to its roots, I was able to live with it.
Story
I was probably one of those few who defended the story of Wings of Liberty. By no means did I find it to be a masterpiece, but I struggled to see the disaster everyone else proclaimed it to be. It engaged me, even with its side plots (hey, I like seeing the universe extended). No, it was really with Heart of the Swarm that Blizzard lost me. I expected the dark, Empire Strikes Back-esque middle part, but instead I got a shallow love story. It certainly didn't help that the promised something far more sinister (it even opened with a line that doesn't appear in the game).
Legacy of the Void succeeds mostly by dialing back on the bad parts of the two previous installments. There is less cheesiness, fewer cringy lines, and in general, the story feels more focused and coherent. It is also more engaging, much because of an opening act that dares to do what Heart of a Swarm couldn't when it kills off a central character (in what surely has to be one of the series' saddest scenes, period).
Do I argue that Blizzard should have killed Raynor? Not necessarily. My problem on that part was primarily Blizzard's failure of committing to their promise. If they hadn't teased Raynor's death, there wouldn't have been a problem (modern audiences are too trained to expect a body before believing a death, and Blizzard should have been savvy enough to know this).
However, despite it generally being a good one, I must also admit that LOTV's story sometimes failed to reach a level that truly gripped me. Apart from Zeratul's death, I struggle to recall stand-out scenes or moments. There is simply too little drama. Artanis' struggle is primarily one of a physical nature, in the sense that there are enemies standing in his way that need to be crushed. The group of Protoss who stand against him are all corrupted, a far cry from the Conclave in the first game, who willingly opposed Tassadar (at the least opportune moment possible). Even the Tal'Darim are game for a union (sort of, anyway). Unlike Tassadar, Artanis doesn't win over his corrupted kin with his conviction, but rather by severing body parts.
I must give props to Blizzard for doing something with Legacy of the Void that Wings of Liberty couldn't, though, and that is to play on the existing lore of the first game. While the story of WOL could arguably have been played by a first-timer (with Kerrigan's fate and Mengsk's cruelty explained in a simple cinematic, and Zeratul conveniently forgetting Duran having made the hybrids), LOTV rewards the veteran, as it seamlessly integrates existing lore (like the Khala and the Aeon of Strife) into the main narrative, and it's all the better for it.
Gameplay
After WOL, I wondered how long Blizzard could continue their creative streak. Here was an installment where pretty much every mission offered something new, and I remember thinking how impressed I was by that. HOTS wasn't as creative, as some of the mechanics were pretty much blatant recycles of old concepts (sometimes from WOL, but also WC3's The Culling). I must also admit to feeling a strange sense of deja vu in the game when I was asked to destroy a building in one of the top map corners for the umpteenth time (LOTV replays this feeling by asking you to destroy crystals over and over).
LOTV sadly suffers from the same of the same creativity deficit as HOTS, but makes up for it with a consistently high level of presentation. LOTV's trump card is just as much its form as its content. This is a gorgeous game, with a great number of environments (I can't wait to start playing around with its tilesets). It's also a great-sounding game, with a soundtrack that I've played over and over already. A good example of the effectiveness of the presentation would be the Rak'shir mission, which takes a fairly simple concept (push the bad guy to the other side) and heightens it with its great visuals (Slayn looks so immensely cool) and fist-pumping music.
I must give extra props for the penultimate Aiur mission, Templar's Return too. Just as I began to wonder if I was ever going to get a Belly of the Beast-like mission (my favorite in WOL, and probably in the entire trilogy), I was given exactly that: a Belly of the Beast-like mission. I couldn't help but smile when it started out like Crimson Moon 6, before pleasantly turning into Bio-Tech Company 2 in the middle. Well done, Blizzard.
LOTV also gets a lot of mileage out of the Spear of Adun, which really is awesome (no other word is needed, really), as well as the numerous unit variations. I had a lot of fun building my army, and I can't tell you how many times I massed DTs, simply to see them blink everywhere (if that ability doesn't show up in some of my future work, I don't know what will). I also want to give extra props to Blizzard for giving the units traits that were true to their factions, both in looks and abilities. There is never a moment when a unit feels like it doesn't belong to its respective faction (surely, Blizzard must have consulted StealthToast).
Characters
Because Zeratul kicks it so early, the burden of carrying LOTV's story primarily rests on Artanis' shoulder, which is both good and bad. It's good because Artanis is better written than Raynor and Kerrigan, and because he is sympathetic enough for the player to stand with him through his trials. However, there is no denying that, for all his honor, he is kinda dull. He is the Leonardo character. He is honor-bound, loyal and ambitious. He's not a down-to-earth charmer caught in the middle of an alien conflict, like Raynor, nor is he an anti-hero like Kerrigan. I like Artanis, I really do, but I can't help to think of Tassadar, whose presence in the original game was so immensely profound. Artanis doesn't quite reach those levels.
It falls then, as it often does, on the side characters to color the palette, and most of them succeeds. Karax is wonderfully optimistic, so frequently enamored with the technological possibilities surrounding him that he seems to be forgetting the enormity of the situation he's in. Rohana, meanwhile, is given a solid and tragic arc where she has to slowly realize that she has to let go off her past to move. I can't say much about Vorazun, as she somewhat underused (which is surprising, considering she is the daughter of Raszagal, which surely could have inspired so many great arcs). Luckily, there's Alarak, who is so devastatingly honest about his own cruelty that you don't know if you should like him or not. Like Tychus in WOL and Abathur in HOTS, he is the break-out star, giving the campaign a well-needed spark of life.
And then there's Amon. For reasons I still can't understand, Blizzard chose to keep him in the shadows in WOL. Even in HOTS, he wasn't given much but a name. He is more present than ever in LOTV, but that isn't saying much. Unlike so many others, I don't have a problem with him being the traditional big-bad-out-to-destroy-the-universe (though something more complex would obviously have been preferable), but I still can't see the rationale of keeping him off-screen for so long. The idea of him requiring a host body is really cool (I'm a sucker for avatars, I guess), but it should have happened much sooner. Compare him to Archimonde in WC3, who was no more complex, but was at least given room to breathe in the story. SC2 deserved a great villain, and Amon wasn't it.
Final words
I liked Legacy of the Void, I really did. One day, I'm gonna play it again and see if that opinion holds, but I have a feeling it will. I also think I will like it more the second time. It's gorgeous to look at and great to listen to. It's also immensely difficult on Brutal (there was a few missions where I had to revert to Hard), which was a pleasant surprise after HOTS (which was way too easy). I don't want to give a grade (at least not yet), but instead repeat what I've said before, which is that this was a surprisingly good ending to the SC2 trilogy.
@EivindL: Go
That was a good review as well, and as you said in my post, we pretty much agree on the consensus that LotV is the best StarCraft II, in storyline, at least. That is, because I can't defend the multiplayer, which at least in HotS was stronger. Check no more than a simple pro match video from the ESL channel, regarding LotV, and you'll see what I mean.
We both can agree and disagree too concerning the kickstart/sad scene of HotS concerning Raynor's supposed 'death'. As I said in another thread, my review to your Aureolin Eclipse, I think, it used the old cliche of 'making you believe your loved one is dead, when he's not', but it could've at least worked if there was a use of the 'power of suggestion', like Kerrigan keeping in contact with Raynor, hearing him fight and then scream. Yes, it'd be more hokey, but at least it'd give credence to the transmission, because we heard Raynor's screams and we wouldn't believe he's still alive and stuff.
I did that in my forsaken HotS - Alternate fanfic (Which I see more and more errors of mine, in writing and telling the story), and while it was over-cliched, the scene worked, as well as Kerrigan's abduction in that Fanfic, and all the confusion and piling up rage on the cruelty of the world contributed to her accepting a deal with virtually little option, also in that fanfic. That was both the best circumstance, the best motivations and the best construction of that time.
I disagree a bit on the fact that Artanis' development is akin to Leonardo, and that he didn't grew, at least in the way you wished it was, with Tassadar. Tassadar was more of 'standing to your convictions, and prove the world's wrong' and he sticked to it until the end. Artanis also did that, but grew in many respects possible - His character, though scarred by Zeratul's death, could also see sense and empathy even in the most dangerous of allies, otherwise he'd be such a pain in Alarak's ass, as well as he puts faith in all he can trust, including Kerrigan, and he even hesitates when it comes to saving her from her assailing Hybrid. He still remembers the atrocities she committed, yet the depictions on Ulnar, as well as Zeratul's previous faith, force him to get over his promises of payback to aid her, and he ultimately sees she's changed and not the Queen Bitch from before. Well, at least because he doesn't know what happened in Kaldir, at least...
He also grew in wisdom, with learning and accepting new truths, recognizing the Protoss needed change and unity more than ever, and also as a true leader - He convinces, by few words, the Purifiers to aid him and he's adamant that the Conclave of the past is gone, he takes the courage needed to end Shakuras, though it pains heavily his heart, so much as Vorazun's, as well as he constantly argues with Rohana on the views of the past and present, and that while her fortitude is admirable, change is ultimately required. He also stands up to Alarak constantly, regarding slaying his rivals - Just because he's got to do it, to secure an 'ally', it doesn't mean that he's got to enjoy it, or the Tal'Darim, but he at least comprehends them, as they were so much a product of Amon's manipulations as were the Protoss pre-Aeon of Strife.
And there is drama involved, as well, perhaps even more than I expected - The Korhal post-cinematic is a reaffirming of Raynor and Artanis' standing partnership, Rohana's severing is emotional and fitting to her arc, and even Karax gets to shine when even he didn't expect it, and the meaning to the end of the caste system, imposed by the Conclave years ago, means the ultimate change is inevitable - Where are Protoss see themselves as Protoss, despite their appearance, creed, belief or the feeling of bonding through a unity link. This doesn't mean, however, the Khala is bad, it did deliver a new age to the Protoss, putting an end to all slaughter, and satisfied all their emotional and psionic links when it was needed, and the Khala does mean 'faith' but it's also a lesson to never put too much faith, or become fanatic, like the Tal'Darim.
Amon, well... He's kind of complicating of where he's built up big time, but then ends up a big bad evil, but not as hokey as was Azmodan or Diablo in Diablo 3. He still does stuff, but yet I feel he could've done more, particularly in HotS, where it should be his setting up his orchestra of destruction, but we get absolutely nothing out of him. And his origins/motivations definitely needed some backing, as well. They were pretty much like Ultron was, in Age of Ultron, which was hated because, like HotS, it suggested a much more darker and sadder tone, almost in a Game of Thrones level. I'd say Season 4, at best, if you ask me.
I guess that while there are missions for about everyone's liking, I like to say my favorites were those whom were non-intrusive with time (The third Aiur prologue mission and the first Ulnar mission), as well as 'Last Stand' (But rather because of the said 'stress' test to your defenses), the first Aiur comeback mission and the second Korhal mission.
/edit BTW, I'm believing more and more that, pretty much like HotS ripped 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' in some aspects, the 'Into the Void' drank heavily from Age of Ultron in the respect of two super-beings fighting one another, one representing life while other erroneously believing he can fix the universe by just killing the shit out of everything. Figures...
Man, I must be getting old. I play the crap outta these games and just can't think of much detail beyond "oh, that was cool" or "oh, that was weird".
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@JayborinoPlays: Go
You just need to look at them from a lot of many angles, and beyond 'Oh, nice', 'Oh, how cool' and 'It left a bit to be desired'. Stuff like the meaning of the scene/dialogue, the narrative aspect, the emotional impact, the connection to the story, etc.
A good example to look at is 'Coming of the Horde' which delivers pretty much what could've been the WarCraft movie, beyond just showcasing 'humans and good orcs fighting bad orcs'. It delivers drama and machinations, gives us much more depth into Gul'Dan and Medivh's characters, behind the action of the first WarCraft game and also connects pretty well with the third, with Thrall father and his clan resisting Gul'Dan and Blackhand for what they did, sacrificing their people's souls and bodies to demons for mere power.
As well as the Blood Elves campaign, set post TFT, I think, which was much more political, so to say, including the uneasy alliance with the Forsaken and stuff. And that was pretty engaging, in a way, as well as the final cutscene where Dalaran tries forcing the Blood Elves hand like they did in the past, just because they think it'd work, this time, or even Sylvanas blackmailing them in the final hour, making you realize that her aid was a trap and a play in military agreement, as well.
I get where you're coming from: and that's why I haven't been discussing it much. If someone makes an interesting point that may or may not be off I might put work into pointing it out, but the most important thing in the end is the experience you got out of it. If you played through it and felt really good all throughout, then what point is there really to nitpicking lore details and complaining about retcons? The experience I had was good, and I stand by that. All events were good enough to be believable for me, and I think they would be for others as well. Discussing character development and other specifics is really only arguing for arguing sake.
P.S. Eivin, I added a spoiler tag to your thread. Otherwise another nice review.
@DeltaCadimus: Go
I guess what I mean is that I can see all these angles, but just don't care that much anymore to analyze them - it just feels exasperating to me. And it's not just Starcraft... pretty much everything, hence the 'I'm an old fogey now'. It may also be because I commentate for 5-6 hours a week on my videos so I'm burnt out on analyzing/reviewing things. Now, if it's something I enjoy in my free time, I just hope the creators did their jobs well to make me feel that "oh, how cool" feeling without me having to analyze why I should feel that way.
Either way, I'm glad you and Eivind still take the time to do this because these sorts of reviews articulate what people like me feel about the game.
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@JayborinoPlays: Go
What they call angles, I call pickiness, lol.
It's not his development that's the problem, but his personality (maybe I worded myself poorly, I don't know). It's pretty common for the main character in a story to have this quality. A good example would be Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Not a bad character per se, nor one without development, but it seems everyone and their mother prefers Han Solo, because he's... well, cooler and more charismatic (it certainly also helps that Harrison Ford is a better actor than Mark Hamill). It's a hard character to get right. I'm not saying Blizzard wrote Artanis in a bad manner, but simply that his personality lacks color.
I appreciate those points, but what I would have liked is to have something like, say, a faction who refuses to cut their nerve cords, not because they want to serve Amon (like the Tal'Darim pre-Alarak), but because they see it as a ploy by the dark templar (or something like that). This would be a nice callback to the Protoss campaigns in the original game, in the sense that they still struggle to unite, even against a common foe. Not only is that great drama, but it easily translates into gameplay as well, as you would have to fight this faction in a mission (in the same way you fought the Conclave, when you should be allying with them and fight the zerg instead). They do touch upon this with Rohana, but that's just one character, and there's no gameplay involved.
I guess you could say this is something similar to what I wanted to convey with the Amina rebellion in Amber Sun 08, where you had your allies switching sides because they thought the fight was unwinnable.
Isn't that the entire point of the Protoss though, that they never change?
I'm not even talking about the Conclave and all that stuff from Starcraft 1, I mean that the Protoss are a race which are rarely-capable to adapt and change. The few individuals that cause some big changes are, paradoxically enough, praised as saviors by future generations (Adun, Tassadar, Artanis, Zeratul).
This makes for some "boring" stories with the Protoss because there is little to relate to for the player. No sudden bursts of emotions, no irrational actions etc. (This also was an issue with Heart of the Swarm and most of the Zerg characters the player could talk to within the Leviathan.)
Alas, the writers have to maintain the realism and let the characters act accordingly. "Reality isn't always entertaining" as they say.
Sometimes it is a case of bad writing of course, but sometimes it's not. I though that Artanis had at least a little bit of personality beyond his commander role at least.
I'm not sure the point is that they don't change, as much as it is that they have a hard time changing. Because, after all, they do change a lot during the two games. In The Fall, they learn to embrace the dark templars once more (they even side with humans), with Aldaris and the rest of the Conclave realizing the error of their ways. In The Stand, this alliance is challenged, first because they have to leave Aiur for Shakuras, and second because they decide to ally with Kerrigan. True, Aldaris reverts to his old ways somewhat, but we later learn this is because he knows Kerrigan is controlling Raszagal.
Between the first game and the second, they slowly reunite again, though there is obvious tension, which Artanis tries to suppress with his attempt to reclaim Aiur in LOTV. When this fails, the Protoss has to change once more, first by surrendering the Khala, then later by uniting with the Purifiers and the Tal'darim to defeat Amon. They also come to the rescue on Korhal, returning Raynor's favor when he helped them with the Overmind.
Yeah, from the moment I could build Void Rays the entire campaign became really easy :D Have finished everything on brutal except for the last two epilogue missions (wonder why...)
As far as units went some of the options where so disgustingly powerful. The Tal Darim Immortal, combined with the Tal Darim Sentry led to some serious ground level destruction, or the Nerazim Dark Templars blink slash ability which also annihilated ground units quickly, and the void rays where just absurd. But they all certainly made the campaign more interesting.
And on the note of characters I agree with your thoughts on really everyone but with Karax I must disagree. His awe and self doubt always felt out of place and he never really developed in my opinion. Not to mention how the fucking artifact was the end all be all of any real problem. It just kept having additional uses stretching it's value a bit to thinly.
Gameplay I found to be a much higher caliber then HoTs in many ways. The Hero focus in HoTs I always felt was a mistake and made things much to easy. If things started to go sour Kerrigan was always there to clean up the mess. If she had been used much more intermittently, like Heroes in LoTv it would've worked better. The ability to switch up the army was always great and the fact that you could make all the production facilities warp ins was great! The constant excuses for solarite felt flimsy but necessary to continue expanding the Spear of Adun.
All of these things are minor and don't come anywhere near ruining the game for me, and it wrapped up the series well for me. Plus it bears to point out that for the most part Video Games (Perhaps most media in general) have a much smaller focus on story and focus more on the immediate satisfaction (think explosions and action in movies, easy punchlines in TV, or games like Call Of Duty). It seems the majority of people prefer things which don't involve a lot of investment. Even big RPG games suffer from this. Fallout 4 is no where near as in depth in story as I found 3 or NV and focused a bit more on the fighting and crafting. I'm not saying this is a bad thing but I certainly find things a bit one sided.
Some people just like writing... Me? Well, I expected to get a bunch of gimmicky missions, some where interesting, some were boring. That's all.
The last two missions of the epilogue were hard indeed, first mission you must spam kerrigan powers to can build up a sh*tload of tanks, turrets-vikings to help your allies, do bunkers only for you and artanis; The last mission you must go mutas, cap 200 psy of Muta asap and keep kerrigan with a bunch of queens and ultras, use your ultimate only vs very big waves
I agree there's not enough Vorazun. Good thing the fanfics and r34 will make up for all that.