Although it is not normally my practice to reveal which way I lean in a Versus piece, with “Starcraft II,” I think it becomes necessary to weigh in with some of my actual thoughts on the game. I’ve spent a great deal of time with it, and I must confess that my position is one of unbridled enthusiasm. I love the game. Or maybe the emotion I feel is much simpler: I love playing the game. When I boot it up, I have an irresistably satisfying experience, and long to remain trapped in its grasp forever. That is as far as I will go. Honestly, most of the accusations raised against it are, in my mind, completely accurate: one campaign instead of three is a bit of a cheat, and no one is mistaking this thing for a pioneer in its field. Once you extend the wait for a sequel past a decade, I think it’s kind of good form to come out of the gate with something that people can attach themselves to as justification. It’s just psychologically easier.
Nonetheless, I must remain firm in one basic conviction: I can’t hate or even dislike the game. I can’t be indifferent to it. I can’t give it a B+ and call it a day, because it would be a filthy lie. The problem is: it’s just so much fun. It reminds me of “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” another game that was short on innovation but long on precision engineering. It’s easy to begrudge it from a distance, but I dare you to put the remote in your hand and keep the tears from your eyes. Sometimes there’s just more to be mined from a concept, and I think that is as much the case with “Galaxy” as it is with “Starcraft II.” I don’t deny that more could have been done, and I certainly don’t begrudge anyone who stays away, but you cannot ask me not to love this thing.
