Description

Silence looms over the ruthless conflict between Terran, Protoss, and Zerg - but the ghosts of the past whisper your name. This limited edition collector's set has been specially created to commemorate the premiere of the next chapter in the world's greatest strategy game. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition includes a wealth of rate and exclusive items to aid you in your epic campaigns throughout the Koprulu sector.

Customer Reviews

 Just great - Aug 30, 2010

For those of us who grew up playing the original StarCraft, this game does not disappoint. It builds and improves upon the original game in every conceivable way while maintaining the original game's authenticity and distinct style of play. Initially I was afraid that StarCraft II was going to be "WarCraft III In Space". Fortunately this is not the case. The Collector's Edition is a must have for all StarCraft fans.

 An outstanding continuation of the Starcraft Saga - Aug 30, 2010

The gameplay is very similar to the original, just as you'd expect. The new units add additional layers of strategy are some are just plain cool. The graphics are amazing. The campaign is original, the missions are well thought out and fun. It's not the standard "destroy the other side" you see in most RTS games.

So many people are complaining that they "have to pay three times for the same game". BS. This is way more game than you usually get for $60. Sure, the original Starcraft came with all three campaigns as did the Brood war expansion, but this campaign is bigger, has far more depth, far more story, and in my opinion, is far more fun. You're getting a lot of game here. Also, please consider that Blizzard has not announced or set prices for the additional campaigns. I could be wrong, but I expect the expansions to be in the realm of $30, not an extra $60. Even if they were $60, I'd pay it because this game is awesome, but wait until prices are announced before you start complaining that you're paying $180.

I do agree that I don't like the requirement to have an Internet connection in order to play. I understand Blizzard is trying to reduce piracy (and seeing some of other reviews suggesting you torrent this game, I can almost see why), but if my Internet goes out, I'd still want to play. If any pirates are reading this, Stop Pirating! You're just ruining things for the rest of us. This is a quality game. Pay for it! If you don't think it's worth the money. Don't buy it! But that means you don't get to play it. Sorry for the rant.

I'm less concerned about the lack of a LAN option. So far, the need or even desire for it hasn't come up. I haven't played much multi-player yet, but when I've done so, I've connected to people across the country so Internet play has been just fine for me.

 Tough to beat! - Aug 30, 2010

This is an excellent strategy game with so many talented players it will be tough for beginners (like myself) to will anything at all. Fortunately, there is an (AI)mode where you can practice against the computer on the many maps available to improve your skills. There is a story mode that i have yet to play and have little interest in. I must warn you though, once fully focused, one could literally play this game for days until they pass out. Run out and buy it. It is often called chess on steroids. Your brain will be working over time to get remotely close to good. Happy gaming.

 A worthy successor to the namesake. - Aug 30, 2010

As a preface, I have been an avid gamer since 1994 or so. I have played every one of Blizzard's releases in that time.

StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty, hits the nail on the head. It has just enough in common with SC1+Brood War to feel like a sequel,without feeling like the same game. It doesn't feel stale or stagnant because while the major mechanics remain the same, new units, story elements, and map mechanics fill in between the beautiful new rendering engine. Additionally, the cinematic content is top-notch. (Blizzard needs to start making movies.)

If you aren't familiar with SC1 or with Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games, SC2 may be a little challenging. However, unlike SC1, SC2 includes difficulty modes, which can mitigate much of the initial difficulty.

As for the multiplayer content, it is quite satisfying as a sequel to the massively popular SC1 multiplayer. Most of the units from the single-player campaign are available (but several old friends from Brood War are, sadly, absent). Games are fast-paces and adrenaline-fueled. Learning the multiplayer strategies as a new player would be very frustrating, as much of the strategy goes against the tactics learned in single-player. The best way to learn to play is to watch the pros (either Major League Gaming, replays on [...], or game-casting on youtube).

If you're up for a challenge, and don't mind needing an internet connection to play your game, StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty is for you.

Also, the collector's edition add-ins rock, especially the dogtag-thumbdrive.

 Blizzard Does It Right Again - Aug 28, 2010

With Starcraft 2, Blizzard didn't try to reinvent the wheel. The game-play is very similar to the original games. The graphics have been brought up to date, and beyond, but as always, you don't need to go out and buy a new computer to run it. I'm using a 5 year old computer with an Nvidia 8000 series video card, and it runs smooth on medium settings.

We had to wait for the game, and Blizzard made it worthwhile. It's apparent the work and thought that went into the campaign, and a lot of other features, like "challenges" to help the player refine their skill.

The collectors edition was pricey, but again, Blizzard gives you value. Personally, I was mainly interested in the World of Warcraft pet, but the other content was great too.

 A Great Game - Aug 28, 2010

A Great Game. Worth Getting, And Collectors Edition is comes with so much i really like it even the World of Warcraft in game pet

 Great game, but can fry a video card - Aug 27, 2010

Played during Beta, awesome game. Was very much looking forward to installing it as soon as I got home from vacation. Did just that with no issues, started up a campaign, and a couple minutes into the intro, after Jim Raynor got released, my PC went BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) on me and crashed. Initially, I was shocked because I had not seen BSOD in over three years, wasn't even sure it was possible in Windows 7. Attempted to boot back up with no luck and all signs pointed to my video card going bad. Bad luck? Possibly, but unlikely since googling reveals many cases of this.

Seems the game has a bug, which causes a video card to continually run at whatever FPS it maxes out on. Example: The video card is running at 120 FPS during a non-graphically intense scene, and when the graphics do get intense, the video card continues to run at 120 FPS whether it is capable or not, causing it to overheat. Blizzard acknowledges the bug, yet continues to blame this on poor computer maintenance, lack of updated drivers, etc. Shocking, right? None of their excuses applied in my case.

Luckily, EVGA is awesome and the video card is being RMA'd. I'll have to mess with settings before starting it next time, which is ridiculous, but I already paid for the game and will surely enjoy it. Two stars because Blizzard shipped a game which can fry a video card.

 For my boyfriend... - Aug 26, 2010

This was purchased as a surprise for my boyfriend. He likes this series very much but was a little frustrated when he first played. Collector's Edition is a bit expensive :(

 It's finally here! - Aug 25, 2010

It's here. After twelve long years, StarCraft II is finally here! And I'm here to give you the run-down of how things are in the world of StarCraft. Enjoy your stay!

I bought the collector's edition. I normally don't buy collector's editions, but I actually really respect Blizzard's games. They're pretty much perfect on release, and when you buy a Blizzard game, you know you're buying quality. It's like buying a Valve game. The packaging is pretty awesome. It's made of cardboard, but it's none of that flimsy cardboard that will get smashed if you put any pressure on it. It's sturdy. Inside this beautiful package, there's an art book, a comic book, the soundtrack, a DVD with the cinematic movies and behind the scenes, a 2GB USB thumb drive that is in the shape of some futuristic space dog tags (included on this is a copy of the original game and expansion pack), and of course, the main product, StarCraft II.


I've seen on NeoGaf a few people complaining about install time. Hours. And hours. I was installed and patched within 20 minutes or less. I was eating while it installed and when I went back over to check it. I'm not denying it could take that long, but it didn't happen to me. While installing, you do have to activate the product through Battle.net. Seriously, not that bad of DRM. I have actually heard that once it's activated on a computer, you can run in a "Guest" mode to play offline. I haven't tried this, but it should clear up some concern that people had about not being able to play their game when the servers are down, a concern I greatly share.

When you load up the game, you're greeted with a login screen for your Battle.net account. Create your profile name, and there you are. The menu. Single player? Multiplayer? First thing I did was mess around in the profile settings. I had to check out the collector's edition's avatars. Avatars are unlocked by doing certain things in the game, such as beat 5 multiplayer games with your choice of race. I picked the Terran Diablo avatar, since I'm more of a Diablo fan than anything else. I also scrolled the achievements in the game, just to see what types of things I'll be challenged to do. Boy, there's some tough ones! Beating this game on Brutal? I can only imagine the stress levels of playing through that. Unlike Xbox Live achievements, these are setup more like Steams achievements. You don't get a total score. You basically just collect them for your own personal enjoyment. No e-peen Viagra here!

Graphically, this is the best I've seen, beating out anything I've see in an RTS game so far. Best of all, the game runs at a rather smooth frame rate. From what I've seen from other players (personal and indirect), it runs rather well on mid-range machines as well. Textures are really high end. When you zoom in, you can really tell they put some great effort in the art department. Explosions and the gore is just more eye candy that is done Blizzard-well. The music in the game is outstanding, and deserves special mention. I'm actually glad I got the soundtrack, which replaced my Misfits album that's been playing for a little over a year on repeat in my car. (Track 3 is killer, by the way). Voice acting a hit and miss, mainly a hit.

Single player: I started on Normal, as I want to get familiar with action based RTS gaming again, compared to my more laid backCivilization IV I've been pushing out for over 30 hours a week. The menu is perfect. Rarely have I cared about discussing a menu before, but this one is unique. It's a bar, with a bit of a western/space feel. There's your guy, Jim Raynor, sitting at a bar, having a drink. Next to him is a marine in full armor named Tychus Findley. You'll learn about these guys as you play. There's so much hidden interaction that it gives a more life-like feel to the game.

The story, I'm not going to go into as I want everyone to experience it. All I'm going to reveal is it's long, fun, and challenging.

Multi Player: I've played my fair share of beta, so I'll give a mix of both worlds. First, Battle.net. Battle.net's match making service should put Xbox Live match making to shame. It doesn't just find a game to jump into. It finds players who are about equal to you. It works most of the time. Sometimes you'll run into a player that's obviously overpowered. Usually, this is from the expert players just now getting into the game and having to go through the same newbie ladder as the rest of us. And if you're no good, you get to jump through 50 practice games to get familiar with the game. Or you can skip the ladder matches and find your own matches through Custom Games. Custom games will be explained later.

Getting friends is easy. Search by email, add friends through their user name, or find your Facebook friends through an easy import system. Once you have a friend, you can then add them to your party and jump in match-rankings, or just Custom Games. What's really great is you can have a "friendship" ladder in the game, meaning it will show how you and Joe Blow friend rank as a team, separate from your main ladder.

Balance is really not an issue in this game. From beta, I felt this game was already well balanced. It's typical ground vs. ground vs. air vs. air gameplay. However, it's all about how quick you are at the game. With the replay editor, you can download professional matches and watch build orders, learn some of their moves, and establish base from those. Or you can re-watch your own games and see what great or horrible moves you've already accomplished.


Now, time to talk about Custom Games. With Blizzard's awesome map editor, you can basically make new games out of the StarCraft engine. People familiar with Defense Tower, PixelJunk Monster, or other tower defense games may be familiar with the TD maps that players have put out. Waves of monsters, limited cash, skill: it's the name of the game. Last night, I played a match ofDouble Dragon beat-em-up action, complete with a player select screen, co-op, and more. It's a real treat to see this early on, so many great new gameplay methods are being used. It's taken the original StarCraft and WarCraft III map editing to new lengths already.

Blizzards also introducing a marketplace for premium maps and units. We'll get more details on this later, but in theory, this is going to be the place you get the maps that players have made that are totally awesome and may create new game experiences.

Just a friendly hint to those who are wanting to master the game: don't give up! You've got to lose a few to win one. At least until you get familiar. Don't let a "Protoss Cannon Rush", "Reaper Rush", or "Zergling Rush" distract you from playing. You'll learn how to defeat them with time.


Verdict: Buy this sucker, sucka!

 Too many issues for a game - Aug 24, 2010

-No LAN, that is right all traffic goes through their servers
-No cross-region play
-No channel chat
-StarCraft 2 split up to three games/parts
-Required to submit your Email Address, Birthday, Full Name, Full Address, Phone Number in order to play
-Only one person can really use the game, families need one copy of the game per family member
-Internet activation, you have to ask permission once a month in order to play the game

 Nice Game - Aug 24, 2010

Well Despite the minimum or recommended requirements for memory, this this game is a monumental memory hog. Having said that, I have 4GB of DDR2 so that was not a problem and maybe that is why the game used more than it said it needed. (the memory was available so it used it) And the game performed flawlessly, great graphics and no game hang ups that I could detect.

Game play was as promised, I look forward to future upgrades to the game.

 I hate RTS, I love this game - Aug 24, 2010

As always Blizzard has come out with a masterpiece. The campaign mode is extremely polished, with story driven sections reminiscent of Strike Commander from the 90s. The multiplayer is great once you get rated and matched with similarly skilled opponents, but due to the similarity in strategy from the original Starcraft (and the extended Beta) there are a lot of players who are incredibly skilled and walk all over a novice like me. That's just a challenge to get better though, and I intend to.

 sc2 best game ever - Aug 23, 2010

like most of the games some problems at the beginning with the pacthing system. Beyone that is the best game i ever play. about the other stuff it the best the music the graphic book the first comic.

 Great - Aug 23, 2010

This game is basically an update of the previous Starcraft. However, the graphics, the new units, all of that make this like a new game, with new stratagies, and some awesome effects.

 PEW PEW LAZERS - Aug 23, 2010

This game is awesome! It's like World of Warcraft, except with lasers and space machines and robots and guys in uniforms firing lasers from their space machines!

 Was exactly what i thougt it would be +more! - Aug 23, 2010

There was alot of hype about this game before it came out and when it finally hit my computer it lived up to the Name!

 Starcraft 2 Collectors Edition - Aug 23, 2010

Starcraft 2 is a great game that tests your skill with your creativeness. Control races and battle against your friends, strangers, or even the A.I. its always fun and isa game i recommend for anybody over 13

 best game ever - Aug 23, 2010

I have been playing it for 1 month now. Finished the campaign and is now playing it again, tried the skirmish and found it to be very enjoyable. Battlenet is great too.

In a nutshell, it is extremely fun to play and has great replay value.

 Love this game!!! - Aug 22, 2010

I'm glad I purchased the limited edition. It is awesome to have the soundtrack and the art book as well as the USB drive with the original starcraft + expansion on it.

 Great product but somehow missing something - Aug 22, 2010

It was a poor decision to split Starcraft II into three parts. The campaign feels half-baked.

I did, however, enjoy playing it despite some misgivings.

 Well worth the wait - Aug 22, 2010

I know there's been a LOT of griping that it took this long for a sequel to the benchmark for all RTS games since it's inception, but this offering soundly rewards our patience. Every detail you expected in the balance and intuitiveness of the game, to the new surprises like the challenges, music and brilliant artwork made this worth every penny and all the anxiety. Thank you to the men & women at Blizzard for sharing your genius and masterpiece.

That being said, how long must we wait for the Zerg & Protoss expansions? Oh, don't act like you weren't curious too!!!

 worth the cost! - Aug 21, 2010

the collector's edition is worth the extra money, but the game does lack in some aspects. i love the great 3-d graphics on this game, but its frustrating to have to be connected to the internet to even play it. blizzard really pushed the limits on this game, and exceeded my expectations. i give this game a 15 out of 10!

 12 year sequel that doesn't disappoint - Aug 19, 2010

If you liked Starcraft and/or Starcraft: Brood War, chances are you'll like Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty. With 29 missions to do in game, a robust multi player experience and Real ID you shouldn't be running out of things to do for a long while. Blizzard added achievements into this game, as with their MMO: The World of Warcraft. With Real ID, you'll be able to communicate to your friends in game, whether their on Starcraft 2, or playing WoW. The visuals are pretty good for using DirectX 9. Blizzard added a highly scalable engine to the game, that lets almost any hardware configuration play the game.

 Great game a must buy. - Aug 18, 2010

I love this game and would recommend it to anyone. A few drawbacks: lacks chat rooms, lacks joinable online replays, lacks clan support / clan tags. Also, Zerg is a bit weak IMO. Otherwise great game!

 GAME OF THE YEAR!!! - Aug 13, 2010

This is by far one of the best video games i've played. The collector's edition will blow your mind. It is just a box full of wonderful goodies.

Opening the box for the first time was a joy that reminded me of of a time when i was 5 years old opening presents on christmas day. It brought that kind of wonder and excitement to me.

MUST HAVE!!!