Warcraft 3 is not Starcraft. Warcraft 3 is not C&C. For that matter, Warcraft 3 is not Warcraft 2. Incorporating both RPG and RTS elements for a borderline euphoric gameplay experience, Warcraft 3 is the most accessible, enjoyable, downright fun strategy game in history, recent or otherwise.
With so many sequels, the developers just expand on what made the original so successful. While this was somewhat true with the "craft" legacy of games, the proverbial boat stops with WCIII. Here, the emphasis is on fun, rather than tedious base building and resource management. (These things are still present, but are completed faster than ever.) Everything in the world of WCIII is faster, and seems to have been built with the purpose of getting forces out and about as soon as possible. Note that this doesn't mean "rushing", as there are numerous upgrades and troop types to be had, but the upgrades don't take forever to research. You won't find yourself having to build 2 research points because you need your armor and weapons upgraded, and you don't have time to wait until you're 80 years old. WCIII is not that type of game. The time may come when an additional blacksmith/barracks/whatever may be handy, (it is, after all, still a strategy game) but the point is that even newbies can get into the vibe.
Speaking of newbies, Blizzard was supposed to cater to them with their revamped Battlenet service. Apparently, you just type in the map, type, and race for the game you want to play, it will find a matching opponent of equal near skill level, and off you go to war. While the service works fairly well, I've been matched up to people above and beyond my puny level 1 skills. There ought to be some kind of preview/block list feature included in the next patch that allows level 1 people to deny games with level 10 people before the game starts, as well as an "enemies" list that lets players block games with jerks who constantly disconnect. It could easily be done, and would make for a better experience overall. However, considering the amount of players the game already has, the fact that the net code hasn't crashed under its own weight, and is in fact as smooth as that of the single player campaign, is impressive enough for me at this point.
Once you're in the game though, multiplayer is, much like everything, more accessible than ever. Gone are the days when you could sit back and build up large forces of 200 while your poor newbie opponent just was getting his base together. This is in part because of the nature of the game design, but also largely due to the fact that, get this…there is a food cap of 90 in Warcraft 3, in both single and multiplayer. When you consider the fact that some units use 5 or more food, battles get a lot more manageable. And that's what the game's all about: management. It's not about overwhelming your enemy time and time again with waves of forces, which may tick off people weaned on Starcraft.
Warcraft 3 is beautiful, and has lost nothing in the move to 3D. Lush, colorful, crisp environments with spectacular water and particle effects fill the screen, and the character models look even better with superb animation…though the lip synch is off something fierce. You wish Diablo II had looked this good. Everything about the presentation, from the sound effects to the chilling opening cutscene makes you want to push on. (As if the gameplay wasn't enough of an incentive.)
Warcraft 3 is an early candidate for best PC game of the year, and there's no game on the release list thus far that looks to have the potential to knock it off. Buy immediately, sharpen your blade, and give your life for the horde.
-George
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