Product Reviews Net » StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty http://www.product-reviews.net Information on the latest gadgets, technology, news and product reviews Sun, 27 May 2012 11:45:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm – Ending Leaked http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/12/10/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-ending-leaked/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-ending-leaked http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/12/10/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-ending-leaked/#comments Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:57:36 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=116846 If you are looking forward to the release of the Heart of the Swarm expansion pack for StarCraft 2 we have some alarming news for you, a video showing the game’s ending has leaked online, this has come before Blizzard has had a chance to announce the release date of this add-on.

The video was on YouTube however has now been removed due to a copyright claim, however if you are keen to see the ending check out this link.

Personally I hate spoilers therefore I will not talk about what happens in the video, however as I am not a StarCraft 2 gamer I did skip through it to see if it looked authentic, it is obviously unfinished but it did look pretty genuine to me, also the fact that YouTube videos have been removed suggests that it is real.

StarCraft II was released back in July this year and it is a well-known fact that it has been split into three parts, firstly Wings of Liberty followed by Heart of the Swarm and then finally Legacy of the Void.

The fact that the expansions have been planned for a long time suggests that writers and developers have been working on the expansions for some time, therefore I very much doubt Blizzard will combat the leak by changing Heart of the Swarm’s ending as this could have serious repercussions on the story line etc.

We would love to hear what you thought of the leaked video. Did you refuse to watch it? If not, was you impressed?

Source: TomsHardware

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/12/10/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-ending-leaked/feed/ 1 Play Starcraft On the Apple iPad: Find Out How http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/12/02/play-starcraft-on-the-apple-ipad-find-out-how/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=play-starcraft-on-the-apple-ipad-find-out-how http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/12/02/play-starcraft-on-the-apple-ipad-find-out-how/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:09:12 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=115972 With the release of Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty this summer, it just goes to show how popular the franchise still is. Most people still compete in original Starcraft tournaments (or they did until Starcraft 2 was released), and now you can finally play it on the iPad.

Ok, well we lied a tiny bit. It’s not the retail version of Starcraft, but a custom made version by a company called iSwifter who are known for streaming flash games to handheld devices through the cloud.

The game is played and controlled by using the touch-screen buttons that are set out along each side of the screen, plus it wouldn’t be an iPad game without the use of pinching and dragging your fingers on the screen, so there is plenty of that too.

Check out the video in the source below to see the game in action.

Source: Kotaku

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/12/02/play-starcraft-on-the-apple-ipad-find-out-how/feed/ 0 Starcraft 2: Blizzard Deleting User-Created Maps http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/05/starcraft-2-blizzard-deleting-user-created-maps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-2-blizzard-deleting-user-created-maps http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/05/starcraft-2-blizzard-deleting-user-created-maps/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:44:30 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=106057 If you like the idea of customizing your own map on Starcraft 2 well we have some bad news. Starcraft players have been receiving emails from Blizzard stating that they have had their map removed for inappropriate content.

While players are encouraged to share the maps they create, we would expect that it is down to troublemakers that have been spoiling it for the others.

As you would expect published maps are subject to review to ensure that they are a fun and safe environment for all players, however it seems as if some maps have been mistakenly deleted.

There have been millions of copies sold so far, therefore chances are there are a lot of affected gamers out there,we would appreciate your feedback by answering the question below.

Did your Starcraft 2 map get deleted? If so, did Blizzard tell you exactly why?

Source: Destructoid

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/05/starcraft-2-blizzard-deleting-user-created-maps/feed/ 1 Starcraft 2: APM Introduction and Strategy Guide http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/05/starcraft-2-apm-introduction-and-strategy-guide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-2-apm-introduction-and-strategy-guide http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/05/starcraft-2-apm-introduction-and-strategy-guide/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:24:15 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=106045 Yesterday, we covered both a complete walkthrough and a race guide for Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. Today, we take a look at APM and how it can help you on your Starcraft adventures.

First off APM stands for Actions Per Minute, and although it does not win you the game, being able to maintain a steady flow of APM will help you multitask a lot better.

APM is a fan-based method of determining a player’s speed during the game. APM results are aimed at showing the players skill level by measuring how quickly and how consistently the player performs various actions while playing Starcraft.

For example, If a player had clicked 2,268 times in an 18 minute game, the APM calculation would go like this:

2,268 The total number of actions
/ (1,080 The duration of the game in seconds
- 80) The first 80 seconds
* 60 Converted to minutes
—————
136 APM

(taken from the Starcraft II wikia)

The final APM determins what kind of player you are.

50 approx = inexperienced, 100 = average, 150 = above average, 200+ = experienced.

More information on APM can be found on this link.

Now we got that stuff out the way, it’s time to show you how you can put these ‘clicks’ in to good use without the use of spam.

Being productive with your APM is how you can really shine in Starcraft.

Control-grouping your buildings and cycling through them constantly to see if actions are done is one way of increasing APM.

For example:

1. Hit main base, is my worker almost done? Do I have to queue another one?
2. Is my gateway almost finished? Is my zealot finished? Do I have enough money to make another zealot?
3. Click on scout, move around, make sure he is not getting owned.
4. Check supply, do I need another pylon?
5. Go to Nexus. Am I using my chrono boost?

This is an example of what a player would do while controlling his probe that is in an opponents base.

Naturally, while using your probe, you will be clicking lots anyway at the same time as doing the actions listed above.

Do you have any tips for our Starcraft II fans? If so, list them below in the comments section.

Source: Ezine Articles / Starcraft II Wikia

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/05/starcraft-2-apm-introduction-and-strategy-guide/feed/ 2 Starcraft 2 Race Guide: Terran, Zerg and Protoss http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/04/starcarft-2-race-guide-protoss-zerg-and-terran/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcarft-2-race-guide-protoss-zerg-and-terran http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/04/starcarft-2-race-guide-protoss-zerg-and-terran/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:45:57 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=105984 If you have picked up Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, but are not yet sure which race is the right one for you, then we have some information that might help you make a decision.

Terrans – The Terrans are a good race to get used to the game with. They have no distinct advantages or disadvantage over the other races and getting used to their way of building and unit creation is a fairly simple task.

Being more sided towards the defensive side, one of the most noticeable skills that they have are that if you are suddenly attacked, you can move and fly your buildings to a safer place. This is also good for managing your base.

The Terrans are quite a sneaky and powerful race if played correctly, but one drawback would be the fact that bunkers (primary defence structures) need units to be inside them to work.

Zerg – This race has lots of advantages in the way of being able to produce units very quickly and become a good example of the quote “strength in numbers.”

They have a unique way of producing their very own buildings and units, as they are all spawned from Larva which comes out of the Hatchery.

Although not a very powerful race, a good Zerg player knows that even though they do not have very many hit points, and their attacks are weak, its the fighting in numbers that gets results. For this to work, the player must know how to create units efficiently and effectively. Preferably as fast as possible.

Look at this race as “born to die.” You can create units as fast as they die, so dont get too attached and throw them in at the deep end at all times. If they survive, they will slowly recover HP to heal their wounds. Even buildings recover HP.

Protoss – Take the Zerg and think the exact opposite. That is what this race essentially is. Unit production is slow, but powerful and last longer than any other race. They have more HP, shields and more damage points. Therefore, a single unit could quite easily take on a select few Zerglings.

One disadvantage is that it takes twice as long to build units, a lot longer. But the advantage here is that they also last a heck of a lot longer too.

Think of it like this: The Zerg are “quantity over quality,” whilst Protoss are “quality over quantity.”

Buildings are created fairly fast by warping in buildings using a Probe. Considering you have the resources, you can make a few buildings at a time. All buildings bar the Nexus and a Pylon must be built within an energy field that is created by a Pylon. If a Pylon is destroyed, then any buildings within that energy field become unpowered and therefore can not be used.

If you would like more information about these races, check out the source below.

Source: GameFAQs

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/04/starcarft-2-race-guide-protoss-zerg-and-terran/feed/ 2 Starcraft 2 Guide: Full Walkthrough http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/04/starcraft-2-guide-full-walkthrough/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-2-guide-full-walkthrough http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/04/starcraft-2-guide-full-walkthrough/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:20:07 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=105985 PC games have not really lived up to expectations so far this year, but Starcraft 2 has managed to give PC gamers hope that the machine can still deliver great games. If you are one of the gamers that purchased Starcraft 2, and need help, you are in the right place.

To succeed in Starcraft, it all depends on how you manage and exploit the resources.

If you are a beginner, a good place to start would be the Starcraft 2 Wikia, where you can find all sorts of information or the basic tips & unit stats chart hosted by IGN.

If you are stuck with campaigns, you can check out this complete walkthrough or if you are just interested in Zerg and Protoss research collectable locations, then these are the guides you should check out.

Any good at multiplayer? Although not yet available, this guide will give you tips and tactics to help you survive, defeat and conquer your enemies.

If it’s just the achievements that you are stuck with, this guide will give you information and tips on how you can obtain them.

Source: IGN

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/04/starcraft-2-guide-full-walkthrough/feed/ 0 Starcraft 2: Heat Problem Bug Fixed – Details http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/02/starcraft-2-heat-problem-bug-fixed-%e2%80%93-details/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-2-heat-problem-bug-fixed-%25e2%2580%2593-details http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/02/starcraft-2-heat-problem-bug-fixed-%e2%80%93-details/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:28:25 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=105799 This week many PC gamers have sat down with a shiny new copy of Starcraft 2 to play, they’ve got a decent set of hardware, graphics settings as high as possible, and a solid internet connection, however before even getting out of the menu screens getting ready to play, their PC overheats.

Don’t worry, this isn’t the fault of your rig not being powerful enough to even render menus properly; it’s a bug Blizzard already has a fix for. Someone at Blizzard forgot to frame rate lock the menu screen in the game. So while in game you may be getting a smooth 60fps, when on the menus they can stress your hardware to its limits and your graphics card melts under the pressure.

So here’s the fix straight from Blizzard themselves, “Screens that are light on detail may make your system overheat if cooling is overall insufficient. This is because the game has nothing to do so it is primarily just working on drawing the screen very quickly. A temporary workaround is to go to your DocumentsStarCraft II Betavariables.txt file and add these lines”

frameratecapglue=30 
frameratecap=60 

Did this help you out? If so let us know in the comments section below.

Source: Unbeatable

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/02/starcraft-2-heat-problem-bug-fixed-%e2%80%93-details/feed/ 2 Starcraft 2: Top 5 Cheats http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/02/starcraft-2-top-5-cheats/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-2-top-5-cheats http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/02/starcraft-2-top-5-cheats/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:03:31 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=105777 Last week Starcraft 2 was released, therefore it is no surprise to see that people are looking for cheats, if you are one of these people we have some great cheats for you so look no further.

To enter a cheat simply press ‘Enter’ to display the console window, here you can enter one of the following codes to activate the corresponding cheat function. I am going to give you 5 top cheats to help you on your way.

For instant victory type in “there is no cow level”, to receive 500 Vespene gas type “breathe deep”, to Lift the Fog type “war aint what it used to be”, to select a level type “ophelia”, and to receive 500 Minerals free type “whats mine is mine”.

We hope that these cheats help you to complete the game, but be warned that enabling cheat codes will prevent achievements from being earned until a new game is started or a saved game is loaded.

To see all 12 cheats check out the link below. Did these cheats work for you?

Update, a reader is stating that these are cheats for the original Starcraft game, which means our source was incorrect. Here are some other cheats we found, try these out, type “terribleterribledamage” to turn god mode on/off, type “whysoserious” to receive 5,000 credits, type “moredotsmoredots” to remove the costs of minerals, vespene, energy, etc. Finally type “sosayweall” to remove technology requirements.

Source: Freeola

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/08/02/starcraft-2-top-5-cheats/feed/ 11 Starcraft 2 Review Round up http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/07/29/starcraft-2-review-round-up/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-2-review-round-up http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/07/29/starcraft-2-review-round-up/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:38:20 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=105676 Ealier this week Blizzard released Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, so far we have seen a mixture of opinions from user reviews, however now professional and reputable reviews are coming in.

At the time of this post metacritics unique scoring system has given Starcraft 2 a metascore of 97 out of 100 and a user score of 8.5 out of 10, therefore it would be fair to say that a lot of the other criticism we have seen may be a little unjustified.

JoyStiq scored Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty 100/100, they seem happy that Blizzard kept the strong foundations from the original, whilst bringing the franchise up-to-date with today’s impressive graphical expectations, you can see their full review here.

GamingXP scored the game 94/100, GamingXP and pretty much summed things up with this extract from their review “The long time waiting between “StarCraft” and StarCraft II has not been wasted. Flawless gameplay, great graphics and a bombastic atmosphere result in one of the best real-time strategy games in the world.”

If you would like to read more views check out NZGamer’s review here and Gameplanet’s detailed review here.

Check out the reviews and then come back and let us know whether you agree with them. Do you think Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty deserves a metascore of 97/100?

Source: Metacritic

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/07/29/starcraft-2-review-round-up/feed/ 13 Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – Amazon User Reviews http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/07/27/starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty-amazon-user-reviews/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty-amazon-user-reviews http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/07/27/starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty-amazon-user-reviews/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:07:38 +0000 Jamie Pert http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=105589 Today Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty finally launched, strangely Blizzard are holding back reviews, however if you check out Amazon’s user reviews for the long-awaited game you can get a rough idea of what to expect.

It would be fair to say that reviews are mixed, you can see plenty of five star reviews here, if you would prefer to see the game’s imperfections check out this link.

At the time of this post 134 reviews had been posted on Amazon, 62 users scored it five stars, 9 users scored it four stars, 5 users scored it three stars, 7 users scored it 2 stars and the remaining 51 users scored it just one star.

Most of the critical user reviews state that they are unhappy that there is no LAN mode and only one playable race. The other major annoyance is that an internet connection is mandatory to play the game.

To be fair all of this was revealed before the game’s release, that said I wouldn’t be surprised if another playable race arrives via DLC.

Out of all of the user reviews I think there are two well-worth reading, one can be seen here here, also worth a read is this user review.

Have you received Starcraft II today? If so, feel free to write your user review in the comments section below.

Source: PCWorld

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