...especially if you also want to play lots of mp. However, now I'm not so sure. Perhaps I will first play more Distant Worlds and Sins, before I try SC2.
Don't let my comments regarding the single player campaign put you off the gameplay - the game is impecably polished, and the multiplayer really is where the game shines. The league breakdown (copper, bronze, silver, gold, etc.) help seperate the people who like the game and play it once in a while from the people who play the game non-stop. It's a lot of fun. If you
loved Starcarft's multiplayer, Starcraft II is the game for you. However, if Starcraft was simply 'good' for you, then I'd advise waiting to purchase all three together. You'll feel better about it not having spent AU$300.00.
The "filler" content in the single player I think ZehDon is referring to is basically the optional missions. I LOVE all of the optional missions and different choices you can make which actually affect the rest of the campaign. Unlike a LOT of similar games where every single mission is "build a base, destroy the enemy base," I'd say at least 80% of the campaign missions have a unique twist that make them different. Some of the missions may "feel" like filler because they don't tie in directly with the story, but then again, they can't be imperative to the story without becoming mandatory.
That's a valid point. My problem isn't so much that the missions are optional (I really liked Dawn of War II's campaign structure, for example) rather that they're merely tacked on. They simply don't carry enough weight. The Tosh/Nova side plot is simply that; a side plot. It just doesn't do enough to warrant splitting the game into three sections. Considering just how engaging the original Starcraft campaign was, and it had no optional missions or the like, Starcraft II's campaign simply is not good enough.
The choice between the Doctor and your Protoss friends, for example, is an example of how to do optional missions correctly. I sat for a moment and thought about that. Having played through the original's campaign, I knew that Zerg infestations were pretty bad, however I wanted to save people. Having sided with the Doctor (I've spoilered this part, highlight to read)
only to then have her leave the story permantley, and never have a scene showing the real ramifications of that choice really degraded what should have been a meaningful choice into a forgetable one.
The optional missions provided money for upgrades and research poins. They didn't offer any real side plots, or any real developments. They were simply disconnected. My complaint is then not that there were optional missions, but that Blizzard traded the other two campaigns to include them, and they simply didn't provide something of equal value. However, clearly not everyone shares my opinion, and hopefully Blizzard take criticisms like mine on board for the next Expansion pack and released something that really shines.
