Warcraft III may not turn your world upside down but it does something most games can only dream of.

In many ways Blizzard is a lot like Stephen King. Both are pretty much bullet proof, capable of selling millions of copies of their latest endeavor no matter what the reviewers say. Consider the fact that Warcraft III had five million orders before it was even available for sale. So is there really any point in reviewing this juggernaut? Honestly, probably not, but we’re going to do it anyway. There has to be one or two gamers on the planet that haven’t bought it yet, right? Steve in Boise and Ed in Hoboken, this review is for you!

Warcraft III follows the usual formula for a Blizzard game. It’s accessible for the average gamer, looks attractive in a Warhammer meets Hanna-Barbara kind of way, has solid multiplayer functionality, and is surprisingly addictive. Of course, Blizzard is also not known for reinventing the wheel. When Warcraft III was first announced the game was going to take a rather different direction but the masses rose up and Blizzard went back to a more traditional RTS experience. So, if you’re expecting the game to be the Second Coming for the RTS genre, forget it.

It doesn’t matter though. Warcraft III may not turn your world upside down but it does something most games can only dream of: it makes the gamer have a lot of fun, and sometimes just having fun is a lot more important than being wowed with the latest innovation.

Getting into the game is pretty easy, with three modes of play available. There’s the campaign (featuring a nice mix between set piece affairs and base building levels), multiplayer via Battle.net, and finally a skirmish mode. The game also ships with an editor to create your own maps with; always a positive for extending a game’s life.

Like Blizzard’s last RTS game, Starcraft, the campaign tells one long story, with the player controlling the various races through mini-campaigns that weave the overall tale. The majority of the story is told via in-game cutscenes, though there are also jaw-dropping rendered movies interspersed in the game. These movies are superb and will even make those of you who usually skip over the movies stay your hand at the ESC key. The in-game cutscenes obviously aren’t as inspiring, which makes it a shame that we didn’t get more of the rendered scenes.

Upping the race ante from Starcraft there are four races to be found in Warcraft III. It goes without saying the two of them are our old favorites, the humans and the orcs, while the other two are brand new and include the night elves and undead. Besides the four races you’ll encounter a number of neutral creatures that bring the world to life.

The races, while similar, manage to be unique enough that it never feels like you’re just playing one race over and over again with a graphical facelift. As an example, while the humans mine their gold and harvest their lumber with peasants, the undead actually have two different units for the tasks; one for the gold mining and one for chopping down the trees. On top of that the undead lumberjack can also be a combat unit!

Throughout the game you’ll find little differences like this in the various races. Like, night elves have units that can become invisible at night (yes, Warcraft III uses an accelerated day/night cycle) and orcs can research an upgrade that gives their buildings the ability to damage units with spiked walls. There’s enough nuances to be found amongst the four that it will take quite some time before you feel like you’ve tried every strategy out.

Gameplay itself hasn’t changed much from Starcraft, which may or may not be a good thing. Resource collecting is still kept simple, with only two represented - gold and wood. The food factor, which determines how many units you can field, is still present and unchanged from previous Warcraft games. Unlike the Age of Empires series you just have to plop down a farm to gain the food benefits and you don’t have to worry about constantly rebuilding it.

The interface is still intuitive, with most actions being accomplished with either a hotkey or a click of the mouse. Pop up help appears over most features, which means you can jump into the game without much more than a glance at the manual. The basic features you expect from a RTS game are all present and accounted for, whether it’s setting a rally point for production or creating groups. Unfortunately Warcraft III is simply content with going along with the crowd, with no new and exciting features added to the genre. Well, that’s not entirely true. Warcraft III does add one thing to the mix, the idea of upkeep.

Here’s how it works. There are three levels of upkeep: no upkeep, low upkeep, and high upkeep. The level is determined by how many units you have. Once you cross the threshold from no upkeep to low by fielding too many units the amount of gold you receive from mining decreases. Pass the next threshold and the revenue decreases even more. While it’s a good idea on paper in reality it doesn’t work as well as it sounds, because usually if you’re able to spend the gold on a huge army you already have enough that it just doesn’t matter if you’re not raking in as much as you could be.

For the most part, besides the addition of the night elf and undead races, there are two major changes from previous Warcraft editions. One, the game is now in full 3D. Those of you who have played Neverwinter Nights or Dungeon Siege will be undoubtedly disappointed to learn that control over the camera in Warcraft III is restricted to a preset viewing angle, which goes from an almost top down view to a view that is almost parallel to the ground. At first it’s a little disconcerting that you can’t rotate, but you’ll soon get used to the angles and indeed, realize that you’re not missing a lot by having the viewpoint fixed.

Two, heroes are a big part of the game. This is not the first RTS game to use the concept of heroes (see the excellent Warlords: Battlecry games) but it is the first Blizzard game that really puts an emphasis on them. While previous Blizzard titles had the occasional level where you had to make sure so-and-so survived, in Warcraft III that’s basically every level.

What’s nice is the fact that heroes are not just beefed up normal units, but are rather unique by their own rights. They gain experience points that gives them the ability to gain a host of special functions. Heroes are also able to use items, which are found on defeated enemy heroes or through the optional quests that dot many of the maps. These items range from potions to stat boosters. Learning how to use your heroes most effectively is a key part of playing Warcraft III, as the proper hero ability used at the right time can turn the tide of battle.

Multiplayer through Battle.net is what you’ve come to expect from Blizzard, but it’s even easier with the matchmaking service that connects you to someone on or around your level. Unfortunately, the skirmish mode is also what you’ve come to expect. Like in Starcraft the computer cheats its ass off, raining doom down on your base practically before your first warrior has stumbled out the door.

One thing which needs to be re-emphasized before this review is wrapped up is that Warcraft III is basically Starcraft, or to a lesser extent Warcraft II, with a few more bells and whistles. If you’ve been bored with the current state of RTS gaming and hoped that Warcraft III would usher in a new era you’ll continue to be bored. People may not want to hear that, but folks, it’s true. Blizzard knows how to make a great game, but they’re content in going with what’s known to work rather than trying to risk it with a newfangled idea. Unlike the SAS, Blizzard doesn’t follow the motto of ‘who dares wins’, which to this writer is a shame, what with the level of creativity available to the company.

But so what? Warcraft III may not break any moulds, but it is a perfect cure for the summertime blues with its mix of charm and playability. There’s just something about a Blizzard RTS game that keeps you playing past your bedtime. Warcraft III is no different; prepare for many a sleepless night. Most importantly, it also has that most elusive quality, the fun factor, in spades. And isn’t that what’s gaming all about? Having fun?

Review by Scott R Krol.

Writer's Note: It was pointed out to me post-review that you can rotate the camera clockwise and counterclockwise, although the view does not stick once you release the rotate keys. My apologies for missing this, and any confusion it caused.