WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos Collector's Edition

Warcraft III is essentially a bigger and better version of its predecessors, but considering just how big and good those were, it's no surprise that fans of the series were awaiting this release with just about as much anticipation as was generated by the "Phantom Menace." Unlike "Star Wars: Episode I," Warcraft III delivers in spades.

There's nothing radically new here, except for the addition of heroes (special units that can carry an inventory, have unique powers, and level up in the fashion of RPG characters, albeit much more simplistically) and non-player characters such as treasure-bearing monsters, mercenaries, and merchants. The bulk of the good new stuff is in the details, and Blizzard has put its usual prodigious amount of work and attention into these. The game features four exquisitely balanced races to play, each with a host of interesting units and structures. Improvements to gameplay are too numerous to list here--to name but a few I noticed with great delight, many units now have an "Autocast" setting for certain spells, making it a lot easier to take advantage of them in combat. Operating with well-mixed contingents of troops (a seasoned secret of successful sorties--how's that for alliteration?) is made more convenient through the ability to "sub-select" units of the same type within such a group. Another nice touch is that you can now set "Rallying Points" that cause newly created units to automatically gather at a specific location, relieving you of the tedium of collecting them manually at whatever structure generates them.

Let's talk storyline and sound. The plot is truly epic, full of twists and surprises, and again shows Blizzard's characteristic love and dedication to world-building. Warcraft III comes with a relatively hefty manual full of background history, and I have not so far heard of anyone who had the restraint to read through this before actually firing up the game. But it will give you something to stick your nose into during those times when for some reason you can't be playing Warcraft III (say, during meals, on the job, or on the ... you know). Nothing was skimped on in this game, and the music and environmental sounds are the icing on this luscious, immersive cake. The cinematic sequences between the chapters are simply amazing. Along with the soundtrack, these very much merit buying the Collector's Edition, which features a separate DVD with the cinematics and a CD with the music (the "Art of Warcraft" book is nothing to scoff at, either).

Once you run out of plot, and have played the supplied custom maps--however plentiful--ad nauseum, you can try your hand at the map/scenario/campaign creation tools supplied with the game. They are essentially what the Blizzard developers used to create the commercial package, and guarantee custom maps and campaigns for a long time to come.

So are there downsides? Well, that all depends on what kind of machine you're running. With Warcraft III, Blizzard has made the move to fully 3-D graphics, and while the game generally runs pretty well on lower-end machines (G3 300 MHz, ATI 32 MB, 512 MB RAM), it will sputter when many units are present, and you'll have a hard time finding your jittery cursor among them at times--a serious handicap when you need to click on specific targets like enemy heroes. Many Warcraft devotees have asked why 3-D was implemented anyway. It does not really have any bearing on gameplay, except for the very rare occasion when panning around is useful to see an obscured unit. However, I have to say ... each time the camera swoops down into the scenery as you zoom in, you will feel as though you are 'physically' descending into the world of Warcraft III. It really does look that cool. The design of the landscapes, units, and structures does not aim for realism, but it has a unique consistency about it that somehow conveys a more convincing impression of a 'living' miniature world than many games that go for the realistic look. Add to that bubbling brooks, surging seas, rain, snow, bats, birds, fish, and flies, and you'll soon find yourself zooming in and swiveling with the camera all the time because you're so mesmerized by the sights and sounds of Warcraft III. Of course, you won't always have that leisure ... after all, it's WAR-craft.

Finally, as a Mac gamer, I'd like to give the folks at Blizzard a big hand for once again providing the Mac version simultaneously with the PC version. This seems to have become a fine tradition for the company that publishes no game before its time.