Welcome to the second entry in my StarCraft PC vs. StarCraft 64 comparison series. Last time I discussed the cinematics in the game, stating that the PC version won over the Nintendo 64 version of the game due to the latter having some of the cut-scenes shortened. This time, I’ll take a look at the game’s sound design, specifically the inclusion of—or lack thereof—spoken dialogue.
One of the things that adds life to the StarCraft universe is the addition of spoken dialogue for each of the characters during briefings and missions. In the PC version of StarCraft, every character has his or her own voice, and the voice acting is superb without a shadow of a doubt. The voices definitely go nicely with their respective characters, and this element helps to push the story along smoothly.
Unfortunately, while that is just one of the many strong aspects of StarCraft on the PC, StarCraft 64 doesn’t feature much spoken dialogue, which is a real shame. Yes, you’ll still hear your units saying their usual lines and catchphrases when you give them a command during battle, but that’s as far as the speech goes. You won’t get any spoken dialogue during mission briefings whatsoever. Instead, you are given walls of text to read. And while the text is included on the PC version of StarCraft, you still hear the characters speaking on their own. StarCraft 64 omits the dialogue spoken in mission briefings, and this is a bit of letdown, because while the writing may be excellent, having characters speak their own lines adds life to the game.
So once again, StarCraft on the PC wins over StarCraft 64. I’ll reiterate the point that StarCraft 64 is still a strong game, but the exclusion of spoken dialogue really takes a bite out of the game’s overall appeal. When you have writing and storytelling as great as this, it’s hard not to want character speech and narration.
