Ah... StarCraft 64. Tastes like a classic.
As mentioned in previous iterations of both our posts and those of our esteemed colleague on this site, Blizzard has always been a “PC first” sort of company.
Sure, they released the original Starcraft for the Nintendo 64, but that’s where their lovin’ for consoles ended.
Really, they‘d only been on one date, and Console thought she was lookin‘ pretty fine, but things just didn’t work out. Sorry, Console, Blizzard just isn’t that “into you”, but we’re sure they’ll call.
The FAQ page for the upcoming Starcraft II also indicates that Blizz has no plans to release it on a console of any kind. PC and Macs will get it, of course, but that’s where the space-gravy train is going to stop.
While the console world would be left desolate, we were curious about the possibility of a hand-held version of either game, and a quick trolling of the web turned up this little gem; the StarLite homebrew project. Apparently, a couple of French fellows decided it was high time that someone made a hand-held port, and since Blizzard clearly had no interest in it, they decided to do it themselves.
The idea was conceived of in early 2008, but by mid-march, the developers were shut down by a cease-and-desist order from Blizzard. Sure, it was one hell of an idea, but really, what did they expect?
What was interesting, however, was the amount of interest the project (and other idle speculation) has generated about how we play RTS games. While a keyboard and mouse work far better for an RTS game than any combination of console controllers, there are many who argue that a touch-screen version of Starcraft or another popular RTS would do very well on a last or current-gen handheld.
Segway…
Speaking of an RTS for a current-gen handheld, the Apple iPad was released this week. Terrible name notwithstanding, sales have been stellar and the thing has been garnering decent reviews. One of the main areas of interest for the device is, of course, Apps.
More specifically for our purposes, gaming apps. The iPhone, for example, has games such as Civilization and Assassin’s Creed available for paid download, and though small, they both look and play quite well.
The iPad, meanwhile, had gotten on board the gaming train by including the ability to download an RTS classic – Command and Conquer: Red Alert.
Back in “the day”, there were two powerhouse RTS franchises. Blizzard, with Warcraft and Starcraft, and Westwood Studios with their Command and Conquer series. Red Alert, the follow-up to the original Command and Conquer, was hugely popular.
What’s interesting in this review of RA for the iPad is the discussion of the game mechanics, from map scrolling to zooming out to unit control. Overall, a touch screen seems to work well for this type of genre, but can get a little complicated when dealing with more complex sets of orders.
It appears that touch-screen RTS gaming is an easy to play, hard to master type of situation that can be both frustrating and gratifying at the same time. But what was interesting, and really ties this whole post together (because we’re all about cohesion), is the last line of the review. Apparently, the desire for a Starcraft port of any kind, be it console or hand-held is very high, at least judging by the author’s attitude.
To wit: “What I’m getting at is, if I don’t have Starcraft for iPad in my hands in three months, I’m burning Blizzard to the ground. WHO’S WITH ME?”
Apparently, some interest in the old girl still exists.
How about that second date, Blizzard? Maybe Console didn’t do it for you, but how about our hotter, younger friend, hand-held? She’s a stunner.
