http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3145155&did=1
Blizzard has always maintained that StarCraft Ghost would feel like an actiony version of the original 1998 RTS, StarCraft. At E3, we got to check out the Terran multiplayer, which felt kinda like Halo (infantry and vehicle combat, but in third-person), but here at BlizzCon, gamers also got to check out the Zerg. After playing as both sides, at the moment, StarCraft Ghost indeed feels like StarCraft, to the point that just like in the RTS, I prefer playing as Zerg as opposed to playing as the Terrans. The basic online-multiplayer mode we checked out felt a bit like Battlefield 1942, where your goal is to capture goals on the map. There's a bit of a twist, in that you have to capture the goals in order (i.e. you can't grab goal number five before goal number two), and when the goals are all captured, the enemy base is then vulnerable to attack. This seems to lead to a lot of fighting over goal three in particular, as it was in the exact middle of the map that we played on.
SC: Ghost multiplayer works on a system where players earn points in order to change classes. For the Terrans, this class change means a respawn (to change from a light infantry to a marine means waiting a few seconds, as though you died and respawned) while for the Zerg, this class change is immediate since the Zerg mutate. As the Zerg, the playable classes for this match include the zergling (fast little melee-only fighter who can burrow to heal), the hydralisk (which has a ranged attack), the infected marine (ranged attack plus suicide bomb) and the mutalisk (flying attack). On the human side, playables were light infantry (can build gun turrets and pilot vehicles), marine (all around attacker), firebat (anti-personnel flame guys) and the ghost (stealth unit). For both sides, points are earned by either killing enemy players or capturing goals (again, like in Battlefield, this is done by just standing near the goal for a certain amount of time).
As noted, from our playtime, the Zerg feel a bit more fun than the Terrans -- probably because the Terrans are more straightforward (seemingly to ease new players in), and also because the Zerg are so damn fast. It's a bit difficult to shoot a zergling enemy because they zip around so fast, and when you're a zergling, it's relatively easy to run up to someone and just start tearing into them. Hydralisks don't move as fast as the zerglings, but spitting poison quills (which mess up Terran vision) is pretty cool, and if you score enough kills, you can run-n-gun by playing as the infected marine. Finally, the mutalisk is fun to play, but is also an "advanced" character since it can fly, and there's a bit of a learning curve (you push in the analog sticks to control ascent and descent).
On the terran side, it's a bit hard for both the light infantry and marine to aim and shoot their guns at a speedy zergling, but it's pretty easy for a firebat to just spew fire at any zerglings nearby. Also, the firebat has a rocket launcher that can be either shot straightforward, or guided remotely (you assume the rocket's point-of-view, which is the best way to take out mutalisks). The ghost is pretty fun because of her stealth and her ability to lay mines, and the light infantry is still enjoyable to use because of their gun turrets and ability to drive Vulture hoverbikes and Stinger jeeps. Alas, as a result, the marine is a bit too generic to play at the moment.
So far, multiplayer feels true to the StarCraft spirit, to the point where all the Zerg players rush the map as zerglings, since no one has earned points to mutate yet. As much fun as the Zerg are fun to play, the Protoss are also pretty solid in RTS multiplayer matches, and we can't wait to see how they feel when Blizzard decides to show them off in Ghost at a later date.
SC: Ghost multiplayer works on a system where players earn points in order to change classes. For the Terrans, this class change means a respawn (to change from a light infantry to a marine means waiting a few seconds, as though you died and respawned) while for the Zerg, this class change is immediate since the Zerg mutate. As the Zerg, the playable classes for this match include the zergling (fast little melee-only fighter who can burrow to heal), the hydralisk (which has a ranged attack), the infected marine (ranged attack plus suicide bomb) and the mutalisk (flying attack). On the human side, playables were light infantry (can build gun turrets and pilot vehicles), marine (all around attacker), firebat (anti-personnel flame guys) and the ghost (stealth unit). For both sides, points are earned by either killing enemy players or capturing goals (again, like in Battlefield, this is done by just standing near the goal for a certain amount of time).
As noted, from our playtime, the Zerg feel a bit more fun than the Terrans -- probably because the Terrans are more straightforward (seemingly to ease new players in), and also because the Zerg are so damn fast. It's a bit difficult to shoot a zergling enemy because they zip around so fast, and when you're a zergling, it's relatively easy to run up to someone and just start tearing into them. Hydralisks don't move as fast as the zerglings, but spitting poison quills (which mess up Terran vision) is pretty cool, and if you score enough kills, you can run-n-gun by playing as the infected marine. Finally, the mutalisk is fun to play, but is also an "advanced" character since it can fly, and there's a bit of a learning curve (you push in the analog sticks to control ascent and descent).
On the terran side, it's a bit hard for both the light infantry and marine to aim and shoot their guns at a speedy zergling, but it's pretty easy for a firebat to just spew fire at any zerglings nearby. Also, the firebat has a rocket launcher that can be either shot straightforward, or guided remotely (you assume the rocket's point-of-view, which is the best way to take out mutalisks). The ghost is pretty fun because of her stealth and her ability to lay mines, and the light infantry is still enjoyable to use because of their gun turrets and ability to drive Vulture hoverbikes and Stinger jeeps. Alas, as a result, the marine is a bit too generic to play at the moment.
So far, multiplayer feels true to the StarCraft spirit, to the point where all the Zerg players rush the map as zerglings, since no one has earned points to mutate yet. As much fun as the Zerg are fun to play, the Protoss are also pretty solid in RTS multiplayer matches, and we can't wait to see how they feel when Blizzard decides to show them off in Ghost at a later date.
It feels like this game has been in development forever, and it sounds pretty flippin' sweet. Chances are, I'll be picking it up.
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