StarCraft: Ghost

EDITOR'S NOTE: Our editor Vince Massa visited the Blizzard folks yesterday, and after flashing his credentials got to see both World of Warcraft and Starcraft: Ghost in action. Anyway, the first part of his report concentrated on Blizzard's upcoming MMORPG set in the Warcraft universe. We start this preview, however, with his first encounter with Starcraft: Ghost (naturally), right after the WoW presentation had ended.

Nice ass she's got on her...

I wonder how much they're paying her for this circus act.

... I then moved over to a station running the Xbox version of Ghost and settled in for a closer look. The first thing I noticed was that the game was running on a regular TV, but it looked great. The reason I point that out is that just about every demo here (Console or PC) is being run on plasma screen monitors with high definition interfaces. The games look as good as they can on these screens. It is a bit of a let down when you get the game some months later and play it on your system that is hooked to a Zenith that was the top of the line back in 1985. But this was not the case with ghost. I was told the game, of course, COULD be run on the high-res hookup that the consoles all support, but just seeing it on a regular TV screen, it already looked damn good. But as Smapdey will tell you, looks are one thing, how much cash you have is another. No wait. How FUN the game is, is what is important. With Ghost, the game is fun. You are the super stealthy unit from Starcraft that relays on a cloaking suit, well placed sniper shots and the ability to call in air strikes to get the job done. The team has paid special attention to your special abilities and gives them to you early on in the game so you can use them through the missions. I was told you would receive all your powers and skills about 40% through the game to ensure you could use all the cool stuff.

I was shown how stealth and the ability to use the skill 'Sight', can help move you through your mission. Sneaking through a hallway we saw a marine in his bulky armor patrolling at the end of the hall. We slipped into a crate and waited for him to pass. Slats in the crate let us peek out but we did not have a very clear view. So we engaged our Sight skill and suddenly the world was bathed in cool greens and blues and through the side of the crate we saw the marine bathed in a yellow aura and his exposed face a fiery red. Also, I noticed his footprints down the hall behind him indicating where he came from. As I watched, the ones furthest from him slowly faded out as heat left from his feet dissipated. This feature is so you can learn how recently someone came through the area, or learn patrol patterns to help set up traps or ambushes. As we looked around the room with our Sight still engaged, we also saw other things of interest. Control patterns or switches we could engage were an emerald green. An access hatch to a vent I could sneak into was purple, and concealed in the floor was a pop-up machine gun turret colored blood red. I had just avoided a nasty surprise.

We decided the best thing to do was to eliminate the guard. We waited for him to pass, turned off our Sight, engaged our cloak and left the confines of the crate. As the guard moved down the hall, we got our sniper rifle out, engaged our Sight again and found his weakest spot: right between his eyes. We then zoomed in and pulled the trigger. No more guard.

We then began creeping down the hall. Even though the ghost is stealthy, she has to be quiet too. Move too quickly, and a meter in the bottom left lets you know you are making noise that may attract sensors or get the guard's attention. Also, puzzles and access to other areas is something you need to keep an eye out for. The team has taken great pains to ensure that the levels, whether they be inside or out, are the sort that are not simply two-dimensional. This means you may have to jump up on a ledge, scoot around it to a wire, repel down the wire to a bridge cable and then balance on the cable to reach your objective. It's a rewarding experience to figure out your paths.

Since Blizzard has very low turnover, many of the voices that were used in the original RTS return to lend their talents to Ghost. During a mission where the air strike was showed off, I was surprised to hear the southern drawl of the terrain peon loader unit crying for help from a blocked off section of the station. As I made my way towards him, I was given orders along the way to help some siege tanks that were under attack by Zerg. I moved to a window where I could see a ridge that the tanks were set up on, and the Zerg that were using their spike attack that were concealed behind rocks. When I targeted the Zerg, a reticule popped up with a cursor that spun around in clock like fashion. I was told this was a mini game that required the player to hit a button in 3 areas in order to 'lock on' to the target. The longer you waited, the larger the 3 areas became and made target acquisition easier. But, if I was able to lock on while the targets were small, I would get a higher rating at the end of the mission. It's a reward for players that are better at these kinds of games, without punishing or frustrating those who have fat fingers or are not as coordinated. (You have a problem with my fingers, buddy? - 2Lions)

Another reward for players who get frustrated with console games is the controls. The camera and movement controls are fluid and easy to use. You do not have to fumble with multiple buttons or pads to move around. Also, the camera can be easily rotated all the way around the character even if she is up against the wall. Too many times, not being able to move the camera when you are in a tight spot becomes a huge drawback.

Once again, Blizzard shows they actually 'get' games. People who worried that a console version spin off from a RTS classic would hurt the series should be assured that not only there is nothing to worry about, but that Ghost is going to be a hell of a game. Look for it later this year.