Warcraft 3 (PC, 2002)
Essential RTS classic that still makes for a great LAN party today.
Nostalgia Factor: High. I played this a lot in my younger years.
Difficulty: Medium.
While StarCraft will doubtlessly be remembered in gaming history as Blizzard’s most important RTS, WarCraft 3 still had its time in the spotlight. And no, I don’t mean the widely panned “Reforged” update. I still favor the original WarCraft 3, which is very playable today if you still have your old license keys.
Initially, after playing a lot of StarCraft, WC3 took some getting used to. SC has been considered by many RTS fans to be a near-perfect RTS game. WC3 makes some bold changes to the SC formula by adding high-impact experienced-based hero units and by reducing the total amount of units you control. Units are tougher, with higher HP values and higher costs, so unit loss carries more weight. While these changes take some getting used to, WC3 is still a very well balanced RTS. Each of the four playable races have their own strengths, weaknesses, and styles – humans, orcs, night elves, undead.
I’ve never been much of a competitive RTS player (I get absolutely wrecked by the sweats), but I really enjoy the Blizzard RTS single player campaigns. They are well crafted and not so brutally punishing for mere RTS casuals like me. The standard base-building missions are always fun and often include some kind of unique gameplay twist or challenge. It’s incredibly satisfying building up your base and your units, slowly taking over the map one skirmish at a time. The final missions of each campaign are fantastic, RoC’s “Twilight of the Gods” and TFT’s “A Symphony of Frost and Flame”.
I remember the first time playing these final missions, lying awake at night trying to figure out why I kept losing on normal mode (remember, RTS casual here). I still vividly remember the immense satisfaction of finally mastering control groups, rally points, the optimal timing for Malfurion and Tyrande’s ultimate abilities, the right build order, etc. For my most recent playthrough, these strategies came back quickly and I didn’t struggle as much as I did years ago. One of the joys of these RTS campaigns is realizing that there is an optimal strategy. I just need to discover it and execute.
It’s fascinating seeing precursors of the MOBA genre baked into WC3’s campaigns. The once massively popular MOBA genre has since stagnated, but its roots are evident here. The Kael’thas mission, “The Search for Illidan”, features one narrow lane with units on each end automatically spawning and marching towards their enemy’s base. The final quest of TFT’s bonus campaign features three lanes with units automatically spawning and marching towards the enemy. It also adds a series of very tough towers that need to be destroyed in order to allow your “minions” to pass through. It’s remarkable how similar this is to League of Legends’ standard Summoner’s Rift map.
Of course, it all started with a SC custom map called “Aeon of Strife.” This was further refined by the WC3 mod called “Defense of the Ancients.” The massively successful League of Legends eventually followed. LoL purposefully snatched up the remaining DOTA fanbase as it became increasingly difficult to get a copy of the out-of-print WC3.
While I get full enjoyment out of the standard base-building missions, I’ve never been a fan of the “no build” missions. You’re given a predetermined group of units that you must guide through a maze like gauntlet of enemies. These missions strip out the primary fun of RTS games, the building strategy. The no-build missions felt like a less fun version of Diablo 2. Almost the entirety of the bonus campaign, “Founding of Durotar,” has no base building, and I found it to be a bit dull and repetitive. I used cheat codes to rush through most of it. However, the final portion of the bonus campaign (“The Last Admiral”) is great. I’m glad I pushed through.
The in-game visuals of WC3, though adequate for 2002, paled in comparison to what we saw from Final Fantasy X just a year earlier. Today, you’ll either find the chunky 3D models of WC3 to be charming or just laughable. The way the lips flap wildly in the character thumbnails still cracks me up.
In spite of the clunky low-poly models, the environments and characters are thoughtfully designed. I don’t find the aged visuals to be too distracting from the game’s other strengths. Blizzard’s cinematics, on the other hand, were and still are some of the best in the industry. These amazing cinematics still hold up today, over two decades later.
I love WarCraft lore, and the story in WC3 is responsible for much of today’s WarCraft lore. While a few details from WC3 have been retconned in World of Warcraft or in the official books, so many memorable heroes and villains were introduced here. The great story is what motivates some non-RTS fans to play through the entire campaign. The few times I’ve been tempted to dive deep into World of Warcraft were simply out of a desire to see more of these characters from WC3.
The soundtrack is also excellent. There are so many great tracks that paint the scene perfectly. Some of the epic themes in WC3 were reworked into the WoW soundtrack.
Overall, this is a must play for RTS fans, but even those unfamiliar with RTS games may find themselves loving the WC3 experience.