Evaluation

It's been noted that we have a tendency to embellish the past. What was always seems to be much rosier than what currently is.

I have to admit, I suspected that I was experiencing that same phenomenon when I wrote about the arrival of Starcraft 2. There was the distinct possibility that I was being hyper-nostalgic, and that Starcraft 2 was just as beautiful a game as Starcraft: Broodwar.

I played Starcraft 2 in its beta form. I learned what the units did and their strengths and weaknesses. I kept on top of the strategies of the top players, and tried to apply them to my own games. I reached the highest division with relative ease by virtue of my background as a Broodwar player.

These last few days, I've played some Broodwar again. I don't mean to say, "I told you so" or to brag about my foresight. But there's no comparison between the two. The beauty of the game is entrenched firmly in flukes that can only be reproduced by a carbon-copy. The mobility of the protoss army vs the raw strength of the terran mechanical ball presents an interesting battle between fundamental strengths. The multitasking abilities required to micro mutas, take a third base, tech to lurkers and then hive, all while trying to predict the motions of your opponent's marines seem impossible. But we're inspired by the Korean pros who have dedicated their lives to the game, and the flawless execution that comes about only from hours after hours of practice.

But like I said, my goal is not to insult Starcraft 2 or toot my own horn. Starcraft 2 is a fantastic game. I find it quite entertaining. Rather, I just want to point out that we have a responsibility both to ourselves and everyone else to give everything more than just a first glance, and to pass judgement on these things only when we're truly ready to do so.