Hands-on with Starcraft Ghost

by Ben Zackheim { May 18th 2005 at 2:21PM }

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I just got a chance to try out multiplayer Starcraft Ghost for Xbox. I like to get to the bottom line up front. It's fun as hell. Blue and red teams vie for a base. Holding it for 7 minutes results in victory. You can choose from a number of units (and you can switch between units after a death). The units include a Ghost, of course, who's a stealth unit with a sniper rifle. She runs at an odd angle that's supposed to make it easier to aim. It doesn't quite work right now, since you can't run in a straight line very easily. I quickly opted for a marine, who was much more to my liking. Shotgun power! The other unit I tried was a bot with a flamethrower which is lethal as hell. I took out two Blues within seconds.

The controls are similar to Halo, of course. Why fix a control scheme that already works? I slipped right into the game without a hitch and any gamer should be able to do so as well.

Graphics-wise it's also on par with Halo 2. Outdoor environments look rich, even in the beta phase, and the characters movement is done nicely. Everything already has a shine to it. This is Blizzard, so are you surprised?

An absolutely gorgeous cutscene plays on the big screen as people try the game out. As usual, the animation is stunning, the dialogue is snappy and it ends too soon.

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