Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Can StarCraft II Reinvigorate The RTS Genre?
Most of the last decade has been pretty rough for the RTS genre. During the early years of the 2000's, games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and Warcraft III were in peak form, but more recent years have seen either a downgrade in quality or a shift in the genre's original vision. Most of the classic RTS titles featured heavy emphasis on base-building and massive battles, while newer series like Company of Heroes and Dawn of War have focused more on smaller squads of units. Even a genre legend like Command & Conquer has had a rough time in recent years, with sub-par reactions to Red Alert 3 and C&C4.
Is StarCraft II exactly what the genre needs right now? By resembling the base-building RTS games of the 90's and early 2000's, could this be the shot in the arm that the genre could use? Street Fighter IV went back to its roots in 2008, and seemingly reinvigorated the entire fighting genre -- just look to the upcoming MvC3, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter X Tekken for proof of that. Can Blizzard and StarCraft II resurrect a different stagnant genre in the same fashion?
What do you think?
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
