Excitement mounting

As you can probably tell from the title, I'm getting really excited.  And the reason is this:  StarCraft 2 is released at midnight tonight.  For anyone who doesn't know, StarCraft is a game that revolutionized the RTS (Real Time Strategy) genre.  Some would argue that it's the singular most revolutionary game in RTS.  It's been out for approximately 12 years now, and is still played extensively worldwide.  We (the fans) have been waiting for a sequel to StarCraft ever since the release, and now it's finally here!  Of course, there have been mixed opinions about SC2, even in the original SC fanbase.  The fans of the original were divided into two camps:  Those who believed that SC2 would improve on the original; and those who held that SC was perfect and could never be improved upon.

Well, I'm solidly in the first camp, and, having participated in the SC2 Beta, I can say that it is everything I'd hoped for.  The units are mixed up and refreshingly new, but it still has the feel of the original StarCraft, which is everything in my opinion.  Having the same gameplay means that skill acquired from playing the original isn't lost.  Unlike most games, where the designers try to change as much as possible in a sequel, SC2 was built to be as similar to SC1 as possible, while still improving everything they could.  The gameplay is simpler, thanks to a few improvements that make dull and time consuming tasks automated, unless you want to do them manually.  Another highlight, for me, is that it's cross platform, running on Mac as well as PC, and the game requirements are compatible with relatively older machines, so I won't have to shell out for top-of-the-line equipment.  And the whole thing is coming out TONIGHT!

(breathes deeply) Okay, now I've got that out of my system, I'll talk about something else.  Hmm... Book.  I read a good book this week entitled "From Hell With Love" by Simon R. Green.  It was an interesting read, kinda like James Bond meets Lord of the Rings meets Men In Black meets... Everything.

I also found out that the next few books from Ranger's Apprentice have been released, and I'm itching to read them.  Hopefully my library gets them soon.

Well, That's all I have for now, I've gotta go practice for StarCraft tonight, so to all you SC fans out there:  En Taro Adun!