Ranking the StarCraft Campaigns (by story)

Been toying with this idea for awhile, but, well, hey, something to do. I've already updated my Star Wars film rankings with the release of The Last Jedi, so I figured I'd have some fun and rank the StarCraft campaigns...by story. Not by gameplay, because while you could do that, really, there's only two gameplay styles to compare across the whole series, and while SC1 vs. SC2 is an argument that's been done to death, it's not an argument that I have much interest in pursuing.

So, when I say campaigns, the candidates are:

Note that I won't be covering Insurrection or Retribution, as while I've read their scripts, I haven't played them, so it seems unfair to rank them. Also, I'm ignoring the Enslavers campaigns, because I more or less consider them to be part of the StarCraft/Brood War packages - side stories, but not separate, if that makes sense. Precursor I treat as being separate here however as it has definitive prequel status, separate from SC1 in my eyes.

Also, this isn't going to be that in-depth, because I've already waxed lyrical about my thoughts on these campaigns over the last seven years, and I'm so done on much of that debate, but hey, I'll encourage it here, as long as it's civil.

So, with that said:

7) Nova Covert Ops

...bleh.

Okay, thing is, I don't dislike NCO per se, and I gave it a net positive review on the blog posts I did earlier, but that was elevated by its gameplay. Treating its story by itself, there's three immediate flaws that come to mind:

The whole thing feels unnecessary, in light of how LotV ends. So much for that "golden age" the Dominion entered...

The story reverts back to the status quo by its end, with the exception of Nova leaving the Dominion.

It feels like a rehash of Rebel Yell, only with the perspectives reversed.

And...that's it. Neither of these are crippling flaws, but they lead into why NCO is so unmemorable to me. I've always liked Nova as a character, but NCO doesn't do anything for me in regards to her character, and if anything, arguably damages it since she decides to leave the Dominion because...reasons. The game lacks a story mode space, and it feels far more empty for it. Davis is a decent villain, sure, but the problem is her actions don't have any real lasting effect. Characters like Arcturus Mengsk and Amon carry out actions that change the overall framework of the setting, whereas Davis doesn't. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but if SC2 is the epic trilogy of WoL-HotS-LotV, NCO is the direct to DVD sequel.

Admittedly, NCO is arguably the tightest plot of SC2. Way more than, say, Heart of the Swarm, but NCO, all this time on, left virtually no impression on me. It's a side story that comes after a main story that, in my mind, ended excellently. NCO isn't bad, but nor is it memorable. Sometimes, that can be worse. NCO, in the end, is just...stuff. It's filler. Popcorn. Popcorn can be nice, but you're not going to remember it once you've left the theatre.

6) Precursor

Precursor feels to SC1 what NCO feels to SC2 - a side story to the main story, except Precursor exists before the main story as a prequel, while NCO takes place after its main story as an...well, not really an epilogue, but...huh. I think that might be why I rank Precursor higher. It's also half the length, but feels tighter. It's a much simpler plot, but I feel it works better.

That said, I won't rank Precursor too highly, because while it doesn't have any glaring flaws, it doesn't reach the same highs as other installments. I mean, there's only really two characters of note, and they're both your stock Confederate commander types at that. I mean, they work, but neither of them develop over the course of the story. Apart from the ending monologue, there isn't really any standout moments. Disclaimer that I did novelize this story, so it has a soft spot for me there, but, well, yeah. So while Loomings is a tight, well done story, its status as a mini-campaign prevents it from being any higher up the list for me.

5) Heart of the Swarm

Zerus is a microcosm for how I feel about HotS. On one hand, I like the idea of going back to Zerus. I like the idea of the primal zerg, and I like Kerrigan becoming the "Primal Queen of Blades" as a means of distinguishing herself from her old form. However, on the flipside, we have to deal with Zerus being a jungle planet (never explained in game) that's apparently in easy travel distance of the Koprulu sector now (never explained at all), and Kerrigan's transformation kind of has a "it works because...reasons!" vibe. Or, on the flipside, there's the Char arc. Warfield's death cinematic by itself is excellent. Two missions ago however, he's wasting Gorgon battlecruisers in a mission that's great from a gameplay standpoint, but from a story one...eh?

That's how I feel about HotS. Within the course of its campaign, it has some of the highest highs in SC2, but these highs almost always have a flipside to them. Taking on Mira Han is fun, but rediculous narratively speaking. Kerrigan vs. Emil Narud is fun and presented excellently, but in fairness, hampered by the lack of reveal to Kerrigan. Mengsk using the Keystone the way he does against Kerrigan works well on one level...but on the other, one can ask why it wasn't deployed in the same way it was in WoL. Throughout the game, there's a series of moments that are great on one level, but not so great on the other. HotS, as far as I can tell, had a troubled development, giving how much was cut or altered from the final product, and I wonder if this might account for its issues.

So, HotS. At the end of the day, I do rank it above Precursor and Nova Covert Ops, because while it's got lower lows, it's also got higher highs, in terms of plot. It also excels in terms of characterization, character development, and storytelling (though SC2 generally exceeds over SC1 in that, period, thanks to advances in technology). I mean, HotS is still a net positive, but for me, it's the weakest of the main three SC2 campaigns.

On the other hand, it's the first (and arguably only) campaign to pass the Bechdel test, so...yay?

4) Brood War

Over the last few years, Brood War seems to have gotten a harsher rep that I feel is unwarranted. I don't think it's as solid a plot as SC1, but I don't think it's bad by any means. It certainly has some of the most impactful moments in the series, such as its opening and closing cinematics, but its plot, while solid, isn't as solid. The Psi Disrupter is an example of this, how it basically pops up out of nowhere and is used as a crutch, while the psi emitters grew more naturally from the plot. Or, Khalis and Uraj, where we have a treasure hunt that's under no pretense at being anything other than a treasure hunt. Or, Kerrigan manipulating everyone around her, and at times, they're a bit too trusting. None of these are dealbreakers, but one can see the cracks. Even the player characters feel segregated from the plot. Not that I was ever fond of the concept (one that SC2 thankfully got rid of), but even then, in SC1, the player characters felt integral to the plot, whereas in BW, the player characters feel that they're from the outside looking in, rather than being one of the gang. Also, SC1 has some pertinent themes (revolutions, dangers of blind religion, etc.), while Brood War...doesn't.

That aside, I feel the protoss campaign is the real drag down, as it just feels so...tedious, to me. Artanis is especially problematic, since he's given the start of an arc (looking up to Tassadar), but this never really amounts to anything. The UED campaign is decent, but it's not as impactful as Rebel Yell, in that Rebel Yell has a wider variety of characters in terms of personality and role, whereas both DuGalle and Stukov are both military men, and for the most part, Duran fills the role. The zerg campaign is arguably the strongest, and Kerrigan in her A-game in terms of character, but again, some of the plot points do rely on characters being overly trusting.

So, yeah. Brood War does have its flaws, but I don't think they derail it by any means.

3) StarCraft

StarCraft is pretty damn good plotwise. Still, I think most people know that. I mean, there's not really much I can find in it flaw-wise. Sure, nitpicks exist, but overall, the game is solid. Good characters, good plot, good setting, etc. That said, I'm not as enamored with it as some other members of the fanbase, who might state that SC1 is not only the best campaign storywise, but the only one that's good. Now, I can understand the former view, if one's measure of quality is predicated solely on lack of flaws. Because so far in this list, SC1 is tighter than any other campaign bar perhaps Precursor. And yet, I can't call it no. 1. Because while the next two installments certainly have their flaws, it's again of higher highs carrying them through.

I think the main reason for me personally with SC1 is that there's rarely cases where it struck a chord with me emotionally. I mean, there's certainly moments, such as Kerrigan being left at New Gettysburg, or Fenix's 'death', but the game has a cold, almost sterile feeling that does work, admittedly, and may be the definitive feature of those who put the game on a pedestal, but despite what some have claimed, StarCraft is a character-driven RTS. Maybe not as character driven as SC2, but compare it to the first two Warcraft games, which are most certainly not character driven, or Warcraft III, which builds on StarCraft in terms of plot structure (sequential campaigns) and characters (Arthas and Sylvanas have similarities to Kerrigan, races team up at the end, etc.). Difference being that Warcraft III is a game that made me feel. StarCraft does as well, but not nearly to the same extent as the games that would follow it. This is kind of down to personal preference, but StarCraft has a more detached feel to its characters than the Blizzard RTS games that would follow, and to me, that's not a point in its favor. It's not a bad way of telling a story, but to me, not the most engaging way. Also, I find that the games that follow it work far better from a pacing standpoint, at least within missions. SC1 (and Brood War) can have long missions that start with dialogue, end with dialogue, but can go upward of an hour without any dialogue in-between. In SC2, there's more regular banter, more constant engagement with enemies, and a sense of momentum. This is partly gameplay-based, but even so, there's a more constant sense of engagement with the player, whereas SC1 can have long periods of silence.

Don't get me wrong, I have a high regard for SC1. I think it's a very solid game plotwise. But I can't call it #1.

2) Legacy of the Void

Legacy of the Void isn't without flaws, but it's easily in contention for #1 campaign for me. Storywise at least. You can tell from deduction that WoL is next, through means of deduction, but at the least, LotV has, in my eyes, three key strengths over WoL

Atmosphere. I'd say this is the most atmospheric SC2 campaign, in that there's a constant sense of gloom and doom. Fitting, given the stakes.

Focus. WoL arguably loses focus in its plot, whereas everything in LotV ties in directly with Amon.

Characters. Not that WoL lacks in this, but think about it - every major protoss character has a character arc in this game. It's part of what elevates it for me above SC1/BW, where the only protoss characters that really have arcs are Aldaris (maybe) and Zeratul (an even bigger maybe). Funny how Artanis went from one of my least favorite protoss characters to my perhaps my favorite one (hello Alarak) by virtue of how he's presented and developed here.

Honestly, LotV is just all around solid for me. It has flaws, certainly, and the epilogue is...interesting, to talk about, for reasons both good and bad, but all around, this campaign is solid. Very solid.

1) Wings of Liberty

You might have noticed a trend with me by now - the idea of "higher highs and lower lows." As in, I can forgive a lot of flaws within a work if there's enough good within it. And Wings of Liberty has flaws, sure. They range from individual cases (e.g. Safe Haven, how Raynor can apparently defeat a whole fleet, or the manner of boarding the Bucephalus) to structure. It's been pointed out that WoL is arguably the least focused of the three SC2 campaigns. In HotS, Kerrigan has a clear goal - dethrone Mengsk. In LotV, Artanis has a clear goal - defeat Amon. In WoL, Raynor's main goal shifts from Mengsk, to Kerrigan, to Mengsk, to Kerrigan, to...well, you get the idea.

Still, WoL does take the top spot for me for a number of reasons. Firstly, tone. This is without doubt the most Space Western the series has ever got, and frankly, that's very appealing for me. Not just that, but there's a sense of adventure in this game that no other StarCraft campaign has possessed. It's why the lack of plot focus in some areas doesn't bother me, because not only does that fit in with the idea of an adventure, but WoL strikes me as being a serialized campaign, similar to a TV show, whereas other campaigns adopt a structure more akin to a book or, more pertinently, movie. That it gains focus matches Raynor's character development, of gaining (or rather, regaining) a sense of direction and purpose. Some people have said that SC2 lacks the grit of SC1, and while I can see what they're getting at, it doesn't bother me. WoL is different from the terran campaigns that preceeded it, and it's a breath of fresh air. It's still StarCraft, it's just the Space Western elements taking the foreground rather than the background.

Secondly, characters. Now, LotV arguably has better characters, in that each major protoss character has an arc, whereas in WoL...well, Raynor certainly has an arc, while the others sort of do, but not to the same extent. There's also very minor characters (e.g. Graven Hill). However, in this, more than any other campaign, I felt a sense of comraderie with the other characters. The sense that this is a ship where people know each other, or in the case of certain new arrivals, get to know each other. WoL, more than any other campaign, feels the most...human. This is helped by presentation (and ties in with why I feel NCO really suffers from the lack of a story-mode space), but also writing and tone. This isn't really a fault, but in SC1, everything was mission first, campaign first, no time to waste. WoL is the game where we can get little moments of humanity on the Hyperion. Raynor's friendships with Horner and Tychus, Ariel falling for him, even Tosh softening up a bit. And it's kind of fitting that WoL feels human, because I'd argue that it's its secondary theme, of humanity coming into its own. SC1, the terrans are a punching bag. By SC2, for all their flaws, they're still able to defeat the Queen of Blades. And in case you're wondering, I think the artifact hunt here is done better than Brood War, because in Brood War, the Khalis/Uraj questline was produced without any pretense, whereas here, the Keystone is slowly revealed in purpose over time, not to mention it fits in with the overall arc. Raynor going from space pirate after money, to doing something that's, ahem, "worth fighting for." Oh, and thirdly, like HotS, WoL has some absolute standout moments, ranging from the sombre (the bar scene), to the humourous (the, er, other bar scene), to the epic (Char) and moving (Char again).

WoL is arguably the antithesis to SC1 in terms of themes and tone, and I think that's maybe why I like it so much. It's not repeating what's come before, it's moving forward from what's come before. I also feel that of the three SC2 campaigns, the most heart and effort was put into this one. It's filled to the brim with little quirks and easter eggs, ranging from Kate Lockwell's broadcasts to the trophies. I think these help me engage with the setting in WoL more than any other campaign, that this is a living, breathing world, filled with living, breathing people, so that when the zerg come (which are also excellently concieved, how gameplay serves story by making the zerg unstoppable mechanically as well as narratively), you want those people to keep living and breathing. So for this reason, and all the others, that's why WoL takes the #1 spot for me.

But of course, that's just me. Feedback, differing opinions are welcome.