Preparing Yourself and Your PC for Starcraft II : Wings of Liberty

This year marks another memorable chapter in video gaming history as Blizzard Entertainment's Starcraft II : Wings of Liberty, sequel to one of the legendary real-time strategy games Starcraft, was finally released. With the new technology and advances in computing and evolution of video gaming, after 10 long years, what should you expect and how should you prepare for it?

First and foremost, Starcraft II : Wings of Liberty is quite expensive compared to other PC games. I bought my retail copy at 3,500 pesos (which is roughly $78). I asked myself if it's worth it and I can definitely say that it sure is. The campaign mode, multiplayer games, the gameplay itself and possibly the rest of the aspects of the game is what we come to expect for such a highly anticipated game. It feels like the old Starcraft but with different flavor. There are a couple of new units, new storyline, new strategies and more. I won't spoil anything but you might ask for more when it comes to the campaign mode.

Now, let's move on to the technical aspects of the game. What are the system requirements for the game? Off the box, you'll need a Windows XP/Vista/7 or a Mac OS 10.5.8 or newer operating system. For the hardware, you'll need at least an Intel Pentium IV 2.6 GHz or AMD equivalent processor, 128MB PCI Express Nvidia 6600 GT or ATI Radeon X1600 video card, 12 Gigabyte space on your hard drive, 1 GB system memory, a DVD-ROM drive, internet connection and video settings of at least 1024x720 resolution. As for the recommended settings, you'll need a Dual Core 2.4 GHz processor, 2 Gigabytes of system memory and a 512 MB Nvidia 8800GTX or ATI Radeon HD3870 video card.

My PC is just a shy away from the recommended settings. My video card only has 320 MB of memory but the rest of the specifications are met. I can play at high quality video settings but I have to put it down to medium for huge multiplayer games. If you really want to maximize everything, you'll need a state-of-the-art PC. That is the likes of a PC with the fastest Intel Core i7 processor, the best ultra high-end video card (use SLI or CrossfireX to maximize), 8 GB or more of system memory and a very fast hard drive.

The 12 Gigabyte installation is not a joke. Make sure you have more than sufficient hard disk space for the game. Your hard drive speed as well as your processor and memory, will dictate how fast the game will load. Now, for the internet connection, I'm not sure about dial-up connections but I'm pretty sure a 384 kbps connection will be more than enough, provided that you are not downloading or uploading in the background. You just have to log in if you want to play the multiplayer games. You'll probably need that extra bandwidth if you're playing against 7 other people on Battle.net so that you'll be in sync most of the time if not all of the time.

Don't forget to register your profile on Battle.net when you first launch the game. Remember, you can only attach the CD-Key to one email. As the game says, you only have 1 chance to name your profile. Unless, there's another way so for that, try to contact Blizzard. They're accommodating. I've spoken with one of their reps and they are quite helpful. After registration, you're all set.

For now, all I can say is that Starcraft II : Wings of Liberty is living up to become another legendary real-time strategy PC game and I can't wait for the next release. Just make sure your computer is up to speed and that you have enough time since you'll most likely play this game for hours a day especially if you're a fan. Just manage your time well. Have fun!