WARCRAFT III: REFORGED Is Fine for Single Player but the Multiplayer Is Lackluster
I was really excited for Warcraft III: Reforged. I got to Warcraft III late in the game but still enjoyed it. Then, Blizzard was kind enough to hook me up with a copy of Reforged to review, and honestly, I’m just a little sad. I recently wrote about some problems that some fans were having with the game, but now I’m going to share my experience.
When I first loaded up Reforged I was filled with excitement. Everything was just the way I remembered it but with improved graphics. Then, I started to play the actual game. I loaded up the campaign, and at first I was blown away. It looked incredible for a minute. Then I let the exhilarating rush fade, and while the graphics were improved, there were some problems. First, some of the character models looked a little underwhelming. I came to not be bothered by this as much since this is an RTS with a million characters on the board at once. However, the most disappointing thing is the cutscenes. These feel so lifeless because instead of a more cinematic approach to them, they went back to the way the original game did it: using the in-game engine. That means that we also see the lines being delivered by the faces in portraits and that’s not great because those are bland and unexpressive. Thrall barely blinks. I will applaud the team, though, as most of the time the lips and mouth line up with the actual words, which is a vast improvement.
After playing some of the campaign, I decided to check out the multiplayer scene. Now, I will admit that I don’t play RTS’ online very often because I’m not great, but I thought I’d still have some fun even though I’d lose. I got into a game and lost pretty quick, but I did have an experience. I had problems as the game would lag every now and then. I asked my opponent if they had any problems, and they responded saying that they did not. I’ll chalk that up to something going on with my internet then and not the game.
Now, as I said before, I don’t do too much in the RTS online scene, but I know that the vast majority of players do, and that’s why I too am bummed out that Blizzard omitted several key features like custom campaigns and clans. I know they’ve released a statement saying that they’re going to implement many of the missing online features, but why not have those built-in from the start?
Overall, Reforged is actually pretty perfect for someone like me. The person who wants to play a classic RTS for the story and maybe on occasion with friends. However, I know that when it comes to RTS games, the vast majority of the community is not in the same camp as me. Honestly, I’m getting really tired of companies releasing half-baked games and then finishing them later. The positive of all this is that Reforged only costs $30. Once Blizzard addresses the concerns fans have raised, it’ll be worth it, but until then, only casual fans are going to really enjoy it while everyone else is just disappointedly waiting.
