Blizzard Releases 3 Official StarCraft 2 Mods
Looks like the cooking game is the headliner in the eyes of Blizzard
Blizzard has finally gotten around to releasing its official mods for StarCraft 2 and after taking them for a spin earlier today I can safely say that they’re a solid addition to an already great game. Along with the release of Left 2 Die, Aiur Chef and StarJeweled, Blizzard also released accompanying achievements to unlock while playing the mini games. I’ve broken down the games with a short summary in order to help you decide what to pursue and what to turn your nose up at (though all three games merit at least one play through).
Left 2 Die
There's no room for heroics in Left 2 Die; be a team player or you're screwed
Left 2 Die is a take on the night and day defense levels in the StarCraft 2 single player campaign, though this time you have a buddy to help you defend against wave after wave of infested Terrans and other Zerg menances. While you still need to gather the conventional resources, Left 2 Die introduce a Biomass resource which can be used to unlock new units at the centralized science facility in each level. Biomass can be collected by killing the larger Zerg as well as destroying infested structures that lie outside the base. Despite the name, the game has little to do in terms of mechanics with Left 4 Dead, though a take on zombies is the predominant adversary in the game. Things get dicey fast, so to avoid annoying your partner, make sure you have some knowledge of the game before logging in.
Left 2 Die Achievements
Live and Let Die – Complete the “Left 2 Die” scenario on Normal difficulty.
Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em – Kill a Stank before it kills anything on Hard difficulty. Awards Stank portrait.
Die Another Day – Complete the “Left 2 Die” scenario on Hard difficulty.
Here Comes the Hammer – Complete the “Left 2 Die” scenario before the fifth night on Brutal difficulty.
License to Kill – Complete the “Left 2 Die” scenario on Brutal difficulty.
Night Of The Living – Survive 5 Infested Horde Attacks in the “Night 2 Die” mode of the “Left 2 Die” scenario.
Night Of The Living II – Survive 10 Infested Horde Attacks in the “Night 2 Die” mode of the “Left 2 Die” scenario.
Night Of The Living III – Survive 15 Infested Horde Attacks in the “Night 2 Die” mode of the “Left 2 Die” scenario.
Aiur Chef
Who doesn't like cooking with exotic ingredients?
Iron Chef goes intergalactic in Aiur Chef. You play as a Protoss chef who is tasked with wandering around a map and collecting ingredients for the three recipes announced before the match. Completing recipes nets you points and bonuses, which can enhance you or interfere with other competitors (at one point I was forced to dance, a clever distraction, to say the least). It’s not as easy as it sounds though as not every ingredient goes down without a fight and the higher point recipes require you to fight some of the game’s fauna in order to get what you need. A much more light hearted game then Left 2 Die, although there does come a point where cannibalism becomes the secret ingredient of a round. This reminded me of a deeper version of a Mario Party mini game and can see it becoming the perfect mod to play during a break in between extended multiplayer runs.
Aiur Chef Achievements
Executor Chef – Cook at least one of each dish in all three rounds of one game of Aiur Chef.
Virtuoso -Win a game of Aiur Chef. Awards Zealot Chef portrait.
Supreme Cuisine – Score over 2000 points in a game of Aiur Chef.
The Heat Is On – Kill another zealot chef when hit by the Great Equalizer.
Allez Cuisine! – Cook two dishes within 30 seconds of each other.
StarJeweled
Puzzle games and violence are always a good combo
StarJeweled is essentially BeJeweled with battling thrown into the mix. As jewel matches are made, you receive energy that can be used to create troops that walk down screen in an attempt to destroy your opponent’s base. The matches can be pretty fast paced and a potential defeat can turn into victory with a the right chain of combinations. This is the game that I figured was a lazy knock off but it eventually grabbed my attention for much longer than the others. It’s fairly simple and easy to pick up, even for Starcraft 2 rookies.
StarJeweled Achievements
Tag Team – Win a 2v2 game of ‘StarJeweled’ with no A.I. players.
Jewel Crafter – Win a 1v1 game of ‘StarJeweled’ against a Medium A.I. opponent.
Jewel Star – Win a 1v1 game of ‘StarJeweled’ against a Hard A.I. opponent.
Jewel Super Star – Win a 1v1 game of ‘StarJeweled’ against a Very Hard A.I. opponent.
Jewel Rock Star – Win a 1v1 game of ‘StarJeweled’ against an Insane A.I. opponent.
Jewel of Denial – Heal 3000 points of damage in a game of ‘StarJeweled’ using the Healing Wave ability. Awards Ornatus portrait.
World of Orecraft – Do a 6 combo gem break and receive “For the Swarm” notification in a game of ‘StarJeweled’.
I’ve needed a reason to get back into StarCraft 2 and since I’m pretty terrible at multiplayer, these fun little additions have been great motivation. I’m still hoping that World of StarCraft finds its way onto my PC soon, but until then these mods should keep me distracted.
Sources:
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Starjeweled is awesome. I kicked some ass during a LAN party when I first played it, then got my ass handed to me when I went online. No matter how good you think you are at Bejeweled, SC2 players are somehow better.
I am currently 4 and 2, so here’s hoping those Bejeweled skills continue to hold up.