The Secret Ingredient for a Successful Game (part 4)

There has always been something about Blizzard games that feels a little different from other games. For me, the definitive game was Starcraft, probably one of my all-time favorite video games. I think I first recognized in Starcraft the secret formula Blizzard has been using. It's all about the characters. What I mean is this: in other games, you might have a character or unit that you can move around and use in the game. Maybe it's a paratrooper unit with a machine gun, as an example. Other games will give him one or two sounds, and he'll have his standard ability and maybe a secondary ability. But when compared with other units in the game, he sort of blends in and doesn't look or feel very distinct. Yet in Starcraft, Blizzard makes sure that every single unit feels unique, not only in the exclusive abilities they have, but in their character art, sound, and animation. If you click on the unit, it has more than just one repetitive sound or comment that it makes and these comments either build the lore of the character or are humorous. Each character's animation when moving and attacking is distinctly different from others. Every ability affords distinctly different tactical approaches to winning. In short, Blizzard taps into your creative mind and gets you excited about every character in their games. Even the units I liked less than others were still unique and fun to use.