Leveling Down

Mass Vikings and Battlecruisers can give Zerg air a very bad day.

Considering that several Starcraft 2 3v3 mid-game options can successfully carry into the end-game, I have consolidated the 3v3 end-game for all three races into this one article. I realize that it may be difficult to find the various Starcraft strategy articles that I have written up, so I will link them again here for your convenience:

Starcraft 2 3v3 Strategy – Some Basic Multiplayer Tips
Starcraft 2 3v3 Strategy: Defensive Early Game Builds
Stracraft 2 3v3 Strategy: The Protoss Mid-Game
Starcraft 2 3v3 Strategy: Terran Mid-Game
Starcraft 2 3v3 Strategy: The Zerg Mid-Game
Going Up Against the Protoss’s Overpowered Void Ray

If you’ve read through all of those articles already, hit the jump for my next article on the 3v3 end game.
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When in doubt about what to do for the Zerg mid-game, just mass Hydralisks.

For my series of mid game Starcraft 2 team strategy articles, I’ve saved my most difficult race to play for last: Zerg. Protoss is easy for me to understand, Terran was tough at first but now I understand, and Zerg…well Zerg I now understand as well but like most Starcraft players, feel that even after understanding the Zerg race, it’s still tough to play with them – especially against Terran. But, don’t let that dissuade you as a Zerg team player. Read on for different army types you can go with Zerg in the mid game.

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Inazuma 11 is a soccer game, but it’s pretty different from FIFA

When I was in Japan, I was pleased to see more portable gaming devices being played everywhere, especially on the subway. I hate to admit it, but whenever people were playing on the subway, sometimes I’d try to sneak a peak at what they were playing. It’s like DS stalking. On one particular subway ride, I managed to catch a peek of a kid playing some game that looked like a RPG, but there was something different about it – the protagonist was kicking around a soccer ball. Intriguing… Turns out the kid was playing the third installment of the Inazuma 11 series, a wildly popular soccer RPG series in Japan (and a very popular kids anime). I decided to pick up the first game in the series (in Japanese of course) and ended up playing that for the rest of my trip. What is a soccer RPG? Is the game only for kids? Is it weird to stalk people’s portable gaming choices? (Probably). Hit the jump for answers to all these questions and more!

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I guess this means maybe I should retire as grand champion since I beat multiplayer!

I was planning on posting an entry on the 3v3 Zerg mid-game today, but because I finally hit rank #1 in my division for Diamond League in 3v3 RT I decided I’d just spend some time recounting random stuff on how I got there. It was a long road to the top in my case (132 games to be exact), but of course, now I at least feel a little better writing 3v3 strategy and tips since I have the credentials to prove it. But in today’s entry – I won’t be sharing strategy…just random thoughts.
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When I play Terran in team games, I love using the Siege Tank + Marine combo for mid-game.

Up next in my series of Starcraft 2 strategy articles is how to play Terran’s mid-game effectively for team-based play. Back in the beta, Terran was the hardest race for me to learn, since I felt that the Terran units changed most considerably from the first game to the second compared to the other races. I also didn’t quite embrace the power of tanks back in the beta. But now in retail, playing as random, I think I have more wins as Terran than either Protoss or Zerg, so I have to say I’ve come along way. Hit the jump to read up on the viable strategies for the Terran mid-game.

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Jim Raynor looks a lot better than he did in the original Starcraft

I’ve decided to give in and partake in Leveling Down’s Summer of Starcraft. Not that I haven’t been playing hours and hours of the game (much to my wife’s chagrin), but I wasn’t sure if having six straight articles on Starcraft was what the people wanted. Nevertheless, espion4ge has been focused on multiplayer, so I figured I’d give my single player impressions – especially for those of you considering buying this game that might be a little intimidated by the multiplayer suite. Hit the jump for my impressions!

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My Immortals here are about to completely tear apart a bunch of Stalkers.

Originally I thought that I would fit my 3v3 mid-game strategy writeup for all three races in one entry, but because I have so much to say about each race (and little else to blog about these days), I’ve decided to spread the races out to different entries.

With Protoss being the easiest race for me to play as well as a few buddies interested in learning how to play the Protoss, I decided to write about the Protoss mid-game first. If you’re interested in how to play the Protoss mid-game, take a look!

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As Terran, my wall-in is used here to prevent an initial Zergling rush.

In previous entries, I have advocated how important it is to rush or prepare to be rushed in team-based games. I will continue to reiterate that here that if you want to get good at Starcraft II in 3v3, there’s actually a pretty standard defensive build with each race that you should follow for the most conservative opening in 3v3. I’m not a 1v1 player, so some of the more hardcore strategies that apply there don’t necessarily work here, but if you want to get good at 3v3, this is the right place to begin reading. For today’s entry, I will focus on the early game and specifically, what you should build if you want to go with the tried and true.

[Updated 8/30/2010 with revised Protoss opening]

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The dastardly LeChuck is up to no good again in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge

I really wanted to write about Starcraft 2, but decided to give any non-Starcraft playing readers a break. You’re welcome. (By the way, SC2 is awesome!) During my non-Starcraft time, I’ve been playing through the special edition of Monkey Island 2 which came out in early July. Since I loved the first one and love the Monkey Island series in general, I figured I’d take it out for a spin. So is LeChuck’s Revenge better than the original? Hit the jump to find out.

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This past weekend I got promoted to the Gold League!

All I’m playing these days at home is Starcraft 2, so it’s very difficult for me to really write about anything else game related these days (although I am making my way through Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on my commute so I will get a review out on that at some point). This past weekend I was able to sink in several hours more with Starcraft 2′s 3v3 multiplayer, and was able to move up to the Gold League in the process. Read on for my thoughts on the matches I played and things I’ve learned. I’ve decided to call this entry #2 since I have a feeling it won’t be my last.
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