On July 20, Blizzard held an event for the press to allow game writers to get their first taste of StarCraft 2 single-player. Ars Technica received what amounted to a golden ticket for the event, but I was unfortunately busy attending to a personal issue and had to politely decline... no matter how great the temptation. What Blizzard revealed was a completely rethought single-player experience that goes beyond what was attempted in the first game. While some are still hung up on the lack of LAN play, what is offered to those playing alone is substantial.

The single-player game is no longer a linear, mission-to-mission affair. You'll be given different hubs that allow you to click on people and items in order to gain understanding about the game world, and pick and choose which missions you would like to tackle. "These hubs operate in a similar fashion to briefing rooms from games like Wing Commander or X-Wing, but with an even greater degree of interaction," Shacknews explains. "You can talk to characters, interact with and examine various items in the environments, upgrade your units, and start up missions." Successfully completing these missions allows you to unlock new units, as well as cash to hire your own mercenaries to aid you in battle.

"The mercenaries function kind of like Hero Units from the Warcraft games. For a large fee, you can contract with various groups of mercenaries," Destructoid reports. "Once you've contracted them, you can then use them in battle by constructing a Merc Compound and then buying them like any normal unit."

Single-player gameplay is given some unique twists

The missions described include a race to grab an artifact, and a lava-infused map that includes unique environmental challenges. There was also a mission on display that incorporated a day and night cycle into the strategy. "During the day, it's build, research and destroy every Zerg infested structure. At night, the player must retreat, as hundreds of infested humans emerge from their hidden burrows, swarming the camp," Kotaku reveals.

Missions will also include unique units that almost sound like something out of the world of Diablo. "When trying to secure the relic, Raynor's forces are attacked by a quartet of Stone Zealots, gargantuan statues brought to life to protect the prized artifact," Kotaku describes from its playthrough. There will also be achievements to unlock during each mission, giving you a reason to go back and improve your performance.

Single-player is no longer just a mutliplayer trainer

These sweeping changes to how single-player missions are organized and how you unlock units and items should make the solo experience a much more fulfilling experience. No longer just a way to learn how to use your units, now it seems as if the single-player will be an almost fully unique experience. If you're a fan of the world and lore of StarCraft, expect it to be explored in a much deeper-than-expected way.

This also raises some interesting questions about the Zerg and Protoss releases. While Terrans drink in bars and organize their attacks from ships, what will the Zerg hubs be like? It will likely take a while to find out, but it's a question that should be fun to answer.

While I don't regret skipping out on Blizzard to take care of my family, this is the one invitation that tempted me to leave the hospital and hop on a plane. A new son... or single-player StarCraft 2? No man should ever have to make that choice. Be sure to read the previews that are scattered around the Internet, there are many interesting tidbits in each one.

Further reading

Zerg artwork courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment