Korean interviews – ZenioWerra and Check

Posted by Tom Phoenix on February 24th, 2010 filed in StarCraft News

With the release of StarCraft II beta, many people wondered what Korean players (particularly those who were or are involved with progaming) thought of the game. Finally, the Korean StarCraft fansite YGosu decided to shed some light on the matter by interviewing two players who are on top of their respective divisions in the Platinum League.

The first one is ZenioWerra, a top level amateur Zerg player who gave up his aspirations of becoming a WarCraft III progamer in order to prepare for StarCraft II. He switched to StarCraft and reached the high rank of A- on the ICCup ladder within a year of playing. He currently holds an impressive record of 224-50 in the StarCraft II beta. Here is a snippet from the interview (you can find the link to the full article below):

YGosu: What do you think the strengths of Starcraft II are?
Zenio: First off, it`s still in the beta phase, yet Battle.net works really well so even new players can start playing with ease. The ladder system is great, too. From an observer`s standpoint, the tempo of the game is quick so it`s fun to watch.

YGosu: Were you thinking about E-sports with that last bit?
Zenio: Yes. There`s a real joy to watching the game.

YGosu: On the other hand, what do you think the weaknesses are? In terms of balance, or gameplay.
Zenio: The sound effects could be better. I think Zerg has the biggest problem there, there`s just no energy behind the unit sounds. It barely sounds like they`re responding when you click on them, and you can`t tell what unit is making what sound. There aren`t units that sound desperate or growl at you aggressively, and the "You require more minerals" sound is kind of off-putting (the Korean dub of the Zerg lady is said to be pretty bad). So it`s kind of annoying.

Source (original): YGosu
Source (translation): TeamLiquid

The other is Lee "Check[Pooh]" Hyung Ju, a well-known WarCraft III progamer in Korea who made his claim to fame in the early days of the WarCraft III professional scene. He is now focusing on the StarCraft II beta and is considering switching over to it professionally as well. Again, here is a snippet from the interview (you can find the link to the full article below):

YGosu: That`s a similar position as the Starcraft: BW gamers. If you`re part of a team, I suppose it`s the rule that you follow team policy. Then tell us what you think of Starcraft II.
Check: It`s still beta, but it seems very complete. The balance is alright, and I rate it highly from an E-sports perspective as well. It`s being streamed a lot lately, and it`s getting a good response from the viewers. It`s personally pretty fun to watch other guys play as well.

YGosu: Outside E-sports aspects, do you think Starcraft II is a fun game that the average person could enjoy?
Check: I think that maybe Brood War fans might not be able to get used to the fact that Starcraft II is in 3D. But it`s really similar to the original, and if they gave it a try I think they`d like it. The interface is more convenient, too.