My First Time: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans – Blizzard’s Milestone

Hardly any other game has shaped a genre like Dune 2 (1993): Even if, strictly speaking, there were already real-time strategy titles such as the action/strategy hybrids Herzog Zwei (1989) and Danielle Bunton’s Command HQ (1990), the science Fi genius has many basic mechanisms that are now an integral part of real-time strategy games. First and foremost, Dune 2 felt neither too dry nor too complicated. The developers at Westwood Studios had worked out a concept that both beginners and professionals could use. That means: With just a few clicks you can erect buildings, recruit units, draw resources and overrun your opponent with the largest possible army.

Because there was no hype for Dune 2 beforehand, the game gradually became a hit. Many only realized its brilliance over the next few months or even years. And yet it was only a matter of time before the first serious imitator was in the starting blocks – in the form of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (1994).

Pixelated and washed out, but still good: Blizzard already played with the graphics muscles in the first Warcraft and spoiled the player with a pre-rendered intro.

Source: Blizzard Entertainment / plassma media agency




You have to know that in the mid-1990s, developer Blizzard was almost unknown. The Californians’ first games appeared under the freaky label Silicon & Synapse and were primarily easy-to-digest console fare like the racing game Rock n’ Roll Racing (1993) and the puzzle platformer The Lost Vikings (1992).

Warcraft, on the other hand, was only released for PC and Macintosh, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. After all, strategic battles work much better with a mouse and keyboard than with a gamepad. And that’s probably the reason why I got the title despite good ratings in PC Games and Co. missed: I was too fixated on consoles at the time.

Every beginning is… difficult: At the beginning of the first orc mission there are just two buildings, a crossroads and a few units.

Source: Blizzard Entertainment / plassma media agency




In addition, strategy games in general have never really been important to me, they have always had to take a back seat to my beloved first-person shooters or point and click adventures.

Wanted: colorful pixel battles

The main reason why I’m looking forward to my first time with Warcraft today: The screenshots in the old magazines or on the Distribution platform GOG.comwhere I can get the game digitally for just under 4.50 euros, look so colorful!

As soon as the first barracks are in place, you should quickly recruit a few aggressive soldiers.

Source: Blizzard Entertainment / plassma media agency




The classic radiates the finest pixel graphics right from the start, which I find much more likeable than the sandy desert look of Dune 2.

At least as likeable is the first impression after the start of the game, which takes place without much fanfare. I see a short, nicely pre-rendered intro, decide on the orc campaign instead of the human campaign and finally click away a still image with scrolling text because I want to plunge straight into the fray of battle.

I immediately see a few buildings, namely a town hall and a farm. Surrounding it are four units – three axe-wielding grunts and a hireling.