I'm such a sucker for the Starcraft universe that I bought the Starcraft Ghost: Nova novel, the Starcraft: Frontline comic trades, and the Starcraft: Ghost Academy manga series. Naturally, I'm obsessing over Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty's story. I adore heist flicks, too, and I love that Starcraft 2 follows a similar structure: Raynor's Raiders amass an army to take on the Queen of Blades, with tanks and starships replacing thieves and safecrackers. What more do I need?

In spite of the engaging characters and cool plot twists, I keep getting distracted. The deep lore and memorable characters are great, but Blizzard regularly redirected my focus from the central story toward other, smaller things. It seemed like every time I finished a mission, I'd grabbed a screenshot of some secret or had Tabbed out of the game to share interesting anecdotes with my friends.

These are the 10 best secrets, stories and Easter eggs the Bitmob staff and I could find (also check out 10 Starcraft 2 Tips from a Pro Player).

Put Another Dime in The Jukebox, Baby -- Classic Rock Radio

Despite the imminent alien apocalypse, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," and The Stooges' "Raw Power" survive in the 26th century. These cover tracks comprise the majority of songs on Jimmy's jukebox aboard the Hyperion. Either the Zerg wiped out Justin Bieber, or Raynor just has good taste -- I pray to the Xel'naga it's both.

Revolution -- Grunts Gun Down Graffiti Guy

In the first campaign mission, Liberation Day, Raynor and his Raiders work behind enemy lines to destroy a Dominion base. They're not alone in their anti-Empire efforts, though. As I moved toward my objective, I saw spray-painted propaganda billboards taunting Emperor Mengsk. By the second or third sign, I found the man responsible for the graffiti tags lying in a puddle of paint and blood. Someone had gunned him down while painting.

I thought the Empire striking back against civilian rebels was an interesting untold story on its own. But as I ventured away from the painter's body toward my objective, I ran across even more painted billboards. Somebody else took up the dead man's cause.

Good on them. That Emperor Arcturus guy is a real jerk.

Roll Out -- Optimus Prime

Just to the right of our fallen, spray-painting comrade rests a hovering semi. Its red-and-blue color combination, as well as a couple structural designs (the flame designs look a lot like the live-action films' Optimus), reminded me of Transformers' Optimus Prime. And if you look closely at the bumper, you'll see a barely distinguishable license plate that reads "OPTIM-S1." I'm hoping that if I wait around long enough, he'll want to join my team. Fingers crossed.

Think Of The Children -- The Thank-You Card

After making a dent in the Dominion's forces, Raynor relaxes at Joeyray's bar. Inside, you'll find a poster promoting the rebellion's fight for freedom. Pinned to the cork board beside it, you'll see a card with a crayon-drawn doodle and "Thank you Marshal Raynor" written up top. It's a small touch, but it reinforces the idea that Raynor's rebellion really affects the locals.

It's also completely adorable.

Test-Tube Baby -- Metroid

As I expanded my base during a random co-op game, I encountered a trio of test-tubes near my supply depots. The gelatinous, jellyfish-looking creature in the center tank caught my eye almost immediately -- it looks remarkably simlar to an unmutated Super Metroid, uh, Metroid.

Blizzard obviously isn't afraid to acknowledge its affection for other franchises... even if that franchise is one of its own, as you'll see in this next Easter egg.

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