Oh they are. They're quite similar. Unlike other RTS games that ditch the common preconception of base management (resource gathering-base building-army development-expanding), SCII plays things by the book. Granted, it's the book that they wrote, but still. It's safe, and it feels safe while playing. I needed none of the tutorials, and I'm breezing through the game on normal difficulty. The game, on a general basis, introduces very few major changes. But the devil is in the details.

SCVs have now better AI. Actually, they have AI now. They will actively search for stuff to repair even if you don't command them to do so. They won't gather on their own, but they can fix both buildings and vehicles just fine. That's pretty helpful if on early stages of the campaign, before unlocking the science vessel. You can have a couple scvs tag along without worrying to micromanage them to repair your units. There's also a mechanic gatherer that will last you 90 seconds, and it's more efficient than scvs. That's something new. All in all, the new changes seem to help streamline base management, in order to allow the player focus on waging war, instead of playing sim city or turtling too much.

Mercs are another new addition. They're expensive, but invaluable when the going gets rough. I've cleared entire missions using only mercs and a few support units.

There are also a number of new units, such as the banshee, viking, reaper, etc, that allow for more flexible tactics. I don't have enough experience with the game to learn the subtleties of each one of them, but from what I've read, the game is still pretty balanced. Pathfinding is much better in this game.

The way the story is delivered is also much improved. On SC, you would progress through the main 10 missions of each race, getting a cinematic every 2 or 3 missions cleared. And that's about it. Mission briefings also delivered some character development, but that was pretty much it. In SCII, the way the Hyperion works like a hub of sorts with plenty of shit to do and upgrade adds depth to the series' lore, as well as the characters. Hiring mercs, interacting with your crew, researching alien tech, upgrading vehicles and infantry, watching the news, even playing that minigame on the arcade machine helped flesh out the game's plot. Side missions are also new.

Next time I see it onsale for 39 or less I'm going to pick it up.

Yeah, that's a great result.

Massive congratulations man.

How many leagues off the top one are you?