So here's an interesting replay. Being a Protoss player, I like seeing them win, especially against Zerg. However, the usage of the shields made me smile.
There are three parts to is, watch them all. The commentator is annoying at first.
It's interesting but nothing mind-blowing. The offensive use of them was exactly what I was expecting. Sadly, this is the only game I've seen where the usage of shields mattered. People seemed to just toss them up randomly on the battlefield.
I still want to see some Zerg and Terran uniqueness. Everybody just Zergling/Hydra/Roach's or Marines/Siege Tank's their way to a victory or a loss.
I'd like to see some Reaper or Thor usage. Hell, I'd like to see what a Raven is capable of but nobody uses them. I'd also like to see usage of the Nydus Network or even an Infestor for pinning down some fast moving units (ZvZ for example).
It's cool that what used to work still does in the new game; that's a great foundation. I just expected the metagame to develop more quickly than it has. To me, that signals either a lack of working alternative strategies (what happened in RA3) or a lack of player skill/creativity.
But I'm happy that atleast one Protoss player used shields.