Homeworld Game Review
By Prankoys JJC
Gummy Village Idiot/Handyman
(Click on the pictures for larger versions. For more screenshots, visit http://screens.relicnews.com/. A word of warning: VERY graphic-heavy site!)
In 1999, amidst the hordes of Starcraft and Command & Conquer clones, a fledgling game development company named Relic Entertainment released their first game. It was a real-time strategy game set in space, but unlike other RTS games, it involved no ground troops. It was set purely in space. Its name? Homeworld.
Unfortunately, Homeworld went mostly unnoticed due to the popularity of Starcraft, Age of Empires and Command & Conquer at the time. Now it's time to show you what you've missed.
Homeworld is about a race of aliens that live on the desert planet Kharak. After they send out a probe that malfunctions and scans the planet, they find out about their ancestry from a massive starship wreck in the middle of the desert. A giant starship designed to carry them to their true homeworld is constructed, along with a small support fleet. Everything has been completed, and the mothership is prepared to go on its maiden voyage. After a series of events, the mothership and its fleet find themselves alone in a hostile universe. It is your task to lead the fleet home to reclaim their homeworld.
The game's graphics are beautiful. The detail applied to every ship is astounding, as is the work done on the backgrounds. Some types of ships even have letters printed on their sides, which is a nice touch, adding a bit of realism. The special effects are spectacular, especially for a game made in 1999. The explosions, weapon impacts and ion beam effects are amazing, and the smaller fighter craft have engine trails which add to the coolness factor when the camera is zoomed out. The camera is slightly difficult to handle at first, as you have nearly complete control of it (rotation and zooming) but is highly effective once you get the hang of it.
The sound effects in Homeworld are equally impressive. Each type of weapon has its own sound effect. From the machine-gun-like bursts of the smaller fighters' mass drivers to the fearsome blast of the larger capital ships' awesome ion cannons, it all sounds good. The sounds of ships flying and docking to each other are pretty convincing. You can even tell a damaged ship from an intact one by the way it sounds. The only problem with the sound lies in the unit responses. All ships, from the lowly Scout to the mighty Heavy Cruiser have the same voice. Nevertheless, the dialogues do their job, notifying you of your fleet's status.
Gameplay is a sharp contrast from the "rush, rush, rush" style found in games like Command & Conquer and Starcraft. You will never win using one a single type of unit alone. If you believe you can crush an enemy using an assault force composed purely of fighters, think again. The higher-class corvettes and missile destroyers will annihilate you if you don't give them support from other units. The key is a balanced mix of everything. This game is not for the impatient, though. An average game ranges from 45 to one hour long, perhaps even longer. You also have to pay attention to your ships as well. The better you "micromanage" your units, the larger your chances of survival. Formations, tactics, and strategic placement are the name of the game here. If you send your units out to fight blindly like you did your Dragoons in Starcraft, don't expect to live very long.
The control scheme is not as complicated as it seems. A few passes through the tutorial is usually enough to familiarize one with the controls.
The story is very deep, despite what you may expect from a real-time strategy game. No, you won't find another "America is good, righteous, smart and technologically advanced while the Russians are primitive, evil and want to take over the world" storyline here. Leave that to the bucketheads at Westwood. There is a very detailed and interesting back story to the game, which is contained in the game manual, stored in the game CD if you buy the Game of the Year edition. The background story is so detailed and thought through, it's almost believable. The movies played in between missions are black-and-white, reminiscent of old wartime footage. Very appropriate, as the introduction starts with the words, "One hundred years ago..."
Homeworld is definitely a game that is not to be passed up. Fortunately for those who want a taste of this experience, not to worry. Homeworld 2 is coming soon, and promises to be even better than the original.
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