Rating: 
Summary: ooooo
Review: For those who like space shoot em ups with a bit of masterclass and variation, its winkin at u in the eye, if ur not sure about this type of game, let me make it easy for u. imagine command and conquer generals. make it 3d, better gameplay, b-e-a-utiful on high resolutions plus the ability of a superb skirmish, and ur there. no doubt an absolute classic
Rating:
Summary: Across the Universe
Review: "Homeworld" is, hands-down, my favorite computer game ever. I like many others -- from the original "Zork" to "The Bard's Tale" to "Thief: The Dark Project" -- but "Homeworld" is the one that takes the cake. I've spent far too many hours playing it, many more listening to its wonderful music, and possibly even more researching its world and writing a story based on one of its featured characters, which is something I've never been inspired to do before or since.The story of "Homeworld" is compelling from the beginning. A race of beings living on the harsh desert world of Kharak discover an ancient spacecraft beneath the shifting sands. In its ruined frame, they find an intact map leading deep into the galaxy, to a world called Hiigara. They discover that Hiigara is their ancient homeworld, and the entire population comes together to build a spacecraft that will take them there, based on the technology of the buried spacecraft. As gameplay begins, you test the hyperspace drives of your ship, and you control the building, management, and movements of a ever-growing fleet of vessels, starting from smaller scout craft and resource-gathering vessels, working your way up to larger ships. Your fleet makes its way across the galaxy slowly, toward its goal, meeting four alien races -- some are hostile, while others will help. Your job, as Fleet Command, is to survive and thrive in the dangerous deep reaches of space. The challenges with which you will be presented are dramatic and ever-changing. The story of the game is perhaps is finest aspect. Despite the fact that the game is essentially "on rails," meaning that it flows in one direction only, with no real branching of consequences other than "win or lose," it never really feels that way. The events follow from one point to the next with many surprises and unexpected turns along the way. Starting with a sudden ambush early on, the game truly keeps you on your toes at every step, often changing direction in the middle of a mission. The music deserves special attention, because it really helps give the game its feel. The music for the general space exploration segments is hauntingly beautiful, giving impressions of distance and silence. For the battle sequences, the music is an effective counterpoint, providing a steady undertone to the deadly ballet taking place. The use of a vocal version of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" underscores the moment of the game's greatest tragedy, and its most moving moment. And the final song, performed by the rock band Yes specifically for the game, is the perfect way to conclude the game. The graphics in "Homeworld" seem a bit outdated by today's standards, but they remain beautiful and perfect for the tone that the game sets throughout. Nice 360-degree three-dimensional renderings of ships, gorgeous backdrops of nebulae and space vistas, stunningly-rendered action sequences in the form of the battle scenes. I can still look admiringly at the graphics today. The game is an extremely cinematic experience, because of the quality of the graphics and a smart gameplay model. The gameplay itself is so much fun. Controls are fairly intuitive and easy to learn, including the "camera" controls, which make the game so cinematic. The game is essentially a real-time strategy combat game, set in a fully three-dimensional environment. The single-player game is heavily-driven by the solid story, but it never lets the story aspect get in the way of the enjoyment of the gameplay itself. Whether fighting your way through an asteroid field or preparing to take on a 150-ship fleet or mining the last few resources from a system (there's a lot of that), there's always something to do. Of course, the drive to find out what happens next is always strong as well. The single-player game is also extremely re-playable, thanks to many different styles of gameplay you can choose. I myself have played it at least six times, all the way through the story, and I still haven't exhausted the possibilities. Multiplayer gameplay is equally fun, with all sorts of different tactics and styles of gameplay possible. "Grunt-rushing," or making an early rush at your opponent with an overwhelming number of weak ships, is certainly possible, but it's not as effective as it is in most RTS games. The wide variety of options open to all players make each and every multiplayer match in "Homeworld" new and interesting. There's really nothing bad I can say about "Homeworld." From its visuals to its sound, from its story to its endlessly-entertaining gameplay, it's a game that I can relish playing over and over, even as I look forward to playing its sequel, "Homeworld 2." It's the sort of game that can take on mythic proportions and influence many games that come after it, and so it has. "Homeworld" is, perhaps, as close to a perfect game as one is ever likely to see. It has my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: the best game ever (by an 11 year old gamer)
Review: homeworld Rocks!!!! This is the best game ever created by sierra. I've played and beat it about 7 times and i'm still finding newer and more coplex ways of doing it (as its an RTS). Even though in the 1 player mode you have to complete oblectives you can do them in any way you want. but i think that the best part is the multiplayer mode you can have lan and internet matches and CPU skirmishes there are a ton of different combanatoins to pick from for how you want to play in Multi-modes too. The game plot itself is ausome too its about a bunck of exiles bieng forced to live on a reaaaallly crappy planet called Kharak until the find the remains of a of a ship and in it they find a rock... the rock is reffered to as the guidestone and it is a map to their real homeworld so they set off in a space ship and over time you research different technologies to defeat the tidan imperial empire the ones who exiled you in the first place. the graphics of this game and the sound are in all abslution totally stunning and i love the whole series and i have reserved the newest one homeworld 2.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent game!
Review: Homeworld 2 General/Summary: When Relic released the first Homeworld in 1999, I was amazed at the graphics, gameplay, and story that took the gaming world by storm. I said "WOW." It was a sensational game worthy of awards for innovation and game depth not seen before in a RTS game. It was such an ambitious title at the time, and they pulled it off with an incredible 3D engine taking RTS gamers into the depths of space. Homeworld 2 has some large shoes to fill as it tries to recapture the genre once again. It has been refined and improved in many ways over the predecessor, and most of the changes are welcome. Many gamers will criticize Homeworld 2 because it is not their beloved Homeworld 1, but game studios have to create new content to sell games. While the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" motto could apply, Relic made very positive changes in the interface and gameplay design. Gameplay: Homeworld 1 did not play much like a typical rock-paper-scissors RTS game. Players massed units like frigates and placed support ships on guard to heal them as they fight. Players made fighters, bombers, and other ships, but there was less of a need for variety. Homeworld 2 on the other hand requires gamers to have many types of ships due to a more strict rock-paper-scissors gameplay design. Also, larger ships now have subsystems, so bombers can target weapons or engines to take those ships out of action. There are more ways to attack in Homeworld 2 and it now resembles other games in the genre. I miss the formations from Homeworld since they played an important part in battle success. Also, watching fighters fly through space in X formation sure was cool. However, the gameplay changes make for a fantastic chess match as players move their different classes of ships around to win battles. I got used to the changes after several games online, and now I am starting to see the benefits. The multiplayer is vastly improved with the new system, and there are more options for offensive tactics. Homeworld 1 had an incredible story for the single player component, where gamers were stuck in space trying to get home. Homeworld 2 has more of a save the world story, and I found it to be enjoyable. I am not a big fan of stories in RTS games, but Relic does a great job to heighten the experience. I felt like a general commanding my mothership through space on the quests presented to me throughout the game. The story is not Homeworld 1, but Relic presented a very stylish successor that gamers should be proud to own in their collection. Some gamers complain about the lack of a hyperjump button since the missions move quickly and it does not give the player time to absorb much. It does not bother me since the game gives you all the resources on the level automatically, and it saves each time you advance. My only complaint with the missions is that some were very hard, but tips from the Relic forums really helped me move through them quickly. It did not take me long to get through the 15 missions, and I expect that they will release more in an expansion. There are many refinements in the interface that enhance gameplay. The one major change is the addition of the side scroll. It does not sound like much, but players can move the camera around by moving the pointer to the sides of the screen. All RTS games feature this behavior except Homeworld. This enables players to rely less on the sensor manager to look around, so they can keep their eyes on the main battle screen. Also, they now provide more information on the screen in a collapsible tool bar. Furthermore, the build and research screens now take up less than a third of the main window, so gamers can stay in the game and make purchases at the same time. Another change is the ability to send ships on the vertical axis by holding down the left mouse button. The shift key is still usable for that action, but not necessary since one hand can be faster. The interface has changed for the better, and it helps to control units in 3D space. The refinements make Homeworld 2 a great game. It is similar enough to learn quickly, but tough to master. One new addition is a defense platform that allows players in online play to send these to things to resource patches ("platform rush"). Resource collectors have no chance against them, but they are easy to counter with Torpedo Frigates that shoot long range torpedoes. You need to defend your Torpedo Frigates with interceptors. I keep finding more and more strategies as I play it online, and the game balance seems impressive. Frigates are no longer big ships like in Homeworld 1, and they can die fast. The big boys now are the Battlecruisers. Graphics: The best way to describe the graphics is by saying "WOW." It has a beautiful 3D environment that places gamers in deep space fighting through stars, nebula, and debris. The battles are vivid as ships streak through space creating brilliant screen lighting explosions. Ships have excellent animations and space looks more detailed than the predecessor. The same wow factor is there with improved graphics, but it is not a huge leap from the original. You could really makes a statement about the original Homeworld's graphics being way ahead of it's time. There is no doubt that the graphics are the pinnacle of the Homeworld series, and this version does not hold back. Sound: The music is fantastic, just like the other two Homeworld titles. This year they have more of a haunting classical tune to rhythmic beats, and it really adds to the excitement of the game. I have never been disappointed by the music in any of the Homeworld titles. The rest of the sounds add to the overall experience. The explosions are big and make great use of a sub woofer, so crank it up. The music dancing, the ship engines humming, and the explosions create a wonderful space battle environment.
Rating:
Summary: Veteran Strategy PC Gamer
Review: This is my first review from what I've seen so far. Everything on this game is being tweaked. People complain about the graphics, yet one must know more before considering such comments valid. Homeworld 2 continues to dominate even its superiors. ORB is so basic you can count the polygons and vertices, zooming out and moving dots around degrades it further. The best computer takes much time to load such an odd game, as its saving grace stands only to satisfy a VERY hungry gamer. HW2 will have slightly less graphic strength than Hegemonia, because that is the point. This is when compared to Hegemonia, where you have excellent graphics, but few ships at any given time. Players can hardly call what they have "fleets". Veteran, non-biased players supplied this very information. HW2 allows for hundreds of ships from entirely distinct races. Swarms of detailed fighters rage around massive captital ships protecting one-another with unheard-of Artificial Intelligence. The game is optimized for lower-end PC's as a mercy to those who haven't followed the curve of PC's. Those with Higher systems are treated when the engine automatically (and manually if you like) adjusts to use your systems strength, activating dorment "Eye Candy". This is to enhance game-play, so that you can even play the game at all. Finally, the games story and sound technology have Never EVER been beaten, and there are absolutely no negative points to give this game. Dubbed "Perfect" by all credable sources with the original, this improved generation sequel will test the merits and validity of reviewers to come. May it yet again receive an unbiased "Game of the Year" from all reviewers as before. This game is "the most advanced tactical game ever" - part 2.
Rating: 
Summary: homeworld 2 is the same as orb
Review: in my view playing homeworld 2 is about the same as O.R.B if you seen that game they mirror each other both have great graphics. homworld is harder than homeworld 2 but orb is cooler because of the levels
Rating:
Summary: Addictive!
Review: This is an absolutely amazing game. I've lost jobs because I couldn't go to sleep until I beat a level. I'm an old guy, I'm supposed to be responsible. I first found Homeworld, the predecessor to Cataclysm, in the $10.00 bin. It said "Game of the Year" on the box, so I decided to buy it. Cataclysm is a 3 dimensional real time space stragegy game. However, it is not of the Descent or Tie Fighter genre, where the question is how fast you can shoot. The thing that make it so addictive is that it also includes elements of a simulation (such as sim city) and the battles involve stragety rather than how fast you can point and shoot. The basic story is that 15 years after returning to their homeworld in the epic game Homeworld, a Hiigaran mining space vessel, the Kuun-Lan, inadvertently releases an intelligent interstellar virus of sorts which can subvert living and inorganic matter, almost instantly turning your own ships against you. Eventually, it allies with your enemies, the remnants of the old Taidan Empire, which you (hopefully) wiped out in the first game. You have to conduct scientific/engineering research, build ships, mine resources, and upgrade the mining vessel until you become one of the most powerful armadas around. You get to be the General, rather than the pilot! The game graphics are excellent and very detailed. In fact, they are so good that the scenes between missions use the game's graphics rather than specially done animation. In fact, on the DVD "Yes -- live at the House of Blues," there is a music video of the Yes song "Homeworld" which uses only video from the first Homeworld game.
Rating:
Summary: Not "too difficult"
Review: I own both Homeworld 1 and Cataclysm and finished them both. With the same basic strategy employed to win those games, I finished HW2 in about 3 days. It is unfortunate that there aren't multiple difficulty levels in the campaign game (though in the "multiplayer", you can set the computer skill level), but I found the game sufficiently challenging. As others have stated here, it is an excellent game, beautifully rendered and engrossing.
Rating:
Summary: Too difficult you say?
Review: As of yet, I only still have the demo, and will soon venture to get the retail version. I hear that many of you who posted a review say it is hard. It is and is not. When I first got it, even vs the CPU on EASY, it took me about 10 games to get the hang of it, and now I clobber the other 3 comps. Now I just gotta beat STANDARD difficulty again and again to bring the action notch up to MEDIUM. I do not say it is really easy, but to be easy would not be worth it. To learn how to beat the AI, which is a heck of a lot better than the AI of other RTS games I own. I actually get a challenge out of it. For people who are frustrated, just take a few days to cool off before taking on the comp again. Eventually, you will find the proper strategies to overcome the AI, though those must change when you change the difficulty. All in all, a very good game. I do not own the first 2, but will perhaps if they will actually run on my rather current comp. Hate to find out that HM1 and CATACLYSM wont run on a 1.4ghz w/ WINDOWS ME in it. Just keep at it, and eventually you get the 'skills' as many of us other hard RTS gamers say.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent game, but too hard for most
Review: This game was a must-buy for me since I also owned the original Homeworld. The story of HW2 is a lot less compelling than the story of the original Homeworld, but still not bad. The gameplay is however better. If you are unfamiliar with the Homeworld series, it's based on fighting your way through levels, where you bring your resources and space fleet from the previous mission (level) to the next. They are all interconnected, and if you do poorly in one, chances are you'll be at a disadvantage in the next one. You command the mighty mothership in your quest to save the galaxy by retrieving an old hyperspace gate. The mothership is able to build ships, including carriers that in turn can build most types of ships. You will be tasked with developing technology, building a viable fleet, mining for resources, completing mission objectives, and fending off the enemy - all in a nice concoction of organized chaos. The pace can be pretty high at times, and although the battlefields are nicely laid out and the navigation relatively simple, it's still a mess to get through some of the missions. Chances are you'll play each mission somewhere between 2 and 20 times before you succeed. PROS:
* Excellent concept and gameplay
* Beautiful graphics and sound
* Hours and hours of fun and challenging gameplay
* Multiplayer option, and option to play against the computer
* Large fleet of different ships - friends, allies and foes
* A lot of improvement to make to your fleet through research
* Nice storyline to follow CONS:
* Extremely hard - only one difficulty level. It's a good idea to either read online strategy guides and walkthroughs, or simply buy the official strategy guide.
* Hours and hours of challenging gameplay - It can get a bit tedious and frustrating to play the same mission over and over again.
* Not a game for relaxing in front of the computer. I highly recommend this game, and it's sure to give you days and days, probably weeks and weeks of active gameplay. I was considered giving this game a 5, but since there's quite a bit of room for improvement, and the difficulty level is a bit on the high side, I give it a still very enjoyable 4 STARS!!!
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