Basement Group Blog

Homeworld II

 

 

 

     This game is a RTS space combat game that allows you full control in an entire 360 degree map with asteroids, wrecks, and of course the enemy.

 

     One of my soft, yet very, VERY, picky, spots in my gaming universe inside of my brain housing group are RTS space games. They have turn based where you capture planets and such like Sins of a Solar Empire, which is a very succesful game, but there are next to none (Star Wars: Empire at War - Forces of Corruption is another example) when it comes to actual RTS where everything is live and resource collecting on a map and building units to overcome the enemy; which this game provides exceptionally well.

 

    There are two other games which are Homeworld I and Homeworld: Cataclysm. Rumors of a Homeworld III are about and the cult of this game is petitioning to get the game produced and running. Many people have modded this game as well, adding new units, boosting everything to HD, and even modding in Star Wars models.

      Obviously by the looks of these pictures, they are very old games, which make them gems within the RTS realm for this genre. Cataclysm, for a new game, goes for nearly 100$+ and the first Homeworld goes for 50$ or less.

    I've been shooting to get Homeworld Cataclysm but I can't pay for a game like that which cannot run on my computer. (Sad Panda) But the first Homeworld will run on Windows 7 which made me squeel like a little girl in the toy aisle, or if they're spoiled with a new and most expensive smart phone in their hand...

    They should be shot. No mercy.
            |
            |
           V

    












     GAMEPLAY -
     The gameplay itself is easy... gather resources, build ships, and attack kill kill kill the enemy.
But of course there is more than that... Stupid fool!
     The gameplay itself is hard, even on easy mode. You ask yourself, 'where in the hell...' Then you have a fleet surrounding you and your speakers blast, 'Under attack!' and more as all your ships start going in every whichever direction is imaginable to kill the enemy. If the mothership is lost, you will lose and must start over from the beginning of the mission, unless you saved of course.

     Graphics -
     Graphics within this game definitely shine out. From fighters to the mothership, each fine detail is depicted when zoomed in to practically see within the turret barrels themselves. (Not really but it's close to it) As you start to build more ships to your grand fleet and send them to battle the enemy, you can zoom out or go back to your mothership (Which has no weapons except anti-fighter weaponry), and see the beautiful blooms from across the entire map as ships explode, shots impact on the enemy, and the trails of the fighters and missiles creating a symphony of explosions along hardened hulls of destroyers and battleships as well as the wall of frigates to soften the battle lines of fighters and destroyers.
     The background of space is spectacular in this game. If anything helps set the mood at all, it will be the background as it gives you the direct feeling, almost like getting kicked in the balls or hit in the boob with a baseball bat. From nebulas, bigger constructs, planets, and space stations, to the center of the universe. You will feel the endless darkness that lies beyond your battleground.

    Storyline -
     The story itself is taken back to the first game as, I'm going to skip all the confusing names and factions and just give it to you Barney style, a certain group of people break away from an overrulling empire of a large portion of the universe and finally find a home. They fight for it and drive them back. Then a warlord takes over the empire, a faction called Vagyr, and begin attacking the Hiigaran homeworld, you in the campaign, and you must save  your planet by collecting the three cores which will unluck the most badass ship in the entire game.

     Units -
     First off, for the Hiigaran and the Vagyr, they each have the same class of ships but different weapons and tactics.
     The Hiigaran forces are quite small but more advanced in weaponry which definitely offsets for the numbers. They utilize Ion Cannons and more of projectile weapons.
     Vagyr utilize missiles more than anything and plasma weapons to great effect. Though to offset weak armor and weapons, the missiles specifically, they can push out more ships.
     There are fighters, corvettes, frigates, destroyers, and battleships which are the attacking ships. Then you have carriers, shipyards, and the mothership which are the capital ships that build your fleet along with research.To collect resources you will have resource collectors and a ship which will allow them to drop off the resources, as well as drop them of at the capital ship.

 < - - - - Vagyr Mothership
















<------------------Hiigaran Mothership

 

   There are units that have special abilities which can turn the tide of battle. The Hiigarans have a frigate that puts out a shield that blocks all attacks, or the Vagyr have a minelayer which helps screen and put out more defenses.

    As well as the special abilities, each ship that is considered a capital ship, i.e. mothership, battleship, carriers, and shipyards. They can build modules that take spots on the ships that either give buffs to the surrounding ships for better accuracy, invisibility/cloaking, anti-slipspace bubble, or better sensors. These modules can also be targeted by bombers and destroyed as well as the engines of the bigger ships.

     Slipsace is a special ability only the bigger ships acheive by buiding a module which allows them to travel as extreme speeds while 'entering' a higher state of movement and exiting to the point of return where ever you determine, but be warned, it will cost your two testicles and a pair of ovaries if deciding to slipspace your entire fleet, which it allows you too if the ships are within the bubble.

 

  A.I. -

     This A.I. is very relentless in its attack and defense if put on the higher difficulties. It just matters who gets the better ships and more of them quicker than the other while able to counter the other ships weaknesses.

 

    U.I./Controls -

     The user interface and and controls are quite simplistic once gotten used to. In normal view, you can direct your ships to go up and down in meters and kilometers as well as forwards or backwards. Depending on the ship, it will be fast like fighters, or slow as an obese family unwilling to leave a buffet resturaunt.

<----For Example

 

 

         You can rotate the camera the full 360 degrees of the map, while zooming in to see the pilots masturbating in the cockpits and zoom so far out until you enter a different view, the overview map.

     It shows you the entire map and everything except the enemy if not within view of a friendly ship. You can control your units and build from this view as well. It's almost like if you were standing at a table with a holographic projector and you were able to tweek it to your desires for the effect you need. That's how I see it.

     Hotkeys are abundant, as well as grouping ships, a building tab, research tab, and launch fighters from bays tab which would have docked to rebuild and reoutfit. Formations and tactics are also a big key factor to utilize a more effective fighting force once your ships start to get on the more numerous scale.

     Music-

What really caught my attention was the music which sets the mood like fine spirits and a midget hooker. 

 

 

     There are no lyrics, no major climax or anything of the sort, it is all ambient music that gives you a mystifying feeling that almost gives you the sensation that you float in space and are actually there controlling the fleet. If you are not one of the ambient music types, you could always turn off the music and play your own. 'Tis up to you.

 

     All in all, this game is a win or lose and most definitely a special place in my heart because it filled the void of RTS space combat which I have not found in any other game. Almost like Command and Conquer but in space; but I really hate making comparisons in the gaming world because it doesn't justify what the game is all about. Why compare a German Shephard with a French Poodle? It doesn't make sense. Two different countries. Two different species of dogs. It's almost like a self-provoked act of satisfaction to help you feel as if you just gave all the evidence in the world.

Stop being that little girl with the smartphone people...

      Well, I hope you enjoyed this review and I hope to spark the interest of a few hopefuls. I definitely recommend this game to anybody who has the same soft spot for space RTS fighting.

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     Cons - This game during the campaign tends to get hard really quick if you do not hurry in the beginning of each mission. The only good thing is that you will be able to take over all the ships that survive the mission to the next one but you have to be quick, even in easy mode.

 

     Time - if you do not have a lot of it, you need to have it to play this game and a lot of patience for the research and ship building.

 

     The research of the ships tends to be bland and uninteresting except for boosting the speed of the ships and increasing armor. Nothing about new weapons or anything of the sort.

 

     I would have enjoyed it more if the ships were able to gain experience and the ability to name them and paste them on the hulls of the ships to give a more uniqueness and personality, as well as sentimentality.

 

 

Now here are some pretty pictures!!!!

 

 

 

 

Kiledouken -