Homeworld 2

Brillant, genial, herausragend. Mir fallen fast keine Adjektive mehr ein, mit denen man ein Spiel wie „Homeworld 2“ beschreiben könnte. Selten schaffte es ein Spiel, mich derart in seinen Bann zu ziehen. Dass dabei noch eine brillante technische Umsetzung das vereinnahmende Spielprinzip und die sehr schöne und spannende Story unterstützt, setzt dem Ganzen die Krone auf. „Homeworld 2“ ist so schön, dass es mir Glückstränen in die Augen treibt, sobald ich das Spiel spiele – und das will etwas heißen...

There's no hiding it; MacGamer gives Homeworld 2 its stamp of "Unqualified Success". The graphics are there, the sound is there, the gameplay is there, and while no game can be all things to all people, this game is all things to unquestionably all things to those who are searching out a fresh turn on the sci-fi real time strategy genre. Relic has easily bypassed the competition with this glowing example of how to do it right. Now stop reading, go out there and buy your copy of Homeworld 2 and make sure you bug Aspyr Media to sign Relic's latest real-time opus, Dawn Of War. The Mac needs more Relic games, that's for sure.

I’ll admit right from the start that I’m slightly biased when it comes to Homeworld. My hard disc holds umpteen games, but there are only 3 that have never been removed – Total Annihilation (probably the best planet based strategy game ever) and Homeworld. This game blew me away when it first came out with its stunning graphics and superb full 3D control of all your ships. It had a superb storyline, played a damn good AI game and was well supported for full multiplay as well – what more could you want. Then along came Cataclysm (the 3rd of my ‘always there’ games), with its new races and ships – not quite as good as the original, but as good a sequel as I’ve seen anywhere. And now I’ve finally got my grubby mits on Homeworld 2, the ‘proper’ sequel to my all time favourite game. This has a lot to live up to - and biased or not, if it doesn’t live up to my expectations, I’ll soon tell you why.

Grande précision tactique, finesse stratégique, graphismes somptueux : Homeworld 2 est une éclatante réussite. La campagne solo est fortement linéaire mais bien scénarisée, et le mode escarmouche avec difficulté variable permet de s'amuser contre l'ordinateur quel que soit votre niveau. Le mode multi assure une très longue durée de vie, et on peut s'attendre à ce que de nombreses modifications voient le jour sur Internet.

Although some might be disappointed with the lack of any major additions, I simply couldn’t have enjoyed Homeworld 2 more. As far as space-based RTS’s go, this is as good as it gets. From its finely honed user interface to its nearly flawless campaign and PvP modes, Homeworld 2 is a breath of fresh air when most games of its ilk are bogging themselves down with needless complexity.

Homeworld 2's graphics and soundtrack are incredible. It also has one of the best tutorials for newbie’s I've ever seen. There are a few things it would have been nice to have, such as a difficulty setting because some of the single player games are very hard, and some variety in skirmish or multiplayer missions. These are minor things. I think the pluses out number the minuses. Overall this game is first rate and well worth buying, and this comes from someone who never played Homeworld before this.

Like WD40 or the humble Swiss army knife, the word 'space' is immensely multi-purpose. Beyond the various standard contextual applications of the word (wide open space, space opera, I need some space, etc.), it can also be used as a prefix to almost any other word. And it works. Space opera. Space boots. Space nookie, if you like. But as the vast space fleets of Homeworld 2 drop out of hyperspace to wage space war, you realise that the word just isn't big enough. This is a game of interstellar conflict, intergalactic conflagration and cosmic struggles. The whole thing just feels so lofty and epic, it deserves no less than the biggest words going. It's Relic's RTS opus. And here's why.

I never played the original Homeworld – it didn’t make it over to the Mac and I don’t own a PC – so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got this game. I’d just heard lots of positive buzz, and something about a real time strategy game set in outer space. So I wasn’t surprised when that’s exactly what I got. What did surprise me is how exceedingly cool this game is.

Those who had a great time playing the original should by all means enjoy the sequel, as will most anyone interested in managing epic battles between huge spaceship fleets.

I had a good time with Homeworld 2 — good enough that I plan on borrowing a copy of Homeworld from a friend whenever I get some free time. And, yes, I know the fourth-quarter flood of games is on the way, but I always was an optimist.

Sans aucun doute l'un des titres les plus incontournables dans sa catégorie, Homeworld 2 allie une esthétique superbe à une richesse de jeu réellement intéressante, même si le soft pêche un peu sur sa durée de vie. Son interface simplifiée et sa difficulté progressive le rendront tout à fait accessible aux non initiés qui auraient envie de découvrir le genre.

Het spel biedt jammer genoeg weinig nieuws voor Homeworld veteranen maar de gameplay blijft goed en de nieuwe 3D engine maakt dat het spel er spectaculairder uitziet dan ooit tevoren. Homeworld 2 is een knap RTS-spel dat de klassieke Homeworld formule verbetert maar minder fel dan we hadden gehoopt.

Bläuliche Ionenstrahlen zucken über den Bildschirm und schneiden große Löcher in die Panzerung des Zerstörers. Metall knirscht, Flammen brechen aus dem Rumpf, schwarzer Qualm überall. Sekunden später explodiert das riesige Schiff in einem gleißenden Feuerball. Volltreffer - ein gegnerischer Zerstörer weniger! Solche dramatische Szenen spielen sich im Echtzeit-Strategiespiel Homeworld 2 von Relic Entertainment zuhauf ab.

It's really hard to accurately review Homeworld 2. For those of us who are willing to spend a little more time and energy than what we're used to spending on video games these days, Homeworld 2 will reward us with a dynamic, exciting and engrossing game world, with an epic storyline and plenty of challenges for true fans. Then there are those of us, of course, which either don't have enough time or patience to properly master this game. Still, what struck me as a bit disappointing is that even if you devote enough time to the sequel, you will be treated to a relatively short single-player campaign. Despite the fact it took me several tries to beat certain missions, I finished Homeworld 2 on normal in two days. After all, we're only talking about fifteen missions here. I guess jumping in a few multiplayer matches increases the game's replay value, but the accent in Homeworld has always been on the single-player experience.

Homeworld 2 is still a terrific game, and it’s certainly worth the time and money of any real-time strategy gamer.

Despite getting occasionally tangled up with itself, HW2 still possesses that most crucial of 'Just One More Go' gameplay qualities. Eventually, there even comes a time when everything clicks into place. You discover it actually takes surprisingly few bombers to take down a carrier - they just need plenty of fighter escorts; the importance of mobile refineries; understanding the movement interface... Suddenly it all makes sense.

Homeworld 2 is misschien weinig vernieuwend tegenover zijn voorganger, maar het lost wel de hoge verwachtingen van de fans moeiteloos in. Geen ideaal real-time strategiegame voor de spelers die een snelle rush of multiplayersessie verkiezen, maar wie wel iets ziet in grootste ruimtevlootveldslagen mag dit spel niet missen.

What Homeworld 2 really is, as anyone smart enough to read the box will learn, is a real-time strategy game set in the deep vastness of space. Although the space battles are there, and they're indeed as great to see in the game as they were in the trailer, you don't control the fight from the cockpit. You control the development of the ships, their aggressiveness, their deployment and their targets. You actually do this for many ships. Many, many, many ships.

Der Weltraum, unendliche Weiten… Viel spannender aber als ein Abenteuer der alten Enterprise und vor allem optisch besser in Szene gesetzt, war schon das vor knapp 4 Jahren erschienene Homeworld aus dem Hause Sierra. Erstmals wagte ein Strategiespiel den Hypersprung in die dritte Dimension und verlagerte die Kämpfe von den Schlachtfeldern der Erde hinaus in das All. Nach dem AddOn Cataclysm, setzt Relic die Story rund um das verbannte Volk der Hiigaraner fort. Was euch außer der weitergeführten Geschichte sonst noch Neues erwartet, haben wir uns im folgenden Review für euch angeschaut.

« Peu de voyageurs savent ce que représente l’exode quand celui-ci se poursuit depuis des éons. Encore bien moins connaissent les affres de la solitude interstellaire, le désespoir de jamais trouver la Terre Promise. Nous pensions enfin connaître la paix. Avoir fui la menace Taïdan. Mais l’ennemi nous a retrouvé, et nous voici contraints d’abandonner Hiigara pour reprendre le voyage à bord du Vaisseau-Mère, à la recherche d’un endroit épargné par les conflits et la guerre. » Journal de Bord du Comput Ewian, conservateur en chef sur La Fierté d’Iigara.

Ich bezweifle ernsthaft, dass irgendjemand während der Entwicklungsphase Homeworld 2 am Stück durchgespielt hat. Sonst wäre den Relic-Leuten garantiert aufgefallen, wie schnell man in aussichtslosen Situationen landet. Dagegen ist die Grafik wieder Spitze und die Gegner-KI fordernd. Die Raumschlachten können es mit jedem Science-Fiction-Film aufnehmen. Deshalb werden Profis an Homeworld 2 Spaß haben, wenn sie bereit sind, auch mal wieder ein, zwei Missionen zurückzugehen, um Fehler auszubügeln. Alle anderen sind bei O.R.B. oder Haegemonia besser aufgehoben.

Overall, Homeworld 2 was a bit of a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a blast to play and see all the new improvements to the system. Still, the overall size of the maps, the idiocy of finding all the remaining units down to the last probe before moving on, and the sheer imbalance and poor tactics brought it down. A perfect game would take the gameplay of Homeworld 2 and put the story and balance of Homeworld into it. There is still fun to be had, but not as much as fans of the series would expect.

f you want a real challenge and have a capable machine, get this. If you don’t have a capable machine, get HW instead (and Cataclysm if you can find it) – they can both be obtained cheaply nowadays. Then, when you have save enough to upgrade, get HW2 as well.

There's still a decent and slightly awkward game here. But as a sequel, Homeworld 2 is an upgrade for the graphics and a step backward for the gameplay. Perhaps Homeworld 0.9 would have been a more fitting title.