Homeworld

The Good
The idea of a fully-three dimensional real time strategy game is, in and of itself, a bold and innovative idea. The concept of using outer space isn't difficult to foresee,then, considering this was what Relic wanted to go for, regardless of whether or not this relegates the Kushan as humanoids in their perception of space-time.

The implementation of rule sets that are both deep and yet possible to master are what make this idea worth playing. The research mechanic is shallow, resource gathering and production are centralised. But then, what they lack in immediate complexity, they return with bringing focus to the one thing no one could see without going back to those Star Wars films that were about two decades old (for the one that came out that year was the one no one wants to speak fondly about). And even those were based on the mercy of the once-hailed but now-maligned director.

The eerie feeling that you are standing at the edge of a never-ending abyss is always there. Maybe it is the claustrophobic soundtrack that gives you a glimpse of how small you really are. Maybe it is how long it takes for you to get to the land that was yours, each landing having a boundary of a 1000 kilometres at the very least. Maybe it is the Kushan meeting on the way to your land those who could not come with you and see what became of them. Maybe it is all of them, none of them and everything in between.

You are the Kushan. You are hunted by the largest empire in the known universe. And you are alone. Mostly.

The Bad
Its past and its future. Make no mistake, this game is not a Star Wars battle simulator, for that is all its screenshots would impress upon those who would remember them, whether they would like to or not. This game became a niche title, played now by those who do not necessarily flock to Lord PewDiePie and his enviable ability to provide consumable opinions to over 25 million people with one video.

It is not Star Wars and it is not part of the RTS canon of StarCraft and Total War.

The Bottom Line
Homeworld was the first true indicator of what Relic, and the video game industry in general, could do to create works of art. The combination of music that questions the notion of secure presence in any physical space just by the use of background sounds, tactical combat that subtly tells you that your units have a mind inside of them and the systemisation of the attraction a moth must feel to the brightest source of light in its vicinity to tell you where you are supposed to be going results in only one conclusion: Homeworld has yet to lose its power as a piece of art.