|
Return to Blog List
|
| Homeworld 2 |
 |
I like to renew my IMG Pro subscription yearly, so that on the off-chance Tuncer actually updates the free game offer with it, I'll be able to pick up a few newish titles in the future (Hint hint, Tuncer) instead of taking four old titles right now for a lifetime subscription. So anyways, at the end of September my subscription expired (which a few of you may have noticed when my blog disappeared) and when I signed up again I received Homeworld 2 for free. Happy gift for me.
Homeworld 2 was released in late 2004 (yes Stefan, I can get a release date right once in awhile), so its been around the block for a good while now. I wasn't really into Mac gaming back then, but seeing as how I'm an RTS junkie you'd think I would have picked up this game by now.
HW2 is an RTS game in space. Your units are spaceships, and you build these by collecting resources from asteroid fields scattered about the map. There are two different races to control, and each starts off with either a Flagship or a Mothership, depending on which race you select. Each side has its own pros/cons, but diversity of ships is pretty much nonexistant. There are different ship models for each faction, but both sides have the same range of options available to them.
For a 2004 game, HW2 has some really nice graphics. The background scenes are very pretty and there are some really nice effects going on like lens flare from nearby suns and the like. The battle scenes are nicely done, especially when viewed from a distance; there's nothing quite like watching a fleet of Battlecruisers & Destroyers exchange volleys with each other while hundreds of fighters and bomber squadrons zip about. Picture the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith minus the corny, cliche dialogue. The only thing left to be desired graphically was the textures on the ships. Even with all grapical options turned up to "high" there was a certain amount of chopiness to them, and when viewed from close range they really looked pasted on. Not that it really matters too much, because you don't spend much of the game zoomed in on any one particular ship. I occasionally do merely for cinematic pleasure.
Unlike some newer games, HW2 handles the 3D capabilities of space very well. While some space fighting games force you to fight on a single plane, or on two or three with combat only occuring on each individual plane, the ships in HW2 are free-flying. Fighter ships fly like real fighters would, which means all over the place, like a swarm of angry gnats.
The process of moving ships is relatively simply, although it did take some getting used to. Space is big, and some of the maps are quite massive. That, coupled with some of the more titanic ship's sluggish pace, can inhibit your progress early on. Once you can afford hyperspace travel (it isn't cheap, especially moving an entire fleet) moving becomes a bit easier and you can really pull off some great sneak attacks. If you see your opponent moving a large number of ships away from his base just jump into hyperspace and undercut him from the rear.
In truth, the game is centered around how quickly you can collect resources. Properly balancing your fleet is important, true, but the number of ships available for building doesn't really make balancing an imposing task. Research can be important, but again, its all about how quickly you can push research through, which comes back to how quickly you can collect rock from asteroids.
The game does a good job of evening the playing field when things seem hopeless for you. Most of the maps I played had 4 asteroid fields available for taking, and even when I controlled 3/4 the computer still had a fighting chance. Why? Because there is a population cap on the number of resource collectors you can have. This prevents a dominating player from winning with sheer production capabilities, but in truth, if you own 3/4 asteroid fields you're most likely going to win unless you're a total blockhead.
One problem I noticed was that CPU generally tended to output large numbers of smaller ships while I focused on pumping out massive destroyers and battlecruisers. The battlecruisers are akin to the Star Destroyers of the Star Wars movies, and on much the same scale. They deal out enormous amounts of damage, especially on smaller ships. I've seen a pair of battlecruisers take down an entire armada of enemy frigates, corvettes, and fighters. They're expensive, but I found that once I had built four battlecruisers no force in the game could take them down. Individually they can be picked off if you have a strong enough counterforce but once they get into groups they're beyond destroying. Toss in a half dozen fighters to keep bombers away and you'll make swiss cheese of any enemy line. While the smaller frigates and corvettes make good support units, I didn't find myself making them until late in the game. And in truth the only reason I made them was to be cannon fodder for the enemy while my battlecruisers pounded away from a safe distance.
On the harder CPU settings, things really start to get interesting. Instead of relentless attack with cheap, quick units (as some games do) I found the computer playing quite doggedly. Instead of trying to flatten me instantly they fought for strategic points, tried to control asteroid fields, and just made of nuisance of themselves until they had built up enough real strength. Things quickly became bloody, especially when they built 3 battlecruisers to match my four. The only trouble was that they also had five destroyers and half a dozen frigates, which I quickly realized were more than a match for my armada of heavy weapons. I fell back and evened out my fleet a bit, and afterwards we had an amazing battle sequence that lasted a good ten minutes and involved the death of almost everyone. Think armageddon in space. Both or us were reduced to fighter craft and frigates afterward.
While the music in HW2 is kind of "ehhh" the sound effects are really spectacular. In battle you can hear a barrage of missiles streak by where you've got the camera or hear them smash into the hull of an enemy destroyer, only to hear the capital ship groan in response and then explode like a second sun. Relic really outdid themselves with the sound effects, but sold themselves short on the general sound.
So overall, HW2 was a really good buy. Sorry, subscription to IMG Pro. I'm still playing it (which is rare for games I get) and my primary objective is not so much winning as is creating graphically impressive, cinematic sequences with hundreds of ships intent on the other's destruction. So if you haven't already, pick up the game from MGS and have a blast in space.
Posted on October 15, 2006 at 9:52 pm
|
|
|
 |
|
