Polished and retooled for modern computers by Gearbox Software, real-time strategy game Homeworld and Homeworld 2 are now out in the Homeworld Remastered Collection. For those who were too busy playing Starcraft or the first three Warcraft games back at the turn of the last century, early reviews for the Homeworld Collection indicate that the remastered games are well worth a look.
The Homeworld Collection, 1999's Homeworld and 2003's Homeworld 2, tells the tale of a race of being embroiled in infighting on a planet where resources are scarce. The discovery of a cache that flight tech for interstellar travel and a map to their original home planet prompted the groups to band together, embarking on a journey through space to their home world.
The Homeworld Games brought a fresh mechanic to the already thriving RTS genre when it expanded combat beyond a 2D plane. Homeworld's 3D plane provided a battlefield on which attacks could be launched head-on, from the rear, from the sides, from below and from above.
Beyond the 3D maps, the Homeworld games included many traditional RTS elements like unit command and resource gathering. However, there are some changes to the gameplay, as reviewed by Daniel Hallinan of Lazygamer, which came about due to the Homeworld 2 engine being modernized and the first Homeworld being imported into it.
"To best understand what has changed and why, it should be explained that what the remaster has done is import Homeworld 1 into Homeworld 2's engine, and worked to improve Homeworld 2's engine so that it can be pushed into modern day standards, particularly when it comes to visuals, sound, and user interface."
Research in Homeworld now drains resources, as is the case with Homeworld 2, though players can salvage ships for resources in both games. The second notable change is the removal of fuel constraints on small ships, which strips some ships of their maintenance duties.
Though the games have been touched up with new coats of paints and optimized for modern processors, the gameplay and story still shine a decade and a half later that the collection earned a 9/10 on IGN.
"Over the 15 years since it first came out, these exciting, large-scale space battles haven't been matched, much less surpassed, and its outstanding atmosphere and story can teach modern game developers valuable lessons on how to make the most of simple animation, dramatic camera angles, and a largely classical score," states IGN's Dan Stapleton.
The original versions of the Homeworld games are also included in the collection, though Engadget's Daniel Cooper warns that the years passed may have made many fans remember them as being much more beautiful than they really are. The games were remastered so that fans and newcomers can enjoy the groundbreaking series without cringing at the dated graphics, according to Cooper.
"Their place in history is assured and they sit cheek-by-jowel alongside Doom, Goldeneye N64, Red Alert and Half-Life as generational touchstones," states Cooper. "If your entire experience of real-time simulation games begins and ends at Starcraft, then I cannot recommend this to you enough."
