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Ahh, the children of the night, what sweet music they make
The opening music of the original Homeworld did one of two things; You wept openly like the sensitive guy you are, or, you acted the part of the manly man and stared off blankly into space fighting the urge to cry. The music was beyond beautiful, it truly expressed the awe of a group of visionaries treading out into the great unknown for the sole benefit of discovery and truth.
Intercept vector
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Stolen ships are just as deadly as homemade ones.
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Paul Ruskay, the musical mastermind behind the original has returned. This time, however, it is obvious that the folks at Barking Dog didn't want just the epic, that is there too, but also the eerie. You are fighting a creature capable of turning the entirety of the known universe into slaves with but the shot of a few beams, or the touch of a corrupted finger. The music had to reflect this. Creepy ambience pervades the music, soft and minimal, but suggesting an evil just outside of your view.
Elements of Brian Eno, Robert Rich, Brian Lustmord, and Philip Glass all work their way into the ambient soundtrack. The final thing worth mentioning is that in the course of the 17-mission campaign, I heard each track probably two or three times. In the course of hours upon hours of gameplay, the soundtrack never got old. Most RTS games make use of one track, sometimes three, the music of Cataclysm is lightyears beyond other RTS games. The music isn't quite as good as the original, but still above and beyond what you hear in most games.
The Effects
The sound effects of weaponry are hit or miss, some of them are the standard "BEEORW" sounds associated with lasers and other such beam weaponry. You hear the miniscule pecking noises of fighters at work, and the ominous sound of cruisers activating their guns.
Claw, formation set.
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Scramble like eggs, gentlemen!
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The really great sound effects are the death sounds. Yes, it is sick and sadistic, but the screams of the dying are actually really incredible and very saddening. Your escorts will scream as they are corrupted by The Beast, begging for mercy. When you order your frigate captain to self detonate, he will yell back at you, refusing to sacrifice his crew.
The voice acting across the board is generally pretty good, though, being a Canadian production, half of the voice actors have Canadian accents. This can be kind a little odd when the eerie music fades in, there is death everywhere, ships are exploding… and the dying man screams: "We've lost! Get oot of here! Oh gohds, I'm sowry! Help me!" Breaks the mood a bit while you think of the Canadian Prime Ministers's inspirational speech in the South Park movie.
I want to infest my best friend with a techno-organic virus 
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