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Homeworld: Cataclysm - PC |
Sierra Studios |
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| Avg Ratio:
89%
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Add To Game Watch
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Game Summary |
Release Date: 8/28/2000 |
Homeworld: Cataclysm, Take command of a new sect with dozens of new ships and technology at your disposal. Lead your fleet through 17 single player missions as you struggle for position in the emerging order.
Read Our Review
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RANKINGS RATIO / USER | Overall Ranking: | 143 | -- | PC Ranking: | -- | -- | Within Strategy: | -- | -- | Strategy - Real Time: | -- | -- |
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OUR VIEW |
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Game Rankings SCORE: 95
Homeworld will probably be remembered for a long time as one of the few games that actually took the RTS genre and advanced it. While most games try their best to emulate other games, the Homeworld team was busy trying something completely new and innovative. Homeworld: Cataclysm, while not really a sequel, and not really an add-on pack, has more than enough game to justify a purchase.
First off, the game's setting is in the future of Homeworld. I won't give away any plot elements from Homeworld, but just know that after all the hard work you go through in the original game, all is not well. The universe is still a nasty place to be, about to get nastier when something called The Beast enters the scene.
The graphics are, once again, incredible. If you can believe it, they are actually better than the original. The backgrounds now have more life to them, and the explosion and weapon effects are truly spectacular. The game features one of the most diverse and powerful 3D engines I've ever encountered, and has the gamer at times drooling at the sight. Think the climactic scene in Return of the Jedi... only more colorful. Cataclysm's graphics are something to experience.
The music and sound is once again excellent, just like the first game. Atmospheric and dynamic, the music changes as your missions progress. There are only a few games out there that don't make you turn the volume down after multiple games, and Cataclysm is one of them. It never becomes boring, and even comes to grow on you more and more.
The game itself plays much like the original, with some great additions. The camera is awesome. So easy to control, it puts the camera in many other RTS games to shame. The camera moves so seamlessly, it's actually a joy to move around. Grouping units and moving them soon becomes second nature, and you'll be moving around like a pro in no time. A few additions make Cataclysm even better. Waypoints have been added, and they make a huge difference. There is also time acceleration, which really helps when you know there are big lulls in the action.
The new ships and the new side, The Beast (only playable in multiplayer games) are great. Cataclysm looks and feels very much like the original Homeworld on the surface, but once you delve deep into the game, you realize just how different it really is. The new units have all sorts of strategic implications, and Cataclysm becomes a different game. I'll have to give it to Cataclysm... they've really done a good job of capturing what made the original game so great, but they did enough to make this chapter in the Homeworld universe a worthy experience.
The only negative aspect of the game is the story. While it's good, I just never got the feeling I got when I played the original. The first game gave me the creeps at times, and had me feeling desperate and overwhelmed. The immersion factor was great. Cataclysm doesn't offer the same depth in when it comes to story.
Cataclysm is a fantastic game. If you loved Homeworld, chances are you'll love this. If you never played the original Homeworld, you should be shamed and humiliated. Go out immediately and buy both games. With so many games out there that are obviously rushed out to the public, both Homeworld and Cataclysm are excellent examples of hard work and innovation, and both are gems that deserve a space on your hard drive.
-Brian Pierce
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