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Homeworld PC
Metascore
93 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. Evil Avatar
    100
    Sound in the game is spectacular.
  2. Adrenaline Vault
    100
    Beyond the confines of the single player is the best multiplayer strategy game since "Total Annihilation." ... If you buy a single game this fall -- make sure it's this one!
  3. All Game Guide
    100
    Simply one of those titles that makes you say "Wow." You'll have to pick your jaw up off the floor when you experience it for the first time. It is a rare gem; an awesome feat of programming, graphical design, and sound production, all wrapped around superb gameplay. It deserves the highest praise.
  4. Just Adventure
    100
    The game is beautifully designed to be an addictive multiplayer extravaganza, as you pit yourself against swarms of enemy ships controlled by human opponents.
  5. IGN
    95
    We've rarely played a game with this much substance, and certainly haven't played a game that has had us so excited about the genre in a long, long time.
  6. Gamer's Pulse
    95
    An exceptional game, and promises to only get better from here. With only a few small repairs, this game could be the greatest to date.
  7. PC Gamer
    93
    Engrossing RTS play matched to a vital and visually intense story make this a gaming experience like no other. [Dec 1999, p.122]
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  8. GameSpy
    93
    A truly groundbreaking RTS with no major flaws. The visuals and music are top-notch and the gameplay is on a grand scale. This is the first game I have played where I was truly inspired by the vastness of space.
  9. Game Over Online
    92
    Where "C&C2" failed, Homeworld stuns. Where other games relied on contrived formula, Homeworld manages to shine above the crowd. Elements of strategy, space combat, and economics are combined perfectly in a fully 3D environment. A careful balance of fleet tactics, specific ship abilities and resource gathering make every game challenging and unique.
  10. PC Gameworld
    91
    Finally, we have a true 3D strategy game that works. With engaging gameplay, a good storyline, and the graphics to back it all up, Homeworld is on the brink of becoming a household name.
  11. Game Revolution
    91
    The interface is nothing short of brilliant. The story is well-developed and engrossing. The gameplay is challenging but well-balanced. The graphics and sound are breathtaking. Finally, it is simply a heck of a lot of fun.
  12. Gaming Age
    91
    Not only has control of this environment been handled well, but the smoothness of overall presentation and gameplay seem to reflect an excellence from RTS titles that we should all be looking forward to in the future.
  13. Eurogamer
    90
    The visuals are beautiful, the soundtrack atmospheric, the single player campaign (mostly) engaging, and the multiplayer is excellent. It's only really let down by suspect AI and a few tedious missions.
  14. Total Video Games
    90
    Everything comes together in such a unique and fantastic way that I can see giving this game no less of a title then strategy game of the year thus far!
  15. GameSpot
    90
    With its stunning 3D engine, uniquely challenging gameplay in both single- and multiplayer modes, great audio, and terrific story, Homeworld is both an excellent game and one that may well reshape the entire real-time strategy genre.
  16. Electric Playground
    90
    It is hideously complicated---and woe to the foolhardy player who does not pay attention to the game’s tutorials and attack-formation options---but somehow it works, and provides not only a stark, beautiful treat for the eyes but a staggering change to the genre of the real-time strategy game.
  17. GamePro
    90
    Excellent graphics, superb story, addictive gameplay, and a simple interface combine to blast 3D real-time strategy into the vastness of space.
  18. Yahoo! Games
    90
    A solid and compelling title, that can keep you riveted to the very end, even when play starts to border on frustration blowout. Sure, Homeworld has some warts, but these are generally hidden by the game being fresh and innovative, instead of a regurgitated old rehash.
  19. Computer Games Magazine
    90
    The first computer game to capture the grandeur and epic feel of the "Star Wars" movies... An outstanding, if not perfect, game. It is beautiful to look at, exciting to play, and it takes the RTS genre where no one has gone before.
  20. TotalGames.net
    87
    Big and brave Homeworld might be, it doesn't quite add up to the wondrous game we were hoping for. The spectacle of deep space soon begins to look very empty and the battles repetitive.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 83 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. kilmindaro
    10
    I played it for the first time about five years after it was released, I didn't expect much as the price was pretty low. How was I surprised when the game turned to be so awesome. Great story and the climate, amazing music and art, as well as great graphic. First game to fully utilize full 3d combat and movement in space. And what combat it is! Sure, the controls can be confusing a bit at the beginning, but it's nothing a few minutes in tutorial can't fix. The story is simply amazing. Enthralling, one may say, and If you have a heart somewhere there inside your flesh, you will be moved by it. Maybe even to tears. All in all, amazing game.… Full Review »
  2. MichaelG.
    10
    I picked this out of a bargain bin and wow was I suprised. This game is a funny one, at first you don't get what the fuss is about. Sure the graphics are amazing, but the single player seems slow and unimpressive. However, once you fight a battle later in the game you will be hooked forever. The battles are intense and your tactics must be spot on or your whole fleet will be space dust. There are all sorts of great tactical devices to use in battles too such as cloaking generators, gravity wells, shielded frigates, mine layers etc. All adding to the fun. Even now, 4 years later i still play this game regularly. I still find new ways of completing it and the great soundtrack and graphics make the whole experience an amazing one. The only downside to this game is that after you've defeated all the enemies on a level you must wait for your resource collectors to finish collecting everything which can take a VERY long time on some levels. You can move on to the next level if you dont want to wait but resources are so tight in this game that you cant afford to just leave it behind. In fact if I lose a Heavy Cruiser - the most expensive ship in the game, I reload the level (unless its the last level). An automatic resource collection feature would've been nice when you leave to the next level. Appart from that one flaw this is one of the greatest games ever made. Easy to learn but impossible to master it has me hooked forever! Forget about Cataclysm and Homeworld 2, this is the original and one of the greatest ever strategy games. Now, wheres the cd...… Full Review »
  3. DontBeNasty
    9
    this is one of the most definitive RTS games in gaming history. Wanna know why? keep reading. PLOT, SCRIPT, NARATIVE AND WRITING: On the dessert planet of Kharak due to a satellite malfunction the people who live there discover an ancient startship in a dessert along with a hyperspace engine and a stone with coordinates with to what appears to be their planet of origin, called Hiigara curved on it. The Kharakian clans put aside their differences and collaborated to build a huge mothership that would take them to Hiigara. A neuroscientist named karan developed a system that connected a human being with the mothership as its living computer. Karan volunteered and became the ships living computer and commander. First trials are about to begin, and this is where the game begins and where my spoiling ends. The writing of the game has a poetic direction. The narrator, the characters all feel like they are coming from inside a poem of sorts. This whole direction of narrative is very original and effective in contributing to the game's atmosphere. The voice acting seemed dull at the beginning, but this changed fast. It has a subtle emotional tension that works really well. GAMEPLAY AND MECHANICS: The mothership is your primary base of opperations. There you can build all sorts of ships, from the smallest scout to the biggest battlecruiser, but it cannot move and while it is very durable it can't dish out any real punishment. There is also the carrier, a unit that has more limited building capabilities and the research ships that are used to acquire new units and tech and which you can only have six at any given moment. And now lets see the part of the game that really made it stand out. Its unique, for an RTS, 3D space navigation. Now there is an extra dimension to navigate. This opens up new possibilities in tactics. Send ships, not just around, but also above and under your enemy, a function that i believe was greatly appreciated by those who liked multiplayer. This mechanic is implemented excellently in HW and really works, but it has some minor quirks. You see, to move your unit you can't just right or left click somewhere in the map. You must either select the appropriate option from a menu opened by right clicking the unit or units whom you wish to move and then left clicking on the map, and you must keep pressing shift in order to choose directional height. Fear not though. The tutorial does an excellent job on teaching you the ropes and the movement system is relatively easy to get used to. There is also a world map mode accessed by pressing spacebar. From there you got an over all view of the entire map so you can monitor various fronts, you can see where resources are denser and you units appear as green dots(enemy as red while colour varies in multiplayer). One of the best features of the game is the fact that whatever you have(units, resources etc.) carries on to the next mission. You must be effective in the missions ahead as it would be unpleasant if you have ended up on the next mission with very low resources and with a very small ineffective wing of interceptors vs a full enemy fleet. Missions themselves are very unpredictable in nature, and I wont say more about this element so I dont spoil them. Lastly many missions will make you fill like you fighting against all odds, and you do. Enemy forces will often outnumber your's quite a bit and you will be like “im never gonna win with these odds†and I can say that it must be like this because after all you are just one bunch in a mothership vs an empire. There is another drawback in all of this. The game's mechanics are complex and making a game like that in the late 90s would be a complicated procedure. So for the sake of balance both functions of the game are identical in unit types with only the designs being different. TECHNICAL: Like the rest of the game the technical department collaborates with the rest of the elements to offer an incredible experience. The graphics are very good with nice textures and detailed ship models. The turrets on the ships are animated and the shooting and damage effects are great and you will sometimes stop and marvel on some of the backgrounds. On the side of sound things are plain awesome. The battle effects and sounds are well made, and the music, damn, the music! Its between normal music and ambient style. The types pf music used are ether subtle and often have an oriental tone or vocals(like the very effectively used adagio for strings). The sound is very proficient and ads a lot to the atmosphere of the entire game. CLOSING: Innovative, atmospheric with a great story, homeworld is a compilation of elements that come together just right to form a great total. Make yourself a favor and play it.… Full Review »
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