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Homeworld

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9.0 User Score:

Universal acclaim

Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 42 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sierra Studios

Developer: Relic

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy, Space Combat

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: September 1, 1999

Summary

Deported to a harsh desert world, exiles have struggled for three thousand years to regain the stars. Now it's up to you to guide them home through a brutal empire bent on annihilation. Homeworld boasts amazing ship graphics and gorgeous deep-space vistas, a unique command and navigation interface and white-knuckle real-time strategy. [Sierra]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Homeworld 2 Homeworld: Cataclysm

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central Game Revolution

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

All Game Guide

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.

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100

Adrenaline Vault

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!

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100

Evil Avatar

Sound in the game is spectacular.

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100

Just Adventure

The game is beautifully designed to be an addictive multiplayer extravaganza, as you pit yourself against swarms of enemy ships controlled by human opponents.

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IGN

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.

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Gamer's Pulse

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.

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GameSpy

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.

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PC Gamer

Engrossing RTS play matched to a vital and visually intense story make this a gaming experience like no other. [Dec 1999, p.122]

Game Over Online

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.

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PC Gameworld

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.

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Gaming Age

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.

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Game Revolution

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.

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GameSpot

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.

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Computer Games Magazine

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.

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Yahoo! Games

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.

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Total Video Games

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!

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Eurogamer

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.

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GamePro

Excellent graphics, superb story, addictive gameplay, and a simple interface combine to blast 3D real-time strategy into the vastness of space.

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Electric Playground

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.

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TotalGames.net

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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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 42 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Trystin Y gave it a10:
I bought this game when i was 10 and thought it was awsome. I couldn't get far in the single player player campaign though because it requires a huge amount of skill and strategy. however I thought that the multiplayer was great (and still do). I came back a few years later and attempted the single player campaign again and it was ninja gaiden hard. Every level your up against a fleet much larger than your own, but this game is just so addicting you just can't stop playing, you don't care how hard or how long it takes to get to the end. The story line is also engrossing. you can't help but not feel bad for these guys. and of the 3-15 days you put into restarting levels and having more of your fleet survive to the end of the level so they carry over to next level. (yes they do that).However when you finnaly get to the last level and the second there seems to be slightest chance you could win against a fleet 5 (yes)5 times the size of yours, (lots of both strategy and skill involved) your heart skips a beat. once you are about to finnaly ahnillate the enemy it's almost impossible not to start a victory dance. You have just put so much effort into it that you can't help but celebrate.

Senn gave it a10:
When I first got this game nearly a decade ago, I thought it was the single greatest video game ever made. It was down right gorgeous, the story was amazing, the soundtrack flawless, and the multiplayer community was the best bunch of misfits I'd ever had the pleasure to be a part of. I just recently started it up again for old time's sake, and I still consider it the greatest game ever made. Homeworld is the single most cinematic gaming experience I have ever had.

Erik M. gave it a10:
From the opening with Angus Dei to the closing credits with Yes' "The Ladder", this game is an experience unlike any other. I was eight years old when I started playing, and the (at the time) top of the line graphics coupled with a totally unique (and, 10 years later, an asofyet not replicated) gameplay engine amde this game the best I have ever played. I became a relic nut after it. The intrigueing storyline chronicling the journey home of a set of exiles along wiith the beautiful animations that serve as cutscenes will draw anyone in in a heartbeat. If you're a fan of RTS games, this is a must buy, regardless of the date on the calander.

Elliott C gave it a10:
This game is easily a top 10'er of all time. It brought 3d strategy to life in endless back drop up galaxies and stars. The manuevering of vehicles, the unit voices, the brilliance of the explosions and lasers ripping through the screen. The controls were simple, smart, easy to use. The single player campaign made you feel you the responsibility to progress. Homeworld was a game that alot of people dreamed of for a while, and it finally came. Dune II, Warcraft, C&C, and Homeworld are the founders of present and future RTS games. Of course the god father of RTS is the board game RISK!

Chad M. gave it a10:
Although I also enjoy it's two sequels, Catacylsm and HW2, this original has an undifined touch of score and epicness.

Griper gave it a6:
Finally, comes a game that does what should have been done ages ago... removes the "bulking up" for attack and allows tactical stike forces. But quickly gets overcomplicated and hard to control... it's not like it's a bad game, but learning all that I can learn to play the game isn't that much fun. And the control system feels... tacked on... as if you were never ment to play, but only to watch.

Tiberiu C. gave it a10:
To put it simply: no, there has not been any other game like Homeworld since Homeworld. Or since Homeworld 2. I was never into space strategy games, but Homeworld changed that for me. One of the best games to come out of the Golden Era of PC gaming (that is the end on the 90s). I am looking forward to Sins of a Solar Empire as a spiritual sequel.

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