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Not "too difficult"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I own both Homeworld 1 and Cataclysm and finished them both. With the same basic strategy employed to win those games, I finished HW2 in about 3 days. It is unfortunate that there aren't multiple difficulty levels in the campaign game (though in the "multiplayer", you can set the computer skill level), but I found the game sufficiently challenging.

As others have stated here, it is an excellent game, beautifully rendered and engrossing.

A Worthy Successor

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

There aren't many real time strategy games that successfully employ a true 3-D battlefield, and of those, the Homeworld series comprises the only good ones. Homeworld 2 carries on this legacy, and is largely an improvement over its predecessor.

The most important changes take place in unit balance and the user interface. The latter in particular has been much improved- largely simplified and less reliant on key commands. That is, you can do almost every function with the mouse alone, whereas in the first game you had to remember key bindings. Build and research queues have been added, and tabbed windows to keep the control panels small. There are no longer formation settings for your fleets- instead, they have been reduced to several strike group and posture settings that automatically configure formations. For the most part this is welcome, as it results in a less complicated control scheme and most of these defaults are what you would do in Homeworld anyway.

Balance changes include charging resource units for research (which now makes it an economic decision as well as a time investment), strike craft that are built as a whole unit of ships instead of just one at a time, and truly distinguishable units for the two sides (Hiigaran and Vaygr). The latter is of particular interest, since the original Homeworld had two essentially equivalent forces that only really differed in graphical appearance. Vaygr strike craft are much more suited toward destroying capital ships, while Hiigaran strike craft are suited to destroying other strike craft. Hiigaran capital ships are more suited to defense than their counterparts, and are slower but generally more capable. This non-cosmetic difference actually makes it interesting to play both sides. Additionally, the irritatingly effective salvage corvettes are done away with, replaced by marine and infiltrator frigates. These are much larger targets that are too expensive to be thrown away, and also take a lot longer to capture craft (which they must do in the field). This makes it practically impossible to win just by salvaging enemy ships. Additionally, players will find that certain weapons do tremendous damage to specific unit types. For example, flak cannons will rip fighters to shreds, and capital ship missiles do huge damage to frigates. This makes it far more important to balance your fleets, instead of just pumping out ion frigates. A final, very interesting addition is the capability to build and destroy subsystems. Subsystems allow certain units (e.g. carriers) to build new unit types, conduct research, or add fleet capabilities. There are also basic systems on larger ships, such as engines and turrets. Destroying these can seriously affect the course of a battle.

The game soundtrack follows the flavor of the excellent original soundtrack, and is truly a pleasure to hear. It really sets the mood for a galaxy-spanning, epic campaign, and doesn't get tiresome to listen to.

On an interesting note, the Homeworld 2 graphics are probably not as advanced over the first game as you might imagine. Though the model detail is undoubtedly better, and there are more neat (optional) effects, the look of the game is largely similar. This is in part due to the surprisingly low system requirements, which allows those with older machines to enjoy the game. Additionally, the lack of overly fine detail makes the game run quite smoothly even when there are literally hundreds of ships on the map.

The single play campaign is, as is to be expected, excellent. You'll fight numerous battles all over the galaxy, see many fantastic unique units, and- in latter missions- acquire some of these units. The story is compelling, and the missions are quite challenging. As before, your resources carry over from one to the next, but they are generally far more plentiful than in the original Homeworld. This makes it less likely for a player to end up in a fix that requires restarting the entire campaign. For one thing, larger ships leave debris that are harvestable when destroyed, providing an actual incentive for destroying enemy ships. As a nice touch, resources are automatically collected at the end of each mission, saving you the tedium of waiting for your resource gatherers to pick it all up.

Though the game in general is great, there are a few things that could have been better. It would have been interesting if the game included a campaign of some sort for the Vaygr- even if it just substituted the two sides as in the original. As is, you'll have to explore their units and capabilities in multiplay or skirmish. Additionally, though the UI is less complex than Homeworld, you also have fewer options available. This is probably only an issue for the hardcore Homeworld fanbase, but would have been nice to have as an option.

Overall, Homeworld 2 is an excellent value strategy game sure to please any fan of the series, and to attract new devotees to the genre as well.

Very good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This was one of if not the most fun strategy game i have played. It has an amazing story, unbelievable graphics, and an interface that once you learn it is relatively easy to use.
Tbe only reason i didnt give it a 5 is because it is so hard as to exclude this game from some of the less hardcore stategy gamers. The game does take a hit as well from not being able to order your ships into formations (an important part of any space strategy game) but it is more than compensated by just generally being alot of fun. Now i am a fan of space stategy games and i thought that the toughness of the game was an asset because insted of just building a huge fleet and crushing your enemys (satisfing but doesnt take much brain power) you could manipulate the battlefield leaving your enemy crippled and unable to fight back (buy controlling recource spots ect.) I do have to admit i went through a few mouses because i broke a few in sheer frustration. So in conclusion i highly recomend this game to you if u enjoy a tough but satisfing game and your not one of the "gamers" who like to boot up warcraft and put in all the instant build cheet codes. This game is well worth $20 and it was worth it to me when i pre ordered it in 03 for $60. BUY IT PEOPLE!!!

The magical PAUSE button

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Homeworld 2 is an extraordinary game. Not quite as great as its legendary predecessor, but still tons of fun for anyone who enjoys games that are best described as 'epic'. In particular, if you are a sci-fi fan you absolutely MUST buy this game. You will not be disappointed.

Much has been said about the missions being hard. Yes, they certainly are! Harder than Homeworld 1, and harder than the missions in most strategy games. However, they are not THAT hard. I personally found Homeworld 2 easier than Starcraft. I am just a casual gamer, and I play about two games a year on average, yet I still managed to complete all missions in Homeworld 2 without getting stuck or frustrated at any point. I have no secret, other than the fact that I occasionally made use of the PAUSE button. Feeling overwhelmed by the fast-paced action? Pause it! Take a look around, admire the gorgeous graphics, and observe the enemy ships at your leisure. I am amazed that most people who criticized this game do not appear to have thought of pausing the action during those difficult missions they were having such trouble with (especially the person who complained that there are too many commands you need to give with your mouse). I won't even comment on the complaint that the saved games should be ordered differently.

The one flaw I found in Homeworld 2, and which sets it below the standard of its predecessor, is the anti-climactic ending. You feel like you're about to discover a great secret, the identity of Sajuuk, but then the answer turns out to be rather mundane (and, strangely, the characters don't seem to be the least bit surprised - as if they knew it all along).

Yet Homeworld 2 is clearly less oriented on the singleplayer missions and much more focused on custom battles and multiplayer than Homeworld 1. I found myself playing custom battles more than I played the missions. I particularly liked the fact that you can customize the look of your fleet - not only can you pick any shades of color for your ships, but you can also design your own fleet logo. A nice touch.

Well, I think I'll stop here. Other reviewers have already described the addictive gameplay and the stunning graphics. Homeworld 2 is an immersive game - it is for those gamers who do not merely want to shoot up random enemies, and wish to feel transported into another world.

Homeworld2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

thought that the game is about 10x better then the original homeworld. better graphics and way more realistic than the first homeworld!
awsome game!

This is one of those games that make you feel small and insignificant.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When you start this game you wouldn't expect it to be anything to special. There aren't any big impressive intro cut-scenes, just the game makers insignias. The main menu itself has no impressive grafics, but once you click on single player the fun begins. The inro cut-scene puts you right into the game with a little history, and then a transition from a rendered scene of what is called a Hyper-space core, to an in game shot of two resource collecters latching on and transporting the core to a mothership. This is where I was suddenly swept away by this game. The shear size of the ships you can command. One of my favorites is the largest offensive ship in the fleet; the Battlecruiser. The size and capabilities of each ship is what gets me about this game. I don't even need to mention the actual gameplay itself; just look at my rating. I recommend this game to any rts fan. It's quite a change from the standard X and Y battle fields with the addition of the Z axis. Have fun gamers.

Is it just me?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 12
Date: October 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Is it just me or am I the only one not happy with this game? I liked the first Homeworld and I also liked Cataclysm as well which is odd because I'm not a big strategy gamer to be honest. In Homeworld and Cataclysm the missions started out rather easy as they should be and start to get progressively harder and harder till near the end they become nearly impossible which is fine for me,but with Homeworld 2 the first 3 missions are a breeze beyond a breeze actually they are in fact so easy to beat that I was beginning to wonder when things would pick up---they did when I hit mission 4. The difficulty from mission 3 to mission 4 is much like this: So we have a group of adventurers who just turned level 4,so what do we send them against---oh I know how about a great wyrm red dragon the size of 3 city blocks ya that's a good idea! There is such a huge leap in the difficulty that to be quite honest---I've not been able to beat it yet. I also don't like the automatic gather all resources in the area and the end of the map missions,I often used the time it took to gather up all the resources in the area to built up or restore my fleet in safety,but now I can't do that. Over all I'm no where near impressed with this game,in fact quite the total opposite,and from what little I could see of the story so far I consider it very weak as well---it's just not Homeworld to be honest.

The Saga Continues

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: July 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The original Homeworld was the pioneer of a new realm of RTS, and though HW: Cataclysm was kind of a [copy](made by another studio mind you) Relic Entertainment will continue the story with the depth and vastness of the first story.

Though the graphics of HW2 does not compare to the latest generation of FPS, it is the epic plot that draws me to buy it as the only game I play.

Catered to hardcore RTS fans.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: September 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

As a casual RTS gamer I found this game too hard. There is no option to select a difficulty level in the single player campaign. I guess if you are a hardcore RTS player and a Homeworld 1 fan than this is the game for you, if you are not, be ready to spend a lot of time at beating certain missions.

Great Game but......

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: October 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game. The graphics are excellent and so is the game play. The tactical and strategic differences between the Vagyr and Higaraans present intruiging possibilities.

So why the but! And they are small buts

I found the single player campaign to be less emotionally involving than Homeworld 1 and Cataclysm. In fact I finished the single player campaign with a vague sense of disapointment. I can't put my finger on why. I keep thinking back to the overwhelming first few minutes of the last chapter in Homeworld 1 (and I had a monster fleet). Or the desecration of Kharak. Perhaps it was the decommissioning of the mother ship. In fact I don't think the campaign is as hard.

I agree with another reviewers comment about not having the chance to rebuild your fleet at the end of each mission as you collect the remaining resources. Perhaps the time compression system from Cataclysm would have been better employed than simply ending it with all the resources collected.

Another feature I missed was being able to increase your fleet above the population limits by absconding with the enemies prize Heavy Cruiser. Though this didn't impact the campaign at all.

I said they were small buts.

I know I'm nit picking but I'm glad I spent the money. And I think you will be too if you decide to purchase the game.

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