What makes Homeworld so great? | Unabbreviated Reviews

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

If you want to get Homeworld, here are a bunch of links. Some are affiliate links, some are not. This game is everywhere. Get it where it's cheapest. Amazon: amzn.to/2ksBdJp GMG: www.greenmangaming.com/games/homeworld-remastered-collection-mac/?tap_a=1964-996bbb&tap_s=3612-0cec05 Fanatical: www.fanatical.com/en/game/homeworld-remastered-collection?ref=abbrrev Humble: www.humblebundle.com/store/homeworld-remastered-collection?partner=abbrrev&charity=24627 Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/244160/Homeworld_Remastered_Collection/

[@FesterSilently]

Let's not forget Good Old Games: www.gog.com/game/homeworld_remastered_collection

[@xenxander]

How about doing one of these for "Perimeter"? This is a game that has flown under the radar for a long time and took the RTS genera and gave it a new spin in 2-d just as Homeworld did, in 3-d.

[@Irobert1115HD]

actually the taco of terror is somewhere in the 2,1 km range in terms of hight. but still a massive taco. or banana.

[@SteveAkaDarktimes]

Homeworld made me realize that space is not an ocean. its a desert.

[@L2Xenta]

Wow... philosophy in space.

[@pierre-mariecaulliez6285]

"And yet, I can hear the sea..." Kiith Paktu's modo, all about the hope and perseverance these guys ;7

[@Kyo-kf6jf]

You do realize that oceans aren't teeming with life and that most fish live near coasts, right? If anything, a desert is safer and with more life than the deep oceans.

[@Pepitobenito]

It's actually a much more apt comparison. And yeah, Homeworld's epic soundtrack really enforces that.

[@fonkyman]

@@Kyo-kf6jf if you actually belive that... just... go back to school please

[@main_stream_media_is_a_joke]

This game was and is a piece of visual and audio art. Everything about Homeworld just clicked. The fact that this was the first game from Relic was even more astounding. The story was simple and pure, the ship designs on both sides were incredibly beautiful and workmanlike, the glactic backgrounds were just jaw dropingly beautiful, the music is outstanding and the game actually had to be played strategically rather than overwhelming the enemy with sheer number. This game is just in a league of its own.

[@typhoonoftempest]

What makes it all even more impressive is that a lot of it was made with shoestrings and hopes. The backgrounds that are just mind-boggling where made in 2 days

[@main_stream_media_is_a_joke]

@@typhoonoftempest Wow...didn't know that. I seriously doubt that anyone in today's day and age could create a game even half as evocative as Homeworld.

[@phoenixrising2609]

AfuckingMen to that

[@Thorocious]

I've not played a game since I'm 20 years that had me as gripped as this did.

[@crackensvideo]

Homeworld was one of the few games that made me cry as a young teenager. Amazingly, it made cry twice. For Hiigara. For S'Jet.

[@MacGuyverr]

Is it weird that that last line made be tear up a little? Homeworld is the only game I got the collector's edition. One of my favorite things I own

[@Tremadog102]

The cut scenes from this game still move me. They still haven't lost their impact on me after all these years. I heard Homeworld 2 was rushed in development and it still turned out okay. I can't wait to see what Homeworld 3 will turn out like considering they sound like they are taking their time with this one.

[@RevantheBlack]

“Subject did not survive interrogation “

[@stevenclark2188]

I think this might be one of the few games where people really, really grieve. Like that subtle mixture of exhausted sadness and bottled rage from the normally solid Intel guy.

[@darrynrenton5693]

Nicely said, it was glorious. One of the first games to invoke emotions in me during gameplay and got me hooked on RPG titles for life. Since then only Horizon Zero Dawn has give me the same emotional response.

[@areebjamal9160]

The radio chatter from all the ships is so immersive in both the games. It really makes you invested into the current situation and feel that you are in command of real people and have the responsibility of bringing them to their new home alive. Not a single RTS has nailed it the way Homeworld did and such a subtle feature adds so much to the game. And lets not forget the amazing soundtrack, first mission, Kharak System, the launch and a hopeful outlook into the future and a relentless effort made to find a place where you belong. simply brings me to tears every time.

[@michaelgimenez4032]

Correct me if i m wrong but i though that all the non capital units were remotely controlled from the mothership. Hardware was less imrportant than the people depending on it was pretty much a funnjng theme in the series.

[@areebjamal9160]

@@michaelgimenez4032 naah I'm pretty sure the fighter and Corvette class units were also piloted. I've recently started playing homeworld catsclysm and the acolyte fighters say stuff like "accursed/bandit scum" before exploding on a mission where u rescue a research ship Pretty sure among 600,000 secured occupants u at the most ended up killing 2k but still 2k ;_;

[@Phantomsbreath]

@@areebjamal9160 Every single ship in the games, with the exception of the drones from the Drone Frigate are manned.

[@thebighurt2495]

@@Phantomsbreath And the probes.

[@Skittles694]

this! especially when your units are dying or ordered to kamikaze, the bleak and melancholic tone of their voice just gives me shivers every time. These people are fighting with everything they have for everything they have left.

[@Xune2000]

I didn't play Homeworld the evening I bought it because I started reading the manual while the game was installing. By the time the computer had finished I was hooked on the stories detailing the Kharak society & social structure, and their struggle to become a space faring species. It made the burning of Kharak that much more poignant, and it meant saving as many of those cryo-trays was imperative!

[@Sin526]

The HW manual is fantastic 👍🏻

[@ummthingy]

I have lost my original game discs, but I still have the manual.

[@AlexandreMS71]

Exactly the same with me. When I went to the game and saw the destruction that hit me with a force of a thousand kicks in my stomach and nose. That made me save every one and seek revenge at any costs. Nothing could stop me from obliterate that vicious Taiidan.

[@brianwaffle]

I still have the Manuals and the disc. The box was a loss when we moved..

[@leexgx]

@False Feathers the trick is to have the capture units before you hyperspace back to the dock and have enough ships to engage them soon as you warp back you got about 5-10 seconds to grab your ships to get the pods and send an offensive force to stop them from blowing up 1-3 of them up

[@dmomintz]

Homeworld... the game that made me see games as an art.

[@derkaiser9279]

@Robert Baillet only nerds plays strategy game, we are nerds

[@lmr834]

I remember reading the manual as a kid imaging playing the game. My computer would not let it load. With an upgrade i could play it. It was one of the first 3d computer games and strategy i played. It hooked me on outer space and pc games. My second great game was starcraft. Homeworlds blew my mind.

[@halfglassfullproductions5174]

It’s been over 20 years and I can still remember the feelings this generated. I played this straight in one 30 hour session. By the final stage I was dead tired and equally hopped up on caffeine. When the 2nd enemy fleet jumped me I moved my reserves to engage it. Leaving the mother ship alone. When a 3rd fleet jumped on top of my now undefended mothership I wept at the incredible gameplay through tiredness and excitement......the 3rd fleet then announced they were here to help and I cried. No other game has ever come close to this game for complete immersion Still my favourite game ever

[@bboyg1]

Epic

[@HawkGTboy]

I also remember playing this way into the wee hours as well back in 2000/2001. The game made you CARE about every unit, I'd always bend over backwards trying to pull damaged strike craft out of combat and dock them to a support frigate before they died. You felt every unit you lost.

[@ericpowell4350]

The lore, the graphics, the music, the gameplay, all of the attention to details. It's a masterpiece.

[@Tclans]

As a long time fan of the series I can attest to this video being a love letter. Current fans surely appreciate this. And newcomers will have a great synopsis to start from. Thank you so much!

[@rominkivela9351]

Let us have a moment of silence for the greatest hero who died on the way... Long live Dave the Salvage Corvette pilot!

[@GSBarlev]

Lol, Salvage Corvettes were *so broken* in the original game, especially if you played without the patch that allowed your build queue to exceed the unit caps. By the time I jumped into Hiigara my fleet consisted of, in addition to the full complement of Kushan capships, I think, four Taiidan battleships, 20+ Kadeshi Ion Cannon frigates (the ones that spun to fire), a dozen or so Taiidan destroyers and missile destroyers, and so many of those duck-billed Taiidan Ion Cannon frigates that they couldn't all render in when in fleet formation. Others talk about the fear of losing your mothership in an ambush? My only fear at the endgame was that my PC would crash! Which it did!

[@HuntingTarg]

@@GSBarlev Reminds me of the days of Total Annihilation, where the 'unit cap' was how much RAM your PC had.

[@carlosdgutierrez6570]

​@@GSBarlevah yes, the original homeworld where you became the incarnate philosophy of the blood angels from W40k: "Hippity hoppity, everything that is not nailed and bolted down is now my property."

[@jeffwads]

The thing that amazed me about Homeworld was the GUI map interface. That sold me immediately.

[@Riku-Leela]

This game really is art... I played it for the first time at the beginning of this year and wow... I'm 25 now but I couldnt even imagine how mindblown I would have been if I played it as a young teen... I'm soooo confused why this game isn't popular nowadays, the remaster still looks beautiful... Also I'm so damn excited for Homeworld 3

[@huaiwei]

Imagine how we felt also back then when no other game was like it. It is still the only game I weep over the destruction of even the smallest spacecraft.

[@ViperEye]

The story (narration too), visuals, cutscenes, gameplay, music, and just the overall feel of the game was in a league of its own. It conveyed the beauty, vastness, unknowns and dangers of space in a manner so excellent i havent seen since, so its kept a special place in my memory. There was a certain mystique surrounding this game, the voyage out into the stars ahead of you. With the great network of hyperspace gates now open, the Hiigarans will encounter things they will not have expected, on the other side. That makes a really good starting point for the next chapter... I do hope to see the progenitors again in some fashion, what they left behind, and why they left the galaxy.

[@BadAnalogy91]

"The subject did not survive interrogation." is a sentence that really left its mark on me as a nine-year old. To this day, I shudder to think what they did to the captured Taiidan crews. This is one of those games that truly benefits from a minimalistic approach to storytelling. Upon returning to Kharak, it only would've hurt the story to outright show the Mothership's crew collectively gasping in horror and disbelief.

[@ummthingy]

That line was brutal, but the coldness of how it was delivered, masterful. The voice work in this game is not talked about enough. From the story dialogue to the radio chatter, you were immersed in this journey with the entire fleet as if you were a part of it. Not some outside force getting comedic quips, or smartass responses from your units like other titles.

[@icespray247]

Yep I remember that line. It shows how cruel the universe the game is in - you are not necessarily playing the "good guys", you are just playing from their point of view.

[@jinngeechia9715]

The cold voice of Fleet Intelligence. Very well acted.

[@TheNapster153]

To be fair, when you come back from a botched test run to find your home burning with almost absolute certainty all your loved ones are dead or dying then you’d be hard pressed as well. Earnestly, those Taidan were given mercy... after who knows how long and that’s assuming they weren’t fed to the wolves.

[@vga991]

www.deviantart.com/mk01/art/Homeworld-Tribute-136896741

[@TheSebi99p]

Homeworld is probably my favorite game of all time. Great gameplay, great UI, great story, and a perfect soundtrack to complement said story. Absolutely divine!

Mine too. I've replayed the Homeworld games multiple times. And I plan on replaying them several times more.

[@SmallKittyPaw]

No matter how many times I play or watch how Kharak is burning I'm crying. Best story ever made even for a game exactly as old as me. Well, actually I cry many times in first and second Homeworld ;)

[@hwpyky]

20 Years, from my childhood. Homeworld is still the best of my gaming history. First launch of Kushan Mothership always made me cry. It is obvious that, this game will remain in rest of my entire life. In this time, I have been one of game creators like who had made this great game. And Homeworld leads me to what game should i have to make. For Hiigara.

[@GoblinKnightLeo]

Thats easy: its one of the only strategy games where your resources carry from one map to the next.

[@GoblinKnightLeo]

@False Feathers Which admittedly is probably why more games don't do it.

[@leexgx]

on remastered HW1 thought they did change it so it does auto gather all resources on the map when you hyperspace jump (basically made it same as HW2 witch did it by default) they did that so you did not have to grind the map get all the resources on HW2, but the issue with doing it on HW1 remastered is that you can have silly amount of RU by the time you get towards the end of the game

[@MarcelloBranca]

best rts i ever played, not just space rts

[@KennethOlney]

Homeworld, for me, is that piece of art that's stuck with me my whole life. Christmas of 99, when I was 13, I received Homeworld and Impressions Games Pharoah. Two games that I find myself always revisiting over and over through the years. It was around that time my parents got a new PC and I was given our old IBM. Loaded up along with Starcraft, Warcraft 2, Tiberium Dawn, Red Alert and Dune 2000, my RTS addiction was solidified. PC gaming in the early 2000's is why I missed most of the 6th generation of consoles and also set me on the path of IT, something I happily get to call my career right now. This was a lot of fun to watch, I'm subbing and I'm gonna check out what else you have to talk about. Now I'm going to have to fight the urge to install Homeworld (or Cataclysm) again. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is my main game right now, so I gotta finish that up before I jump back to anything.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I enjoyed Rebel Galaxy Outlaw as well, a game clearly inspired by a lot of classic space sims. I'm glad we're moving into a time where space games are becoming really popular again. I feel like I really got into playing them when they were on their way out.

[@markhalden3922]

I knew of Homeworld when it was first released but never had the pocket money for it. I was able to pick up Cataclysm in the early 2000s when it was on special and have been hooked ever since.

[@pierre-mariecaulliez6285]

"Now I'm going to have to fight the urge to install Homeworld (or Cataclysm)" I failed ;7

[@krieggrenademan105]

That motivator is even more extreme if you just finished deserts of kharak and the gane starts out with destroying kharak...

[@brentstar323]

oh man, I think I'm going to do that now. I played deserts when it came out but didn't get around to replaying H1 and H2. time to replay them all now!

[@Irving_teran]

@@brentstar323 sir. Homeworld 3 is coming. The Time to replay the whole saga aproaches

[@brentstar323]

@@Irving_teran haha yes!! And homework 3 is looking amazing!

[@Hydrazine1000]

You forgot to mention the Hook. How, at the end of each level, you were lured into starting the next one, just to see what would happen after another jump... And then you'd have bitten down on the lure and be hooked. Because I'd think "I'll play this level for a bit" and end up completing it. Being lured *AGAIN* by what's coming. I did burn the proverbial midnight oil by the barrel!

[@AceTycho]

Totally

[@ADuBToR]

first homeworld was just the best strategy game ive ever played :D

[@RiverCrystal]

Dude this is unironically the best summary of the Homeworld story I've ever come across. Easy to understand, and I love your wit.

[@AstralFrost]

This is a very detailed and professional review. Well done!

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Thank you! Here's hoping I don't raise anyone's expectations for me...

[@main_stream_media_is_a_joke]

Abbreviated Reviews Looking at the sad state of modern AAA SP gaming, these and similar old golden games need a professional video to introduce new audience and make us old folks fall in love with these masterpieces once again. A tight and very professionally done video. Looking forward to more from you.

[@jollygreen4662]

I used to listen to homeworld soundtrack while playing eve onine

[@Thorocious]

I thought only I did that haha

[@a-blivvy-yus]

Independence Day: Helicopter flies up in front of giant alien ship. Flashes some lights at it in an attempt at communication. Ship starts to open up and "There's some activity inside" Homeworld: Shuttle flies over to giant alien ship, and a portion of it opens up, and "There's some activity inside" - turns out it's the Bentusi. I saw the movie about a week before the game. I panicked.

[@michaelgimenez4032]

When the ship opens up they try to sell stuff... Opportunistic much?

[@artembentsionov]

I loved Homeworld, and I was even more in awe of Homeworld: Cataclysm (damn you, Blizzard, for taking the subtitle away). Both portray the story of an underdog who perseveres and wins out in the end. For those who don’t know, in Cataclysm you play as one of the kiithid (clans) of Hiigarans, who don’t have enough political clout on the planet to get anything done, so the Somtaaw (their name) petition the council to allow them to use the mothership-turned-shipyard to build a pair of command ships to use to explore and mine space. You’re given command of one of the two command ships, the Kuun-Lan. While considerably smaller than the mothership, it’s also a lot more versatile and upgradeable. By the end, you turn it from a mining ship into a full-fledged warship with a massive cannon. Spoilers incoming!!! While mining, you find a mysterious pod that you bring aboard to study. It’s a million years old and appears to be an emergency beacon from some vessel. Something in the pod then starts infecting the Kuun-Lan, forcing the Somtaaw to jettison the lower decks. As it turns out, a million years ago, some extragalactic civilization was testing out an experimental hyperdrive and ended up in the Homeworld galaxy. Along the way, they picked up a strange biomechanical virus called the Beast. The virus consumes both flesh and machine, becoming more intelligent with new “parts”, as the creature calls them. The ship’s crew disabled the craft but didn’t account for the automated distress beacon. Throughout the game, you fight Taiidan Imperialiasts (think First Order for this setting), the Beast, Turanic Raiders, Precursor artifacts, and even the Bentusi. The latter are so terrified of the Beast they’re planning a mass exodus into another galaxy using a slipstream gate. You have to destroy the gate to get them to help you, but first they get mad enough to try to kill you. Your ship choices are more limited here, given that this is a small kiith with no resources for building a massive space navy. You don’t have dedicated corvettes, but you have fighters that can combine into corvettes when necessary and split on command as well. Somtaaw multi-beam ion frigates are actually useful, as are their drone frigates. They even have ships that do nothing but ram. And the Archangel dreadnought puts heavy cruises to shame in its awesomeness. Heavy guns, missiles, ion cannons, and a repulsor field. It also vaguely looks like a Bentusi ship (according to the manual, it was based on scans of Bentusi ships). And you also have Sentinel pods that can surround a capital ship with a powerful shield. In multiplayer and skirmish you can play as the Somtaaw or the Beast. Many Beast ships were actually assimilated from the Somtaaw, while others came from Turanic Raiders and Imperialists, so it’s a mixed fleet. Honestly, I’m saddened that the development team doesn’t consider the expansion to be canon. It’s a great story and it almost feels like the Somtaaw (excuse me, the *Beastslayers*) are being cheated of their victory.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I'm working on a video about Cataclysm as well now. It's one of my favorite game expansions. I hope they at least mention it down the line.

[@artembentsionov]

Abbreviated Reviews in my own personal head canon, I still attribute the Bentusi disappearing by Homeworld 2 in large part to their mass exodus in Cataclysm, with the Vaygr only sweeping up whoever was left.

[@shawngillogly6873]

Even as a 30yr old when the game released, this game was an overwhelming, emotional, and beautiful experience. And the remaster only reinforced my love for it.

[@AceTycho]

Wonderful

[@datagonia]

"Popsicle People" - Have some decency, that's out whole civilization right there.

[@jackzimmer6553]

Who couldn’t fall in love with HW? I still like to listen to the song by Yes. It really takes me back! I remember trying to win the single player game but to no avail. Then I bought the strategy guide and figured out what I was doing wrong and what I missed doing. Finally was able to defeat the game! That was a rush!!

[@dropkoo]

Now that's one quality (and heartfelt) review! It's more than a review, it's a love letter!

[@StonedogTBSV]

Brilliant review sir. Absolutely top notch. Homeworld was, and will probably always remain, my favourite game. I played it for years... I got my online handle for every other game I've ever played from the one I coined for Homeworld's WON network, and I still get chills when I think about how beautiful it was. (Even 20 years later, the original doesn't look too bad) . I do have an issue with the remaster though, because it was done with HW2's engine, which was fundamentally different. This meant that the Remaster's 'feel' wasn't the same. Formations didn't work... relative ship strengths were off, etc.

[@brentstar323]

I was a kid when I played Homeworld 1, It was the first game that showed me that games can be more than just entertainment but something profound that makes you really feel for whats happening. I'm 25 now and to this day I love games with stories to tell and things to say to get me to connect with whats happening on screen in a way no other form of media can. Video games are a true unique form of interactive art and Homeworld is one of the greatest examples of what a video game can achieve.

[@2HeadedHero]

Man, I love this style of review. Great work.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Thank you! I typically do much shorter reviews, but I thought this game deserved something more. I think with how well this went, I might do more in this format though.

[@rodrigoserafim8834]

Homeworld is one of those games that words cannot make it justice. The whole thing stands up as an art form of its own right. The epic story arc brought up every human emotion to those flying pixels on your screen and made them alive. I mourned every single ship lost and the game rewarded those emotions by making those losses matter in the latter stages of the game. The music punctuated every phrase in the story with perfect timing and power. You just have to play it to understand. A timeless masterpiece for gaming.

[@TheGiggityG]

That return was epic, the music was perfect.

[@TheDragonfly256]

After this game every time I saw "Relic" intro I got chills.

[@stormthrush37]

Ok, so epic storytelling and music. But you left out the single most important component and the real lynchpin: the Salvage Corvette.

[@sbotti4294]

stormthrush37 stormthrush37 I based my whole game on those things. I think I captured more ships then I destroyed. My fleet was HUGE by the end. I was even stealing big capital ships. I don’t remember exactly what they were called but there was side mission that involved some “junkers” they had crazy wild frigates that were small but had multiple plasma beam turrets. I “salvaged” all of them. They were my favorite ships. They were devastating in formation.

[@stormthrush37]

@@sbotti4294 Same here. You're referring to the Kadeshii Multibeam Frigates, if I'm not mistaken. Have four beams and spin around while shooting. I used to know exactly how many of them there were to be captured in the game - ~19 in total, IIRC. Oh, and ships can be even more effective without using formation mode, because they get so much closer together, interestingly/ironically.

[@sbotti4294]

stormthrush37 those are the ones! I loved those crazy little bastards. What I meant is the computer only ever came at you with 2 or 3 of those at a time. When I formed them up in teams of 6 ... or 10... they’d quickly lay waste to even big cruisers.

[@stormthrush37]

@@sbotti4294 Yes, they could be very effective in large groups!

[@dan7291able]

Having played Age of Empires and Command and Conquer all my life.. i never knew Homeworld was the next step i was looking for all this time.. Really wish i was a teenager again lmao but i can still enjoy it anyway

[@timmy3822]

I still have the original CD ROM for Homeworld :). I played it to death and the modding scene was incredible for the time with Star Wars, Star Trek, Bablylon 5... everything lol. Homeworld 2 was good and had prettier graphics but the story of the original sets a bar so high for an RTS I can safely say it hasn't been surpassed in any RTS I've played since. The stakes are so high, the art style, pencil like animated cutscenes, music... a unique combination. And you're right, the Mothership launch and return to Kharak still give me goosebumps! Fleet Command... online!

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I did always like the expansion story as well since you go from this little boring mining ship and progressively upgrade it through the campaign. It's a shame it didn't also get remastered, but at least it was re-released.

[@Keemperor40K]

@@AbbreviatedReviews BBI wanted to re-master Cataclysm, but as you pointed out the source-code is lost and remaking it from scratch is just not economically sound (though it might be feasible). There where rumors about 2 years ago that a copy of the source code might exist, but nothing has come from since, so it was just a rumor I suppose. Sad, HW:C built on all that Homeworld did and created a beautiful story all its own, that though not as awe-inspiring as the original one, did strike its own tone and place in the franchise. A very dark chapter, but beautiful for all its darkness. Certainly a much better story that HW2, though not as well known.

[@AAhmou]

@@AbbreviatedReviews The story might be on a smaller scale but I guess it has a more integral general characterisation as we get to see multiple facets of each faction. The Taiidan imperialists even though being pushed in a corner still act prideful and they remain as opportunistic as ever sometimes a bit too rash in their decision making. Still in their position they may use any mean that may get them to rise to their past's glory. The turanic raiders share a lot of similarities with their allies their imperialist allies except they operate in small organized groups and they attack more defenseless targets, they remain overall more versatile than the larger military force, also they act more like salvagers in a similar fashion to our main faction also they are sneaky AF. the Taiidan republic is the weakest faction in my opinion, outside few mentions here and there over how they've come to maintain good relationships with Hiigara and how they were willing to help against an impending threat by going back to the good ol' Taiidan ways of building super weapons maybe as proof that desperate times require desperate measures despite their principles. The republic only ended up being as an ally in danger which happened to have all hostile big players reunited around its super weapon to put their alliance into test. Now we get to speak of the main faction, an initially weak mining vessel, Kuun-lan of a relatively weak Kiith Somtaaw, ever since the first cutscene it has been established some Kiiths grew more equal than others and that unlike the ones with more influence the smaller Kiith have to crawl their way up by getting resources and salvaging exotic technologies (two main points of the game), as you said at first it starts off just as a mining vessel mining stuff that was summoned to support Hiigaran defense grid from a imperialist's assault using uniquely their acolytes while the other Kiith show up with familiar military ships, while aiding their allies the Kuun-Lan gets harassed by the cunning turanic raiders until they stumbled upon a peculiar piece of a wreckage. Believing it could help the Kiith discovering an unprecedented level of technology helping them gaining much needed influence, our main cast gets ordered to keep it a secret and to escort it to the science team of the Clee-San, after more shenanigans with the turanic raiders and their handy stealth technology. The true nature of the retrieved artifact was shown, it spread, It consumed the hangar section, it then consumed the Clee-San and a handful of your ships turning them against you... Not knowing what to do against the emerging threat the Kuun-Lan has no choice but to escape, from that part, the game becomes more a matter of survival, learning more about the beast, warning the others and more importantly trying to find countermeasures, using everything they learn, salvaging new technologies, making new alliances, they slowly manage to achieve their objectives, but at the cost of their allies, their enemies joining the rank of the beast and the beast expanding to threaten the galaxy. The beast as the main antagonist is pure horror at first due to the player's lack of power at first, its power of subversion and the unknown factor that all mix in with a hint of atmosphere music, tension inducing dialogue and the seemingly rising stakes... Each mission appears to let us a new plot of the beast, subversion, sentience, using lifeforms as ammunition to spread that subversion further, surprise attacks, regeneration, upgrading technologies (while absorbing it), hacking through IFF frequencies and using human voices to trick their prey, being able to prioritize by allying itself with the Taiidan imperialists. The game follows the Kuun-Lan as it grows from a mining vessel to a warship getting through a lot of hardships trying to stop an imminent threat (they may or may not have helped spreading at first) to a warship. In general, its crew is being incredibly resourceful, smart and may go to some extremes (as shown during the interrogation cutscene) to finally bring the fight to the hostile factions. One last faction I'm willing to tackle, saving the best for last are the Bentusi, another returning faction, still playing the same role of trading technology but they have a few very interesting plot points, I think this game has their best moments, at first a pride Bentusi willing to fight off the beast up until a cruiser gets in range trying to subvert it, it was then when it started, the beast would have them suffer a fate worse to them than death... This game showed (comprehensibly) the Bentusi in their moment of weakness, giving both themselves and the Kuun-Lan trouble to overcome especially at its appex, when they clashed together. Overall Homeworld Cataclysm have several moments while it's not as not as awe inspiring as the first game, the expansion does give goosebumps of a whole other kind.

[@KennethOlney]

Homeworld is the game that got me into modding. So much fun to have getting all my favorite Star Trek and B5 ships into the game. I remember quite specifically getting a massive fleet of Hyperion frigates together, just because I loved that ship in B5. If you play Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, hop on Nexus mods and download the Homeworld paint jobs people have made for it.

[@stevenclark2188]

I think someone mentioned that the remaster gave the original the difficulty scaling code from the sequel which was a negative for me because I LIKED the ability to minmax my way to victory by careful use of salvage corvettes.

[@Nine-Signs]

Even without the remaster, I can think of few games whose engine and mechanics hold up this well after 20 years. There are games released today such as rebel galaxy, that although they have superior graphics engines still don't match the visual accuracy of movement, its mechanics, and the physical beauty of this game and its fleet designs. Since I was young I've always loved the idea of being on a ship taking fire, I know that sounds odd, but the urgency and power of the moment would be spectacular, this game gave me the ability to sit on top of a destroyer broad siding battle cruisers, it blew my mind and I've loved it ever since. Having played it ever since its release, it is also literally one of only a handful of games I have played to this depth and never, not once, experienced a bug nor a crash. It is as much a masterpiece of programming as it is visual. p.s. for anyone too young to remember, another seminal space game you should check out is Freelancer.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I know what you mean about the idea of taking fire in a ship. It's one of the reasons I've enjoyed Star Citizen. Being able to walk around in a ship that's flying around and getting shot at is wild. I spent quite a bit of time locked in on each ship in Homeworld watching it fire and take damage admiring how detailed and just outright cool it was.

[@AceTycho]

100%

[@AceTycho]

@@AbbreviatedReviews Very much!

[@Thorocious]

Freelancer was also a cut above the rest for its time...

[@Nine-Signs]

@@Thorocious Re freelancer, Berlin ring to new Tokyo diamond run via the pirate controlled tau systems, I made a fortune. And as I type this I've just noticed Star Citizen 3.7 is live yey. I only wish it was finished. I bought it when I was 30. I will be 40 in 3 years.

[@Xiox321]

My first HW game was Cataclysm on a demo disk when I was a kid. I loved it so much, I played it over and over and over, just that one demo. When I was in grade 6 or 7, I had a class that had us make a very simple website about anything we wanted, I made it about Homeworld. I even drew pictures of Homeworld styled ships and scenes, and doodled them on schoolwork. When Facebook started to take off, my first profile pic was of a resource collector. It was my favourite game of all time, and I had only ever played the Cataclysm demo. It wasn't until I was 21 or 22 that I finally played Homeworld 1 and 2, and now I'm so excited for HW3. Even though I was basically obsessed with it, I was always terrible at it, and still am, I have a hard time playing on easy difficulty.

[@chughes868]

Great review of a phenomenal game. I found Homeworld through Yes as I was a big fan and, hearing about the collaboration and Yes having a song tied to it, I purchased the game. As many others mentioned here, the game touched my soul. The haunting and beautiful music, the heartbreak of the destruction of a race of people, the anguish of watching a cryo tray being destroyed - it bonded to my memories from my first time playing to each time I reinstalled and revisited the game over the years. The game is one of the most impactful events in my limited gaming world experiences. Thank you for your video - it was like opening a box of old family photos and reminiscing the warm memories of a lifetime.

[@imp4ktth]

this video is so well made. i was caught off guard seeing you only have 2k subs

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Well, when I posted this I was below 1000, so it's coming along even though the process is slow. Thank you for checking it out!

[@spellweavergeneziso]

I am only in half of the video and the story is so intriguing that I probably go play the first Homeworld myself and then get back to the video. I love scifi and this seems so fascinating. I love great scifi plots like Stargate or Mass Effect.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Sounds like a great plan. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[@AlexaRex]

I still haven't played any game with a better atmosphere than Homeworld. It still gives me the chills seeing and hearing it, and listening to the soundtracks from those games.

[@AlexandreMS71]

This was the only game that I cared for the characters, like they were my family, my friends, I cried and shouted out loud, and cursed and smiled so many times ... and loved, grieved and suffered. That was a hell of a emotional roller coaster. I have never, ever felt like this after, neither for a game, movie or TV series. The visuals were stellar for the time and still are good today, even the original. The sound track, the scores were perfect, ominous, imminent, rushing. The story line was superb, I read the instruction book like a history book. I have no more words to describe the almost religious experience Homeworld was and still is. I have the original CDs and I also bought the remastered version.

[@mauriciofreitas3384]

What got me to homeworld was a flash game someone made in homenage to the homeworld franchise, the creator saying "hey, check out homeworld if you like this kind of game" and so it began. I think the flash game is named "Project NOVA", not sure, its been years!

[@dozerroman4325]

The music, oh my gawd it was so great and added so much atmosphere to an already engrossing game. The fear of the unknown, endless black space, attack and destruction of a friendly ship by an unknown enemy. The annihilation of an entire planet. I mean, this is how you make an introduction. Pure. Fucking. Gold. Still my favorite RTS along with Empire Earth.

[@maverick3877]

Such a beautifully articulated review of this piece of art. I am so excited for Homeworld 3!

[@peterklemmensen268]

I just bought this set on steam. With the price that they were set at, it was a must have. I am really enjoying this game. Can't wait for more. I paid 10 dollars Canadian for all 3 games.

[@Jaiysful]

Op has a great voice for video essay. Great vid and now I'm going to pay home world, what a unique title. Awesome vid.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Thank you! Have fun checking out one of my favorite games :)

[@jbscotchman]

This games music and atmosphere are still unmatched today!

[@OverlordZephyros]

Homeworld was my first 3D RTS... Before that I played StarCraft, C&C and other 2d ones... Lets just say I was so blown away (i still do) it still my FAVORITE rts 👍 My second is supreme commander lol

[@dan7291able]

Having played Age of Empires and Command and Conquer all my life.. i never knew Homeworld was the next step i was looking for all this time.. Really wish i was a teenager again lmao but i can still enjoy it anyway

[@quinnfable2694]

A masterpiece of a game. This video brought back all the great memories. Thank you!

[@jasonvancleve8140]

Greatest soundtrack in history. Never heard a better recording of Agnus Dei. I just wish they'd mentioned the bonus Yes track they did for the ending credits.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I thought about it, but it was one track I was sure would get me wrapped up in copyright stuff. That's also why it's not part of the remaster's credits, sadly. That song actually made me a fan of Yes way before I had listened to any of their hits. I'm not sure how the devs came to choose it, but it was a great choice.

[@temporalpitmage]

This was a beautiful review that will allow me to share the impact this title had on me with those who might otherwise be unwilling to play the game for themselves. Homeworld still firmly claims the crown of my personal favorite game of all time. Thank you for this.

[@aridianknight3576]

Jesus I still cry every time I see kharak burning karin sounds heartbroken yet professional.

[@spidaman0112]

Got the remastered when they came out. Brought back all those memories. Waiting on the new game.

[@seanblackwood8382]

I've been playing homeworld 1 and 2 with my cousin and could not find many other players wanting to play this. a magestic game and a very Unabbreviated review indeed. subbed to the channel and can't wait for the homeworld 3 to come out :)

[@ladiesgentswegothim]

OMG when he played the clip of Karan's voice again, tears return...

[@thendeslauwdy4709]

no one's left, everything is gone. kharak is burning.. oh that clip and soundtrack made me goosebumps

[@toshibavoodoo]

Best game ever! Played every version and still am amazed how well it told a story and offered a unique gameplay! So excited for the HomeWorld 3 AND the Mobil Version! I'm a Galaxy Note fan and think HomeWorld on the Note10+ using an SPen to control the fleet will be epic!! Good time to be alive!

[@spagget]

half life and homeworld are waaay beyond their time

[@Seitenwerk]

Joseph M don’t forget Haegemonia. One of the best space strategy games next to Homeworld and it’s graphics where on a whole new level back then

[@Sajuuk06]

agreed 1000%

[@michaelgimenez4032]

Sadly when you look at what we get today...They were not, they were the golden age of gaming.

[@V4YGR3]

@@michaelgimenez4032 half life and homeworld still are seen as new things. Example there is no other 3d space game. Like homeworld. Where you controll up and down. Half life alyx has proven to be a new experience as a vr game. If this is a AAA standard for vr then.. other AAA should be as good as that.

[@DarkSalt-66]

At least homeworld is getting a third installment

[@ForrestFox]

Homeworld 3 was recently announced. I got so hyped :D This is one of the most beautiful RTS games I've played, and the music is just magic :D

[@popculture70]

Another awesome thing about Homeworld was the online multiplayer. This was back in the days of dialup and my ISP disconnected after one hour, so there was extra pressure to win within that time limit. Stealing you opponents' ships with fleets of salvage corvettes was a lot of fun.

[@Thorocious]

The multiplayer was totally where it was at... Still the best online experience I've had to date

[@JDSleeper]

I was so incredibly obsessed with this game before it came out and very active on the Relic forums. The day the demo was out it was about 60MB, which took hours on 56k dialup that would not stay connected. And completely worth it just to see the launch of the Mothership. It was such an incredible story with some very compelling worldbuilding. I had to know everything about every unit.

[@cardiv5zuikaku944]

Still one of my fav RTS game. My fav moment is on Garden of Kadesh when Hiigaran Ambassador have a negotiation with the people of Nebula, the way they make the intense scene is juat so good, they using the nebula ship to slowly fly around the Ambassador ship while calmy "threaten" the Hiigaran, this is like your normal encounter of antagonist that threaten you, but with space ship, and they did really well!

[@nickthx1138]

Thanks Abbreviated Reviews, for a great summary and appreciation of a great great game. Even though I played this for the 1st time about 10 years after it 1st came out it definitely is one that stays with you indefinitely.

[@Arekanae]

If someone wants to play similar RTS, I recommend Original War. It is just glorious. Great characters, great branching story, awesome cutscenes, every soldier matters, every soldier have personality and they bond when you take them on missions together

[@misterXmeh]

Oh my god, I thought that Homeworld 3 was just a rumor. Holy crap this is exciting! I've been a devoted Homeworld fan ever since I first started playing it when I was about 11 or 12. Oh man, the memories.

[@mesijevoprenejvozed836]

Thank you for the video! I have to say that my first experience with this game was really a coincidence and I even started with the second sequel, instead of HW1. The first moments were weird and hard, I didn't understand the game controls or the game principles etc. ...well, yes, I was still a pc gaming rookie at the time before some 15 years.. but now, even after many strategy experiences gained in range from antiquity era, through WW2, till some far future times, this game (HW1 and HW2) is the most important and biggest experience milestone in my pc gaming (alongside with the Company of Heroes 1, btw...). Anyway, if someone has not played this game yet, than he is not a full-fledged pc gamer! :-)

[@ydoumus]

The kid in me that used to play HW1 ladder on Sierra's WON servers just can't wait for the continuation of the greatest RTS franchise in existence. 2022 will be a year of pure joy.

[@osta.t.8905]

Just purchased this 19 years later... What an amazing game. I'm saddened that I missed this game in it's prime. Nonetheless, the MP still has a heartbeat and could possibly be revived with more updated content, race builds, and general tip guides.

[@FunkyBaconArts]

Cataclysm was by far my favorite of those games. The missions and story were very different and the voice acting in that was just top notch. I still get the shivers during some of those cutscenes and in-game events.

[@SignificantOwl]

"CUT US LOOSE!"

[@jinxPad]

Fantastic video, I share your sentiments exactly. It also had an incredible multiplayer community back then. I spent so many hours in ladder matches... Chugging along on a 56k dial up connection (which ran incredibly well might I add).

[@Thorocious]

Dial up ftw :D

[@scottsummers819]

Homeworld is my favorite game of all time, I still trot out the CD every couple of years and have another go. I've considered getting the remaster but never seen much value to prettier graphics, although watching your video has given me some thing to reconsider there. Were there any other big changes? I heard they got rid of the fuel on fighters and corvettes but am not sure about the truth of that. This would fundamentally change the game IMO and not in a good way. Most Epic game music ever too.

[@FireflyCasual]

Yes, big changes. A sore spot is that the developers took the HW2 engine and rebuilt HW1 and HW2. They had to recreate the formation system and introduce their own physics system into the engine. It's really fun, expressly if you use the Players patch from the Steam Workshop.

[@scottsummers819]

@@FireflyCasual thanks

[@JimNZ]

Excellent review, so well prepared and so well-spoken mate

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Thank you!

[@Xnothen]

Just replayed homeworld remastered and truly had a great time. worth every penny, considering that homeworld was released 21 years ago, it still was really fun. the beautiful ships moving in unison and the nebular background makes it extremely immersive and entertaining.

[@DRAEK05]

So - The number of Cryotrays you save do matter ( i dunno about remastered ) but in the original if you saved them all you get access to Elite Fighters \ Bombers.

[@ArturAsgart]

Homeworld 3 announced!

[@R3GARnator]

Fun fact: The number of enemy forces in the next mission is dependent on the size of your fleet. For instance, if you mine every resource in the second mission and build all that you can with that, there will be a dozen assault frigates attacking the cryo-pods in mission 3.

[@Rezinstance]

Which you can actually use to your advantage given you have salvage corvettes that can capture those frigates and you can either use or sell them.

[@adhahanif9792]

Haha..i'm just capture the whole ion frigate from mission 14 then put them in array formation.

[@DeepInsideZettaiRyouiki]

@@adhahanif9792 I Classic i captured ALL and EVERY ship above corvette and not lost anything above fighter... in mission 13 gymnastics was insane. Easiest strategy is to use defense stance loose formation scouts to distract, then rush with carrier that just before ramming undock array of salvage corvettes - always work >:D

[@timmy3822]

@@adhahanif9792 The pirate ion arrays? Sadly I ended up losing a lot of those to the Kadeshi missions with all those swarmers.

[@imp4ktth]

watching this video before buying it on steam sale... 4:29 alright lemme go to the nearest atm

[@Sinreher]

Damn. Awesome review, man. I was expecting to see more than a million subscriber when I scrolled down.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Well I think that's a great compliment... thank you! Maybe one day...

[@vp21ct]

Freespace was my Homeworld. Sometimes refered to as the Space Sim so good, it nearly killed the genre, Freespace one still strikes me today as a game that uniquely manages to tell a remarkable struggle for survival against an utterly implacable, apocalyptic threat. And it does so without having hardly any named characters, or dialogue from the player character. Freespace 2 expands on that concept some as the survivors of the first game now struggle to forge ahead and make a new future, all whilst haunted by the spectres and horrors of their past, both literally and figuratively. Quite simply, an amazing series of games.

[@FireflyCasual]

I'm glad that you brought FreeSpace up. I love both franchises. I loved the commands that you give your fellow pilots, trying to keep them alive. It feels a lot like Homeworld, where you try to keep as many ships as you can. FreeSpace also has the feel of Babylon 5, if you've ever seen that.

[@NicholasBrakespear]

"Sometimes refered to as the Space Sim so good, it nearly killed the genre" Well, no, that's specifically Freespace 2. Freespace 2 refined everything that the first game did, with better story, better voice acting, better visuals and better mission structure... and it didn't sell well, which contributed to the space sim market slump that left us without space sims for years. But of course, this was the nature of the time period. A lot of the great classics didn't actually sell as well as you might expect - Deus Ex and System Shock 2, for example.

[@vp21ct]

@@NicholasBrakespear well, in that sense I was referring to the franchise as a whole.

[@dcpowered]

I played this as a kid and 20 years later, it still haunts me as the most thrilling and exciting experience i've ever had as a gamer. The news of Homeworld 3 was so incredibly uplifting, it made my day and makes me smile just thinking about it. 😊

[@johnnytindel6797]

The sound and voice made it seem like a game you was living. This will always remain one of my favorite games.

[@hanshaperle6075]

I will never forget when the voice said:" The prisoner did not survive the interrogation."

[@PokemonHaloFan]

Homeworld was the first RTS that I really cared about the story. Not to mention the gameplay blew me away after having only played Red Alert and Starcraft before that. I remember getting it back in 2002 and playing the hell out of it. Never did get past Mission 15 in the original but I loved the game all the same.

[@waynebush7953]

Homeworld. Wow. I picked it up somewhere in the early 2000's in a bin of clearance games for pc. I've always been a scifi fan so that appealed to me, and it was cheap! I remember the box saying "1999 Game of the Year" and thought that this clearance bin was a sad ending for a game of the year. What an incredible experience playing this game was! What is it about HomeWorld? Everything! Everything is astounding! Everything ties together so cohesively. The story, the soundtrack, the missions. Hell, in the issue I had, the rock group Yes had done a song for the game! The ending song, "The Ladder", was composed by them! I loved YES! This is Art! I don't know how to categorize it, because I believe it crosses genre's of art, but it's art. It was the first time I had played a strategy based game and man I was hooked! There were several times I started playing in the evening and before I realized it, the sun was coming up the next morning! I couldn't believe what I had found in that clearance bin! And I wasn't even a "Gamer", I was just looking for something to do and this looked interesting. What an understatement! I had never heard of this game and couldn't understand why I hadn't! I thought maybe no one liked it, which I also couldn't understand. Then, I found out that there is a huge underground following for this game! Which made me happy for some dumb reason! I thought it was special and went unnoticed. Unappreciated. Thankfully, I was wrong! That's probably the dumb thing that made me happy! I hope for all of us the third game will live up to the franchise! No matter what, this game will always be special to me!

[@davidsirmons]

Played it the first day it was published. It was for RTS games what Half-Life was for FPS games: a transcendent experience.

[@davidsirmons]

And Salvage Corvettes were the absolute most valuable ship in the game. If used properly, along with cloaking and repair platforms, you could really build a huge fleet very quickly.

[@Andromedon777]

I just bought it and thought it wasn't that old. Looks great

[@k.a.3247]

I was 12 or so years old when my parents bought this game for me, most certainly having no idea what they had done, the impact it would have on me. This was my first real game, and I remember having no idea what to do when I gained control of the scouts for the first time on mission 1. For the next year or so this game consumed me as I learned to play it. I would spend weeks reading Prima's Official Strategy Guide, trying to figure out how to beat each mission. When I wasn't playing it, I was thinking about the current mission I was on, how to best approach each situation while preserving ships, where to place harvesters and how to protect them, which formations would work, who to guard and from which angle to approach the enemy. I pulled an all-nighter as I attempted the last mission, literally sweating as I actually felt overwhelmed when fleet intelligence reported that I was indeed being overwhelmed by fresh Taiidan fleets jumping into the fight. The experience I had at such a young impressionable age, of seeing those credits finally roll, I'll never forget. The next day I started a new playthrough, and two decades later I'm still playing Homeworld. Thanks Relic, you guys made something truly special.

[@RoseDragoness]

I played this back on my childhood and all I remember is the iconic mothership model and how it gives me the first feeling of 'lonely in space'.

[@rvsonthelevel8746]

Great video! Coffee is on me!

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

Thank you! Also, you're the first person to give me a "Super Thanks" so that's pretty awesome!

[@dragonrabbit7410]

Great video about a great game! On my first playthrough I played as the taiidan. It was the exact same story but there was something about their boxy/clunky looking ships that I liked.

[@Taehl]

"... with a choir doing everything it can to give you goosebumps so hard that Velcro will stick to your arm." Accurate!

[@visiblehiggs130]

Dame that is high quality video Few million subscribers equal in value

[@imopman]

Great review and brought back great memories - thank you !