Introduction

Published by: Sierra
Published by: Relic Entertainment
Homeworld Official Page: http://www.homeworld.net
Estimated Release: September 1999

E.T. Phone Home

Homeworld is a title that we've been following for well over a year now, since its introduction at the Sierra Studios launch party in April 1998. Back then it was a curious sideshow next to all the buzz over Half-Life, but since then its come into its own as a real hype monster despite its original tag line - "no hype, all game." So much for the "no hype," but with the September 1 release date approaching fast, the real question would be: is Homeworld "all game" as it purports to be?

A probe finds the enemy mothership

Fighters blast off in formation

Recall its premise - the only "real" 3D RTS game you can play. By "real" 3D we're not referring to just the units and the environment. There are plenty of other RTS games out there that utilize 3D vehicles and environments. However, with Homeworld set in outer space, it's the only strategy game that will allow player units to move in any direction, including "up and down." You'll not only have to worry about protecting your flanks but also be wary of ambushes that hit from above and below. The extra element that Homeworld provides compared to other RTS games is very similar to how Descent 3 compares to first person shooters in the 3D action genre.

An assault frigate drops out

Resource collectors suck up money

The Story

Homeworld's story focuses on the plight of a race of people beaten in a war and banished from their true planet by their conquerors. The unfortunate survivors on the losing side have spent thousands of years languishing in a foreign world because all historical records of who they are and where they came from were destroyed. Many centuries later, a half destroyed starship with a special stone is discovered buried in the desert. This stone contains records of the race's history, and more importantly, coordinates to their long forgotten home world. Construction of a giant mothership to carry the exiles back home has been underway for decades. Soon it will be time for some payback…