HANDS ON GUIDE

Number 08 - Homeworld 2

In space, no-one can hear you scream, which is a shame as you'll be doing it a lot when it comes to the later levels sucker

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Relic Entertainment, 2003

What makes Homeworld 2 almost unique is that it’s a truly three dimensional strategy game. Most RTS games are relatively easy to play against an AI, because an AI can’t spot even the most obvious killing ground or appreciate the value of defending a choke point.

Homeworld 2 has no terrain, since it’s set in space, so you lose that automatic human advantage. You also have to learn, very quickly, to deal with moving units in three dimensions. Unlike many RTS games, simply micromanaging your best units won’t save you either. Even the deadliest large ships still need a fighter escort. The pacing feels slow compared to some games in the genre such as the Command & Conquer series, but that’s because Homeworld 2 is about strategy rather than speed of unit production. While it helps to be quick on the buttons if your tactics are wrong you’re done for.

The single player campaign is brutally tough and even skirmish mode can pummel an unready player. In space, nobody can hear you get creamed.

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