Homeworld Cataclysm - RTS

[SpinDizzy]

Year of release: 2000
Development House: Barking Dog Studios
Publisher: Sierra
Website: Sierras website only now supports Homeworld 2, but there is this:

http://www.relic.com/product/cataclysm/

Game score: 86 / 100 (Overall Score)

Graphics: 3 / 5
Sound: 3 / 5
Gameplay: 4 / 5

Concept: 3 / 5
Execution: 4 / 5
Controls: 5 / 5
Enjoyment: 5 / 5
Replay ability: 5 / 5
Difficulty: 4 / 5
Learning Curve: 4 / 5

Patch version: v1.01 final
Bugs: 2 / 5

Review:

There was a mixed bag of feelings of what to expect when a developer apart from relic was to make the the expansion to 1998's game of the year. Well anyway, when I played it I found that a lot of work had gone into the singleplayer. Long NIS's with busy camera work, and great voice acting that really gets you into the story. Unfortunatly the story tapdances over the whole story surrounding Homeworld, creating giant black holes on each step, but despite that, this is just good stupid fun, it's like one of those Hollywood films where you leave your brain at the door to enjoy it. The singleplayer really is quite strong, every single mission is enjoyable and has a real purpose, none of them look or feel like some tedious fill in mission to make up the numbers.

I'd wager that the makers of Cataclysm were just as much big fans of the original as anyone else, and enjoyed making this game. Lots of ideas have been very well implemented, dynamic hull scorching, command ship subsystems which are more well setup then the ones in Homeworld 2, which probably just took the idea from this anyway, toned down enemy colours to make them a bit easier on the eyes and a bit more tasteful.

Despite the fun designs and ideas in the somtaaw fleet, all the ships can feel boring and samey, and I doubt that it would've been half as much fun without the original ships returning into the game which many fans know and like.

The multiplayer side is a bit weak, although you get worm holes, there are long standing balance arguments, evenstill it had a prosperous online community around it.

The music is reasonably good, though seems to be nothing extraspecial, it all follows a similar theme and fits in well.

Good Stuff: Voice acting that puts the other Homeworlds to shame, great ideas, little additions and common sense features that really improve the experience. Ingrossing singleplayer with huge replay ability.

Bad stuff: Weak multiplayer, the strange contrast of the dated looking homeworld ships with their blurry textures, and the new shiny somtaaw ships. Story has more holes then a pincushion.

Reviewer System Specs:
CPU: 2800 Mhz Athlon XP
RAM: 512 meg DDR
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 pro (1024 x 768)
Sound Card and Speakers: Sound blaster audigy

[A176]

Game score: As compared to Homeworld, Cataclysm is just as good, if not better. 100/100

Graphics: 5 / 5
Sound: 5 / 5
Gameplay: 5 / 5

Concept: 5 / 5
Execution: 5 / 5
Controls: 5 / 5
Enjoyment: 5 / 5
Replay ability: 5 / 5
Difficulty: 5 / 5
Learning Curve: 5 / 5


The Review
Touted as not quite a sequel and not quite an expansion, but definitely a game of its own, Homeworld Cataclysm brought with it quite a stir amongst the Relic and Gaming communities alike.

Fans of the original were overjoyed to hear of a new Homeworld game in the making, however doubt soon set in as it was announced that Relic wasn't developing it, and that it really had no relation to the first epic Homeworld.

Could Barking Dog Studios, who's only prior experience was with Counter-Strike, pull off a game that could match 1998's game of the year?

Actually, yes, they did.

The Story
Years after Hiigara was reclaimed by the Kushan people, the refounded Hiigaran empire was slowly settling back into their normal lives. Explorers, traders, and even miners began their duties, and Cataclysm is the story of one such people, the Somtaww.

Enter the Beast: a biological entity that spreads across the galaxy from ship to ship via energy beams. As the Beast infects more and more of the galaxy, Taiidani and Hiigaran alike, only the Somtaww and their command ship is left to deal with the threat. Scavenging technology and research, the Somtaww develop weapons (and eventually a fleet) to stop the Beast.

The story is unique in the way that you're not really battling an entire alien race ala traditional scifi. The closest concept to the Beast lies with the Borg of Star Trek, but even then the Borg have their own ships, the Beast only have what they've infected. The Somtaww as well start out with pitiful military capabilities.

As you venture throughout the missions, you watch in awe as the whole universe (including yourself) evolves and copes with this galactic threat.

Excellent concepts, excellent execution.

The Gameplay
Homeworld Cataclysm is a much different experience than Homeworld, almost completely different:

Cataclysm has two distinct races with very different mechanics; everything from fleet composition to unique technologies.
Resourcing is much faster and more tactical as your resourcing units are used for much more
Slipgates (free hyperspace windows)
Unit Experience
Unit Upgrades
Unique units akin to technology (Mimics can change their appearance; nanounits such as leeches)
Modular Units (two units becoming one)
Unit Cap (supply system, like in traditional RTS)
What Barking Dog has done is simply made Homeworld friendlier to the traditional RTS crowd. Homeworld's #1 downside was that it was such a big change from the traditional, and in step had a huge learning curve. Cataclysm more or less solved all these problems, however, you must consider that this game comes after the original Homeworld - if Cataclysm was the first game in the series, it would have made sense. But now, you're just changing the universe entirely.


The Technical
Audio and Visual greatness were all inherited from Homeworld. Audio, in my opinion, was far, far better than the original Homeworld. Visuals could have used some refinement in both game content (noticeable abundance of the color brown) and the graphics engine. I however applaud the entirely unique models used for the game.


The Conclusion
With all these differences, can Cataclysm still be considered a Homeworld title? In essence, yes. Homeworld was about pretty graphics and amazing sound, an intuitive and daring control scheme, and fast paced no-nonsense scifi combat - all packaged together to deliver an almost cinematic story experience. Cataclysm definitely has all this.


Pros: Worthy to have the name Homeworld attached to it.
Cons: Could've used some more colors.


Review's System:
CPU: AMD Athlon 2500+ (Barton)
RAM: 512mb DDR400
Graphics: ATI Radeon 9600XT 128mb
Audio: Soundstorm @ 5.1