CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

xx Abbey, The
xx Aces of the Galaxy
80 Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
xx AirRivals
55 Alone in the Dark
51 Art of Murder: FBI Confidential
79 Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition
xx Backyard Baseball '09
65 Baseball Mogul 2009
xx Beauty Factory
xx Beijing 2008
54 Belief & Betrayal
xx Blokus World Tour
xx Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
xx Chaos Theory
xx Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
xx Code of Honor: The French Foreign Legion
xx Combat Mission Shock Force - Marines
xx Concerto Gate
xx Crazy Machines 2
xx Crimes of War
xx Cross City
58 Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come
xx Cry of the Infected
xx Dancing with the Stars
77 Devil May Cry 4
xx Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon
71 Dracula: Origin
xx Dreamlords: The Reawakening
xx Europa Universalis III: In Nomine
74 Europa Universalis: Rome
76 Everyday Shooter
xx Field Ops
xx FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
93 Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor
xx Galactic Dream: Rage of War
xx Goin' Downtown
53 Great War Nations: The Spartans
88 GRID
xx Gumboy Tournament
xx Happy Tree Friends False Alarm
56 Hard to be a God
xx Hope Springs Eternal
xx Immortals of Terra: A Perry Rhodan Adventure, The
xx Incredible Hulk, The
72 Insecticide: Episode 1
32 Iron Man
77 Kung Fu Panda
79 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
xx Limbo of the Lost
78 Lost Cases Of Sherlock Holmes, The
74 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition
xx Magic: The Gathering Online III
90 Mass Effect
xx Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
xx Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
xx Noitu Love 2: Devolution
79 Out of the Park Baseball 9
69 Overclocked: A History of Violence
xx Panzer Command: Kharkov
78 Penny Arcade Adventures Epsiode One: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
xx Penumbra: Requiem
73 Political Machine 2008, The
xx Princess Bride Game, The
xx Requiem: Bloodymare
68 Riddle of the Tomb
xx Romance of The Three Kingdoms XI
68 Roogoo
85 Sam & Max Episode 205: What's New, Beelzebub?
xx Samurai Warriors 2
xx SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
xx Settlers: Rise of an Empire - The Eastern Realm, The
xx Shattered Suns
71 Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis
xx Ship Simulator 2008: New Horizons
67 SimCity Societies Destinations
58 Simon the Sorcerer 4: Chaos Happens
xx Sims 2 Apartment Life, The
xx Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff, The
xx Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff, The
xx So Blonde
81 Spore Creature Creator
xx Stateshift
xx Strategic Command 2: Patton Drives East
45 Stronghold Crusader Extreme
xx Supernova 2: Spacewar
67 Supreme Ruler 2020
xx Tank Universal
xx Terrorist Takedown 2: U.S. Navy SEALs
xx Terrorist Takedown: Conflict in Mogadishu
78 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
xx Top Trumps: Doctor Who
xx TrackMania Nations Forever
85 TrackMania United Forever
65 Turok
xx Ubersoldier 2: The End of Hitler
67 UEFA Euro 2008
xx Urban Empires
xx WALL-E
xx Windchaser
xx Women's Murder Club

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Homeworld 2 pc Game Reviews
Homeworld 2
Critic Score
Metascore: 83 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.2 out of 10
based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 33 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Combining elements of real-time strategy and space combat, Homeworld 2 delivers an evolutionary step in gameplay and technology. Cinematic-quality graphics, stunning special effects, brilliantly rendered ships and an innovative interface combine to create an immersive 3-D experience. [Sierra]

PUBLISHER: Sierra Studios
DEVELOPER: Relic
GENRE(S): Real-Time Strategy, Space Combat
PLAYERS: 6
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: September 16, 2003

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

98
Da Gameboyz
A refreshing challenge in the genre of real-time strategy games that started with games like Warcraft, and it does its best to provide da gamer with a powerful, fully featured, intuitive control interface for commanding all those units.
Read Full Review
95
Gamezilla!
With an improved interface, graphics, and other gameplay issues you’ll once again find yourself immersed trying to defend the Mothership and the home world.
Read Full Review
94
GameZone
Everything that made the first one memorable is expanded upon ten fold! It has an engrossing storyline, breath taking graphics, and a wonderful music score. This game is not to be missed!
Read Full Review
93
Game Informer
The backgrounds are absolutely amazing, and you may find yourself studying your ships to admire their incredible detail. [Nov 2003, p.172]
92
PC Gameworld
Simply an amazing game. I can’t say it any clearer than that. Nearly every aspect of the game is perfect, polished, and most importantly, fun.
Read Full Review
92
Gamers' Temple
Homeworld 2 has established itself as the benchmark game in real-time strategy space combat. Its intense difficulty will be a turn off to many casual gamers, though.
Read Full Review
91
GameNow
You're really going to have to learn which units to use, when to use them, and how to use them effectively. [Nov 2003, p.64]
91
PC Format
This year’s best RTS.
Read Full Review
90
Game Chronicles
From its finely honed user interface to its nearly flawless campaign and PvP modes, Homeworld2 is a breath of fresh air when most games of its ilk are bogging themselves down with needless complexity.
Read Full Review
90
Cheat Code Central
It can be a little slow going at times but that's because the focus is on real time strategy. The whole game is about conflict, but it goes about it in a more sophisticated way.
90
IGN
A damn fine game. Those that are looking for some huge new thing will probably be disappointed, but Relic was never going for the next evolution, they were just looking to make the formula a bit better, and certainly succeeded.
Read Full Review
90
Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
The clincher that transforms Homeworld 2 from a good game into a great one is the depth of detail. Every battle is an epic worthy of Lucas' early days; every backdrop a mind-blowing kaleidoscope of nebulae which constantly rams home the very vastness of space. [PC Gamer UK]
Read Full Review
90
PC Arena
If you’re into what we call the thinking man’s (or woman’s) RTS, you owe it to yourself to check out Homeworld 2. If you’re tired with the seemingly never-ending stream of first person shooters, give it a try - chances are, you will enjoy every bit of this as we have.
Read Full Review
87
GameSpot
It may not be the ideal real-time strategy game for the player looking for another quick rush of multiplayer battles, but its production values are impeccably well done, its campaign is long and captivating, and its core gameplay is complex, tactical, and rewarding.
Read Full Review
87
Armchair Empire
The only real disappointment I had with Homeworld 2 was with the missions themselves.
Read Full Review
83
GameSpy
Though Homeworld2 may technically be a sequel, it too doesn't distance itself very far from the original, and in some ways feels like a mission pack itself. However, that doesn't stop it from being a completely addictive -- if sometimes incredibly difficult -- addition to the Homeworld universe.
Read Full Review
83
PC Gamer
A terrific game...Not a revolutionary leap like its predecessor, but it's still a satisfying experience. [Dec 2003, p.128]
83
ActionTrip
What struck me as a bit disappointing is that even if you devote enough time to the sequel, you will be treated to a relatively short single-player campaign.
Read Full Review
80
G4 TV
It offers up some solid improvement but doesn't stray too far from what made it so loved to begin with. It's not the groundbreaking title that the original was, but it's an excellent follow-up that delivers as promised.
Read Full Review
80
Gamer's Hell
While it might not be groundbreaking, this game has style and a developer that is capable of showing off what he can do – and that's more than enough to redefine space RTS games once more.
Read Full Review
80
GMR Magazine
The the story for Homeworld 2 is a rehash of old themes, this spaced-based RTS plays far better than the story deserves. [Dec 2003, p.80]
80
Edge Magazine
Relic has spent four years honing a distracting interface, revitalising a less-than-perfect control system and, above all, recreating anew the sense of majesty and scale that originally distinguished this deep-space strategy title. [Nov 2003, p.103]
80
Yahoo! Games
Ideal if you're looking for a game with rather more challenge than other recent RTS offerings. The single-player levels should offer a stiff trial to just about everyone, and the skirmish AI, on the higher difficulty settings, puts up a hell of a fight.
Read Full Review
79
FiringSquad
I utterly hated the singleplayer aspect but enjoyed the multiplayer.
Read Full Review
75
Game Revolution
I do wish there had been a bit more after four years of waiting. It's like rediscovering a long lost friend, and while he’s still the same lovable guy, it turns out he hasn't matured much or traveled around Europe in the intervening years. He simply never left home.
Read Full Review
75
Playboy
Along with the intergalactic action of the mission-based single-player game, Homeworld 2 supports online play for up to six gamers and includes tools to build custom ships and levels. [Sept 2003, p.33]
73
netjak
The overall size of the maps, the idiocy of finding all the remaining units down to the last probe before moving on, and the sheer imbalance and poor tactics brought it down.
Read Full Review
70
Computer Games Magazine
For all its clumsy new baggage and rushed feel, Homeworld 2 takes itself seriously, designed from the ground up as a reward to the faithful rather than an olive branch to the casual newcomer. [Dec 2003, p.84]
70
Adrenaline Vault
The core gameplay is involving and well executed, and bolstered by a great camera, solid controls and an intuitive interface. However, the sequel lacks any decisively outstanding or revolutionary features that truly invest the player in the storyline.
Read Full Review
60
EuroGamer
The key problem is that just about all the good things about it are lifted straight from the original Homeworld, and there's really not a lot in the "enhancements" to this sequel which distinguish themselves above the first game.
Read Full Review
50
Computer Gaming World
A sort of misguided reworking of "Homeworld," halfway between a rehash and a remodeling job, but with the intersting bits sanded off. The vividly distinct sides added in the "Cataclysm" expansion are gone, the clean interface is now a mess, and much of the strategy has been methodically cut out. [Dec 2003, p.126]
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 33 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Michael M. gave it a9:
First about all the whine about the interface: Get over it! Adapt and adjust. One should think humans didn't have these abilities, the way you rant on about the interface. It works fine and is the most logical interface of the three games. Gees.. About the game: As with the others sound and grafics are just awsome. As simple as that. The gameplay is the same, although the formation bit is just useless, compared to Homeworld. Swarm combat is what winnes the battles for you and it gets a bit repetitive, but still leaves you with a good feeling of power. The storyline isn't as deep and compelling as in Homeworld, but it still is fare better then 95% of all other games made today. It just goes to show just how brilliant Homeworld is. The story is wrapped up nice and clean and even leaves room for a Homeworld 2 sequal (Age of S'Jet). All in all it is well worth the time and it is a true Homeworld game. The Homeworld Trilogy is still the best Sci-fi story I have played.

Jason S. gave it a6:
The game is seriously oversimplified and totally ruined much of what made Homeworld a great game.

Fred E. gave it a2:
The audio&visual artists did a fine job on this title and the engine looks good. On the game design side I have to say it showed little intelligence. Truly amateurish. The tactics and strategies of this game can only be interresting to a computer. For me it looks like hard work playing this game. The bottom line of the game seems to be this: harvest, build, build; throw your pretty little toys at his; repeat... Perhaps in the next 5 years the RTS copycat industry would learn something from games like Opperation Flashpoint.

Stephen D. gave it a10:
Excellent sequel. The graphics are unbelievable and are much more advanced then any other RTS space based game. Excellent game for good space-time battles of the fleets.

Lokesz H. gave it a 4:
Real downer this one. Try to play bad! Loose almost everything before you just win a scenario. The AI is 'adaptive' and throws 4 times your amount of ships in the next scenario.

Ravind K. gave it a 3:
I played HWC, and i loved it. You really had to think, the AI level was well balanced-easy at first, much much harder later. There were some levels that were easy, some hard. but always there was space to breathe. IN HW2, there is no room to breathe. yeah great graphics, great gameplay, but whats the point if the game is bad? the AI only knows one thing-build build build build build build. And you can only build build build build build. theres no end to it. at the third level, when the three carriers appear, i had 5 bomber squadrons. i hit on fighter facility, went to the next, and when i got that, the other was rebuilt! i give up.

Eron gave it a 6:
Kinda blah after playing HW1 and HWC, nice graphics but I would have perfered if they kept the old interface and options for formations. It was an ok game but it just didnt stand out.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: World News | Fantasy Football | Amy Winehouse | Baseball | E3 | Batman | Firefox 3 | iPhone 3G

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use