Homeworld 3 Reviews

It looks like a Homeworld game, it walks like a Homeworld game, it quacks like a Homeworld game, so this is a Homeworld game. If you enjoyed playing any of the other games in the Homeworld franchise, then you will enjoy playing this game. I bought this game because I love the Homeworld games. It was not disappointing. Like: horizontal mothership (and the tactical advantages of alternating between orientations) Dislike: the quantum witch elements in the plot (hyperspace induced telepathic powers? tisk tisk) I was hoping for a more open world (open galaxy) approach, I anticipate it wont be attempted until Homeworld 5, probably in 20 years time

As a new player, I find the controls overwhelming. Rather than helpful guidance, the interface demands functions that I don't remember or haven't been shown. This might work well for players who have spent years in this environment, but it sent me out here to say it's not adequate.

I really liked the first Homeworld and its expansion Cataclysm. Homeworld 2 had amazing graphics for its time and it had a lot of mods that made it re-playable over and over. The story for the first one and its expansion drew me in. Homeworld 2's campaign showed us just what the engine was capable. The first three games were an amazing success. Unfortunately Desserts of Kharak took all the work that was done with the interface and took a huge step back. The series went from manageable 3d battles in space where you could get the drop on your opponent from above or below with actual stratagy and units that felt like they had to be used correctly to a fast paced build as fast as you can, units cant take any hits no strategy rush game. The only good thing about Deserts of Kharak was that it explained how the stone with the coordinates of Higarra was found, the game play was just horrible. Well unfortunately Homeworld three feels like Deserts of Kharak in space. The story is pretty lack luster, the 3 d playing field feels like a 2d playing field that's trying to force itself in 3D, Researching is pointless because its all done in the same menu as building and the upgrades don't really feel useful. Resourcing feels like a joke and for the most part the game feels kinda almost like the command and conquer series where all you do is spam build and attack. I'm sorry to say this but Gearbox might as well just print the entirety of the source code and then stick it in the office bathroom to be used as toilet paper because the game is that bad. This rendition took away everything that made Homeworld great, modules on capital ships, the interface, hell even the sensor view is so filled with unnecessary trash it might as well be useless. You did an amazing job on Homeworld Remastered but then dropped the ball on Homeworld 3. Guys save your money because it would be more entertaining to use it to wipe your own rear than play this game because if your going to flush money down the toilet you might as well wipe your rear with it first.

I concur with many other reviewers on this game. I waited for 20 years for this. The story is Lame. And the feel is very far from the original. But maybe some who have never played the original will find it fun.

well, i am a big fan of homeworld i played all the games people forget there were 3 games in space 1.Homeworld 2.Homeworld: Cataclysm 3.Homeworld 2 now.. what i expected from HM3... ? well i was expecting space strategy as the others, but it feels i am playing Deserts of Kharak , but without the sand... a flat map strategy.. well, i said to myself "ok, i can handle this.." but then i realised that the combat is very slow and the fighters that need to fly over and shoot like fighters are slow...and moving on unseen ground (no feeling of space) as someone wrote it feels like a mobile game :/ so, if you are new to the game, maybe you will enjoy. but if you are coming from the originals.. well good luck

I went into this game with high expectations, especially since I really enjoyed the previous entries in the series. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a major disappointment. The single-player campaign feels far too short, leaving little room for a satisfying experience, and the multiplayer lacks any real excitement or depth. Even though I bought it at a discounted price, I still don’t feel like it was worth the money.

Campaign goes from unbearably slow to tedious nonstop micro, mostly due to what feels like a half baked fleet management/movement system. Clusterfucky fleet movements do not pair with a "dodge and move" type of campaign map(lighthouse). 75% of the time, they stop facing the wrong direction or break off from fleet formation and get buttfucked by literal rocks. It's stupid as shit to be pestered by the same phrase that I've either completed or still need to achieve the campaign objectives. Being annoyed into rushing the game isn't fun. I tried coming back to this game but got burnt out on it at literally the same point in the same mission.

Ugh... An OK space strategy but disappointing Homeworld game. I'm rating it positive because I had fun playing it but there's a lot to complain about. The game felt like the developers didn't understand the source material. In theory all the pieces are here: great graphics, amazing music, space, tactical pause, quite an interesting story, familiar gameplay. The story itself was good enough but its presentation was awful. Too many pointless cringe cutscenes trying to get us to like the main characters but failing miserably. The Disney Star Wars sequels vibes were strong here. The missions themselves were interesting with varied objectives however none of them took place in open space. They were always next to some megastructures which while initially stunningly impressive, eventually made each map feel tiny. Gameplay was very similar to the previous games in the series but seemed rather simplified with some options present in the prequels missing. I didn't mind this and found gameplay enjoyable. In the end the essence of the series was there. I didn't like the War Games mode but Skirmish was great, it was definitely the main mode to play and enjoy the game. Shame none of the DLCs work in Skirmish.

I had fun, so I do recommend it! But holy crap is it cringe. I am convinced two polar opposites built this game; A content group that loves the Homeworld IP. The other, a writing team that doesn't give a shit. Like a lot of folks are saying, its not what we vets expected. However, I did have fun playing the game. Its worth it at a discount. -TLDR I can forgive the following: * I ended up not minding the lack of units, no cloaking, tactical only units, etc. There was enough to have fun with. * Path discovery is wonky at times. Given that most of the maps had objects designed to be used as "cover", I ended up trying to avoid it. * The attempt at full animation cinematics. They were meh. The cartoon drawings I saw during the early previews was what you should have stuck with. I was excited with those. * You tried to get me to like the characters, and missed the mark. The first mission made me believe our Imogen was going to be, shall we say "sensual" with our fleet; Displaying physical/mental trauma during battle for any losses, etc. It could have been done better. You had something there, but I feel you missed the mark. As the Bentusi say, she is bound. It would have been awesome to see you use that far more than you did. * The UI is... well better than previous titles. But also sorta meh. I expect the ship selected, gives me that ship's build/research/hanger specifics. Don't know how many times I built something on the wrong ship, and launched something else from another. Too many mouse clicks/keyboard presses to make it work right. I can't forgive: * The story/writing was bad. Cringe bad. Disney characters and situations but for a gaming audience in their 40s kinda bad. Writing team... what happened? Surely you knew most of us were going to be late adults? * "Intel". That guy telling me what to do every couple of minutes. Perhaps there is a setting for that, but for god's sake man, please shut your whore mouth! You just told me to be cautious, so stop pestering me with the same mission objective over and over and... * The jump to the next mission without a break. Okay... I, read that was reduced in the latest patch. But it is still there. I feel others pain that this was once with every mission. Reduced as it is now, it still happens enough times I can recall when. Don't do this ******* ever. There is shit needing to be done after barley surviving. And finally, the amazing stuff that saves it: * The music. Oh the music. Brings back memories. Thank you Paul! * The megaliths. Just as I remember. Awe inspiring. Makes my huge ship(s) feel small. No other feeling like it. Well done. * The graphics are top-notch across the board. Detail everywhere. Beautiful. I can ship-spin all night. * The sound effects are great. Love the Suppression Frigate. The first time I heard it I giggled like a school girl. And the effects of all the shells being expended... beautiful. * Free use of a variable tactical pause. Well done. Bullet time when I needed it. So with that, due to the extremely poor writing, which is half a game, you deserve maybe a bit more than half of the original asking price. You should have known we were going to be more interested in a continuation of a Homeworld campaign, and spent more effort trying to wow us with a thoughtful thorough story, made for adults. Your technical content team saved you with this title.

I fell in love with this series as a kid, and kept in my heart for years. I loved all the original games and adored the Deserts of Kharak spin-off. I was the kind of fan that checked the development of HW3 weekly for years. About 4 hours into the campaign, I put the game down never to touch it again. Months go by, and I never felt any desire to return. This game has... nothing. It went from the feeling of ancient legend meets war drama, to how I imagine a modern Disney film about the navy would play out, brought to you by the animators of WISH. The core mechanics are fundamentally unchanged from the original games, but with a substantially greater sense of float and delay between giving your orders and having them be followed. Further, the strategy element has drifted substantially in focus. The only way I can explain it is that in HW1 and HW2 your units felt like they mattered, in HW3 you will be micromanaging the death out of your economy because the game demands an endless stream of chaff sacrifices who ultimately won't do much but die. The squad mechanics of HW2 were superior to this in that it let you feel like you had a substantial number of small vessels in play without making you have to individually command and replace each lost unit one at a time. I wanted this game to succeed, SO bad. Maybe if they'd had someone else write the dialogue it would have turned out different. Here's a list of what credit I can give: -Superstructures were a cool idea. -I liked the new mothership design. -The backgrounds, ost, and models are all up to snuff and have a great ambient feel. -Way more unique campaign missions. Here's a list of my gripes: -The unique campaign missions are not done super well. -The grand maps make ships feel slower rather than making the maps feel bigger. -The dialogue is SO bad. Even the trailer had lines that amounted to "We should act without fear, because even though I don't know what I'm doing, who would follow someone who has no idea what they're doing?" played off as inspiring rather than ironic or grim. -The delivery makes certain ideas really cheesy. The idea of your mothership commander intimately feeling each death due to cybernetic fleet integration is a cool concept. The fact that she whines for a couple minutes and then gets over it is not so cool. It should either have been a small but poignant moment of stoicism against a grim reality, or an ongoing plot of trauma. I don't even know how to describe what it ended up being. Campy? -The main villain looks like a disney princess and has the facial expressions of a Moana character. This is not how I want my grim sci-fi being portrayed. Cutscenes are fine, but going from grim, black and white photo-realism in HW2 to this artsy, almost cute style made my jaw hit the floor when the villain appeared. What were they thinking?! If they had made the villain look like some aged crone wired into her ship, I think half my issues would go away. The current design looks like she would be a background jedi apprentice from the Clone Wars animated cartoon. Character design is a form of communication, you can't just put random people into random roles. -While I appreciate the attempt to make in-universe slang a thing, each character who says "Sands and sinners!" as an expletive sounds like they have never said the phrase before in their life and are reading it for the first time like it's a catch-phrase from a comic book. "Sands and Sinners, Batman!" is the energy. -The new ship designs are just... alright. Compared to their counterparts from HW1 and HW2, they are an outright disappointment. They typically look less like real ships, and don't have any real character. The Taiidan of HW1 felt harsh and imposing but old, less like a wonder and more like a relic- fitting for a powerful empire long past its shelf life. The Hiigarans of HW2 had real-life navy and airforce looking craft, giving it the feel of a modern military taken to the space age. The Hiigarans of HW3, while looking okay, just don't have any kind of discernible theme beyond being space-age space craft, which is a let down. -The game, plot, and characters are just tone deaf to their own context. There's nothing wrong with candid, emotional moments, but they shouldn't be happening mid-firefight on the bridge of a war vessel. The cut-scenes desperately needed more cantina/personal quarters scenes if it wanted these "deeper" characters to work. If you want me to care about the commander guy, give him literally anything to do that isn't cheesy speeches. Give him a picture of his kid to look at, or a scene of him overlooking the empty seats at the mess hall. ANYTHING. They made a story that hinges on its characters without really making ANY characters. Really, my ultimate comment on this game is: What a let down. If they make a HW4, I pray it will figure out its identity before committing.