A lot of people remember Homeworld, a ridiculously fun classic 3D space rts from 1999, but few people remember it's half sequel Cataclysm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld:_Cataclysm made long before the surprisingly dull Homeworld 2.
It's multi-player was weakened for a variety of reasons, but it's single player really shone. Cataclysm took a much more personal take on Homeworld, and while it reduced the epic scope of the story, all of the units and political players seemed so much more alive.
You took on the role of a mining clan, way down the totem pole and way out of it's depth, that accidentally lets a terrible creature loose on the cosmos that corrupts biological material and uses it to take control of starships.
I know it doesn't sound very original, but the creature was presented in such an interesting way that it seemed completely new. And more importantly, characters (including a race of incredibly powerful aliens who, though benevolent, were rarely scared of anything) seemed genuinely terrified of the plague. The battles and political maneuvering that followed was startlingly well written as fragments of the old empire and Turanic raiders tried to steer the beast to their purposes while the other "good guy" clans spent half the game thinking they could just sweep in with their war fleets and mop up whatever spooked those silly little miners.
And the units, though a bit unbalanced were incredibly innovative with fascinating new abilities and a sleek but utilitarian design style that made them look and control wonderfully.
Looking back on it, it was one of my favorite RTS's of all time and it seems like barely anyone these days has heard about it. I figured I might as well ask the Escapist as a whole, do you remember this under-appreciated gem?
It's multi-player was weakened for a variety of reasons, but it's single player really shone. Cataclysm took a much more personal take on Homeworld, and while it reduced the epic scope of the story, all of the units and political players seemed so much more alive.
You took on the role of a mining clan, way down the totem pole and way out of it's depth, that accidentally lets a terrible creature loose on the cosmos that corrupts biological material and uses it to take control of starships.
I know it doesn't sound very original, but the creature was presented in such an interesting way that it seemed completely new. And more importantly, characters (including a race of incredibly powerful aliens who, though benevolent, were rarely scared of anything) seemed genuinely terrified of the plague. The battles and political maneuvering that followed was startlingly well written as fragments of the old empire and Turanic raiders tried to steer the beast to their purposes while the other "good guy" clans spent half the game thinking they could just sweep in with their war fleets and mop up whatever spooked those silly little miners.
And the units, though a bit unbalanced were incredibly innovative with fascinating new abilities and a sleek but utilitarian design style that made them look and control wonderfully.
Looking back on it, it was one of my favorite RTS's of all time and it seems like barely anyone these days has heard about it. I figured I might as well ask the Escapist as a whole, do you remember this under-appreciated gem?
The Beast was so cool.... wish it had showed up in HW2 at least once though