Homeworld 3 is fun. It looks like Homeworld, it sounds like Homeworld, and it overall feels like Homeworld. There are some issues with pathing and utilizing larger formation sizes but overall it just kinda has the vibe of Homeworld. It isn't bad, its about as much of a downgrade that was between Homeworld 1 and Homeworld 2. The War Games mode is hella good fun and the multiplayer overall provides a better Homeworld experience than the single player, even if that's also where the map design (an S-rank feature of this game) shines as bright as LED headlights.

I still think strikecraft auto-returning to carriers is necessary as well as them having fuel and munitions - this may be "skill issue" of me but some sort of feature to auto-reinforce groups based on unit production type would also make it just a more enjoyable game. I LOVE strikecraft but I feel like every game since Homeworld 1 has done them dirty and wrong. Ships smaller than capital-class feels wafer thin in singleplayer, some of them (like railgun corvettes) not worth caring about at all.

The lack of locational/system damage is really sorely needed and makes larger ships feel either arbitrarily squishy or arbitrarily spongy. But the ballistics are fun and feel impactful, it's just a lot of the more complicated bits that need work. I am hoping that BBI gets that in time and I genuinely believe they will, given the scope of future updates.

Additionally, the visual design is perfect. Some ships - frigates especially - are a little samey but they're still gorgeous. The comm chatter and voice acting overall is fantastic and exactly what you would expect following Deserts of Kharak.

Now where the game falls apart is its story. Homeworld was a grand-scale story and that's more or less what its always banked on and remembered for, no matter what the gameplay junkies say. That's why Deserts of Kharak was good, that's why Homeworld: Cataclysm was so sorely missed in the Remastered collection. Homeworld 1 is a masterclass in 'less is more' storytelling. Homeworld 3 is 'kitchen sink' storytelling.

Idiotic (but beautiful!) cutscenes involving random giant people in the hyperspace mind palace is just an awful idea. It doesn't work, Homeworld had this sweet spot of science fiction and it did not include psychic mind palaces or hyperspace wizards. The animatics of Deserts of Kharak were wonderful and memorable and in their place are a very sterile obsession with AAA-style presentation. I'm sure it works for someone but it doesn't work for me. It doesn't even work for the game. Remembering the villains of Deserts of Kharak, we were robbed of some genuinely cool people and in their place is some one-note idiot who at least is nicely sent off in the only part of the story that I like: the end.

The story fails on multiple levels but the general gist of it is that it tries to be a grand-scale story and interpersonal drama at the same time. Imogen S'jet is not especially annoying or even written poorly in comparison to others but she is just exceptionally human, which is something I really do not want out of a navigator and I think it makes the story lesser because she emotes too much, acts too much like a 'call to adventure' fantasy protagonist instead of a pilot or scientist. I think if the protagonist was Intel it would have been a better game and I think that every Homeworld story shackling itself to a S'jet is an active detriment to how far Homeworld can grow and go - look at the Somtaaw from Homeworld: Cataclysm and the supporting cast of Deserts of Kharak - we do not need only one Kiith getting all the glory. It just comes off as pedestrian.

If story is important to you I cannot recommend it, but I will say the ending does "reset" a lot of what was wrong in Homeworld 3, giving me some hope for the future. However if you like Homeworld games, space games, or multiplayer offerings then you could do worse. I do not regret my purchase but I hope that BBI learns from the major missteps of the story here and adjusts accordingly now that they've really pissed a good amount of their goodwill away.

It isn't a bad game, though, not by a long shot. Its just not a great Homeworld game. Just good with the potential for a lot more.

Homeworld 3 is fun. It [i]looks[/i] like Homeworld, it [i]sounds[/i] like Homeworld, and it overall feels like Homeworld. There are some issues with pathing and utilizing larger formation sizes but overall it just kinda has the vibe of Homeworld. It isn't bad, its about as much of a downgrade that was between Homeworld 1 and Homeworld 2. The War Games mode is hella good fun and the multiplayer overall provides a better Homeworld experience than the single player, even if that's also where the map design (an S-rank feature of this game) shines as bright as LED headlights. I still think strikecraft auto-returning to carriers is necessary as well as them having fuel and munitions - this may be "skill issue" of me but some sort of feature to auto-reinforce groups based on unit production type would also make it just a more enjoyable game. I LOVE strikecraft but I feel like every game since Homeworld 1 has done them dirty and wrong. Ships smaller than capital-class feels wafer thin in singleplayer, some of them (like railgun corvettes) not worth caring about at all. The lack of locational/system damage is really sorely needed and makes larger ships feel either arbitrarily squishy or arbitrarily spongy. But the ballistics are fun and feel impactful, it's just a lot of the more complicated bits that need work. I am hoping that BBI gets that in time and I genuinely believe they will, given the scope of future updates. Additionally, the visual design is perfect. Some ships - frigates especially - are a little samey but they're still gorgeous. The comm chatter and voice acting overall is fantastic and exactly what you would expect following Deserts of Kharak. Now where the game falls apart is its story. Homeworld was a grand-scale story and that's more or less what its always banked on and remembered for, no matter what the gameplay junkies say. That's why Deserts of Kharak was good, that's why Homeworld: Cataclysm was so sorely missed in the Remastered collection. Homeworld 1 is a masterclass in 'less is more' storytelling. Homeworld 3 is 'kitchen sink' storytelling. Idiotic (but beautiful!) cutscenes involving random giant people in the hyperspace mind palace is just an awful idea. It doesn't work, Homeworld had this sweet spot of science fiction and it did not include psychic mind palaces or hyperspace wizards. The animatics of Deserts of Kharak were wonderful and memorable and in their place are a very sterile obsession with AAA-style presentation. I'm sure it works for someone but it doesn't work for me. It doesn't even work for the game. Remembering the villains of Deserts of Kharak, we were robbed of some genuinely cool people and in their place is some one-note idiot who at least is nicely sent off in the only part of the story that I like: the end. The story fails on multiple levels but the general gist of it is that it tries to be a grand-scale story and interpersonal drama at the same time. Imogen S'jet is not especially annoying or even written poorly in comparison to others but she is just exceptionally [i]human[/i], which is something I really do not want out of a navigator and I think it makes the story lesser because she emotes too much, acts too much like a 'call to adventure' fantasy protagonist instead of a pilot or scientist. I think if the protagonist was Intel it would have been a better game and I think that every Homeworld story shackling itself to a S'jet is an active detriment to how far Homeworld can grow and go - look at the Somtaaw from Homeworld: Cataclysm and the supporting cast of Deserts of Kharak - we do not need only one Kiith getting all the glory. It just comes off as pedestrian. If story is important to you I cannot recommend it, but I will say the ending does "reset" a lot of what was wrong in Homeworld 3, giving me some hope for the future. However if you like Homeworld games, space games, or multiplayer offerings then you could do worse. I do not regret my purchase but I hope that BBI learns from the major missteps of the story here and adjusts accordingly now that they've really pissed a good amount of their goodwill away. It isn't a bad game, though, not by a long shot. Its just not a great Homeworld game. Just good with the potential for a lot more.