Introduction

The sequel to one of the best games released in 1999 is finally here, I was so impressed with Homeworld and Homeworld : Cataclysm that I was really looking forward to play this great game again. I still remember playing Homeworld on my old Canopus card which was based on the 3dfx Voodoo GPU and Cataclysm on my Matrox Millenium G400.

Please note that Homeworld : Cataclysm isn't exactly a sequel but is based on a different story set in the same game world. Something like what C&C : Red Alert was to the original C&C

Much thanks to Software Boutique for calling me immediately upon the game's arrival. I think I'm probably the first person to get the game since they were all still in the carton, freshly shipped in from Singapore. So, what's in the package? Just a CD and a manual. And the manual is not even close to the one provided in Homeworld but hey, did I pay for the game or the manual?

The Story

For those who do not know what the Homeworld thing is about, here is an excerpt from Homeworld's official website :-

Shortly after their relocation to the harsh desert world of Kharak, the Exiles forgot both their origins and technology. It took them 3,000 years to struggle back to the stars. Having rediscovered hyperspace and the location of their original planet, all the families of Kharak, or kiith, united to build a mothership that could take them home. Just as they prepared to embark, however, the brutal Taiidan Empire took notice and attacked. Enforcing an ancient decree forbidding the Exiles from developing hyperspace technology, the emperor had his forces immolate the planet. Only those already in space survived.

This cruel slaughter appalled dissidents throughout the empire, and the mothership's heartening retaliation and escape catalyzed a long-overdue rebellion. Amid wholesale civil war, and with the help of the highly advanced trader race known as the Bentusi, the Exiles regained their homeworld, and the emperor and his pirate mercenaries were defeated.

Basically, play the Kushans in the original Homeworld and your task is to guide the Kushans from the Kharak to their homeworld - Hiigara, which is under control by the Taiidans. However, in the first game, you do get to choose which race to use. I chose Taiidan as their ships were nicer and easier to differentiate.

Now in Homeworld 2, you play the Hiigarans, which is basically the same people that were once called Kushans and here is how the story goes from here on...

The Saga Continues...

Homeworld 2 continues the epic struggle of the Hiigarans and their leader Karan S'jet. Many thought their hardships would end when they returned to Hiigara, yet fate will not be so kind to the Exiles. Now, the Hiigarans face a new and bitter enemy - a renegade clan from the eastern fringes of the galaxy, who wield the power of the ancients.

Homeworld 2 chronicles the valiant journey of the Mothership and its crew into the oldest regions of the galaxy to confront their new foe and discover the truth behind their exile.

This overview was taken from this page.