Homeworld

"An all-time Top 10 PC game..."

I bought Homeworld because I liked the look of the box. I had never played any space games before, though they're now my favourite genre, but it didn't take long to realise that I was in love with this game.

It's old by now, and I've played many games since. But when I think about my favourite computer games of all time there are only two which immediately spring to mind: Homeworld is one and Unreal Tournament is the other.

It's hard to say exactly why Homeworld was and is so enthralling, but I personally think it's because it's so atmospheric. I keep wanting to go back to watching my ships float above infinitely deep, black and purple, twinkling, amorphous nothingness, listening to the eerie music often composed simply of one chord and three notes, listening to the lonely voices of my pilots as they communicate with each other just to reassure themselves that there is still someone else out there. You spend a lot of time in Homeworld suspended way above your ever-growing fleet, waiting for resources to come in or for your ships to reach a particular destination in the yawning, oppressively empty distance. It's like playing underwater (some players have reported getting seasick!), and you end up feeling so protective of every one of your ships, convinced that each is part of the one big Hiigaaran family. The game is the most immersive game I've ever experienced, and I've never cared more about sprites than I did for the ones in Homeworld.

Games have a lot of different aspects to them - or at least the good ones do - but atmosphere is the thing I look for most. When I play a game I want to escape reality and submerse my mind in another place altogether. Not being a game designer I'm not sure how atmosphere can be impeccably achieved in a game, but I do know that Homeworld's designers managed it. I've played games with far better gameplay, replayability, originality, graphics and sound, but in terms of escapism Homeworld stands alone.

It's also one of the most calming games I can think of. If you're trying to give up smoking you might want to give Homeworld a go, because even the most breathless dogfight can be therapeutic on the nerves. Pull back from the close-up and watch your fighters swoop and jink around in great looping swirls of blues and yellows, while the music adds its own touch of grace to the visuals, and I guarantee it's almost like meditation. Even watching battles you can't afford to lose is wonderful, because if you pull away far enough you can't hear the sounds of your ships being shredded, and it's like that scene in Saving Private Ryan, when Tom Hanks gets deafened by an explosion and just stands there bewildered, oblivious to the danger he's in. He's totally calm and relaxed with just the soft music for company, while all around him it's utter chaos with friends and enemies being torn apart in front of his eyes.

It's not just the music and backdrops that are beautiful in this game. Beauty can be found everywhere, from the spirograph patterns your fleet makes as they engage with the sinister enemy ships, to the wonderfully spooky locations your armada finds itself in from level to level, to even the names of the missions (Sea Of Lost Souls, Bridge Of Sighs, Tenhauser Gate, Cathedral Of Kadesh, Diamond Shoals, Chapel Perilous). And if a lump doesn't catch in your throat when you return to Kharak in the third mission then you're surely not human - this is unquestionably the most moving moment in a computer game ever, and I include the Final Fantasy games in that.

I've barely mentioned what the gameplay is like, but people either love space games or hate them. If you love space games then you've probably already got Homeworld, and if you hate them then you've missed out on one of the most captivating PC games ever. It's almost like having an amazing dream you don't want to wake up from. I'm giving it 10/10, not because it's a vastly superior game, but because you'll never experience another game quite like it, and that's what makes it memorable over all the other games you've played and forgotten about.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/07