{"id":85465,"date":"2016-01-21T11:30:12","date_gmt":"2016-01-21T09:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=85465"},"modified":"2016-01-21T11:39:51","modified_gmt":"2016-01-21T09:39:51","slug":"homeworld-deserts-of-kharak-review-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/reviews\/85465-homeworld-deserts-of-kharak-review-roundup","title":{"rendered":"Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak Review Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now available on Steam<\/a>, Blackbird Interactive\u2019s Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak<\/em> is the much anticipated prequel to Homeworld 1<\/em> and 2<\/em>, exalted RTS titles that redefined what a space strategy game can be.<\/p>\n

As you can imagine, that puts Deserts of Kharak<\/em> in a bit of a tough position.<\/p>\n

Not only does it need to meet more than 12 years of expectation, but it\u2019s not in space, immediately putting it at disadvantage by comparison.<\/p>\n

In spite of that, Blackbird Interactive has certainly taken a shot, but is it a worthwhile prelude to such a \u201cstellar\u201d series. Pun intended; no regrets!<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Platform<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nMetacritic Critic Scores<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nMetacritic User Scores<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PC<\/a><\/td>\n78<\/td>\n8.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly not a perfect score, but it\u2019s not a bad score either. Perhaps there\u2019s a reason:<\/p>\n

Destructoid<\/a> \u2013 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cUnlike many other real-time strategy games, the campaign is the main draw in Homeworld<\/em>. The lore is rich, yet approachable for newcomers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA big problem is the AI. It’s not so great. There have been times when I could see my enemies clear as day, and they were just sitting there. Forever. I never bothered with them unless the mission forced me to clear all remaining forces. Other times, the AI simply follows its path until the player puts ground units within range.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Homeworld:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the multiplayer is mediocre at best, the campaign more than compensates for fans of the series. All the worries of “it can’t be Homeworld<\/em> if it’s not in space!” should be put to rest, because Deserts of Kharak<\/em> says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sixth Axis<\/a> \u2013 7\/10<\/strong><\/h3>\n

“While the art direction is excellent, with two well thought out faction designs and environments within the vast deserts that still feel unique, the overall presentation is lacking. Look closely \u2013 and cutscenes will often force you to do so \u2013 and you see the low polygon counts, some of the blurry textures, vehicles happily driving through one another, and so on. Yet it can surprise you with moments of sheer scale or beauty, which had me tilting the camera and hastily taking a screenshot, or cutscenes which can occasionally look like gorgeous rotoscoped animation. ”<\/p>\n

Softpedia<\/a> \u2013 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/h3>\n

“Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak<\/em> is not the sequel that fans of the space strategy title launched in 1999 were expecting, but the game offers its own brand of interesting mechanics and some cool story moments, a solid foundation for the future of the franchise.”<\/p>\n

PC World<\/a> \u2013 4\/5<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a decent albeit predictable story, made even more so by the fact that this serves as a prequel to Homeworld. Any lore junkie knows where Deserts of Kharak is headed, so there are few surprises along the way. Still, the world of Kharak makes for a strong setting (at least by RTS standards).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Homeworld:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDeserts of Kharak achieves its goal: It\u2019s made me tentatively excited for a forthcoming Homeworld 3. By staying largely faithful to the aesthetic of the originals, by recreating the harsh lived-in realism of that universe and the do-or-die exodus and the vast scale of the classics, Deserts of Kharak manages to feel like a proper part of Homeworld canon\u2014even though it\u2019s set on the surface of a planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

CG Magazine<\/a> \u2013 8\/10<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to lie and say that Deserts of Kharak is the next great RTS. It\u2019s not. What it is, though, is a very important breath of life into a dying genre. Critically, though, it makes no attempts to reinvent the wheel, instead subtly illustrating how to better iterate on established norms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Homeworld:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDeserts of Kharak boasts an unprecedented beauty in its setting and world design, and its hand drawn-style cutscenes only add to that. It features a unique setting and a great story that sheds expected tropes. It sent chills up my spine on numerous occasions as it started to explain its connections to the Homeworld story. By all accounts it\u2019s a good game, an excellent narrative prequel to the Homeworld series and a great first offering from Blackbird Interactive.\u201d<\/p>\n