Homeworld Remastered impressions: A refined masterpiece

If you're a game company looking to release an HD remake this year (and looking at the 2015 release schedule, there are plenty of you out there), then the Homeworld Remastered Collection is one of the better blueprints you could look to.
As the name implies, this isn't just a remake of the Relic’s 1999 masterpiece Homeworld. The package also Includes a revamped version of the slightly less classic (though still quite good) Homeworld 2, as well as unaltered versions of both games for absolute purists out there who like their three-dimensional space strategy raw and low-res. Those who don't mind sacrificing historical accuracy for convenience will find familiar gameplay from a one-of-a-kind duology that’s prettier than ever.

That much is clear just from replaying through the first few missions in both included single-player campaigns—the atmospheric heart and soul of Homeworld. What’s still unclear is Gearbox's new "unified" multiplayer, which encompasses both games but was not accessible prior to launch. Even when the game is fully released, players will initially have access to a multiplayer beta rather than the final experience.

Even with that limitation, Remastered is still a masterful collection of games not quite like anything that's come before or since. While real-time strategy games have been on the decline as a genre for years now, Homeworld was unique even before the Command and Conquer- and Warcraft-makers of the world moved on to more profitable things.

Unlike those competitors, Homeworld 1 and 2 were truly 3D strategy games. Having a fleet of starships swoop and twirl through the X, Y, and Z axes allows for all sorts of pincer maneuvers and squad formations that were just impossible on a more common 2D plane. Besides that, the armadas of Homeworld are continuous: What you build, harvest, and research in one mission carries over to the next, making every loss meaningful and every encounter potentially devastating.

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