I also have to agree with Thera. I'm not sure why I should buy this one when I already have Homeworld. I loved the first one and also played it non-stop, eating all my free time, for about a month. But that's the thing, I've already played it, and this feels like nothing new.
As for Cheese's PR stuff:
> #1-An innovative 3D engine generates
> cinematic-quality graphics,
What? Cinematic-quality graphics? Late 1980s Babylon 5 looked better than this. It's got good graphics, for sure, but cinematic-quality my ass.
> The sublime vistas and otherworldly
> splendor
The "subline vistas" would be space.. Space.. Yet more space.. Oh, and for variety, there's space. Putting rocks in different locations and changing the background graphic doesn't change the fact we're talking about a big cube of nothingness here.
> In-game cinematics flow seamlessly
> in and out of gameplay
Granted, the cinematics are cool. Then again, you can get two to three DVDs for the cost of HW2.
> players command their armada around
> eerily beautiful phenomena of deep space
It's a big cube of nothing. "eerily beautiful phenomena" is drastically overstating what we're talking about here.
> including giant asteroids
It's got bigger rocks.
> massive derelicts
Rocks with more polygons and better textures.
> gas clouds
Provides something for fighter pilots to chatter about.
> and nebulae light years across
Not only is this hype, but it's rather silly hype. You know how boring it would be if a map were literally "light years" across? You'd have to build a fleet, then send it out, and pass the game down to your kids to watch the fleet, then they'd have to pass it down to their kids, and their kids' kids, and so on. The motor in the harddrive would give out long before you got even a percentage point of the distance.
> #2-In the dynamic 3D universe of Homeworld 2
What's dynamic about it? Other than the rocks disappearing as they get sucked up, nothing changes in the universe. I see no comets, no orbitting planets moving, no asteroids moving, etc. It's hardly dynamic.
> awe-inspiring phenomena of deep space
So, point #2 is a rehash of point #1?
> These fully interactive phenomena
Fully interactive? Can I put thrusters on these rocks and use them to ram in to the enemy cap ships? Can I burrow them out and plant traps in them? Or use them to hide ships?
You seem to like the word "phenomena" a lot, but we're talking about free floating rocks here.
> #3-Two all-new customizable battle fleets
All new? Mothership, fighters, corvettes, resourcers, repair ships, frigates, cap ships. And one of those fleets is pretty much the same as last time. Sure, there's a few new ships, and all of them have new models - but they sure as hell aren't "all new". Perhaps you mean, "all re-hashed"?
> Players can now group ships in
> strike formations that move
> together into combat.
Didn't Homeworld have this?
> while capital ships have subsystems
This is a nice touch, I agree.
> Ok ok All New
I don't see much "All New" here, certainly nothing that couldn't be done with an expansion pack to Homeworld.