i don't like being harsh towards games. hell, i don't like being harsh towards anything - but when it comes to art, from paintings to cinema, i don't like saying something is bad and moving on.

but its incredibly hard for me to not do that for Homeworld 3. now, im completely biased. the original is flat out my favourite game, with basically everything just clicking for me. but out of everything that worked in Homeworld, from the wonderful shipdesigns to the challenging missions, was the vibe. the feeling of unknowable ancient lore, the professional attitude that every character carries, the way the music flows softly as you lose all your godamn interceptors to the kadeshi. the vibe was - and still is truly fantastic. the sequel would twist that vibe but a lot of it would remain, and deserts of kharak reinstates that (and i haven't played cataclysm yet so shush)

homeworld 3, on the other hand, loses that vibe. while the ship designs are still brilliant, and the music still as well produced as before - everything else is lessened. the story is more focused on personal drama (which is massively mishandled, particularly for a series that historically has let its tone carry most of the emotional weight) - and everything is overexplained. a lot of the mysticism is just gone. its a real shame.

multiplayer and war games are fine. very buggy (nothing major, just a lot of small annoyances, like how the torpedo frigates always have to fire from max range) and with some weird design decisions, but its fine. if you want a good skirmish game with 3d movement, either wait a year for problems to get fixed and the roadmap fulfilled or get the remastered collection - especially on sale, it goes for less than a buck sometimes. dont even debate getting this for the plot/story mode. just replay the original. homeworld 3 has very little to offer on its own

mirror's edge is a game i would love to see be released more. not just because its stylish, well designed and has immense soul, but because it takes a concept and becomes extremely good at that one concept. the fact that it has all of the previous elements helps significantly as well.

in fact, the presentation is probably what i'll remember most about this game. the game world, is absolutely stunning, with the variety of hues and the contrast of the primary colours and white being absolutely mesmorizing. because of this bold and eyecatching use of colour, it makes benign places like offices, construction sites and subway stations incredibly beautiful. even if the setting is dystopic, i still wanna be there. this is backed up a truly phenomenal score by Solar Fields - arguably one of the best ambient artists out there. his minimalist tones really aid the equally minimalist art style and they reinforce each other superbly.

the core gameplay of running, jumping, wallrunning, swinging and clambering is also equally fluid. while slightly clunky at times, it is incredibly satisfying to pull off, especially with different moves in combination. with a few tweaks (primarily to the distance and angle in which Faith grabs on to things from), it would be practically flawless. the beauty of the movement system is such that speedrunning this game is probably a delight. well, it would be unless...

the combat, on the other hand, has aged particularly poorly. it feels stiff, unresponsive at times and, worst of all, frustrating. in most cases running away from the cops is a more fun option, but being shot makes you slower so...yeah you become forced to fight them. its well thought out just not particularly well implemented. i haven't played much of catalyst yet, but that game solves a lot of the issues i had with it. takes away guns that you can use, and strives to make the melee the best it can

the story is also in a weird spot. its...fine. its not bad by any means, its just short, and not particularly compelling. i dont feel much affinity for many of the characters and the reveal at the end doesnt strike anything in me. but its completely serviceable and well acted (and i like the cutscenes! they add a nice vibe), so i have nothing to complain about.

a true classic

when looking for modern interpretations of agrav racers, most people will point you to a couple different options. BallisticNG, Pacer/Formula Fusion and the two Redout games. while both Redouts are decent games, BallisticNG is by far and away the best game of the three, and outclasses even the games it emulates.

the first thing to understand about BallisticNG is that the core of the game is, to put it blatantly, a copy of the feel of the original wipEout games, particularly 2097 and 3. in this, the game is sublime - it honestly feels better than those games, mostly because you can run this on near everything, but also because it not only replicates the feelings of 2097 and 3, but expands them.

a greater variety of ships (with some having completely different handling characteristics), dedicated spec series with their own ship types, ag motorcycle racing, and series with the physics of the later wipEout Pure/Pulse/HD style. this is on top of a truly massive track roster (that only becomes bigger with updates and dlc) and modding support, allowing for custom made ships and tracks.

in all honesty, its hard to find fault with BallisticNG. its cheap, frequently updated, easy to run, greatly customizeable and moddeable and has a wealth of content. give it a shot. its really great