This review covers the multiplayer modes of Homeworld 3. For thoughts on the multiplayer skirmish and War Games co-op mode, see the Homeworld 3 Single-Player Campaign review .
When coming up with a real-time strategy game's multiplayer modes, a developer generally has two options: let us play with all of the toys in an all-out brawl until the other side is dead, with maybe a few minor twists thrown in, or try something new, different, and a little risky.
In Homeworld 3, Blackbird Interactive has had it both ways, delivering both the bog-standard multiplayer skirmish match between Motherships and an inventive new co-op mode that, if the content continues to flow, has the potential to take on a life of its own.There are few surprises to be found in skirmish if you've ever played a Homeworld game before – or even if you haven't.
It's limited to team matches or free-for-alls with up to six players or AI bots, and it doesn’t really rock the boat with its straightforward “beat the other team” objective (you can set it to kill the mothership, kill all motherships and carriers, or kill every ship).
There aren’t a ton of maps right now – just six, and only one that supports six players, though that's a void that community-made maps should fill in short order.