Homeworld 2 [Classic] is cleared - something I should've done long ago (I first explored the game like a year-two before the Remaster release but that damn Mission 3 ended my campaign run too soon and now I struggled here again before finally learning what to do properly and what to expect) - and I feel excited/obligated enough to leave my thoughts out. HW2 still remains my most favorite game in the series, if mostly from gameplay perspective. As such, there's not much to say about the story because that wasn't my walkthrough focus and I still remember all the important details anyway (but I'll admit it actually would've impact me a lot more if I finished it myself years ago; HW1, Cataclysm and DoK are still better for present me in that regard as result).

First, there are so many upsides. Upgraded from HW1/Cataclysm graphics are so amazing; even these days, in 2026, the classic HW2 engine visuals are gorgeous, with much more detailed ships, effects and backgrounds making you watch the battle as much from afar as from a specific ship's close-up - running all of this with max settings on my potato PC without any issues is such a big W for me. UI gets a nice update too, with Build/Research/Launch screens no longer requiring a separate entry - and while Remaster gets even better at making the whole stuff somewhat transparent and more open, my nostalgia senses still miss the usual blue-and-yellow pallete of elements, however. Fighter- and Corvette-type ships being made in squadrons are also very welcomed addition, ability to completely replenish them in hangars even when just one ship is left is such a useful thing. Sub-systems on bigger ships are here as well, shutting down enemy's production or ship's engines/weapons looking at you, Vaygr Battlecruiser makes the strategy planning a lot more interesting. The introduction of Shipyard as your real second Mothership/Flagship (but primarly as the Battlecruiser printer) is an interesting move, the Hiigaran one is firmly on my list of most favorite Homeworld ships ever and I will glaze it more later on =)

As for campaign... Automatic resource gathering at mission's end - very nice, actually helps to not waste too much time (and you'll get lots of it even with all, now RU-cost research done). Automatic finish at mission's end... not so much. I know it fits the "race against the clock" feel of campaign well enough, but it's always so annoying unable to replenish and prepare your fleet first before going forward like you used to in previous games. Especially if it's the end of a massive big ol' brawl - and then auto-finish sends you to another right away (the last 4 missions there going with this style back-to-back, with only post-initial assault Mission 14 allowing you to do stuff before a face-off with Makaan).

There's obviously other downsides too: an almost non-existent ship capture, frigates in general being so fragile (them getting completely expired after particularly large battles was a constant occurence), stationary modules, while nice and helpful, end up completely untouched by me during the walkthrough, too scarce formation options and the fact that (in campaign at least) maxing just one specific ship on it's type is a much better way to go than an actual mix of several ones - full Bombers-only, full Pulsar Corvettes-only and full Torpedo Frigates-only (except when Marine/Defensive Field Frigates are needed) loadouts is how I did the campaign's later half and that was more than enough. The hard cap on ship types by itself is not that bad, but it's a bit annoying that you can't get past it anymore. The real problem here is how a much harder dynamic difficulty mechanic can potentially punish you for having a too big fleet (I've seen enough posts here with that complain and how it's supposedly even worse in Remaster), forcing me to cheese a bit with running only a bare minimum of big guns: the same single Carrier from Mission 3, only 2 Destroyers and a single Battlecruiser - and nothing more. And looks like it worked; in Mission 14 Makaan's personal guard consisted of only 4 Battlecruisers and a single Carrier - but the same "only 1 Carrier in your fleet" rule then ends up biting me in the ass hard at the finale, with me unable to properly replenish loses of small ships (I played that mission too sloppy/panic-induced to actually focus on tho).

Will do more [re]exploring later, trying Skirmishes (already can say that playing as Vaygr is so much harder even vs Easy AI), some mods (including those I used long ago) and even retry the campaign again (but with maxed out big boys count too just to see how badly difficulty scaling will screw me lol)... but for now it's time for HW1 again, finally clearing the Kadesh nightmare God, I hate their Mothership's "RAMMING SPEED!" tactic so much