Homefront

Homefront is already breaking records by being THQ’s most pre-ordered game of all time. The hype surrounding this game is terrific given that it’s one of the few games brave enough to wade into the first person shooter market with the “original IP” label stamped on it this year. With all of this put together, along with the credential of being written by the same man who penned both Red Dawn AND Apocalypse Now, Homefront has a lot to live up to before it’s even been released.

The plot, which was written by John Milius – did I mention that he wrote Red Dawn? – is set in a future where North Korea has risen to become the world’s greatest super power, under the leadership of Kim Jong-Un, and invaded the United States of America. You are Jacobs, a member of the rebel fighters, who is doing everything he can to stop the North Koreans and unite the remains of the scattered United States army. It had a really authentic 80’s action film feel to the plot, which I frankly loved, and the characters were really genuine and I couldn’t help getting emotionally connected to them by the end of it all. Sadly, they didn’t feel the same towards me because they were quite happy to watch me die – over and over and over again.

All my comments so far, of course, revolve around the single player campaign. This is definitely what I believe has helped to pump the hype into Homefront, it certainly got me excited, and I can clarify that the single player is a beautifully crafted experience. The gameplay is as varied as one could hope for in a FPS. You drive tanks, control remote control APCs, and you chase down a convoy in a helicopter – plus, you run around with guns and grenades from a first person perspective and kill loads of people. The only real gripe I’d have with the single player would have to be the respawning enemies. I know many FPS games have constantly respawning enemies, but Homefront constantly encourages you to push forward and shows little mercy when it comes to how many bullets your soft flesh can take, before heading 10 minutes backwards to the last checkpoint. This was what lead to me dying an infuriating number of times. I repeat, an infuriating numbers of times! That put aside as a petty annoyance, then the simple formula is pretty much this – if you saw any trailer for Homefront and were even slightly intrigued by the concept, then you will love the campaign.

The multiplayer, however, was a huge shock to me – because it was actually amazing. I don’t mean to sound as if I’m bashing Homefront, but I did not expect to be putting this game in my machine for any reason other than the single player. As I mentioned in my preview, it’s not a Call of Duty killer and should not be expected to be, but Homefront does plenty to make its multiplayer stand on its own merits and it’s very addictive. The template is the standard affair: killstreak rewards, ranking system as you progress, class selection with different loadouts. The reason I enjoyed it so much was that they tried to not make the mutliplayer experience as serious as they did the single player. There’s a killstreak where you control a miniature remote control tank with a machine gun on it, for God’s sake! That’s like an RC Car times a thousand! The maps are large, but not ridiculous, and surprisingly well balanced for a game that certainly isn’t trying to sell itself with its Live elements. If I were forced to criticize the mutliplayer, it would be that it requires an online ‘Battle Code’ if you wish to go above Level 5. I know it’s an anti-piracy measure, but I just disagree with the whole concept, but the only reason it’s worth mentioning is because some people disagree with the idea – and I really couldn’t think of anything else to complain about.

If you’re one of the many people who have Homefront pre-ordered then you can look forward to March 18th because it’s going to be a great day for you. Otherwise, I have to throw a big recommendation your way right now. I don’t tend to find a game where the mere premise alone is enough for me to slap a recommendation on it – but when it’s combined with really amazing gameplay it deserves nothing more than a hearty thumbs up! If it weren’t for the constantly respawning enemies and multiplayer battle code, it may have even scored an extra point on the new Ready-Up score meter. However, it has still done well to earn its place in my “favourite shooter” section of my drawer, and I’m really hopeful that there’s a sequel or spin-off sometime in our future. WOLVERINES!