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Review: Homefront

7:00 AM on 03.15.2011   |   Nick Chester

Review: Homefront photo

It’s a mere 16 years into our future. The nuclear-armed Greater Korean Republic has crumbled the infrastructure of the United States with a catastrophic EMP strike. The Koreans have brought the war to our doorstep, imprisoning our people and tearing down our once-great country.

This nightmarish “what if?” scenario is Kaos Studios’ version of a “plausible near-future world,” as depicted in Homefront. Buy into this vision of our country’s potential fate, and you’re looking at the setup for a gripping and emotional tale.

Unfortunately, a fascinating premise can only get you so far, and the pieces of Homefront’s puzzle don’t look quite so promising when they’re pushed into place.

1

Homefront (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Kaos Studios
Publisher: THQ
Released: March 15, 2011
MSRP: $59.99 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) / $49.99 (PC)

If you’re not a fan of first-person shooters, you’d probably say that the genre hasn’t come very far over the past five years. From an outsider’s perspective, that point of view seems valid: many of the games look alike, seemingly having you doing the same things with bigger guns and flashier visuals. The truth is, developers have made great strides in these experiences, from storytelling to subtle tweaks in core mechanics.

Kaos Studios, it seems, has slept on all of this: Homefront feels like a game yanked from a time capsule, one buried around the time when people were trading in their tank-like Xbox consoles for the sleeker, more powerful Xbox 360.

Visually, the game can’t stand toe-to-toe with today’s most popular triple-A shooters, although it tries to make up for that with a chilling ambiance. Battling through American suburbs and city streets can be a tense, hair-raising experience. Plumes of smoke rise from homes and business torn apart by war, and iconic US symbols such as American flags and recognizable commercial logos lie burnt and tattered. But it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the game’s dated visuals, including muddy textures and a color palette that’s so overwhelmed by shades of greens and browns that enemies and the environment are sometimes indistinguishable from one another. Characters’ faces look dull and lifeless, whether they’re shouting orders or making vain attempts to connect with the player through dialogue.



As far as its shooting mechanics go, Homefront plays it safe through and through. It manages to skate by on adequacy while introducing nothing new for players to be truly excited about. If you’re looking for a game where you follow an NPC around for six missions, taking down enemies like you’re running through a shooting gallery, then Homefront is right up your alley. I don’t mean to imply that that’s necessarily bad, either, if it’s what you want. The game holds up well enough as an average shooter, so it certainly has that going for it. To Homefront’s credit, and without giving anything away, the campaign’s finale is easily a collection of the game’s most impressive moments. But given that you can breeze through the story in under five hours, it’s certainly a case of “too little, too late.”

Numerous other problems mar the experience. Take, for instance, the scripting of the resistance team you’re fighting alongside. Do you enjoy standing in front of a door, doing absolutely nothing in complete silence for upwards of 30 seconds, while you wait for your squad to open it? How about getting stuck on an invisible wall as you try to crawl underneath a fence, only to realize you need to stand up and move aside so your partners can go first? This kind of sloppy design feels less like something you’d see in a triple-A game from a major publisher such as THQ, and more like something you’d expect from a budget PlayStation 2 title. It’s not only frustrating for the player (“Open the %#@&ing door already, guy!”); it completely breaks any sense that the world you’re fighting for is real.

Technical issues aren’t the only thing holding back the campaign, either. There’s been a lot of talk about how Apocalypse Now and Red Dawn co-writer John Milius worked on the script. That sounds impressive on paper, but in execution, you’d be hard-pressed to tell that a veteran author was involved at all.

To the game’s credit, there’s promise out of the gate. In the first moments of the game, you’ll see helpless Americans beaten by merciless Korean soldiers, and a mother and father ruthlessly executed in front of their sobbing adolescent child. The foundation of the narrative holds promise, and the idea that no punches are being pulled indicates Homefront could be a somber and even emotional action title. But the moment you get a gun in your hand, it all falls apart.



While the idea of being the catalyst for what will turn the tide of war is compelling, your character and those around him manage to be wooden throwaways. You’re barely given a single reason to care about the game’s protagonist, and your NPC sidekicks are aggravatingly trite when they’re not getting in your way.  If you’re expecting Homefront to be bursting with thoughtful dialogue and challenging narrative situations, prepare to be disappointed. The gruff, foul-mouthed Connor, whom you’ll be forced to follow around in every mission, is the worst offender. Sample dialogue: “Get the fuck down!”; “Get to cover!”; “Now that’s what I call Korean barbecue!”; and my personal favorite, “Enemies in the Hooters!”

For all of the campaign’s missteps and missed opportunities, there is a silver lining for Homefront: its multiplayer. Perhaps I jumped the gun when I suggested that Kaos was napping while the FPS genre evolved; it was simply eyeing its multiplayer competition.

At its heart is its “Battle Points” system, an in-game currency that rewards players for kills, and completing various objectives and challenges. Using points, you can purchase vehicles, upgrade items, and do more to give you an edge. (Getting your hands on the game’s assault drones -- battery-powered, remote-controlled RC cars and helicopters of doom, is a particular highlight.) Points are doled out in such a way that you’re not simply pushed to kill, kill, kill. Instead, strategic thinking is rewarded, as is helping your teammates or guarding territory. It’s not a completely new idea, but it’s well-implemented in Homefront, enough so that it’s certainly worth mentioning.



Not to be outdone by Call of Duty, Kaos has also implemented the now-expected leveling up and perks system. With over 70 ranks and close to 20 (if not more that I didn’t see) abilities, there’s a lot of content to both be explored and unlocked.

Game modes consist of the usual Team Deathmatch modes, along with “Ground Control,” which plays out similarly to the “Frontlines” multiplayer mode in Kaos’ previous shooter of the same name, with teams capturing and holding points on a map. While there are a meager seven maps that ship on the game disc, they’re all massive and well-designed around game objectives. Fans of heavy artillery will also be pleased to find an abundance of weaponry at your disposal; an American’s right to bear arms is rarely as sated as it is in Homefront, that’s for sure.

In many ways, Homefront’s multiplayer modes feel like an evolution of what Kaos offered with Frontlines. For fans of the 2008 shooter, this is exactly the game you’re looking for. It manages to stay fresh and varied with its wide variety of abilities and upgrades, and vast battlefields. Still, it's not quite as polished or full-featured as any of the recent Call of Duty games, which may be its downfall. Homefront’s multiplayer will ultimately only be as strong as the community that supports it; a few hundred Black Ops and Battlefield game invites will be hard to ignore.



There are some games that feel like their multiplayer experience was tacked on, a simple matter of getting on the disc and the back of the box to sell “a few” extra copies. With Homefront, it feels like the opposite is true: we’ve wound up with a solid multiplayer experience, matched with a sloppy and under-developed campaign.

If you’re looking for the total package, Homefront doesn’t even come close. Gamers wanting a fulfilling story-driven single-player campaign should take the next bus to Playing Half-Life 2 Again Town. But fans of competitive multiplayer should at least give Kaos’ latest a look, even if it’s unlikely to replace their shooter of choice.



Final Verdict:
5.0

Mediocre: 5s are an exercise in apathy, neither Solid nor Liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit "meh," really. Basically, this is like a "7" on your grandfather's blog.













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138 comments | showing # 1 to 50
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next 50 comments

Phillax's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:09
Phillax
Wow, just wow.
Here I thought the story
Was going to be good. I
Guess it's a pass for me
Then.
AngeredAnima's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:12
AngeredAnima
second
Tarvu's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:15
Tarvu
If a game is going to tack on campaign so badly, they should just drop it entirely.
Sexualchocolate's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:15
Sexualchocolate
Wow.

I'm probably not going to touch the single player, but i've got this pre-ordered for multiplayer alone.

Having given up on Blops, and being pretty much done with Bad Company 2, having only killzone 3 as my "go to shooter" right now and more realistic setting and the more dynamic objective based gameplay are quite a draw for me.
DF's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:16
DF
I remember seeing a preview video of (what I assume) is near the start, and some guy takes a sniper round to the chest...the blood spray/cloud was strangely rendered. I mean, it looked like it came from PS1 or something. What.

I may pick it up for Dad when it hits the bargain bin.
EmptySilence's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:16
EmptySilence
Dang! I was really hoping it would be better! I'll still rent it at least, see how I like it.
Bakewell's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:16
Bakewell
-3 points for an implausible story...amirite?
Shame, I might rent it, it's been a while since I played a FPS and was quite looking forward to it.

@Scott Williams

Thanks for the worthy input. Sadly that shit doesn't fly here, hence you failed to be second.
Czech Monster's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:18
Czech Monster
Epic Fail, this joke of a review that is.
Bakewell's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:19
Bakewell
@Scott

My apologies, i meant angeredanima

There's a lesson there kids. Never post on destructoid when you're dodging the evil glare of your boss, mistakes happen.
Astalano's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:20
Astalano
Yay a completely worthless CoD clone just as I expected.

And that is disappointing. Disappointing that the linear first person shooter campaign is so neglected these days, but also because the story and gameplay in this game could have been so much more.
JetSetRadioForever's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:20
JetSetRadioForever
Well, guess I'm buying Yakuza 4 then today.
Sexualchocolate's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:26
Sexualchocolate
I gotta second Tarvu here. Seriously, drop the campaign, sell it as an MP only game for 1/2 retail price - PROFIT.

Well, had they not ALREADY spent the money making the SP, then they could profit, but now, well now you're just fucked guys.
laika one's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:30
laika one
Pretty much what I expected... I never got the hype surrounding this game, I always thought it looked kinda... Shit.
jc83's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:33
jc83
Why would you push the single-player so hard and then do such a half-arsed job of it?
JZ nology's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:37
JZ nology
I can't even read this review, It's not the fact of how the game was portrayed, but just writing put me off. I didn't even want to finish reading it.
jasondm300's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:41
jasondm300
this game always looked so generic to me.
Bringer of Death's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:41
Bringer of Death
5/10 seems about right to me. Played about an hour and a half of multiplayer and about 30 minutes of single-player. This has to be the only game where the addition of multiplayer vehicles makes things less-fun for everyone involved.
tirkaro's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:52
tirkaro
People were actually excited for generic CoD clone #633544821? Really?
Michael Delagarza's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:52
Michael Delagarza
I played this game back when it was called frontlines, and it was crap then too.
sofik88's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:55
sofik88
didn't developers said that it will be story focused game?
fetusmilk's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:55
fetusmilk
"But it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the game’s dated visuals, including muddy textures and a color palette that’s so overwhelmed by shades of greens and browns that enemies and the environment are sometimes indistinguishable from one another."

its called camouflage.
Rammstein's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 07:56
Rammstein
"In many ways, Homefront’s multiplayer modes feel like an evolution of what Kaos offered with Frontlines. For fans of the 2008 shooter, this is exactly the game you’re looking for." This alone brings a smile to my face and solidifies my $120 purchase(I bought 2 copies). Thanks for the review.

My only gripe is with the inevitable(I've already read some comments that support my concerns that the) 'Call of Duty clone' retards will make, along with those people stupid enough to base their purchases based on other people's opinions(read: not trying the game for themselves) as I have done in the past, until I learned my lesson the hard way that reviewer's tastes don't always gel with mine(see: Killzone 2 and Demons Souls).

Kaos Studios has done no wrong in my eyes:

In 2003 they created the Desert Combat mod for BF 1942(which was Modern Warfare before CoD even dreamed of going there) as Trauma Studios.

In 2004 DICE hired them to work on BattleField 2.

In 2006 THQ hired them(as Kaos Studios) to make Frontlines: Fuel of War, which was the closest thing to BF2 on consoles you could get(and being a big BF2 fan, was right up my alley)

Now in 2011 they release Homefront, which has interested me to no end with its Multiplayer features(I've gobbled up all the multiplayer vids I could find).

To say that these guys have their multiplayer skills down would be like saying the recent Tsunami in Japan got things a little wet. While I feel a little sad that the story is short and not up to par with Half-Life 2(what _IS_?!) the real reason to buy this game is for the multiplayer.

To anyone on the fence, I say BUY IT. Especially if you are tired of the same old shooter(CoD/MoH/BFBC) and looking for something different. CANT. FUCKING. WAIT!
FatPursley's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:00
FatPursley
Well, that's unfortunate but expected really. I may still give it a rent when I have nothing better to play.
Disemvowel's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:05
Disemvowel
What if I thought Frontlines was a really bad shooter? The shooting mechanics in that game were just awful really. Does this feel the same, or have they learned from better shooters?

Man, I was cheering for these guys to make a great Red Dawn game. Damn you Nick Chester.
Michael Delagarza's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:08
Michael Delagarza
@Rammstein im going to have to disagree with you. While yes Dice may have hired them to work on BF2 their time working on the battlefield series hasnt exactly impressed upon them the skills required to make a fun SP or MP experience. Frontlines was shit. BF2 MC, BC and BC2 were all solid games on consoles. BF: MC had that soul swapping gimmick which was fairly cool. BC had a solid and fun story as well as exceptional multiplayer. BC2 had a pretty lackluster story but still stellar MP.

Whos still playing frontlines? No one. No really, check it out, no ones online. No ones going to be playing this game either in a few months. Oddly enough, I popped in Battlefield MC for 360 in a few weeks ago. What do you know, people are still playing it online. I almost take offense at the comparison between the battlefield series and homefront/frontlines. Thats like chocolate cake to dogshit on a plate.

Kaos has done wrong in my eyes. They have been given opportunities to work on some of the best games in the business and failed to bring any of that magic to their own games. Thats wasted potential imo.
JQM78's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:10
JQM78
Gamefly'ed it.....should be here soon....glad I did'nt buy....Thanks, Nick.
Henry_Swanson's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:16
Henry_Swanson
Good review, thanks.
trueb7ue's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:29
trueb7ue
@rammstein

Bad choice of analogy bro, just saying.
Abe504's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:30
Abe504
Man, this is the first site that actually gave it a mediocre rating. Maybe ill rent first then decide to buy later just in case.
Rammstein's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:32
Rammstein
@Michael Delagarza: "No one" is still playing Frontlines because the consoles lack something that PC will always have over them; Communities. You can't have a community when most multiplayer games don't even have dedicated servers(something Homefront has) much less a 'fanbase' that dumps ANY GAME a few months down the line for the latest Bungie/Activision shooter. Console users are extremely fickle. I would know, I am one, myself.

While I agree that Frontline's singleplayer was weak, you cannot detract from it's multiplayer superiority over other shooters. Hell, Frontlines was the only game to have jets while BFBC still had the audacity to use the 'Battlefield' name and not include them.

That aside, I don't see Homefront being a mirror of Frontlines(watching all the multiplayer videos tells me that) I simply used that as an example of how Kaos Studios knows how to produce a well-made multiplayer experience, which is where Homefront will truly shine.
jawshoeuh's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:34
jawshoeuh
I was thinking this game looked kinda meh. I'll still try to check it out sometime. Nice review.
Danzflor's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:48
Danzflor
I saw this coming from a mile away. Yeah, the premise of the story looked good, but for me, it was always another generic modern shooter.
Rammstein's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:50
Rammstein
^ This is what I'm worried will be the average(and incorrect) opinion people walk away with from this review. Oh well, jaded/cynic is what we've all become.
EscoBlades's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:51
EscoBlades
Review was exactly what i was expecting. Better luck next time KAOS.
trueb7ue's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:54
trueb7ue
@rammstein

...so do you work for KAOS or something? Just curious.
WarZombie's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:54
WarZombie
Glad I didn't buy it, and before ya'll shit on me, I'm saving money at the moment for college, so every game I buy nowadays HAS to have solid single player (I skipped on buying XBL for another year). So yeah, this isn't happening.

On another note, I'm so sad that the FPS campaign has come to this: A miserable afterthought that gets no love in a world where the best multiplayer wins. This sucks.
SirNinjaFace's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:56
SirNinjaFace
Damn! poor Homefront... Cowaduty wins i guess.
Nick Chester's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:58
Nick Chester
@Rammstein:

If you read my review (I'm sure you did), you'd notice that I said the multiplayer is pretty good. The score/review is based on the package, though, not just one element of the game. THQ should have let Kaos release an MP-only title (hunch tells me that's how the production started), and then sold the game for $40, making additional profit on DLC for the next year. I'd have fewer negative things to say about the game if that were the case.
Scroll's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 08:59
Scroll
When Multiplayer appears to be the focus they should either drop the sp like Tarvu suggested or intergrate like Brink is attempting to do, so atleast if it's a disappointing sp campaign then the maps still work with mp and you can play it with your friends, a lot less wasted resources that way.
Jay Me's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:01
Jay Me
This game & Dragon Age 2 have been advertised relentlessly on TV this past week.
ekka4shiki's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:03
ekka4shiki
Skip this . Waiting for Crysis 2 ...
moose39's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:04
moose39
It's a shame the singleplayer isn't good, I'm not much of a multiplayer kind of guy and I was looking forward to this one.
Darckcloud723's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:04
Darckcloud723
Dammit, I was really looking forward to the singleplayer and I'm not a big multiplayer person so, this will just have to stay on my gamefly.

Between this and warriors of Troy did anything come out good this week?
acsguitar's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:06
acsguitar
I knew this would be generic. Ill play it when its cheap cause I love fps mostly for the sp
Rammstein's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:08
Rammstein
@trueb7ue: No, I would just hate to see people pass up a good game based on a review that didn't seem to get the point of the game. But I've come to expect that from every site(this one, joystiq, kotaku, etc.)'s reviews.

I know I'm being a bit bitter but I just hate seeing "WELL IM GLAD I READ THIS REVIEW, THANKS FOR MAKING MY MIND UP FOR ME!" which seems to be all I see nowadays, for ANY game. Good OR bad. I wish people would make up their own minds based on their own research/experience. I know games are expensive nowadays and people are less willing to risk trying a franchise that isn't established(read: Call of Halo: Modern Honor) but that's another debate for another day.

I will just say: I am excited to play this game, so I will enjoy it and leave it at that.
KrakHed69's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:09
KrakHed69
Well this is disappointing..I was really hoping to "finally" have a FPS with a worthwhile SP mode. The story had so much potential.

I'll probably rent it to try it out though..
Hell the multiplayer must be better than that COD garbage they have been putting out for years right?
amtalx's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:10
amtalx
I've had my reservations about Homefront all along. It seems my fears are confirmed. It's really a shame since being wrong would have been a nice surprise.
ctrain's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:11
ctrain
Trying to figure out why someone would buy two copies of this...or any game for that matter.
Rammstein's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/15/2011 09:16
Rammstein
@Nick Chester: While I agree with you on how the game could have been packaged differently, the end result would still conclude in upsetting people for not having any story/singleplayer content. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of thing for the developer/publisher.

No disrespect meant. I read and appreciated the honesty of the full review. I was just blowing off a bit of steam about game reviews as a whole and incorrectly pointed a finger where it shouldn't have been directed. I still love you!
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