Homefront: First Look

We haven’t seen much of “the US gets invaded” concept in video games lately (Freedom Fighters, Red Alert 2, and recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2). Many American patriots will probably tell you, “No way! The US getting invaded? Absurd! Not in a million years!”

 

But what if it does happen? How will you react? Will you stand against the enemy or cower in fear? These and more are the most significant questions developer Kaos Studios is focusing on with their latest installment. Homefront’s controversial premise might pull some people away, but the game has the potential to be a solid first-person shooter.

 

The story begins when the Greater Korean Republic drops an EMP blast over North America (via satellite) and proceeds to invade the western states. The US military is in shambles, and the government is in political turmoil. Although the game is explicitly stated to be set in 2027, it actually begins in 2025. You play as a former military pilot who is caught in the ensuing conflict. Throughout the game, the player will work with other resistance fighters in raiding Korean military outposts and lead the Americans to victory. To help the plot move forward, Kaos hired John Millius (co-writer of Apocalypse Now and Red Dawn) to write the script. If you’ve seen the movies mentioned, you can expect some of those references employed in the game.

 

So the US gets invaded...yeah.

 

Since most of the characters are civilians-turned-freedom fighters – and not real soldiers, gameplay is centered on guerilla-style tactics, not by-the-book military strategies. But from the demo they showed, everything was pretty much straightforward from the get-go; shoot countless bad guys, trigger a scene, head for the next objective, etc. Homefront doesn’t have any revolutionary features, but it does have the standard mechanics of what a modern first-person shooter has.

 

The developers also introduced the ‘Drama Engine,’ in which purely scripted cinematics are always focused on the player, making them feel they’re always in the heart of the action. This was evident when a downed helicopter and a misfired white phosphorus RPG almost hits the player. It’s an appealing philosophy the developers have implemented in the game, keeping the intensity at towering levels every single time.

 

Kaos is also aiming for a “deep and emotional experience,” a concept they feel is absent in most first-person shooters today. As a result, there won’t be a narrator for the game. Instead, Kaos chose to play the silent protagonist card and let the player’s allies and surroundings tell the story for them. The developers believe this would make ample room for players to create meaningful relationships with the latter. This is also why Kaos spent lots of time (and money) filling the game’s world with real American companies and brands to pinpoint that connection.

 

It's beautiful...

 

Visually, Homefront is sharp and well-detailed, showing off some eye-popping action set pieces, decent explosions, and intense firefights along the way. From the looks of things, Kaos is definitely close to capturing the Freedom Fighters/Red Dawn-esque atmosphere of a war-torn United States. The only problems I saw were the AI’s actions throughout the demo, and the voice acting/dialogue could use some work. Also, the game’s backstory sounds fairly ridiculous, but it is because of Kaos’s boldness – and faith towards the script – that makes it exciting to pursue. Still, it’s early to make judgments about the game, so I’ll save it when it finally comes out early 2011 – on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Homefront is showing promise and I’m looking forward to what more it has to offer.

 

David Gabriel, NoobFeed