Now, I haven't played Homefront, so maybe there's something I'm missing in the context, but from the sidelines, I'm having a very difficult time understanding how some are praising the game's backstory.  In order for the game's plot to be even remotely plausible, it requires a chain of events that's too implausible to be believable and seems more apt to rely on shocking imagery, like soldiers gunning down a mother in front of a small child, than actually explaining a plausible invasion scenario.
 
From the Giant Bomb wiki:
 

Timeline 

• 2011: "North Korea's weapons program continues to intensify .... has surpassed 1000 missiles" This shows that North Korea is arming itself. Some countries also want the UN to put severe sanctions against North Korea.

• 2012: "This morning comes the news of Kim Jong Il's death" Kim Jong has died. "North Korea greets there new leader son of Kim Jong Ils son Kim Jong-un"

• 2013: "Kim Jong-un has united north and south Korea" This now forms the Greater Korean Republic.

• 2015: "Costs at the pump are ready to break the $20 price" This forces America to become destabilized.

• 2017: "Civil unrest has intensified with the demise of the US dollar" There are a lot of riots in America and the military has started to pull out of Asia and other countries.

• 2018: "Under threat of annihilation by the Greater Korean Republic....Japan has surrendered" Japan now joins the Greater Korean Republic. Riots continue during 2018-2022.

• 2022: "The president ordered a freeze on bank withdraws." The US economy has completely failed.

• 2024: "Korean annexation continues to spread" Korea takes over many Asian countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

• 2025: "The Greater Korean Republic has launched its latest communication satellite claiming it will bring a message of peace" This satellite is really a EMP that knocks out near all electronics in America. The Greater Korean Republic begin the invasion. Greater Korean Republic takes over Hawaii and San Francisco.

• 2026: "US military scattered" This is due to communications being down and the surprise of the attack.

Wont the back story be less impact full for people who are playing the game Outside of the U.S? I mean why would someone in the U.k be like" This could happen" When they see a hooters with Koreans in it....does the U.K even know what Hooters is? 

Yeah I know.

I've heard people talking about this being realistic, and it's kind of ridiculous.

IGN did an article on it. If you really want to get pissed off, 

What they mean by "Great Premise" is that everyone who grew up in the 80s has been waiting for a Red Dawn videogame ever since.

Ya its really dumb. I doubt North Korea will still exist in 2026. There bound to fuck up some time in the next 16 years and then will be subsequently wiped clean. If Koreans were muslim then America would've already invaded, but our government is still worried about fighting its holy war against the middle east.

Product placement does nothing for immersion...
When I was ducking behind the full throttle energy drink machine, I wasn't thinking "Man this is just like real life."  I was thinking, "Why the hell is this gas station totally trashed and yet these two pop machines are totally okay even though they obviously been knocked over and pushed across the floor? And for that matter do they even make these machines in real life? I mean those Full throttle cans are tall boys. Does that work in one of these machines or does it need to be one of those robot arm ones. Oh I'm getting shot through the cover - thanks for nothing Full Throttle next time I'm getting a Red Bull."
 
I can't wait until I see the Tiger Direct.com store that doesn't exist in real life.

"

• 2025: "The Greater Korean Republic has launched its latest communication satellite claiming it will bring a message of peace" This satellite is really a EMP that knocks out near all electronics in America. The Greater Korean Republic begin the invasion. Greater Korean Republic takes over Hawaii and San Francisco.

 
Magic science technology thing cripples all of America in one fell swoop.  How incredibly realistic.
"

Breaking News: Hailinel doesn't like a western game. Latest Developments: Picks holes in fictional storyline; Thinks he's actually making a point.

North Korea can barely keep itself afloat, let alone conquer S. Korea, Japan, etc. And there really is no way the international community would sit by and let this happen. I mean, they're stepping in to help out Libya (or attack it, kinda both). 

" North Korea can barely keep itself afloat, let alone conquer S. Korea, Japan, etc. And there really is no way the international community would sit by and let this happen. I mean, they're stepping in to help out Libya (or attack it, kinda both).  "

" Breaking News: Hailinel doesn't like a western game. Latest Developments: Picks holes in fictional storyline; Thinks he's actually making a point. "

"I can't wait until I see the Tiger Direct.com store that doesn't exist in real life. "

The leap from N. Korea and S. Korea reuniting is not going to happen in our lifetime let alone in 3 years. But again, fiction, once it makes that leap, it can make any fate future broadcast plausible right?

Oh come on. Most have been saying that the game's backstory is crap. What are these "some sources" you're referring to?

Canadian here.  I saw the trailer for the the game and have no interest in it whatsoever.  My reaction to the trailer is pretty much what the OP describes.  Sounds like more LOL FREEDUM AND LIBERTEEEEEE fearmongering.  But I can't help but get flashbacks of oldschool games in a similar vein, like Rush'n Attack.

"North Korea can barely keep itself afloat, let alone conquer S. Korea, Japan, etc. And there really is no way the international community would sit by and let this happen. I mean, they're stepping in to help out Libya (or attack it, kinda both).  "

" Oh come on. Most have been saying that the game's backstory is crap. What are these "some sources" you're referring to? "

Who are these people who are saying these things? Sure, it's a ludicrous enough setup for a Red Dawn wannabe like Homefront, but that doesn't make it good or plausible.

Not only would it take longer than a year to unite, it would take years for them to recover from all that fighting. 

"Breaking News: Hailinel doesn't like a western game. Latest Developments: Picks holes in fictional storyline; Thinks he's actually making a point. "

it's just a "what-if" scenario, I don't believe it should be taken seriously

and the stocks fall even LOWER!!!

Best part is how $20 a gallon oil cripples the US but doesn't affect North Korea.  This must have found a source of unobtanium.  Or maybe their navy is all sail powered?

there should be a video game where the actual territory of countries fight against each other. i'm not talking about the US army or some shit but all of the land that makes up the USA fighting against all of the land that makes up North Korea. that would be ballin' 

" there should be a video game where the actual territory of countries fight against each other. i'm not talking about the US army or some shit but all of the land that makes up the USA fighting against all of the land that makes up North Korea. that would be ballin'  "

" Best part is how $20 a gallon oil cripples the US but doesn't affect North Korea.  This must have found a source of unobtanium.  Or maybe their navy is all sail powered? "

Backstory? you mean the movie Red Dawn?

" @Hailinel: but it would be pretty sweet. c'mon, you have to admit it.  "

" @AjayRaz said:

" @Hailinel: but it would be pretty sweet. c'mon, you have to admit it.  "

would it be like the portrait fights in dragonball evolution? "

" @Hailinel: but it would be pretty sweet. c'mon, you have to admit it.  "

" @AjayRaz said:

" @Hailinel: but it would be pretty sweet. c'mon, you have to admit it.  "

shit, just make america have the personality, fashion sense, and vocabulary of a grizzled space-marine, and I'm SOLD "

Not even one mention of Australia.. 
 
In this timeline were either to lazy or to drunk to care i guess

" Not even one mention of Australia..  In this timeline were either to lazy or to drunk to care i guess "

" @Hailinel: but it would be pretty sweet. c'mon, you have to admit it.  "

I think it would be better if they handled their history the way Vanquish did - forget trying to make your ridiculous setup seem realistic or plausible and just throw things at you.  The attempts to make the events seem like even a remote possibility make it that much more ridiculous.

Also, Giant Bomb threads have been degenerating into insult flinging for no reason entirely too often lately.  Stop it.

" Not even one mention of Australia..  In this timeline were either to lazy or to drunk to care i guess "

" I think it would be better if they handled their history the way Vanquish did - forget trying to make your ridiculous setup seem realistic or plausible and just throw things at you.  The attempts to make the events seem like even a remote possibility make it that much more ridiculous. "

Damn people are just taking shots at Homefront, I suppose 3 stars is the killing fields.

" @Make_Me_Mad said:

" I think it would be better if they handled their history the way Vanquish did - forget trying to make your ridiculous setup seem realistic or plausible and just throw things at you.  The attempts to make the events seem like even a remote possibility make it that much more ridiculous. "

So the best course of action is to not even try? "

It seems really hard to fuck up the whole "OMG America got invaded! OMG!" story. I mean, Red Dawn did it pretty nicely because it didn't really go into a deep discussion about it. Shit happened, and shit continued to happen. That's about as far as they went.
 
Homefront had a lot of awesome possibilities. I knew that it was going to be terrible around the time that one interview came out and the guy said something like they were putting most of the effort into the multiplayer side of things.
 
I guess we'll have to wait another, what, 30 years for a real Red Dawn video game?

Very little alternate history fiction makes any sense, it's just for fun. It's just Homefront was being a little pretentious about it because it's the first game to describe it at great length. 

I guess we'll all find out in 15 years if this is all even possible.

" Damn people are just taking shots at Homefront, I suppose 3 stars is the killing fields. "

Is leaving the body of a dead American in a Russian airport with the goal of starting a Russian invasion plausible? You'd think the place would have some security cameras. 

" Is leaving the body of a dead American in a Russian airport with the goal of starting a Russian invasion plausible? You'd think the place would have some security cameras.  "

" Very little alternate history fiction makes any sense, it's just for fun. It's just Homefront was being a little pretentious about it because it's the first game to describe it at great length.  "

Hey man video games!! Fuck it how do you know Mass Effect won't happen in the future?

 
Actually, I just looked outside and this is all totally happening in front of my house.