Homefront

Seeing as this is my first (hopefully, of many) review, I'll explain a little bit of how I intend to approach the games and how I'll score them out. My plan is to break down each game in to categories, giving each category a score which factors into a final score. T he categories I would like to cover in my reivews are visuals, sound, design, and game play. (AWK) This may change later on if I stick with this sort of thing. Scoring will be done on a 10 point scale, with 10 being the highest possible score, and 0 being the lowest.

The first game I'll be writing about is Homefront, developed by Kaos Studios and published by THQ. In a market completely dominated by the likes of Halo and Call of Duty, it can be tough for a game to stand out from the pack. Most games, despite having tight controls and solid game play, can be swallowed up and disappear in a few months without a second thought. So does Homefront create enough of a wave to stand out on its own as a competitive shooter? Not quite.

Design/Gameplay:

Homefront offers an engaging and interesting setup to it's story. Over the course of 17 years, the countries of North and South Korea unite and subsequently invade Japan. Not happy with their military expansion, they launch an EMP attack against the USA and invade the west coast, irradiating the Mississippi river to keep troops from advancing on their position. This, combined with the story of the economic collapse of the US leads to the start of the game. The story is also fleshed out through various collectibles in the form of news paper clippings. It's clear a lot of care went in to writing the story. Unfortunately, the story falls flat on its face due to poor game design. While the gun play feels solid, the combat itself isn't particularly exciting. You'll follow an AI character from checkpoint to checkpoint while participating in typical duck and cover shootouts. That, combined with some downright bad coding, in which enemy soldiers will occasionally spawn 10 feet in front of you, simply popping in from nothingness, creates a campaign that is unsatisfying through its short 5 hour duration.

The real draw of the game is its multiplayer. The game does some unique things that create a fun experience. Kaos Studios has implemented what they call “Battle Points.” Battle points are accrued by completing objectives, killing enemy players, and going on kill streaks. These points add up over time, and are persistent for each individual game, even through death. Battle Points are used to purchase anything from UAV sweeps and body armor at the lower end of the spectrum, to tanks and Apache helicopters at the high end. It creates a fun and addicting risk/reward scenario. Do you spend your points now on that UAV sweep to rack up some kills? Or do you wait until you have enough for that tank and go on a rampage. This sort of feedback loop keeps the game interesting.

Another unique mode the game features is called “Battle Commander.” I found this to be my favorite part of Homefront. Each team is given an AI Battle Commander who watches over the field. When someone on the opposing team is on a hot streak, your AI commander assigns them as a priority threat, giving you an order to kill them and a general idea of where that player is located. If you kill them, you are given bonus Battle Points. Being a priority threat yourself means the other team's commander has highlighted you as a threat, assigning enemy players to hunt you down. You're not without an advantage, though, as becoming a priority threat means you are given anything from bonus body armor to goggles that allow you to see through walls. This system keeps the battlefield fluid, making for dynamic games that have an addicting ebb and flow. Maps are huge in this game, and fairly well designed, with plenty of cover while also providing many areas with ample line of sight. Weapon balance seems spot on with the exception of the sniper rifle, which seems to be a more powerful than it should be.

My biggest concern with the multiplayer is the lack of options. While there are persistent unlocks and abilities that you can use as you level up, there aren't a whole lot of them. The game shipped with only 2 multiplayer modes: Deathmatch and Capture and Hold. This could cause the game to feel a bit dull after a while, which raises concerns for the game's longevity. Another issue I noticed was with hit detection. Oftentimes while sniping, I would find an enemy sitting near an object like a tree or a billboard but still clearly visible. When I tried to shoot at them, a bullet that seems like should clearly be hitting the target is stopped short by the object, essentially providing invisible cover for the player. This is a glaring issue with an otherwise well done multiplayer mode.

Score: 6

Visuals:

Shooters have pretty high standards when it comes to graphics. Call of Duty is typically looked to, setting the bar with crisp, clean, impressive looking visuals while still maintaining an unfaltering and gorgeous 60 frames per seconds (Most games typically hover around 30). Homefront doesn't quite hold up to this standard. In fact, at some points during both multiplayer and the campaign, the game can look downright ugly. Texture pop-in runs rampant in both modes, with blurry textures literally dissolving in to view as you walk closer to them. While this isn't an uncommon occurrence, particularly in console games, I feel Homefront's fault here is especially egregious. Often times when scoping in with a sniper rifle, objects that weren't there from a distance will suddenly appear, which is extremely distracting. The frame rate holds up decently well, hovering around the industry standard of 30 fps. It does tend to chug though, especially during larger explosions.

That isn't to say it's all bad. Both in multiplayer and the campaign, the game makes excellent use of art assets to strike an emotional chord. Much of the action takes place in abandoned suburbs, with familiar landmarks strategically placed to remind you just where this war is taking place. This does wonders for the immersion factor, drawing the player in and helping create a sense of purpose for the fight.

Score: 5

Sound:

Many reviews for Homefront claim that the sound design is unimpressive. I disagree with this to an extent, specifically when it comes to the sound effects, which are very well done. Guns sound off with a satisfying crack, giving them a sense of power and weight. Explosions, particularly those from the drones firing above, have a deep guttural boom. During the heat of battle, team mates are constantly yelling out status updates or spotted enemy players. Even during lulls of the action, the void is filled with buzzing bugs, distant gunfire, and chirping birds. It strikes a perfect balance, helping with immersion while not being too distracting. The music in the game is also particularly striking, fully orchestrated and well written.

On the other side of the coin, the voice acting in the game is par at best, down right funny at worst. Some characters deliver their lines with believability, but without much emotion or conviction. Other characters would probably be better if they just didn't talk, rather than spouting profanities at odd times or playing an archetypical character that bores to tears.

Score: 7

The Verdict:

Homefront is a game with a fun and engaging story that is held back by poor game design choices and rough-around-the-edge graphics. While the game's short 5 hour campaign and lackluster visuals disappoints in some aspects, it isn't all bad. Sound design is excellent and the game's multiplayer, the clear focus of development efforts, are enough to warrant checking out the game.

The game is worth playing, but not at the 60 dollar price point. Let the price drop, then check it out.

Final Score: 6/10