Never surrender: A Homefront Review
For me, it's hard to think of or play Homefront without conjuring up memories of playing Freedom Fighters, the squad-based third person shooter released in 2003 by io and published by EA. The game didn't sell well, but it was one of the most well-made games last generation.
While the types of games are exact opposites, the story and premise of Freedom Fighters was an alternate future where the Soviet Union dropped the bomb on Japan and became a world power and invaded the United States. It was a game with a truly memorable story, and a part of me is still sad that EA and io never made a true sequel to one of the most underrated games last generation.
Eight years later, we have Homefront. Set in 2024, the game opens up with a scenario of a united Korea that invades the US for natural resources needs of their own country and for revenge from the Korean War in the 1950s. It's not a plausible premise, but I'm willing to accept it for the sake of fiction.
The story of Homefront is simple. The American resistance movement is trying to get fuel to the army. They need helicopters to deliver that fuel. You happen to be a helicopter pilot. Boom. Point A to Point B. Simple.
Sadly, the most moving and interesting parts of the fiction of Homefront are the parts you are not directly involved in. It's the backstory of how America fell, and how Korea became this superpower that really drew me in the world. This has been an issue that's plagued game stories now for several years. Developers can create a unique and interesting world, but put the least amount of time into the fiction that everyone will play through in the game.
Things like character development, an identifyable (maybe even sympathetic) enemy, a blurring between what is right and what is wrong. All of these things could have added depth to the straightforward nature of the plot. Outside of a few circumstances (which I won't name for those who still want to play the game), I never really felt much emotion regarding the main players of the story.
I still think Kaos Studios deserves some credit for at least trying something different in a FPS story. They tried to avoid a story that is nonsensical and emotionally empty, like some of the previous Call of Duty games have felt like. But that's about all the good I can say regarding the story. It's just there. And that's extremely disappointing, considering how ripe the source material is for a unique and engaging experience.
The gameplay is fairly standard for FPS's. You hold the left trigger to aim down the sights. You can sprint. You can click the right analog stick to slash your knife. It's nothing you probably haven't played dozens of times these past few years. The generic nature of the combat in the singleplayer campaign highlights the missed potential of the storyline.
Despite a disappointing singleplayer, Homefront has a pretty awesome multiplayer, one that I think rivals Bad Company 2 as the best strategy-type of shooter on the market right now. The modes are simple (capture territories, team deathmatch, etc.), the sheer scope of the maps and number of players (up to 36) made me feel like I was actually involved in something massive. It did what MAG couldn't do in my opinion. You can tell Kaos spent a bunch of their time in this area of development, which disappointed me a little bit. I can get multiplayer in other areas. What I really wanted was an epic singleplayer. But alas, I am probably not their demographic.
I know this sounds like I hated the game, but I really have enjoyed both areas of Homefront. It's certainly got its share of flaws, like friendly AI that seem to sit there while you get repeatedly shot in the face (some friends). And there was just something that was off regarding the graphics. It looked serviceable in most spots, but there were some cases that made the game feel like it was out of 2007.
I hope to look back at Homefront in the same way I looked at Killzone. A game with a great premise and mixed execution, but a game that deserved a sequel to rectify handful of story and technical issues that prevented this game from being one of the best so far of 2011. If there is a Homefront 2, there's potential to be an awesome shooter.
For our sake (and those who still cling to the hopes of Freedom Fighters 2), let's hope THQ gives Kaos the opportunity it deserves.
