Homefront
Preview
Home is where the war is
by Ryan Cope
previewed on PC
I’m no soldier
Homefront intends to hit us where it hurts – home. In order to make more of an impact, Kaos Studios felt that the best way to engage players was to have the war take place in the familiar. Battles won’t take place in deadly Russian missile solos or big battleships, nor will they take place in an arctic research facility. Nope, instead they happen down a suburban road, at the local convenient store or in the nearby mall. David Votypka, design director at Kaos Studios says: “Homefront combines the unsettling notion of an occupied America with interactive, player-drive narratives to create a deeply engaging single and multiplayer experience.”
It seems Kaos Studios is really trying to dig deep and hit home with the disturbing setting that will hopefully move players. However, they aren’t the only ones who support that project as Kevin Kraff, vice president of THQ (Homefront’s publisher) says that: “This harsh backdrop will be the foundation for an emotionally-charged single-player campaign and an intense multiplayer experience.” Talking about multiplayer...
Watch out COD
Aside from the gripping single player campaign, Homefront also has a competitive and destructive multiplayer. Out to be the best, the folks at Kaos Studios are hoping that their war game will be the one that everyone wants to play online. Well they will have to do a hell of a lot of hard work in order to overthrow Call of Duty. They seem rather confident with what they’re doing and so far, the gameplay looks pretty impressive.
Intended to be fast paced and exciting large scale warfare, the multiplayer takes place during the occupational wars, the period where Korea invades America. The US army is still trying to hold off the invading forces wherever they can, meaning the not only will players get to fight for either the Americans or Koreans, but the skirmishes will take place in the midst of US soil. So expect many malls, streets, houses and roads to be the locations of battles.
The action is intense and a lot of things will be going on at once. The multiplayer mixes infantry with tanks, helicopters and drones in order to give a chaotic atmosphere where almost anything can happen. Homefront introduces something called battle points, which players are rewarded with for helping out their team and progressing the battle. For example killing the enemy or capturing an objective will not only give you XP but also battle points. These points can then be spent in game at any time to buy yourself anything you need, providing you have the points. Weapons, ammo, vehicles, you name it. There is an enemy helicopter swarm in on you? Why not buy a rocket launcher. Got a tank crawling your way, here’s some points, get yourself some mines.
Kaos Studios intends to make this a universal game that is easy to pick up and play for anyone. That said, if you want to spend your battle points on a tank or a helicopter, you can but without a learning curve. It should be quick and easy to just jump in and fly or drive away! Since the story is set in the near future there will be some more advanced weaponry, such as drones. Drones add a new and exciting way to fight enemies without putting yourself at risk. There are an assortment of different types, ranging from ground ones with turrets to hovering ones that locate and mark the enemy. These too can be bought with battle points at any point during the game.
Time to fight back
Homefront certainly looks to be shaping up as a strong and engaging character-driven single player campaign, but will it live up to its hype? Can it pull off where so many other first person shooters have failed? Let’s hope not, because the idea and concept of the story sound not only intriguing and exciting, but also filled to the brim with heart-wrenching drama. Kaos Studios seem confident about its campaign as well as its multiplayer, but becoming the leading title in a hugely popular and already established genre, that has its own king in the form of the Call of Duty franchise, will certainly be a tough task. Only time will tell if Homefront can fight back against the oppression, of fall under its tight and menacing grip.
