Homefront
Preview
Home is where the war is
by Ryan Cope
previewed on PC
Home sweet home
Home is where the heart… erm war is. Imagine if your home was no longer yours, if it was no longer safe. It was a place of oppression with the slightest air of freedom sucked from the atmosphere. You couldn’t go where you want; you couldn’t do as you please. The army was in tatters, the country’s leadership has failed you and the only law you know is a fearful one enforced by violence. Your family, friends and loved ones are taken from you, maybe even killed, and everyone is helpless to do anything. What would you do? Fight the hell back of course!
There is no army to save everyone’s arses so it is up to you and all your neighbours – yes that includes the Cat Lady at number 49 – to take on the behemoth enemy that shadows your every move. You will do whatever it takes, you will strike at the enemy wherever you can and you will give your life, all in the name of freedom. Developed by Kaos Studios, creators of Frontlines: Fuel of War, and written by John Milius, writer of Red Dawn and co-writer of Apocalypse Now, Homefront a first person shooter with a dramatic, character-driven story that will hopefully hit where it hurts – home.
Resist the Unexpected
Set in 2027, Homefront is speculative fiction about a world that has reached an economic crisis. Between the lack of oil, the decrease in value of money and a shift in super powers, the people of the world have a lot to fear. None more so than the Americans, a powerful nation for a long time before going into financial decline and losing its once strong economy. To make things worse, North and South Korea have put aside their differences and are united under one republic. Lead by the North (not really united then is it) the Korean Republic has secured its place in the hall of fame of super powered countries. What’s more is that they have built a strong East Asian alliance (or more likely enforced one), multiplying their power, wealth and forces tenfold.
After launching a new satellite for “world peace and communication” the Koreans initiate a bold move that sees a flat out invasion of the USA. Using their new space toy to wipe out America’s defences, the Koreans assault and occupy the nation, imposing a new leadership filled with oppression and dictatorship. Marshal Law is in effect and the US Army is scattered with little means to protect the people. The Koreans patrol the streets and execute anyone who doesn’t comply; sometimes they even take people away for no reason. Towns and cities are in ruins after the initial battle and there is little to no hope left at all. The American Resistance, made up of everyday civilians who will no longer stand for the brutal tyranny of the Korean Republic, will to do whatever it takes to take their land back.
This is where you, the player steps in. You will take on the role of a member of the resistance and assist your fellow civilian comrades in defying the vicious restrictions of the new American occupiers. Homefront isn’t about grand battles where players fight to change everything in one last clash. No, it is about the ordinary people trying to survive and gain back a little bit of what was once theirs. They try to make as much difference as they can, where they can and when they can.
While the resistance gets itself into some pretty wild and large conflicts they mostly keep to guerrilla warfare – hit and run tactics. This means that objectives aren’t big and bold things such as kill the North Korean President or take back the whole of the USA. Instead they are simple things that will help make a difference to the area the people live in. Take out a Korean patrol, steal some ammo and supplies, assault and destroy an outpost, etc.
I’m no soldier
With popular war FPS’ like Call of Duty, Medal of Honor and Battlefield ruling the market at the moment, Homefront will have a hard time trying to shoot its way into the top spot. According to the developers at Kaos Studios, their game does have something else to offer – a story-driven single player campaign that will be cinematic and dramatically engaging. Hang on a minute, haven’t we heard that all before? Wasn’t Call of Duty: Black Ops supposed to be the most emotionally driven and stirring Call of Duty game so far?
