Homefront

[staySICK]

I got brought it home yesterday before work. But after work I was dead tired from lack of sleep and then the boy was fussy for hours...

 

.. tl;dr I got it, haven't played it yet.

[Maritan]

Haha! Was that true?

Yep.

We even have our own server, no restrictions, no rules.

[HotChops]

I just got Homefront via Gamefly and I'm only through the game's opening cinematic.

 

Now I didn't rent this game because I'm hungry for another shooter. I didn't rent it for the multiplayer. I got this game because I love John Milius and I wanted to see what kind of crazy story he had cooked up this time.

 

That said, you can imagine how insulted and annoyed I was to have "PRESS A TO SKIP" plastered across the middle of the screen during the entire cutscene. It's there almost the entire time, and I can't find a way to turn it off. It happens regardless of whether or not you push any buttons. They almost seem to assume you don't give a flying fuck about the events that lead up to the game.

[TheMightyEthan]

That's weird, you'd expect them to at least leave it down in the corner or something.

[arbitarty]

.... They almost seem to assume you don't give a flying fuck about the events that lead up to the game. ..

 

All gamers care about is killing stuff, don't you read the news? Story line? You can't explain that.

[HotChops]

I just finished the opening level, which had some pretty powerful imagery. I find it twisted that a game like Medal of Honor can be censored before it's even released, but this game gets by comparatively better...

 

...except in Japan. By the way, I now see why Japanese authorities didn't like the story.

 

oh yeah, and the "skip" message pops up again later. The cutscenes also double as load screens, so I figure they want people to know that the level's loaded and ready to go. It's still annoying though.

Edited March 16, 2011 by HotChops

[excaliburps]

Just posted somerhing about the game, price drop...

 

http://bit.ly/hiQFLX

 

Not good, no?

[Strangelove]

First person military shooter #28374618

[CorgiShinobi]

Even with the price drop, I'll still probably pass on the game.

 

I've got a lot more demanding purchases in the future. While the story might be interesting, if it really is that short, this comes off as though it were meant to be a $20-$30 game.

[deanb]

Okay I'm updating the News Feed and see this:

Homefront Sells 0 Copies In UK

 

and had to share.

Edited March 17, 2011 by TheMightyEthan
Fixed link

[HotChops]

...aaand five hours later it's beaten.

 

To summarize it's fundamentals, most of the game has been done before:

Calling in air strikes and controlling unmanned vehicles, gunning down large numbers with a mounted weapon, a bridge mission, and a fight through the suburbs.

 

What's definitely going to make people talk are the major human rights violations:

 

Parents are executed in front of their toddler, a massive firefight takes place amidst a woman clutching her crying baby, a mass grave is discovered, and white phosphorous bombs are used against Korean and American targets.

 

 

John Milius' story is spotty. Most of the politics are scattered in the form of collectible newspaper clippings. The game takes place in 2027 and a lot happens between now and the events of the game, so it's hard to point to one underlying ideological theme at work. The world of Homefront isn't just grappling with with hostile Korean forces, but also economic breakdown, diseases and shortages of resources. I'll also add that the game doesn't villainize the North Koreans as much as humanity in general:

 

 

One resistance fighter shows impatience and apathy for the welfare of civilians caught between the sides. An occupied American within a prison camp betrays the resistance for favorable treatment. One level takes place within a "survivalist" compound filled with trigger-happy rednecks who have no allegiance to either side.

 

 

The game is very much a combination of scenes from Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now. It's nice that the game dares to push a few buttons, but I feel like most of it is misplaced. Why can't civilians come under fire in one of the half-dozen military FPSs that take place in the Middle East? Why can't the horrors of war and human nature be shown in any other game?

[arbitarty]

So... Do you recommend it? Really can't decide on this one.

[Maritan]

If only they'd made a campaign where you play as Korean soldier...

[TheMightyEthan]

From what I hear, arbitarty, the consensus is "wait for a price drop." What's there is pretty good, but there's not enough there to justify a full-price game.

 

That's just what I've heard though, I haven't played it myself.

[HotChops]

So... Do you recommend it? Really can't decide on this one.

 

I wouldn't buy it unless you have a hard-on for John Milius, and even then, wait until the price drops, which should be very soon.

 

The game's not good. It actually makes you realize how much we take Call of Duty for granted. CoD isn't technologically cutting-edge, but at least it's very solid. Homefront has subpar graphics and sound. There are glitches, hiccups and framerate drops.

 

But the game at least has style. The world is almost post-apocalyptic. It reminds you of Half Life 2 mixed with Fallout 3. And even though I think it's a little cheap to pull on emotional heartstrings like they do, it does work. Having a shootout next to a crying baby and her hysterical mother was a new experience for me.

 

I'm glad I played through it, but it doesn't warrant full price.

[excaliburps]

I;m actually interested in this game just for the MP. From most of the reviews I've read, the SP i average while the MP is actually good. The MP is pulling the overall score up.

 

Anyone here who've played a few rounds care to share?

 

 

Oh, and I did a couple of posts about the game. The game has been very busy in the media, but not really in a good way.

 

Price drop and Pachter's reaction: http://bit.ly/hiQFLX

 

Sales in first day: http://bit.ly/fmtADq

 

To THQ calling it the "biggest title in the industry" http://bit.ly/hlUiCu

 

Yep and I think there's even more! I don't think this is the media blitz THQ was hoping the game would get, no?

[deanb]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/19/wot-i-think-homefront-single-player/

 

Was tweeted as "Wot John Thinks about Homefront: http://is.gd/wlLepD. All four hours of it."

[staySICK]

RPS summed it up about perfectly.

 

I enjoyed the game, what little of it there was. The campaign is just horribly short, and when I can justify a 6-8 hour campaign on a modern AAA release, this is just beyond too short.

 

The story is fine, its engaging and interesting enough you want to see it through. Anyone who was expecting a feeling of "America fuck yea" in this game will be pleasantly disappointed (unless that's your thing). There are scenes that are quite unsettling, designed to make an impact and I think they do so efficiently. The ending however, is rather annoying that it just... ends. No real feeling of resolution, maybe a minor feeling of accomplishment, but an overwhelming of "that's it... what?"

 

 

Nitpicking, RPS, if that was an infant that witnessed his parents' death, that was the most developed infant I've ever witnessed. Toddler. That was a toddler. Doesn't make it any better...

 

 

And they are right, if the developers wanted to make you feel like you were just a piece of something much larger, they succeeded. Too well, even. The majority of the game your objective is to "follow," even during gunfights. Running ahead is useless. You will either be killed, or stuck waiting at a door or ladder that you can't interact with until the NPC you were supposed to follow catches up and opens the door for you or goes up the latter first, to the point of obnoxiousness.

 

One of the things I did like was the use of QR codes in the environments as wall graffiti. I've found 4 or 5 of them thus far, and they don't really bring up much, a few downloadable phone backgrounds and a video / pdf. Either way, I find the concept neat.

 

After some back and forth I decided to give the multiplayer a try and found it... surprisingly competent. The maps are good, I like the spawn points, the ability to spawn in a team vehicle is a nice touch, as well as the ability to unlock your bonuses in mid game (RPG, flak jacket, etc) with the points that you accumulate.

 

all in all its not a horrible game, I'm quite glad I've played it, but average is a fitting score for it.

[TheMightyEthan]

As I was telling Dean on Steam, I think this is the direction that FPS's need to go with their campaigns, but then of course they need to charge less too.

 

I actually think the length of the campaign worked really well, it didn't overstay its welcome like I think other FPS games *cough*Blops*cough* tend to. In Homefront everything you're doing has an immediate, obvious purpose and is directly related to your overall mission, unlike CoD where must of what you're doing is largely unrelated to whatever is really going on. It didn't seem like there was any filler in the campaign (though the last mission did feel tacked-on), and I liked that alot. However, it needed to be $25-30 instead of $50-60.

[HotChops]

As I was telling Dean on Steam, I think this is the direction that FPS's need to go with their campaigns, but then of course they need to charge less too.

 

I actually think the length of the campaign worked really well, it didn't overstay its welcome like I think other FPS games *cough*Blops*cough* tend to. In Homefront everything you're doing has an immediate, obvious purpose and is directly related to your overall mission, unlike CoD where must of what you're doing is largely unrelated to whatever is really going on. It didn't seem like there was any filler in the campaign (though the last mission did feel tacked-on), and I liked that alot. However, it needed to be $25-30 instead of $50-60.

 

I know that we've had entire threads on the subject, so I shouldn't go into it much here; I think that's unofficially how it is now. Homefront was dropped to $40 within the first week, and soon it'll be in the $20-30 range. This seems to happen with all B games the last couple of years.

 

I imagine there had to be at least some people at THQ who were prepared for this. It seems like the original $60 price tag is just for the hardcore fans (or suckers) who preorder and simply can't wait a week or two to play the game.

[staySICK]

 

 

I imagine there had to be at least some people at THQ who were prepared for this. It seems like the original $60 price tag is just for the hardcore fans (or suckers) who preorder and simply can't wait a week or two to play the game.

 

I guess I'm in the sucker grouping.

 

And I will say Guerrilla is kicking my ass.

[HotChops]

 

 

I imagine there had to be at least some people at THQ who were prepared for this. It seems like the original $60 price tag is just for the hardcore fans (or suckers) who preorder and simply can't wait a week or two to play the game.

 

I guess I'm in the sucker grouping.

 

And I will say Guerrilla is kicking my ass.

 

I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean to anyone. It's just that for the last two years I've spent a lot of money paying full price for games that wound up being $40 or less within a couple of months. It got bad enough that it became my New Year's resolution to be more patient and wait for better deals later.

 

Even something I'm psyched for like L.A. Noire is likely to be on sale a couple of months down the line. The game will probably be awesome, but is your average Call of Duty-Madden gamer going to be interested in lining up for it?

[TheMightyEthan]

I've also been trying to make more of an effort to wait for prices to drop (on the new version, I don't buy used unless the game is several years old), but something like L.A. Noire I'm willing to pay the day-one premium.

[excaliburps]

I'm actually thinking of getting HF used. Only thing stopping me is the code thing you have to buy if you want to get past level 5. I mean, it's either this, Crysis 2, or Socom. I'll most probably be getting Socom 4. Bur I can't get Crysis 2 and Homefront and get Socom 4 and Brink. I barely have time to play as it is. Let alone and get all four. I know if I do, I won't get my money's worth.

 

Irony, writing for games has robbed me of my time playing them. Fucking insane.

 

From what I've seen of the MP, it looks decent enough. It has that CoD vibe going for it but it looks a tad more balanced than CoD. Crysis 2 feels like MW2 but the Nanosuit feels kind of fresh somewhat.

 

Argh! I have to make a choice and I don't know how! I'll be getting Brink 100 percent. Same with Battlefield 3. But for these two? I'm still at crossroads.Help!

Edited March 21, 2011 by excaliburps

[Yantelope]

I started this game last night and it really caught me off guard. So the game opens up with you on a bus riding to who knows where. I've seen this intro many times before in other FPS games so I wasn't immediately impressed. Then I heard a small child screaming. You come around the corner and you see two soldiers one pushing the child back the other aiming his weapon at a young couple. The child continues to scream and the soldier shoves him back. You hear the mom cry out "Try not to think about it honey, look away, look awa......" BAM! BAM! Both the parent crumple to the ground the child lets out screams and sobs as he runs over to the crumpled bodies of his parents as your bus drives away.

 

I've played a lot of games and I don't remember being disturbed before in the way that I was playing Homefront. Maybe I just wasn't prepared for it. Maybe it was that I have a 2 year old daughter now. Life hits me harder now that I'm a parent and seeing kids in traumatic situations really bothers me now in a way it never did before. Maybe it's that I'm sure this scene has played itself out in reality countless times across human history. This small scene kept me up for a bit last night.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Yantelope