Homefront

Moby ID: 51190
Windows Specs
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Description official description

Homefront paints a scenario where the United States has lost its status as a world superpower, and is invaded by a unified Korea in the year 2027. The player controls Robert Jacobs, a former military pilot, who is conscripted by the Korean army and released by a local resistance cell. Now on the run, Jacobs has no choice but to assist the resistance as they attempt to link up with remnants of the US Army outside San Francisco. Homefront was written by John Milius, the screenwriter behind Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now.

The single-player campaign follows Jacobs and three resistance members as they engage in guerrilla attacks and attempt to escape the walled city of Montrose, Colorado. Gameplay is modeled closely after the Modern Warfare series, and uses snap-targeting, aiming down the sights, and an identical control scheme. The player carries two weapons at a time, and weapons dropped by enemies have randomized attachments and scopes. The most unique aspect of Homefront's combat revolves around the "Goliath" robotic assault vehicle. At multiple points during the game, the player will use a targeting indicator to direct the otherwise-autonomous Goliath to fire on specific enemies or tanks. The single-player campaign received frequent criticism upon release for being uncommonly short.

Multiplayer combines elements of the Modern Warfare series' fast-paced foot combat with vehicle combat similar to Frontlines: Fuel of War. Players earn XP during matches which stays with their character and increases their overall "rank." Players also earn "Battle Points" during matches, similar to Counter-Strike, which are spent on new weapons, upgrades, and vehicles for that match only. A unique multiplayer mode for Homefront is "Battle Commander," where players are guided by an overseeing A.I. commander. Players will be automatically assigned objectives, including specific enemy players to hunt and kill. Performing objectives raises the player's notoriety, resulting in more important missions and greater support from the A.I. commander, and increased attention from the enemy commander.

Multiplayer supports up to 32 players (in two teams of 16) on both consoles and PC. Multiplayer also requires redemption of a "Battle Code" provided free in new copies of the game, or purchased separately; identical to EA's Online Pass system.

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Credits (Windows version)

702 People (635 developers, 67 thanks) · View all

Developed and Created by
  • Kaos Studios
Created by
Senior UI Graphic Artist, UI Supervisor
Associate Producer
Programmer, Animation
Associate Producer, Outsourcing, Cinematics
Senior Artist, Environments Lead
Sr. Concept Artist, Environments, Characters
Programmer, Graphics
Studio Marketing Manager
Director of Development
Senior Level Designer, Single-player
Senior Programmer, Gameplay
Programmer, Tools
Senior Artist, Vehicles & Weapons Lead
Senior Level Designer, Multiplayer
Senior Artist, Environments
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 71% (based on 140 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 42 ratings with 1 reviews)

Great game concept in the vein of "Red Dawn" that misses in the execution.

The Good
The story concept and a lot of the presentation are top notch. The back story is well thought out, supported by both great writing and a writer on staff who was a former CIA analyst who helped them flesh out the geopolitics of the back story.

The micro level of the writing works too: painting a dystopian, bleak future where America slips from the mighty superpower, and a rising, newly unified Korea invades. Life under Korean occupation is tough, and they create an immerse world around this idea.

The Bad
The gameplay is bland and standard. That's not bad, but this is a game that clearly got some love in the writing department, so why skimp on refining the way it handles?

While the story is good, the direction is poor. To understand what I mean, take a game like Half-Life 2, for instance - when you transition from one scene to another and something big happens, the developers take a lot of care to make sure you'll see it. They put it right at the exit of the building you just exited, or put it somewhere where you'd have to try very hard not to see it. This gives you the feeling of control, and ensures that you don't miss the cool set pieces. For instance, seeing the Citadel move, or watching as Dog takes on the Striders.

Contrast that to Homefront... there are all kinds of awesome things that you hear about happening because your allies talk about them on the radio. But some of them I don't even know if you can see. Without spoiling it, let me just say that during the Golden Gate Bridge level, all the chatter on the radio sounds like the kind of stuff you'd want the player to see. I never saw any of it. Maybe because it didn't happen during breaks in the action, maybe I was in the wrong place, or looking the wrong way. Either way, sloppy design.

The Bottom Line
If you've ever seen Red Dawn, you know the idea. Only replace Russians and Cubans with a newly unified Korea. They rise to power as we decline, and invade, then occupy much of the U.S. You are a resistance fighter.

Windows · by William Richards (2) · 2012

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by BurningStickMan.

OnLive added by firefang9212.

Additional contributors: Victor Vance.

Game added April 15, 2011. Last modified March 28, 2024.