Unlike many others in the shooter genre, you’ll probably want to play Homefront for the setting, not the shooting. Homefront tells the tale of a dark future in which the United States’ economy collapses due to a series of crises. Now the US is left as a shell of country and to make matters worse, a unified Korea (unified by the North) has launched an all-out attack on the American mainland. Most of the west coast is now under Korean control and many citizens are forced into either prison camps or slavery.
You, of course, will play on the side of a resistance fighting off enemies in abandoned cul-de-sacs, seized warehouses, and buildings where fellow American once lived and worked. You will experience the horrors of North Korean occupation first hand whether it be an introductory travel sequence in the spirit of Half-Life or witnessing a shocking execution scene.
Unfortunately, the action isn’t nearly as compelling as the setting. It’s still pretty fun, but unlike the impressive back story, the game play is well, pretty unimpressive. This game is the typical shooter where you shoot at waves of enemies and chuck a grenade here and there. The graphics really help make the game feel old and the sound isn’t that great either.
Another downer is the short campaign mode, you can easily beat the game in couple of hours. Homefront’s campaign sets itself up for a longer story arc, but it just doesn’t deliver. That’s not to say that it’s not fun, it is, but it’s short and has little replay value.
Once you’re done with the Campaign, you should give Multiplayer a go. While the actual modes of Homefront’s multiplayer offering are limited, you can still have a lot fun. The two primary modes – Ground Control and Team Deathmatch, which are based on old ideas but feel at the same time feel new. Gaining experience points as a team is more important than individual kill counts or other statistics, which helps separate it from other games. Multiplayer also features plenty of tools and customizable features, which keeps the modes fun and fresh!
Homefront is perfect for anyone looking for a realistic and dark alternate history and future story or anyone who’s looking for a new multiplayer experience. However, if what you’re seeking is a ground-breaking next gen shooter, keep looking, because Homefront isn’t what you’re searching for.
