Homefront review: great concept, but THQ misses the target

Written by kube00 Sunday, 03 April 2011 05:00

The story in Homefront is one of the most intriguing and interesting of this generation. The story focuses on the concept of North Korea invading America in the near future. Gamers will feel compelled to continue through the game to see how it ends. I also felt desperate but at the same time empowered. This was an attack on American soil and I must fight for my country.

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Gamers will see recognizable storefronts and neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Innocent American captives will be shot for no reason. Gamers will step into Jacobs’ shoes and will have a few game play options, from stealth and running and gunning, to some of the best helicopter action this side of the 1990s. All of this is part of a quest to free America.

Unfortunately, the story is where the gaming greatness ends. THQ has a unique concept here for an FPS and with some tweaking could have really flushed out something that might have gone toe-to-toe with Killzone 3 and Black Ops.

For starters the graphics look like mud smeared with dirt. Everything from character models to the environment looks like a poor man’s Half Life 2. The linear path of the game is annoying. I understand this was to keep the gamers focused. But this doesn’t let players really poke around and experience the game.

The weapons are the standard FPS fare, with a little variety thrown in. The game could have used a homemade flamethrower or a nail gun. There are weapon and gear customizations strung throughout several classes. To ensure gamers purchase the game new, THQ has included an online activation code which must be used to progress past level 5 in multiplayer. This is a good idea. But for those wanting to get it used on the cheap within a few months of release receive the short end of the stick. This means buy it used and gamers will have to pay a little extra to get online.

Homefront isn’t a bad game, it has a great story, but the rest of the game feels like something is missing. Although it sold 300,000 copies in the first day, gamers have already seen a price drop. This doesn’t speak well for the game’s longevity. If you really must know I played through the game in two sittings and after beating it, like a lot of gamers I really don’t see a reason to go back to it. Do yourself a favor Red Dawn and FPS fans, save your money for Deus Ex or Duke Nukem Forever and wait for Homefront to hit the all-too familiar $30 price.