Homefront (video game)

Homefront
Developer(s)	Kaos Studios Digital Extremes (PC)
Publisher(s)	THQ
Writer(s)	John Milius[1]
Composer(s)	Matthew Harwood
Engine	Unreal Engine 3[2]
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Onlive
Release date(s)	NA 20110315March 15, 2011 AU 20110317March 17, 2011 EU 20110318March 18, 2011 JP 20110414April 14, 2011
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: MA 15+ BBFC: 15 CERO: D (cut) ESRB: M PEGI: 18 USK: 18
Media/distribution	Optical disc, download, cloud computing
System requirements Minimum System requirements[3][4] Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or later Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2.8GHz (Quad Core 2GHz+ recommended) 2GB of RAM Shader Model 3.0 graphics card with 256MB of memory NVIDIA GeForce 7900GS / ATI Radeon 1900XT (GeForce 260 or ATI Radeon 4850 recommended) 10GB of free hard drive space Internet Connection

Homefront is a first-person shooter video game developed by now defunct Kaos Studios and published by THQ, in which players play as members of a resistance movement fighting against a near-future Korean military occupation of the United States. The story was written by John Milius, who co-wrote Apocalypse Now and wrote/directed Red Dawn. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 15, 2011 in North America, March 17, 2011 in Australia, March 18, 2011 in Europe,^[5] and April 14, 2011 in Japan.^[6][7] Its tagline is: "Home is where the war is."

Plot

In 2013, one year after the death of Kim Jong-Il, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reunites North and South Korea to form the Greater Korean Republic. The influence of China and the United States decline in the face of continued economic stagnation and a war between Iran and Saudi Arabia that disrupts Middle Eastern oil supplies, while oil and gas to Western Europe is cut off by a Russian-Ukrainian "mutual interest" deal. As the United States withdraws overseas troops to deal with domestic instability, including the Texas secession debate and an outbreak of bird flu known as the Knoxville Cough, the Greater Korean Republic annexes Japan and Southeast Asia. By 2022, the United States faces extreme economic turmoil and massive social unrest, culminating in complete economic collapse. On January 16, 2025, a satellite, launched under the cover of a program to replace the decaying Global Positioning System, detonates a high-altitude nuclear weapon over the continental United States. The destruction of above-ground electronics across the country by the massive resulting electromagnetic pulse is followed by the Greater Korean Republic seizing Hawaii, an invasion of San Francisco, paratrooper deployments across the Midwest, and the irradiation of the Mississippi River to divide the United States in half, leaving the American military isolated and scattered and U.S. residents to resist the invasion on their own.

Two years after the occupation begins, Protagonist Robert Jacobs, a former Marine Corps combat helicopter pilot, is awakened in his makeshift house in Montrose, Colorado and ordered to a re-education camp in Alaska for failing to answer occupational military draft-notices. Jacobs sees that the Korean troops have seized control of Montrose, Colorado, taking potentially valuable residents into custody and executing resistors. However, the bus carrying Jacobs to a detention facility in Montrose is ambushed by American resistance fighters Connor, and Rianna, who lead him to Oasis, a resistance hideout founded by local state patrolman Boone Karlson. Boone, Connor, and Rianna are aware of Jacobs's background as a pilot and recruit him to help recover fuel for the scattered U.S. military forces mounting up in San Francisco. Boone initiates the operation with himself, Jacobs, Connor (a former U.S. Marine from North Carolina), Rianna (a hunting expert), and Hopper (a Korean-American technical expert from Oakland).

They plan to steal several tracking beacons in a school used as a labor exchange facility, using their "inside man" Arnie. However, Arnie betrays the team in order to protect his children, forcing the team to kill the contact and eliminate all forces in the camp. They discover a mass grave and narrowly escape Korean reinforcements by hiding among the bodies. Shortly after Jacobs, Connor, and Rianna succeed in locating the trucks and planting a beacon on one of them, they return to Oasis, only to find that Boone and all of the base's inhabitants have been killed by Korean troops. They soon understand that American residents are now being slaughtered as an example to others of the consequences of harboring resistance fighters, but the residents are now rising up against the invaders as the American resistance depended on breaking through the wall. They narrowly escape with other Colorado resistance fighters by breaching the walls enclosing the town, destroying their semi-autonomous attack vehicle Goliath in the process.

Jacobs, Connor, Rianna, and Hopper are able to escape from Korean forces within Montrose with the information that a usable helicopter is located in a survivalist encampment in Utah, but, unfortunately, the camp inhabitants prove to be paranoid and completely psychotic. The team infiltrates the camp and manages to steal the helicopter, pursuing the fuel convoy nearing Carson City, Nevada. With the convoy successfully hijacked and Jacobs providing air support, the team continues their trip to San Francisco, where they deliver their jet fuel to aid the scattered U.S. military in their attempt to liberate the besieged city as the resistance is now ready to make history.

As the guerrilla resistance and the scattered American military forces begin to close in on San Francisco, they succeed in taking most of the city via the Golden Gate Bridge with their anti-aircraft guns and fighter aircraft. Despite heavy Korean resistance and taking massive casualties, the Americans proves to be stronger than the KPA forces. Nearing the other side of the bridge, the team finds itself outnumbered when a large Korean convoy tries to push the combined resistance forces back across the Bay. Outnumbered and with little other choice, Connor advances towards the convoy with a flare and orders an air strike, sacrificing himself in the process in order to allow the remaining forces to proceed in retaking the bridge as the city falls into American hands. The news of the successful operation is reported by British media, and soon all of Europe is filled with reports that American resistances fighters are now joining U.S. military forces throughout the United States in launching a new offensive attacks against the KPA invaders. The San Francisco offensive attack proves to be the turning point for America's guerrilla warfare against the Korean occupation. The United States has turned back to its tide of being the powerful nation on the planet as the Greater Korean Republic has rapidly collapsed when the European Union calls an emergency meeting in order to consider giving aid to the United States.

Development

The antagonists in Homefront were originally intended to be Chinese, but were later replaced by a unified Korea for two reasons: the risk of a possible backlash by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the reality of economic interdependence between America and China that made the Chinese "not that scary"^[8] said Tae Kim, a former CIA field agent and consultant on the game's backstory. "We went to a very rigorous, academic research process to make sure to not only look at North Korea's current state but to look at historical examples how things could parallel and turn events. History repeats itself. From today to the day the invasion starts in the game, if you combine everything, the odds are very very slim this becomes true. But when you look at the storyline step by step, every step is a coin flip but a plausible step. So once you get there, it's plausible. And from there the next step is plausible as well. Even though the whole thing is fictional, it comes with plausible baby steps."^[9]

The finalized version of Homefront's timeline was released at end of January 2011.^[10]

Gameplay

Single-player

Homefront's gameplay has been completely reworked from its origins in Frontlines: Fuel of War, focusing on a more cinematic, character-driven experience.

David Votypka, the design director of Homefront, stated in an interview with G4TV that the gameplay will be based around guerilla style tactics, inspired by Half-Life 2.^[11] The same interview also contained information stating that one of the important facts concerning your surroundings is that they are built to try to establish a connection with the user by using real companies and brands.^[12] The campaign is said to be 5–10 hours long depending on experience.^[13]

Multiplayer

The multiplayer component of Homefront is focused on large-scale vehicle based combat reminiscent of Kaos' first title, Frontlines: Fuel of War. The defining innovation of Homefront's multiplayer is its battle points system, which is an in-game currency that allows a player to purchase weapons, gear and vehicles. Players earn points by taking objectives and getting kills and are forced to choose between many small purchases such as weapons versus larger, higher cost items like helicopters and tanks. It has been confirmed that the multi-player will support up to 32 players in one match, with 16 players on each team. According to rumors, there will be 7 maps for the PS3 and PC and there will be 8 maps for the Xbox 360. Nothing has been confirmed.^[14] Homefront on Xbox 360 will be getting a limited exclusive map called "Suburbs", which will be set in the Suburbs of America and will be infantry / drone only.^[15]

When the game was released, the Online Multiplayer Servers were overloaded, and Online Gameplay had to be shut off. Users were only allowed to play Private Matches.^[16]

Plot and online pass

The Multiplayer takes place in the period before the U.S. Armed Forces were completely scattered.^[17]

Each new copy of Homefront contains an online pass, enabling users the full multiplayer experience. Although the online pass is not required to play multiplayer, those who play without an online pass will be capped at level 5 out of 75.^[18] This "Battle Code" was also released in March 2011, on XBox Live for 800 Microsoft Points.

PC version

Homefront's PC version was developed by Digital Extremes, a Canadian developer responsible for numerous Unreal Tournament games and Bioshock ports. Frank Delise, the executive producer of the PC version has stated that the PC version of the game will feature exclusive content and dedicated servers. Additional exclusive features include clan support, DirectX 11 graphics, and first person vehicle cockpits.^[19][20] Homefront has been released on Steam, ^[21][22] as well as the OnLive gaming service. Also, spectator mode and demo recording will be included along with a dedicated server executable, server tools and RCON.^[4]

Controversy

Advertising for Homefront has simulated a declaration of war in mainstream websites and media, creating confusion amongst many non-gamers. The nature and timing of the advertising created concern in the wake of the ROKS Cheonan sinking and the recent artillery strike on Yeonpyeong Island, causing mainstream media coverage of the advertising campaign.^[23] THQ has denied that the game was developed to piggyback off the tensions on the Korean peninsula, saying that "Homefront is a work of speculative fiction, set in the year 2027. Recent real-world events on the Korean peninsula are obviously tragic and, like everyone, we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution."^[24]

For sales of Homefront to Japan, the game has been censored by removing all references to North Korea including pictures of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.^[25] They are replaced by references to "A Certain Country to the North" (北の某国^?) and the "Northern Leader" (北の指導者^?).^[26] Spike, the game's Japanese/Asian publisher, justified the censors because they said to "use their real names would have been 'malicious' to an 'existing person' and an 'existing country.'"^[27] The game has been banned from all types of sales in South Korea.^[28][29]

THQ's promotional balloon stunt for the game at the GDC angered San Francisco residents after 10,000 balloons fell into San Francisco Bay.^[30]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	(PC) 68.63%[31] (PS3) 70.23%[32] (X360) 71.45%[33]
Metacritic	70/100[34][35][36]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Computer and Video Games	8.6/10[37]
GameSpot	7.0/10[38]
GameZone	8/10[39]
IGN	7.0/10[40]
Official Xbox Magazine	8/10[41]
Play	69%[42]

Homefront was met with mixed or average reviews across all platforms. Some critics praised the atmosphere and story, while others panned those same aspects, along with the short length of the single-player campaign. However, the multiplayer aspect of Homefront was generally well-received. Review aggregator GameRankings generated a score of 68.23% for the Microsoft Windows version, 70.23% for the PlayStation 3 version and 71.45% for the Xbox 360 version.^[31][32][33] Review aggregator Metacritic generated a score of 70 out of 100 across all platforms.^[34][35][36]

CVG has given the game a 8.6/10.^[37] Play has given it 69%, praising Kaos studios for the different campaign mode and multiplayer, but criticizing most other things.^[42] GamingExcellence awarded the game an 8.4/10, praising the cinematic story-driven gameplay, but criticizing the short campaign.^[43] IGN awarded the game a 7/10, praising the setting and presentation, while criticizing the short campaign.^[40] GameSpot gave the game 7.0 of 10, praising some memorable moments and the well crafted multiplayer, however it criticized the short length and that it felt too familiar compared to other first person shooters.^[38] GameZone gave the game an 8/10, stating "With a few tweaks and a fresher coat of paint, Homefront would have been outstanding, far outshining either of those titles. As is, it’s still worth a playthrough, and the quality multiplayer makes an excellent alternative to your current, aging FPS of choice."^[39]

Sales

THQ previously stated first day sales in North America reached 375,000 copies sold. THQ announced an estimated 1 million copies across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific markets have been sold. It has also shipped 2.6 million units to retail since launch.^[44]

Despite mixed reviews, Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz expects THQ FPS Homefront to sell two million units. Writing in an analyst note about the game's 72 Metacritic rating, which led to a drop in the publisher's share price, he said: "With over 20 reviews now reported at the Metacritic website, it is clear that Homefront has not lived up to expectations in terms of game quality. We note that EA's Medal of Honor earned a similar 74 aggregate review score last year but has still sold over 5M units to-date, in part due to aggressive marketing by EA and positive pre-release buzz. Homefront has been building buzz up to the launch date so we believe the title will still be a decent seller for THQ despite mixed reviews."^[45]

Related media

Novel

THQ announced a tie-in novel, Homefront: The Voice of Freedom, written by John Milius and Raymond Benson, that follows a group of reporters making their way across America, exploring the early days of the occupation. The book involves characters from the game and sets the stage for its story. The book was released ahead of the game on January 25, 2011 as part of a "vast transmedia strategy" for Homefront.^[46][47]

Music

The soundtrack for the game was composed by Matthew Harwood.

Homefront: Songs For The Resistance
Soundtrack album by Various
Released	2011
Genre	Video game music, deathcore, metalcore, progressive metal, djent, mathcore, avant-garde metal, melodic death metal, melodic hardcore, thrash metal
Length	53:59

Track listing

1. "War Ensemble" - As I Lay Dying (Originally by Slayer) (4:51)
2. "Fight the Power" - The Dillinger Escape Plan featuring Chuck D (Originally by Public Enemy) (3:57)
3. "Uprising" - iwrestledabearonce (Originally by Muse) (4:16)
4. "War Pigs" - The Acacia Strain (Originally by Black Sabbath) (8:15)
5. "One" – Periphery (Originally by Metallica) (7:12)
6. "Fortunate Son" – The Ghost Inside (Originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival) (2:29)
7. "For What It's Worth" – Winds of Plague (Originally by Buffalo Springfield) (2:40)
8. "Us and Them" – Misery Signals (Originally by Pink Floyd) (7:41)
9. "Masters of War" – Arsonists Get All the Girls (Originally by Bob Dylan) (4:15)
10. "War" – Oceano (Originally by Edwin Starr) (3:58)
11. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" – Veil of Maya (Originally by U2) (4:25)

Sequel

Despite mixed reviews, publisher THQ have confirmed that a sequel to Homefront is in development. As developer Kaos Studios has been shut down, THQ has recruited acclaimed European developer Crytek to develop Homefront 2.^[48] Gaming news site Joystiq was able to confirm that Crytek's Nottingham, U.K. studio will develop Homefront 2 which will use the "latest" CryEngine tech.^[49]

References

1. ^ Plunkett, Luke (May 27, 2009). "THQ Announces "Homefront" By The Guy Who Wrote Red Dawn". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5271161/thq-announces-homefront-by-the-guy-who-wrote-red-dawn. Retrieved 2009-05-27. 
2. ^ "Homefront: Face off". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-homefront-face-off. Retrieved 2011-03-22. 
3. ^ "Homefront PC specs released". New Game Network. http://www.newgamenetwork.com/news/2278/homefront-pc-specs-released/. Retrieved 2011-01-24. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Official game specs on Homefront-Game.com". http://community.homefront-game.com/blog-post/homefront-pc. Retrieved 2011-02-11. 
5. ^ http://www.thq.com/uk/gamenews/show/14623/5501/Homefront THQ Release date info.
6. ^ "日本語版はどう変っているのか――「HOMEFRONT」ローカライズプレゼンテーションリポート" (in Japanese). Gamez. 2011-02-18. http://gamez.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/1102/18/news103.html. Retrieved 2010-03-22. 
7. ^ "Official Homefront Spec Page" (in Japanese). Spike. http://www.spike.co.jp/homefront/spec/index.html. Retrieved 2011-03-22. 
8. ^ "China Is Both Too Scary and Not Scary Enough To Be Video Game Villains". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5732623/china-is-both-too-scary-and-not-scary-enough-to-be-video-game-villains. 
9. ^ "Interview: Kaos Studios' Tae Kim on Homefront". http://www.gamereactor.eu/articles/3995/Interview:+Kaos+Studios'+Tae+Kim+on+Homefront/. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 
10. ^ http://www.homefront-game.com/#/timeline
11. ^ "Homefront 'more Half-Life than Modern Warfare'". CVG. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=254067. Retrieved 2010-06-16. 
12. ^ "Homefront Hands on Demo/Interview". G4TV. http://e3.g4tv.com/videos/46390/E3-2010-Live-Homefront-Hands-On-Demo/. Retrieved 2010-06-16. 
13. ^ http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/03/08/homefronts-short-campaign-prompts-question-is-the-single-player-fps-a-lost-art/
14. ^ Hinkle, David (Oct 6th, 2010). "Homefront multiplayer preview: Funding the war machine". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/06/homefront-multiplayer-preview-funding-the-war-machine. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 
15. ^ http://gamerant.com/homefront-dlc-xbox-360-exclusive-tao-61240/
16. ^ http://forums.gametrailers.com/thread/homefront-servers-down-/1189730
17. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnda77GwJZI
18. ^ http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/67030
19. ^ McDougall, Jaz (Aug 18, 2010). "Gamescom: PC Homefront gets dedicated servers, exclusive content". Gamescom. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=260160. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 
20. ^ Grabowski, Dakota (October 15, 2010). "Homefront Interview: PC Gamers Won’t Be Left Behind". PCGamezone. http://pc.gamezone.com/editorials/item/homefront_interview_pc_gamers_wont_be_left_behind/. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 
21. ^ "Steam store page for homefront". http://store.steampowered.com/app/55100. 
22. ^ "[INTERVIEW] DAVE VOTYPKA, HOMEFRONT". http://totalplaystation.com/ps3/features/9392/. 
23. ^ Kevin Bradford (2011-03-11). "Game advert on YouTube sparks war worry". http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8222816. Retrieved 2011-03-11. 
24. ^ "Homefront not piggybacking on Korean conflict - THQ". CVG. 2010-11-24. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/277457/news/homefront-not-piggybacking-on-korean-conflict-thq/. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
25. ^ Laura Parker (2011-02-06). "Kim Jong-il axed from Homefront in Japan". Gamespot. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6297959.html?sid=6297959&subj=6297959&page=1. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
26. ^ Anoop Gantayat (2011-02-04). "Kim Jong-il Cut From Japanese Homefront Intro". Andriasang. http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/02/04/homefront_changes/. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
27. ^ Phil Owen (2011-02-07). "Japanese Version of Homefront Loses References to North Korea". Game Front. http://www.gamefront.com/japanese-version-of-homefront-loses-references-to-north-korea/. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
28. ^ Jon Donato (2011-03-03). "Homefront Is the Most Pre-Ordered Game in THQ History - News". Game Zone. http://www.gamezone.com/news/item/homefront_is_the_most_pre-ordered_game_in_thq_history/. Retrieved 2011-03-17. 
29. ^ John Gaudiosi (2011-03-16). "The game is already banned in South Korea, but Kaos Studios already saw a record for pre-orders in the U.S.". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/north-korea-invades-america-controversial-168534. Retrieved 2011-03-17. 
30. ^ "Balloon stunt raises anger in San Francisco". Yahoo. 2011-03-04. http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/445-balloon-stunt-raises-anger-in-san-francisco. Retrieved 2011-03-05. 
31. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront for PC - GameRankings". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/960372-homefront/index.html. Retrieved 2011-07-20. 
32. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront for PlayStation 3 - GameRankings". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/960373-homefront/index.html. Retrieved 2011-07-20. 
33. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront for Xbox 360 - GameRankings". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/960374-homefront/index.html. Retrieved 2011-07-20. 
34. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront for PC Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/homefront. Retrieved 2011-09-22. 
35. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront for PlayStation 3 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/homefront. Retrieved 2011-09-22. 
36. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront for Xbox 360 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/homefront. Retrieved 2011-09-22. 
37. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront". 2011-03-14. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/293372/homefront-review-xbox-360-ps3-pc/. Retrieved 2011-07-20. 
38. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront (X360) reviews at". GameSpot. 2011-03-15. http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/homefront/review.html?tag=summary%3Bread-review. Retrieved 2011-07-20. 
39. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront (PC) reviews at". GameZone. 2011-03-17. http://pc.gamezone.com/reviews/item/homefront. Retrieved 2011-07-20. 
40. ^ ^{a b} "Homefront". 2011-03-15. http://pc.ign.com/articles/115/1155729p1.html. Retrieved 2011-09-25. 
41. ^ McCaffrey, Ryan. "Homefront". Official Xbox Magazine. http://www.oxmonline.com/article/reviews/xbox-360/g-l/homefront. Retrieved 2011-07-29. 
42. ^ ^{a b} Ian Dransfield. "Homefront and the value of numbers". Play Magazine. http://www.play-mag.co.uk/opinion/homefront-and-the-value-of-numbers/. Retrieved 2011-07-20. 
43. ^ Alex Coulter (2011-03-15). "Homefront Review". GamingExcellence. http://www.gamingexcellence.com/xbox360/games/2320/review.shtml. Retrieved 2011-03-15. 
44. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/news/6311916.html
45. ^ "Homefront 'will be a decent seller' – analyst". CVG. 2010-10-16. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/293746/homefront-sales-will-be-decent-analyst/. Retrieved 2011-03-16. 
46. ^ Rick, Christopher. "Homefront Novel to Accompany Game Release, More Games Planned?". Gamers Daily News. http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-20461-Homefront-Novel-to-Accompany-Game-Release-More-Games-Planned.html. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 
47. ^ Morris, Chris. "Analysis: Does Going 'Transmedia' Help Game Properties?". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/31163/Analysis_Does_Going_Transmedia_Help_Game_Properties.php. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 
48. ^ http://www.thq.com/uk/news/show/15994
49. ^ http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/homefront-2-developed-by-crytek/

External links

• Official website