Article w/trailer
I enjoyed the first Homefront.
Homefront: The Revolution
I'm probably the only one here who played the first one, but here's 10 minutes of gameplay from the sequel.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
I played for an hour or two, but didn't like how my then-PC couldn't handle the graphics. Always meant to get back to it but just haven't. I should.Leisher wrote:I'm probably the only one here who played the first one, but here's 10 minutes of gameplay from the sequel.
I seem to recall commenting on the "History Channel-type exposition," telling the story with a voice narrator and oil paintings with Abrams tanks and gunships and shit.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Homefront: The Revolution
So there was news on the development of this game that I missed. Apparently, the developer went under and they were picked up by someone else, and then had to work with a really small team. This all gets discussed in a message after beating the main story. Thus, I will forgive the number of bugs in the game and a lack of polish. However, I want to note that NO BUG or lack of polish is game killing. Everything is stuff you'll think to yourself "Oh, they clearly had an issue there", but you can continue playing without issue.
That all being said, I enjoyed the hell out of this game.
I like FPSs and I like modern weaponry. Combine that with a timeline where the U.S. is the occupied country, and you have a great atmosphere. The story here is excellent despite moments where you know they were rushed due to the stuff mentioned earlier.
You're Ethan Brady and you're a new recruit in the Resistance. You're based in Philly and the leader of the Resistance, Walker, is on his way. Shit goes south and now you're fighting to keep the Resistance going against the KPA (Norks for slang), who are essentially North Korea, but if I remember from the first game, they're all of Korea? They're also very technologically advanced.
More on the story in a bit because this game does something I've never seen before.
The game play feels good. It didn't initially. I was actually thrown WAY off by the aiming and even dropped mouse sensitivity to its lowest level. I was pretty pissed thinking I would be shelving this game as unplayable. I even stopped playing it for two nights. Then I returned and gave it an hour. I am very glad I did. Maybe it had been a while since I had played any FPS other than Rust, but I was not prepared for the inaccuracy they give you as a rookie recruit. Once I realized that recoil and your shakiness improves as you purchase new equipment, all my fears disappeared. By the end, I was a killing machine, yet still able to be dropped quite easily. I guess it does get easier after that first one...
Anyway, I played on "normal" difficulty, which isn't called that, but you'll figure it out. Very nice challenge. At times I was the ultimate killing machine that couldn't be stopped, but I could still be stopped quite easily. It's not a one shot=you die game, but you also can't tank your way through enemies.
Enemies are almost all human and come in different favors: Normal, Slightly Tougher Captains, Chemsuit wearing dudes, Fireproof guys, female Snipers, and heavily armored guys with miniguns. The non-human enemies are: Seekers (Drones that spot you and call baddies to you), Jeeps with an AI(?) minigun on top, a Wolverine that is an AI laster turret on treads, and the Goliath which is a rocket shooting tank. You also need to avoid enemy cameras.
Levels range from pretty big to tiny. Objectives vary throughout the story, and with the optional side missions given out as jobs at a job board. These jobs are a great example of where you can see issues in development. If you're a completionist, you'll want to knock these out before advancing the story at all. Some jobs become impossible yet still available if you drive the story forward too far. For example, one job has you photographing collaborators, but if you've inspired the people in their district to fight back, there are no more clabs to photo. Some of the jobs might require a quick Google search to see what the hell you're looking for too.
Ammo and health can be found around the city in stashes the Stronghold have hidden. Look for blue paint. There are also dirt bikes around the city that can be ridden. Another example of ideas they had that they had to abandon. Riding them is slightly wonky, but manageable. Only twice in the story do you have to ride one, and it's almost on rails, so no concerns there.
Back to the story, once I finished it I realized there were three other stories aside from the main one. Each is a good 30 minutes, give or take, in length. The first is a prequel to the main story, and it wouldn't hurt anything if you played it prior to the main story. In fact, you might get a kick out of it. The other two take place after the events of the story and reflect what's been happening. "Aftermath" was decent and ties up a dangling plot thread. The ending of the third one "Beyond the Walls" is pretty kick ass. I honestly wonder if those little bits were the original game or something added on later? Very different feel. Don't forget to quickly convert your weapons when you start each one or your aim will be wonky again.
I definitely got my money's worth here and I hope they are able to give us a sequel. I'd recommend this game to anyone that enjoys FPSs, particularly ones set in a more realistic, modern setting and not in Hell or on an alien planet.
Right now, there's a Humble Bundle offering Homefront, Homefront: The Revolution, and a bunch of other games, including the Saint's Row games for $15. Although, note that it says Homefront: The Revolution Standard Edition. If that means it doesn't have those three additional story line, I'd recommend getting it or them during the next Steam sale. The story they complete are worth it.
Ignore the bugs, there's a really good game and story here that's all the more impressive considering the obstacles the developers faced.
That all being said, I enjoyed the hell out of this game.
I like FPSs and I like modern weaponry. Combine that with a timeline where the U.S. is the occupied country, and you have a great atmosphere. The story here is excellent despite moments where you know they were rushed due to the stuff mentioned earlier.
You're Ethan Brady and you're a new recruit in the Resistance. You're based in Philly and the leader of the Resistance, Walker, is on his way. Shit goes south and now you're fighting to keep the Resistance going against the KPA (Norks for slang), who are essentially North Korea, but if I remember from the first game, they're all of Korea? They're also very technologically advanced.
More on the story in a bit because this game does something I've never seen before.
The game play feels good. It didn't initially. I was actually thrown WAY off by the aiming and even dropped mouse sensitivity to its lowest level. I was pretty pissed thinking I would be shelving this game as unplayable. I even stopped playing it for two nights. Then I returned and gave it an hour. I am very glad I did. Maybe it had been a while since I had played any FPS other than Rust, but I was not prepared for the inaccuracy they give you as a rookie recruit. Once I realized that recoil and your shakiness improves as you purchase new equipment, all my fears disappeared. By the end, I was a killing machine, yet still able to be dropped quite easily. I guess it does get easier after that first one...
Anyway, I played on "normal" difficulty, which isn't called that, but you'll figure it out. Very nice challenge. At times I was the ultimate killing machine that couldn't be stopped, but I could still be stopped quite easily. It's not a one shot=you die game, but you also can't tank your way through enemies.
Enemies are almost all human and come in different favors: Normal, Slightly Tougher Captains, Chemsuit wearing dudes, Fireproof guys, female Snipers, and heavily armored guys with miniguns. The non-human enemies are: Seekers (Drones that spot you and call baddies to you), Jeeps with an AI(?) minigun on top, a Wolverine that is an AI laster turret on treads, and the Goliath which is a rocket shooting tank. You also need to avoid enemy cameras.
Levels range from pretty big to tiny. Objectives vary throughout the story, and with the optional side missions given out as jobs at a job board. These jobs are a great example of where you can see issues in development. If you're a completionist, you'll want to knock these out before advancing the story at all. Some jobs become impossible yet still available if you drive the story forward too far. For example, one job has you photographing collaborators, but if you've inspired the people in their district to fight back, there are no more clabs to photo. Some of the jobs might require a quick Google search to see what the hell you're looking for too.
Ammo and health can be found around the city in stashes the Stronghold have hidden. Look for blue paint. There are also dirt bikes around the city that can be ridden. Another example of ideas they had that they had to abandon. Riding them is slightly wonky, but manageable. Only twice in the story do you have to ride one, and it's almost on rails, so no concerns there.
Back to the story, once I finished it I realized there were three other stories aside from the main one. Each is a good 30 minutes, give or take, in length. The first is a prequel to the main story, and it wouldn't hurt anything if you played it prior to the main story. In fact, you might get a kick out of it. The other two take place after the events of the story and reflect what's been happening. "Aftermath" was decent and ties up a dangling plot thread. The ending of the third one "Beyond the Walls" is pretty kick ass. I honestly wonder if those little bits were the original game or something added on later? Very different feel. Don't forget to quickly convert your weapons when you start each one or your aim will be wonky again.
I definitely got my money's worth here and I hope they are able to give us a sequel. I'd recommend this game to anyone that enjoys FPSs, particularly ones set in a more realistic, modern setting and not in Hell or on an alien planet.
Right now, there's a Humble Bundle offering Homefront, Homefront: The Revolution, and a bunch of other games, including the Saint's Row games for $15. Although, note that it says Homefront: The Revolution Standard Edition. If that means it doesn't have those three additional story line, I'd recommend getting it or them during the next Steam sale. The story they complete are worth it.
Ignore the bugs, there's a really good game and story here that's all the more impressive considering the obstacles the developers faced.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell