Homefront by THQ: Finally something different

When I first heard that game developer THQ would be coming out with a new shooter title that would feature a Korean occupation of the United States I did not think much of it, after all the market seemed to be flooded with similar titles, boy was I wrong. For a while now World War II was the setting for every FPS, it was easy to make and did not require any originality or decent story writing because we all get the story part of the game in grammar school.  All a WWII game needs is a battle in France, or if you want to “shake” things up in the pacific.

I did not take long however for the World War II setting to become old and stale so game developers started listening to their fans complaints and created games that took place in the present. Games such as Battlefield 2, Modern Warfare, and the multitude of Tom Clancy titles finally moved the genre out of its stale European conflicts that involved Russia, and innovated the genre by having games set in modern Europe... involving Russia.

Wile the change in setting and war was welcomed by all, gamers could not help but feel that the only thing that was changing was the backdrop and that they really were still playing World War II just with a different face.

The developers of Homefront hope to actually evolve the war FPS rather than simply reskin it. Homefront will add an element not seen in the recent attempt of modern set military shooters and that is the element of humanity. Rather than an army shooting at another army there will be people trying to live their lives in the chaos that is occupied America. The player will assume the role not as a nameless army brute but instead as a citizen fighting in a resistance group against a far superior enemy. One of the first levels starts out in the home of a group of resistance fighters as you as the player look around and explore the homes of the resistance group you will discover that the familiar has become twisted into an unfamiliar state. As the player moves through a house you will see bunk beds and sleeping bags showing that people have adopted a more communal society, as you move through the backyard you see camouflaged coverings hanging over the backyard, you will see gardens where organic food is harvested, large barrels contain the groups water supply and a man on a makeshift stair master pumps water out of the barrels because the Koreans have destroyed the United States’ power grid through a massive Electro Magnetic Pulse that crippled the power grid two years prior, however the most important thing that you will find in the backyard are people, whether it be a man milking a goat, or a child swinging on a swing. This gun-less level sets up the whole emotion of the game, it will give you as the player something to fight for.

Later on in the game the resistance group is fighting a battle in the parking lot of a Lumber Liquidators, and a Hooters restaurant next door. The goal of the attack is a hit and run, unlike other games where your army must eliminate all enemy forces, your resistance force is hopelessly outnumbered by a much more powerful enemy, the only way to stay alive is to strike hard and fast and immediately retreat before the other guys have a chance to figure out what just happened.

As of now we don’t know much of Homefront, but I will continue to watch this game with great interest and I will continue to provide updates on Homefront as I hear them.

I would like to give a shout out to twitter.com/homefrontgame this is a Twitter account set up to market the game and whoever is manning the account provides very prompt responses to fans who talk to that account, its always nice to see a game company that actively communicates and engages with their fans who keep them alive, to bad other companies don’t appreciate the people who give them money. Good for you THQ, that was not supposed to rhyme.