By Quintin Smith on March 14th, 2011 at 9:56 am.
Good morning, good morning, my frail and noble villagers of this leaky hamlet we call PC gaming. Homefront‘s out in America tomorrow and in Europe and Australia on Friday, so if you ever wanted to shoot a man with a gun then this is the week for you. All the reviews I can find online are 9/10s so far, which sounds good. The launch trailer awaits you below, packed tightly with footage of expensive military hardware blowing up. Better than any morning cup of tea, eh?
Best bit? 1:22! “This is a war of the people. By the people.” What? As opposed to what, exactly? A war fought by… plants? But then WHO CARES because a truck smashes into a school bus and all is bitchin’ with the world.
14/03/2011 at 10:08 stahlwerk says:
For a game set in americana, I can’t believe they wasted their one shot at having a launch trailer that featured a trailer actually being launched, preferably by an explosion.
14/03/2011 at 13:20 Peter Radiator Full Pig says:
And I cant believe Quinns wasted that epic pun on something like a trailer!
14/03/2011 at 15:14 DJ Phantoon says:
Please. We’re not THAT vapid.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to attend a gunclub/motorcross rally/eating contest/illegal fireworks stand themed wedding (which will last a year at most) at my nearest Megachurch (yes these are all the same thing).
14/03/2011 at 22:40 televizor says:
I didn’t get the pun. Wait, don’t shoot, I’m not an English speaking colonialist.
14/03/2011 at 10:14 Jetsetlemming says:
“The People” as opposed to “The Soldiers”. You could psychoanalyze that statement and its implied dehumanization if you wanted, probably.
Anyway, I’m very surprised to hear that apparently this is a decent game. I thought it was going to be bad for sure, mostly due to prejudging the daft concept of North Korea taking over the entire world.
14/03/2011 at 10:23 Teddy Leach says:
As a side effect of being qualified in psychology, I do things like that automatically. It gets annoying after a while.
14/03/2011 at 11:55 suibhne says:
Where did you get the notion that this is apparently a decent game? All of the previews I read made it sound pretty frustrating – so scripted that it’s almost on rails.
14/03/2011 at 12:52 Bhazor says:
I especially liked “The army have every right to take whatever they want as they fight to prevent the communist army from taking your things away”. I don’t think that distinction is quite as large as they think. Reminds me of “Invasion USA” (the MST3K version not the Chuck Norris version).
14/03/2011 at 15:16 DJ Phantoon says:
I thought Homefront was supposed to take place in the future where Korea somehow merged or something and became a minor world superpower whereas America languished due to the economic fall?
I can’t remember what the plot was said to be and it STILL makes more sense than ANYTHING in Modern Warfare 2.
14/03/2011 at 10:15 Ravenger says:
It’s a retail exclusive in the UK, just like Metro 2033. Seems bonkers to not allow a Steamworks game that requires Steam to be bought on Steam in the UK.
Given that PC retail is almost dead here it’s got to have an adverse effect on sales, and that’s bad for the viability of the multiplayer game, which is a shame because it sounds pretty good.
A multiplayer demo for this sort of game is essential too.
14/03/2011 at 10:29 Nathan says:
This. It’s a hugely frustrating move on the part of whoever’s responsible that makes me want to scream straight in their face.
14/03/2011 at 10:16 cliffski says:
Edge magazine hated it, for what that’s worth.
14/03/2011 at 10:22 Orija says:
Edge’s reviews are amongst the few that I actually trust.
14/03/2011 at 10:32 Hoaxfish says:
Edge is the only magazine I can think of that actually treats gaming like an industry worthy of analysis, rather than some foaming-at-the-mouth celebrity magazine.
14/03/2011 at 15:21 DJ Phantoon says:
I dunno man. They think a zelda game is better than Super Metroid. In fact they thought that game was better than Half-Life 2, which is just heresy. HERESY!
14/03/2011 at 10:16 BAshment says:
Forget this, where is freedom fighters 2?
14/03/2011 at 10:23 Teddy Leach says:
That’s what I’d like to know.
14/03/2011 at 10:24 GenBanks says:
here here.
also, north korean occupation in two years is just too crazy. World in Conflict was hard enough to believe (soviet army sneaking into seattle on cargo ships?) but at least it was a superpower.
16/03/2011 at 11:52 RegisteredUser says:
Nevermind that, where is the true Freedom Force 2?
14/03/2011 at 10:23 Jonathan says:
The thing that’s sticking in my craw is them defending the five hour SP campaign as “competitive” with its peers. Whatever happened to decent-length AAA shooters?
14/03/2011 at 10:37 qrter says:
The first CoD: Modern Warfare, that’s what happened.
14/03/2011 at 10:47 stahlwerk says:
That’s, like, the time it took 10-year-old-me to get through “The Largo Embargo”.
14/03/2011 at 18:34 MattM says:
I wouldn’t say a 30 hour FPS campaign is twice as good as a 15 hour one. In Doom 3 the campaign would have been better if the middle 1/3 had been edited down by a few hours. However, under 10 hours seems too short to me. Just as you get comfortable with the mechanics and are ready for the most challenging battles the game ends. These sub 10 hour campaigns always seem to only tell half a story. I am pretty sick of always having the story cut off half way as a sequel hook. Its a terrible way to write a story. Even if the story gets continued in the next game, by the time it comes out the audience has forgotten or become less invested in the story. The second game also loses the opportunity to tell its own story. I am more likely to buy a sequel if the previous game told a complete satisfying story.
14/03/2011 at 10:24 Javier-de-Ass says:
or, forget this; Theatre of War 3 Korea next week!
14/03/2011 at 10:26 Kerbobotat says:
Huh. I was about to say to myself before the Trailer started. “This kinda reminds me of Red Dawn, they should make a game out of that!”
And there you go.
14/03/2011 at 13:34 P3RF3CT D3ATH says:
The writer of Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now, John Milius, wrote the story of Homefront.
14/03/2011 at 15:03 sherm Churlish says:
Also, for lebowski fans, walter was modeled on that writer.
14/03/2011 at 10:28 Hoaxfish says:
dubb “so ronery” over the top of it
14/03/2011 at 10:40 Teddy Leach says:
Happy birthday! http://tubedubber.com/#yTmRlo6EHMU:xh_9QhRzJEs:0:100:0:0:true
14/03/2011 at 10:33 konrad_ha says:
Either the trailers for this game are totally misleading or this is the most patriotic game EVER! Either way, I feel the urge to fuck a Bald Eagle now.
14/03/2011 at 10:41 Hoaxfish says:
It’s a bit like that law that says if someone breaks into your house you can shoot them.
Invading North Korea would be in poor taste, because America would be the aggressor spreading “freedom”… but if North Koran invades America, then America can play both underdog victim and super kickass freedom hero, without any of that moral ambiguity or diplomacy.
14/03/2011 at 11:02 Teddy Leach says:
They clearly wanted this to be the trailer: http://tubedubber.com/#yTmRlo6EHMU:IhnUgAaea4M:0:100:0:0:true
14/03/2011 at 11:03 Dreamhacker says:
“Invading North Korea would be in poor taste, because America would be the aggressor spreading “freedom”…”
No, that would be original writing! A game that stars the player as a North Korean soldier? Unprecedented! Main stream media would implode in rage, the amount of free advertising for the game would be unfathomable!
14/03/2011 at 14:18 Grape Flavor says:
@Hoaxfish
It’s called the “Castle Doctrine” and it’s an excellent law.
If you want to desperately flee into the night while thugs commandeer your home, and wait until the fuzz arrives and the criminals have already had their way and gone, you would be still free to do so under the law. But this shouldn’t be forced on others under threat of felony charges.
Hey – If you don’t want to get shot, don’t break into people’s houses, fucko. Yeah sure, you could opine about socioeconomics and the “desperation” of criminals, but the way to solve those problems is not to enable criminals.
Opinions on this doctrine vary of course depending on how you prioritize the citizen’s right to security vs. the rights of assholes to not face the consequences of their behavior. :)
14/03/2011 at 14:28 JFS says:
Grape Flavor, you’re bound to have a lot of fun with Homefront!
14/03/2011 at 14:35 Grape Flavor says:
@JFS
Um, actually, no, the two topics aren’t really related at all.
I’d ask you what your reasoning is to connect the two, but it’s probably incredibly stupid and you’d just embarrass yourself.
14/03/2011 at 14:47 Orija says:
Patriots, an untapped consumer base.
http://img535.imageshack.us/f/1299926235385.jpg/
Courtesy, 4chan
14/03/2011 at 15:40 DJ Phantoon says:
As Malcolm Reynolds said in one episode of Firefly: If anyone tries to kill you, you kill them right back!
Which is our side in a nutshell, basically. Now, that’s not going to change your mind, obviously. That’s our side of it, which I hope you’ll take the time to read my comments below and understand our side.
It’s not like most people (save for a few sick people) support such a law because they WANT to kill a person, but they support it because if someone breaks into your house in the middle of the night, they could very well be desperate enough to kill you. I mean, they already broke in. Most people do so for a reason, anyways. If you’re dead, there’s no witnesses. And if someone breaks into your house, you’re going to be some form of scared. That means you won’t be acting rationally then. You can’t depend on the police to come in time to save you, either, especially if you have no way to leave your house safely.
The two things are similiar, in a way: If you not only trespass but do so aggressively, you will be shot.
And yes, the “by the people” line doesn’t work, because the trailer is so busy being SERIOUS. The Gettysburg Address being so intergreally important to American history, they figured shoehorning it in would be fine. But the trailer isn’t funny, so it sticks out.
14/03/2011 at 16:07 Bhazor says:
“Most people do so for a reason, anyways. If you’re dead, there’s no witnesses.”
Burgalry is very different to murder in every way including punishments. Generally (999999 out of 1000000) burglars don’t want to kill your children or salt your earth. They just want to steal your telly.
“And if someone breaks into your house, you’re going to be some form of scared. That means you won’t be acting rationally then.”
Which is exactly the best frame of mind to be in when wandering around the house with a loaded gun.
Honestly you’d be better off just buying a decent set of locks or a burglar alarm.
14/03/2011 at 21:07 Mister Yuck says:
Castle laws’ only purpose is to defend murderers. Those who use their guns for self-defense are already protected by the law. It’s not a crime to kill someone who is threatening your life. Castle laws exist to protect people who think that justice comes from the barrel of a gun, or that a bag of loot is worth killing someone over, like this Texas man who shot a man fleeing from a burglary:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/17/national/main3517564.shtml?source=mostpop_story
14/03/2011 at 10:35 ReV_VAdAUL says:
The first bit of music in the trailer is like a more menacing macerana.
As with Crysis (whose use of NK as an enemy didn’t seem to bother people as much) North Koreans have been chosen as the enemy simply because its the one territory that definitely wont buy games so making them out to be villains doesn’t harm sales.
14/03/2011 at 10:56 Inigo says:
It’s been banned in South Korea as well.
It was originally supposed to be China invading, but the employees at THQ’s Chinese offices weren’t hugely thrilled at the possibility of being dragged out onto the street and shot in the back of the head.
14/03/2011 at 10:58 Teddy Leach says:
I’ll just leave this here.
http://tubedubber.com/#yTmRlo6EHMU:sN62PAKoBfE:0:100:0:0:true
14/03/2011 at 11:18 GameOverMan says:
Eeeeeh, Macarena. Aaaay
14/03/2011 at 10:45 Optimaximal says:
http://bit.ly/ehJpJg
…
14/03/2011 at 15:38 Stupoider says:
I would applaud a Day of the Triffids game.
14/03/2011 at 10:47 Triangulon says:
I have to say this has a lot to do to live up to these expectations Mr Quinns. My cup of tea this morning was exquisite.
14/03/2011 at 10:56 Fwiffo says:
Everybody knows this is going to be on-rails shite with dull campy multiplayer and all the positive reviews are bought or forced. Right? You know that and you’re just messing with my head right?
14/03/2011 at 11:00 Xercies says:
A war fought by plants is The Happenning and it was terrible, though some parts were really funny.
14/03/2011 at 11:01 Bilbo says:
Sort of looks like MW2 but good. I’m still skeptical though. Time to hit some reviews…
14/03/2011 at 11:02 stahlwerk says:
Those Helos at 0:37 seemed unfamiliar, and at first I wondered why they’d deploy Eurocopters to north america, but then I found this one: http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/helicopter/z10.asp
So, I heard they had swapped the aggressors from the PRoChina to NK for “political reasons” yet didn’t bother to downgrade their equipment to what NK actually could afford to use? </pet_peeve>
14/03/2011 at 11:10 P7uen says:
AND ANOTHER THING!
Why do all the air and space pilots fly their craft directly into the things they just freshly exploded?
It’s dangerous! Some kind of military teabagging ritual that I’m not aware of?
14/03/2011 at 11:18 stahlwerk says:
That’s easy: the baptism of fire reinforces their messianic imagery and facilitates the attribution of capability for deliverance by the audience. Also they can go “whoo-hoo” while doing it.
14/03/2011 at 11:53 Bilbo says:
That was the comment of 2011, right there. I love you, Stahlwerk
14/03/2011 at 13:27 Nick says:
I love you guys.
14/03/2011 at 13:36 stahlwerk says:
HUGFACE!
14/03/2011 at 11:07 Nallen says:
Korea Criminal?
Just…wow.
14/03/2011 at 11:09 stahlwerk says:
It made me feel Il, too.
14/03/2011 at 11:17 Shadowcat says:
It’s generally not a surprise to see Quintin’s name on the by-line :)
14/03/2011 at 11:41 adonf says:
I don’t get it…
14/03/2011 at 11:56 stahlwerk says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoMdkyeZOqE#t=2m25s
14/03/2011 at 12:13 adonf says:
wow…
14/03/2011 at 12:42 Bhazor says:
I miss the days of when bands could be named after things. Not specific people or places, just things.
14/03/2011 at 11:09 Shadowcat says:
What is up with the lighting/colour in that trailer? It’s really weird. Too dark, with over-saturated colour, perhaps? It might be a stylistic choice, but it doesn’t really come across that way; it just looks messed up.
Is the game actually like that?
14/03/2011 at 11:10 drewski says:
Are there any proper reviews of this up yet? I want my prejudices confirmed dammit.
14/03/2011 at 12:40 Bhazor says:
Oh God will someone please invade America already? They’re clearly gagging for it.
14/03/2011 at 12:49 Navagon says:
“What? As opposed to what, exactly?”
It’s standard bullshit rhetoric. Which probably makes it the single most convincing aspect of the script from what I’ve seen so far.
14/03/2011 at 14:50 Grape Flavor says:
I think the implication of the phrase is supposed to be of a war with broad popular involvement and active engagement of the citizenry. As opposed to a war managed by the state and isolated to professional soldiers.
Actually, it’s just a catchphrase that they thought would sound cool in their trailer. But I think it’s being rather obtuse to claim non-comprehension of what the phrase would mean were it being used in a serious context.
14/03/2011 at 12:56 JFS says:
Oh my. 10,000 helicopters in the sky, all exploding. And the music… war has never been so happy-go-lucky.
14/03/2011 at 13:26 Nick says:
9/10 reviews? Must be AMAZING.
¬_¬
14/03/2011 at 15:42 DJ Phantoon says:
The tenth review didn’t make it. The magazine that was to review it got conquered by Namibia.
14/03/2011 at 13:51 El_MUERkO says:
Trailer has “BRRRRAAAMMMMMMM” so it must be good!
14/03/2011 at 14:31 Grape Flavor says:
haha that was great
14/03/2011 at 14:06 WebFusion says:
It must suck to have the graphics on your brand new game look dated before it even launches….but again, that’s what you get for porting console games to the PC.
14/03/2011 at 14:12 pagad says:
The premise is just too ludicrous for a game this po-faced.
14/03/2011 at 14:37 Grape Flavor says:
I know. I think the success of this game lies in your ability to be immersed in the story. And the whole basis for said story is so utterly absurd that it’d be pretty goddamn hard.
14/03/2011 at 14:22 Mister_Inveigler says:
Mmmm, patriotic porn.
*fap, fap, fap* AAAAMERICCCCA! Hooohaaaaah! ….”phew”
>_> Sorry, that’s what this trailer makes me think of. *coughs*
14/03/2011 at 14:40 DarkFenix says:
It seems in the last few years Americans have developed a real fetish for being invaded (World in Conflict, Modern Warfare 2, now this).
Can someone hurry up and actually invade them so they can get over this shit?
14/03/2011 at 15:02 sherm Churlish says:
We’re just sick of no one ever coming to our house to party.
14/03/2011 at 16:14 Anthile says:
Fearmongering.
14/03/2011 at 23:09 Hmm-Hmm. says:
World in Conflict was by Massive.. which is swedish.
14/03/2011 at 14:43 Yargh says:
after reading John’s preview http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/02/22/hands-on-preview-homefront/
I can only assume that all the review tasks for this game we given to people who gave the recent Call of Duty’s single player top marks for being scripted into a straightjacket.
14/03/2011 at 14:51 mollemannen says:
i really need a demo on this one.
14/03/2011 at 15:30 Iskariot says:
I really expected a lot from this one. When I heard about a single player campaign that lasts for about 5 hours I immediately removed it from my ‘to buy’ list. For a lazy 5 hour game I will not pay more than 10 bucks at most. Never ever will I reward a game developer that has the audacity to ask 50 or 60 bucks for a game I can play through in a single afternoon. It is offensive to me. I’ll keep an eye on the bargain bin, but I might not even bother at all.
14/03/2011 at 15:43 DJ Phantoon says:
Quinns gets an honorary American sticker for the line “all is bitchin’ with the world”.
14/03/2011 at 16:12 MrWeed says:
Oh please, I’m so sick of this.
Someone invade them already!
14/03/2011 at 16:45 JFS says:
It seems it’s about time for… BRITISH INVASION part two!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zibL9SbiUG8&playnext=1&list=PLCFD09FCD0658D19B
Screaming Americans on the streets! Screaming Americans on television! Screaming Americans everywhere!
14/03/2011 at 22:49 theleif says:
I think it’s time for Croatian Invation!
14/03/2011 at 23:16 JFS says:
Osama Beats Laden! Dee Day! Get it NOOOOOW :D
14/03/2011 at 17:42 GT3000 says:
Irony hasn’t been reached just yet until I play this with my girlfriend who is Korean. Love can conquer a 5.56 to the face. <3
14/03/2011 at 17:49 wazups2x says:
Don’t care about the singleplayer. This games all about the multiplayer.
14/03/2011 at 18:02 satsui says:
This hits close to home, literally. I live in Colorado.
14/03/2011 at 19:08 kommissarnicko says:
Me too. That’s why this game is so fucking offensive. It VERY STRONGLY IMPLIES that there are White Castles in Colorado, which there are VERY FUCKING NOT. Bastards couldn’t even be bothered to do their research first.
15/03/2011 at 06:40 amishmonster says:
I even have friends specifically in Montrose, so seeing that opening to the trailer is admittedly creepy.
14/03/2011 at 21:49 Temple to Tei says:
Well that fucked my day up. Thanks Orija.