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Homefront: The Revolution is an open-world first person shooter where you must lead the Resistance movement in guerrilla warfare against a superior military force. Immerse yourself in highstakes gameplay where you must lead the resistance movement in tactical guerrilla warfare against a superior North Korean military force. Homefront®: The Revolution is an open-world first person shooter where you must lead the Resistance movement and wage guerrilla warfare.
This section needs expansion. You can help. ( July 2013)The single-player campaign features many elements found in many other video games, such as. It takes 4 to 10 hours to finish the game, all depending on the player's experience. Multiplayer The component of Homefront is focused on large-scale, vehicle-based combat reminiscent of ' first title,. 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 can earn points by completing objectives and increasing their amount of kills, and can choose to spend their points between many small purchases such as weapons, missiles, and drones, or larger, higher cost items like helicopters and tanks.The multiplayer gameplay takes place in the period before the United States Armed Forces were completely scattered.
Each copy of Homefront contains an online pass, granting users access to the full multiplayer experience. Although the online pass is not required to play multiplayer, those who play without an online pass will be unable to progress further than level 5 of the total 75 levels.The online multiplayer function of the game is now defunct due to the sale and closure of THQ in late 2013. Multiplayer is still playable (as of 2017) on PC.Plot Setting and backstory Homefront is set in a dystopic United States, in the year 2027. The game's backstory dates back to the 2010s, where due to the country's military aggression, including its successful nuclear weapons test and the.In 2013 however, one year after the death of, his son and successor, successfully leading to the birth of the Greater Korean Republic (GKR), a technological and economic that comprises the military strength of the North and the economic power of the South. By the year 2015, a war between breaks out, both becoming, devastated the global oil supply, causing to skyrocket to $19.99 per gallon, leaving many countries in debt and causing mass.
This precipitates extreme economic turmoil and massive social unrest in the United States. Subsequently, in 2017, the recalls much of its, particularly. A year later, Japan, significantly weakened due to the diminishing of the, is easily conquered by the GKR and is annexed shortly thereafter, becoming the first GKR puppet state.In 2022, conditions in the United States get worse with and an epidemic that claims six million lives, forcing the to quarantine the country by setting up immigration quotas as the Asian bird flu continues throughout the United States. By 2024, Korea's annexation has continued throughout, including its, giving the GKR an empire reminiscent of 's. Finally, in 2025, the Greater Korean Republic, now a major, launched a supposed advanced that would be a signal of peace, but is actually a secret that detonated a over the U.S., creating an blast that wipes out much of the nation's electrical infrastructure. In the ensuing chaos, the (KPA) launches a massive, starting the Korean-American War.
They seize control of and much of the. Korean paratroopers are deployed over the, and with the U.S. Military severely crippled and scattered, launches a final offensive to take control of the remaining states. However, the Americans were able to counterattack, leaving the free and effectively dividing the nation at the irradiated, with the under GKR occupation, known as the 'New Korean Federation of Occupied America', a of the GKR. Story In 2027, two years after the beginning of the Korean-American War and the beginning of the occupation, Robert Jacobs, a former combat helicopter pilot, is awakened in his apartment in and ordered to a re-education camp in.
Jacobs sees that the Korean troops have seized control of the town, taking potentially valuable residents into custody and executing resistors. However, the bus carrying Jacobs is ambushed by American resistance fighters Connor (a former Marine from ) and Rianna (Hannah Cabell) (a hunting expert from ), 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.
Boone initiates the operation with himself, Jacobs, Connor, Rianna, and Hopper (a technical expert from ).The group plans to steal several tracking beacons from a school used as a, with the help of their 'inside man' Arnie. These beacons are to be placed on fuel trucks so they can be tracked and hijacked. However, Arnie betrays the team in order to protect his children, forcing the team to kill him and eliminate all forces in the camp. They discover a mass grave in the school's baseball field and narrowly escape Korean reinforcements by hiding among the bodies.The rebels continue their attacks on the KPA, assaulting an occupied, where 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 discovered and killed by Korean troops. They also discover that the are attacking a nearby town beyond the wall, as payback for the raid the night before.
The group narrowly escape with other Colorado resistance fighters by breaching the walls enclosing the town.The team has the information that a suitable helicopter is located in a encampment in. As the residents of the camp are violent towards Koreans and Americans alike, the team infiltrates the camp and manages to steal the helicopter. They pursue and hijack the fuel convoy. With Jacobs providing air support, the team continues their trip to San Francisco, where they deliver their jet fuel to aid the U.S. Military there.The U.S. Armed Forces begin their West Coast by trying to retake. They launch an assault from that succeeds in retaking most of the with ground personnel, AA guns, and fighter aircraft, as the reinforcements arrive.
Nearing the San Francisco side of the bridge, the Americans find themselves outgunned by a massive KPA battalion. Although the ground forces have captured and reprogrammed the KPA ground-based air defenses, attaining air superiority for the U.S.
Air Force, the American aircraft cannot identify where to strike due to the smoke, debris and confusion. Realizing that they are at a critical turning point, Connor lights a flare and advances on foot towards the enemy convoy and orders an air strike onto his own position, sacrificing himself to ensure that American ground forces can retake the city.The news of the successful operation is reported by European media, with the counter-attack proving to be a major turning point in America's against the GKR occupation.
With San Francisco taken, many of the West Coast cities are returned to U.S. Hands and the military launches a counter-offensive to take back the occupied states. With these victories, the schedules an emergency meeting, declares war on the Greater Korean Republic, and begin planning an offensive to eradicate the KPA from the United States.Development. Promotion of Homefront at theHomefront 's gameplay has been completely reworked from its origins in, focusing on a more cinematic, character-driven experience.
David Votypka, the design director of Homefront, said that the gameplay would be based around guerrilla-style tactics and would be inspired. The same interview asserted the surroundings were designed to establish a connection with the user by using real companies and brands. The executive producer of the PC version of Homefront, Frank Delise, stated before release that the PC version of the game would feature exclusive content and dedicated servers. Additional exclusive features include clan support, graphics, and first person vehicle cockpits.The antagonists in Homefront were originally intended to be communist Chinese, but were later replaced by a unified Korea for two reasons: the risk of a possible backlash by the and the reality of that made the Chinese 'not that scary,' according to Tae Kim, a former field agent and consultant on the game's backstory. Kim said, '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.' While the story was billed as being written by, reported 'most former employees credit Kaos writer C.J. Kershner with Homefront's script', claiming that Milius wrote not a single word however consulted with Kaos in the writing and direction of the story.
Release Homefront was released on March 15, 2011 in North America, March 17, 2011 in Australia, March 18, 2011 in Europe, and April 14, 2011 in Japan. The game has been released on, as well as the gaming service.Novel THQ announced a tie-in novel, Homefront: The Voice of Freedom, written by and, which follows a group of reporters making their way across America to explore 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. Soundtrack The soundtrack for the game was composed by Matthew Harwood.Homefront:Songs for the Resistanceby. VariousReleased2011,Length53: 59No.TitleArtistLength1.' ' ( cover)4:512.'
' ( cover)featuring3:573.' ' ( cover)4:164.' ' ( cover)8:155.' ' ( cover)7:126.'
' ( cover)2:297.' ' ( cover)2:408.' ' ( cover)7:419.' ' ( cover)4:1510.' ' ( cover)3:5811.' ' ( cover)4:25Total length:53:59Reception ReceptionAggregate scoresAggregatorScore(X360) 71.70%(PS3) 69.33%(PC) 68.89%70/100Review scoresPublicationScore8.6/107.0/107.0/1040/100GameZone8/107/108/1069%Homefront was met with mixed 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 generated a score of 71.70% for the Xbox 360 version, 69.33% for the PlayStation 3 version and 68.89% for the Microsoft Windows version. Review aggregator generated a score of 70 out of 100 across all platforms.praised Kaos studios for the different campaign mode and multiplayer, but criticized most other things. Praised the setting and presentation, while criticizing the short campaign.
Praised 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. According to GameZone, '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.'
THQ stated that first-day sales in North America reached 375,000 copies. THQ announced an estimated 1 million copies sold across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific markets.
As of 3 May 2011 it had shipped 2.6 million units to retail since launch. Controversies The advertising for Homefront has simulated a declaration of war in mainstream websites and media, creating confusion amongst non-gamers. The nature and timing of the advertising created concern in the wake of the and the North Korean, causing mainstream media coverage of the advertising campaign. 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.' For its Japanese release, Homefront has been censored by removing all references to North Korea including pictures of then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. 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)., the game's Japanese/Asian publisher, justified the censorship, stating that to 'use their real names would have been 'malicious' to an 'existing person' and an 'existing country.' 'THQ released 10,000 balloons near as a publicity stunt during the, angering local environmentalists after balloons fell into.
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The game was banned in because of its depiction of a unified Korea under Northern rule. Alexander, Leigh (July 6, 2012). Retrieved August 7, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
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/ Bus Driver: Pilots for re-education. I'm taking them to Facility #1138., (March 15, 2011). Connor: This is Connor Morgan to all Resistance cells. The Oasis is compromised.
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Game Info |
PlatformWin, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One |
PublisherDeep Silver |
DeveloperDambuster Studios |
Release Date2016 |
Homefront: The Revolution lacks the one thing required for a successful uprising: passion.
The out-gunned, outnumbered insurgency trope is a shooter staple. Most recently, the Far Cry franchise has repopularized it, toppling militaristic dictatorships in foreign lands.
But what about taking back America from an oppressive invader? Beginning with the first game in 2011, the Homefront franchise has attempted to capture the spirit of '80s movie Red Dawn — even going so far as to work with that film's director and co-writer John Milius as a 'story consultant' — with mixed results. The second game in the series, Homefront: The Revolution, continues this trend of subversive mediocrity.
Once the action starts, Homefront: The Revolution settles into dull missions and gameplay
In the Homefront universe, North Korea is a technological superpower, providing the United States with cellphones, computers and aircraft carriers. Unfortunately for us, this technology is riddled with back doors and, one day, the North Koreans decide to shut everything down, leaving our borders defenseless. 'The Norks' (the derogatory term used for the North Korean invaders in Homefront) easily storm the West Coast and take over the nation in just a few years.
The Revolution picks up in 2029, with the North Koreans maintaining full control of most of the country. Set in Philadelphia, the game focuses on an insurgent force attempting to retake the city from the Korean People's Army. A full-on assault would be suicide, so guerrilla hit-and-run techniques with makeshift weaponry are the order of the day. You take on the role of one such insurgent, new in town and eager to prove your mettle.
The setup for the universe's story isn't half bad, and it's more grounded than I would have expected. But once the action starts, Homefront: The Revolution settles into dull (and at times painfully frustrating) missions and gameplay.
Much of The Revolution takes place in large open sections of Philadelphia. Upon entering these areas, you're presented with simple go-here-and-collect-this-thing/kill-these-people story sections. Alternately, you can opt for side missions to retake chunks of the city by, well, killing a bunch of people or hacking computer screens. The Revolution seems satisfied to pad its gameplay with familiar side objectives that rely on mindless shooting and bad first-person platforming.
A few hours in, The Revolution does seem to be taking things in a unique direction, though. Certain areas of the city, called Yellow Zones, are civilian areas occupied by the North Koreans. Unlike the mindless combat of the Red Zones, here you have to use stealth and subversion to turn the populace to your side. It was an exciting few moments, until I realized that turning the populace to my side meant side missions like 'turn on this radio' and 'give this homeless person ten bucks' (seriously). Do enough of these and the area will unlock a new story mission. Hooray.
Your reward for completing these objectives is currency to unlock new weapons and perks. Some of these, like a pneumatic pistol that requires steam pressure to fire or a remote-controlled buggy attached to a hack device, are interesting, but mostly you'll find yourself using familiar machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket launchers.
Beyond this gear there's little sense of progression, and the thrill of a new environment certainly isn't enough encouragement to keep you going. There's usually a sense of excitement when it comes to exploring wide-open areas in games, but instead of the inviting mountains of Far Cry or the majestic minarets of Assassin's Creed, Homefront leaves you mucking around in a crumbling, ugly metropolis. There's just one area in the game that doesn't look dilapidated, and it's quickly replaced by a bland, foggy expanse that looks like it just survived a nuclear attack. It's far from the travel brochure the city of Philadelphia might have been hoping for, and it lacks the occasional landmarks and bright spots that make Fallout's worlds so much more inviting.
CO-OP
While The Revolution's campaign doesn't offer any multiplayer, there is Resistance Mode, which offers co-op if that's something you're looking for. Set across the campaign's larger maps, the co-op mode lets you and three other freedom fighters team up to complete the same dull objectives from the campaign. As if you hadn't already had enough of 'defend this point while your buddy hacks a computer.'
Resistance Mode does offer a peculiar character creation and unlock system, letting you customize your created hero as you level up. Vanity items are paired with weapon and skill enhancements that increase your ability to revive friends or your damage resistance.
Many of the customization items rely on a 'random box' mechanic that feels destined for copious in-app purchasing (assuming anyone will want to play this mode for more than a couple of hours and spend real-world money in a middling game, which seems unlikely).
The one way this dry world could be brought to life would be through a fun, original story and cast of characters, but Homefront: The Revolution is uniformly charmless throughout. The writing settles for cliche wherever it can. Missions are bookended by painful dialogue from cigar-munching soldiers. Eye-rolling exclamations like 'the people are ready to rise up, they just don't know it yet!' and 'it's every shade of crazy, but it'll work!' are frequent and painful.
The story reaches the same low bar, with predictable beats of friends sacrificed for the greater good and suspicious allies who turn out to be (gasp!) working for the enemy. There's hardly any story development or arc, either. It's a simple tale of taking back a city without ever striving for something more. It's as thrilling as reading a Wikipedia page.
Wrap Up:
Homefront: The Revolution is doing little more than checking off boxes
Perhaps the saddest thing about Homefront: The Revolution is that it's capably developed. It's not buggy (at least not in the PC version I played) and it runs smoothly. The guns feel fine; the lone vehicle (a motorcycle) is easy to control. But there's never a moment that feels like it's reaching for something more than a check-the-boxes open-world shooter. A successful insurgency swings the people in its favor with fancy ideals and arguments for why things can be better. The real city of Philadelphia knows this all too well. But Homefront's Philadelphia likely would have laid down for the British rather than suffer through another collection mission.
Homefront: The Revolution was reviewed using a pre-release Steam code provided by Deep Silver. You can find additional information about Polygon's ethics policy here.
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