Game review: Homefront

Published on Tuesday 22 March 2011 10:46

Entering into the modern military shooter genre is a tricky prospect, thanks to the dominance of Call of Duty. However, Homefront developer Kaos Studios has done so with an intriguing premise.

It's 2015, and Korea has invaded and successfully defeated America, occupying the country and turning the streets into makeshift internment camps.

It's grim stuff, opening with a string of graphic scenes of oppression. While it hits hard at the outset, the single-player campaign is finished in just over four hours.

Short as it may be, Homefront is fun for the duration, but feels incredibly similar to Call of Duty, as if the developer has attempted to imitate the series wholesale.

Set pieces are exciting enough, and missions are varied, but there is no real finesse at play here. It's left to multiplayer to bulk out the package and justify the asking price.

Thankfully, it's a solid effort from the studio, drawing influence from Killzone 3, Battlefield and again Call of Duty to create a hybrid online component that excites.

Competitive play sees you adopting classes, complete with unique gadget and weapon load-outs. Scoring in matches by making kills or capturing objectives levels up your character, all the way to a modest level cap of 50.

There is also a wide selection of perks, bestowing your character with custom abilities. There is a lot to enjoy in the multiplayer component, but it remains a title built around the tenets of others, and not the unique prospect it should have been.

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Homefront

39.99, PC/PS3/Xbox 360

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 2 April, 2011