PaulH
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ElizabethS
War sucks. Especially when it takes place on your own soil. While I'm not American, the story of Homefront sure does hit home with its bleak speculative future of the declining state of the United States of America. The first-person shooter developed by Kaos Studios, makers of Frontlines: Fuel of War, is one of the most controversial games yet, not just because it's premised on the unlikely occupation of the USA, but the militant occupants just happens to be a unified Greater Korean Republic. Talk about hitting some touchy chords.
The PS3, Xbox 360, and PC game will be hitting North American shelves on March 15. No stranger to the FPS genre, the PC version is being developed by Canadian-based developer Digital Extremes, makers of the Unreal Tournament series and the multiplayer component of Bioshock 2.
Homefront is set in a near future America in 2027, two years after the occupation of a nuclear-armed Korean People's Army. The story for the game is being written by John Milius whom you might recognize as a veteran movie writer for such classic films as Red Dawn and Apocalypse now.
Interestingly enough, it seems the original antagonists of the game were supposed to be the Chinese but Danny Bilson, an executive at THQ, told Kotaku in an interview that "they're just not that scary." There was also the issue of potentially stirring the ire of Chinese officials which could have long-term ramifications for the worldwide game publisher. So China was out, North Korean was in.
But the switch-a-roo wasn't over.
Seems the Japanese rating board's CERO guidelines dictates the portrayal of existing countries and people and they took issue to the game's fictitious passing away of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il, demanding changes to the content of the game. The solution? Homefront's Japanese publisher Spike removed Kim Jong-il from the opening cinematic and called the replacement militant figure a "Northern Leader" of "A Certain Country to the North." North of the USA you say? Surely it can't be Canada. Well, looks like Canada is a sub-in for the Japanese release at least.
We're in North America though, and so for our version of the game North Korea will be the main protagonist. Reportedly set in Montrose, Colorado, the personal, story-driven single-player campaign follows the desperate American Civilian Resistance forces as they fight to reclaim control of their homeland from the clutches of the oppressive Greater Korean Republic occupants. The gameplay is said to utilize guerrilla warfare tactics as you fight your way across occupied USA, commandeering military vehicles and acquiring advanced drone technology to defeat your enemy.
Homefront also features a robust multiplayer mode supporting up to 32-players in huge combat zones where players can engage in large-scale guerrilla warfare and earn battle system points which can be use to purchase additional weapons, gear and vehicles. THQ has announced that in preparation for the release of Homefront the company is setting dedicated servers in multiple locations around the world to facilitate smooth gameplay and to level the playing field compared to titles that rely on user-hosted games.
“Homefront isn’t about going to war on the other side of the world or battling aliens from another planet; it’s about fighting foreign invaders in your own backyard and defending your right to live,” said David Votypka, design director, Kaos Studios. “Homefront combines the unsettling notion of an occupied America with interactive, player-driven narratives to create a deeply engaging single and multiplayer experience.”
THQ is expecting big sales for Homefront with over 200,000 pre-orders -- the largest ever for the company -- and Lazard Capital video game analyst Colin Sebastian predicts the shooter will ship 1.5 million units this month. That's a pretty impressive forecast for a brand new IP.
Whereas we'll be enjoying Homefront this coming Tuesday, around the world they'll have wait a bit with the game coming out March 17 in Australia, March 18 in Europe and Japan will be waiting until April 29.
You can check out the Future Shop product page for Homefront (PS3/Xbox 360/PC) by clicking here.
Homefront is rated M for Mature (17+).
For more information check out the official Homefront website at www.defendyourhomefront.com.
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