Home Sweet Homefront

Saying that the FPS genre is somewhat crowded is a bit of an understatement, but the battle for consumer's time playing online multiplayer is possibly something even more hotly contested, given that it's practically dominated by Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and little else, especially on the consoles. So, you have to wonder whether Kaos and THQ's decision to try and go after a slice of the market with Homefront is wise, although after going hands-on with the game's multiplayer, it certainly has potential with its intriguing in-game economy called 'Battle Points'.
 

Bring out your inner Rambo by raining fiery death from an Apache

Before we get into that sizeable aspect of the game, a little bit of background is in order. Homefront is set amid a terrifyingly plausible future scenario, wherein an alliance between Korea and Japan has been forged, creating the 'Korean Federation', which in turn leads to the subsequent fall and eventual occupation of America in 2027. In single-player, you play as a freedom fighter who is an integral part of the uprising against the occupying forces, in a narrative that recalls the paranoid Hollywood Cold War movies of the '80s, like Red Dawn. Kaos is fully aware of its inspiration for Homefront however, as the studio has enlisted the aid of John Milius, the very same screenwriter and director of the aforementioned film in writing the game's script.

Homefront's multiplayer sees you taking the side of either the Korean or US forces across a variety of expansive maps and varying game modes. 'Ground Control' was the only available mode during our hands-on, starting with 8v8 on the 'Cul-de-Sac' map - which is a desolate American white picket-fenced suburb - where your team fights for control of a series of tactical locations at certain points across the environment. First impressions are that it's very much like Battlefield: Bad Company 2's Rush matches, but with Call of Duty's universally recognised and instinctive control layout copied wholesale, which makes it an easy game to pick up and play.

Before jumping head first into the action though, we need to pick a loadout, which we're told will be fully customisable in the finished version of the game. For now though, we're given a handful of preset weapons to sample, which represent just a small portion of what you'll be find in the full version of Homefront. And that's before taking into account the various upgrades that'll be available to enhance your weaponry. There's still plenty of choice in the Assault, Tri-Burst Assault, Heavy, Stealth, Sniper and SMG loadouts we're presented with however, as well as a generous array of near-future gadgets and perks to take into battle.



Each time you spawn, there's a menu where you can sort your loadout and then jump into the fray as the camera swoops in from a birds-eye perspective and zooms into the action on the ground. This spawn-cam is a fairly minor touch perhaps, but it does give you a useful view of what's going on in your vicinity, so you can get an idea of the direction you need to be heading in to start the making moves on the battlefield. As the Cul-de-Sac map is comparatively small it's easy to navigate, but there are no vehicles. The battle is no less intense, as the narrow streets and bombed-out houses offer plenty of choke points for close-quarters firefights and high vantage points for snipers, but the larger 'Farm' map offers a much better idea of what Homefront is all about.
 

Tanks are as slow as you would expect, so whilst you're packing, you're also vulnerable

Offering support for 16v16 matches, the Farm stage boasts plenty of opportunity for fraught skirmishes between vehicles on the ground and in the air. Caution is advised though as we found our lifespan greatly reduced when manning a tank or a helicopter, since the cost of a rocket launcher is a mere 50 Battle Points, which any player can easily gain in a matter of minutes. This makes you a sitting duck when you're slowly rolling around in a tank or stalking the skies in a helicopter, since anyone can launch a homing Javelin missile or well-aimed RPG to bring you down. That said, you still can't beat the empowerment of cutting through swathes of enemies with an artillery shell or raining down missile-flavoured death from an Apache, regardless of how fleeting the thrill might sometimes be.

During a multiplayer match, you not only have access to your standard array of rifles and pistols, but you're also able to earn Battle Points (BP) in addition to the usual levelling-up XP currency. BP is what developer Kaos – the studio behind Frontlines: Fuel of War – is pinning much of its hopes upon, noting that the unique in-game economy creates an evolving battlefield by offering you the ability to make strategic choices on the fly. Essentially, BP enables you to purchase extra weapons and gadgetry to support your efforts at any time, so you can summon up a remote drone to scout the area, mark up targets for your team and fire off a few tactical missiles, for instance.

Save up enough BP and you'll eventually be able to call in a gunship to drop an airstrike on the opposing team or spawn in a vehicle on your next turn. It's a risk/reward system that can pay dividends if you spend a substantial chunk of your BP on some pricey but potentially tide-turning military hardware. During a match, purchasing support items is mapped to the D-pad, so you can buy extra ammunition with a quick tap on left, have a couple of shots with a rocket launcher on the down direction and call in one-off attacks or remote drones with the other directions depending upon your chosen class.

The more you help your team by executing kills and capturing tactical locations, the more BP you'll accumulate. Points only last for the duration of the match, so it's wise to get spending on as many perks and gadgets you can. Saving your points might earn you enough for an Apache attack helicopter, a tank or a nippy armoured transport, but by spawning in a vehicle, you're effectively painting a massive bulls eye on your back. Again, it's a risk/reward decision that you'll need to carefully weigh up.

Homefront's multiplayer is presently in a pre-alpha state, so the game looks a bit rough around the edges with a few placeholder assets waiting to be replaced. There's no mistaking the overall quality of the multiplayer gameplay though, which is already remarkably robust at this stage in development. It's also good to know that Homefront will have its own dedicated servers upon launch. If Kaos can bring the visuals up to par, tighten things up a bit and deliver on the initial promise of what we've played so far, then we could be looking at another essential FPS to add to the growing list.
 

We don't remember farms being this much fun...

Whether the Battle Points system is the 'game-changer' and exciting new innovation that THQ and Kaos are hoping it will be is a bit of a question mark for now, but Homefront's fundamental multiplayer mechanics are evidently on the right track. If the game can find an audience from the millions currently glued to Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare, this could quite conceivably be a major success. Homefront is tentatively pencilled-in for an early-2011 release.

Most Anticipated Feature: Getting to grips with Homefront's customisable loadouts and BP currency will be a blast for shooter strategists and gung-ho players alike.