With the dust now settling on THQ and Kaos Studio’s recent FPS, Homefront, it seems like a good idea to consider what elements could be improved upon if the franchise is to have a future. We were certainly very positive about Homefront in our review, but it was a game not without its flaws. So what are the rough edges that would need a sanding down in Homefront 2?
Less Patriotism
Apologies in advance for stepping on anyone’s toes with this one. My usually snobbish nature regarding stories in games was somewhat appeased by the fact that the story in Homefront wasn’t actually half bad. With some interesting set-pieces and a well evoked atmosphere, the single player had an impressive campaign; at least to begin with. What started off as a unique subversion of a guerilla warfare story, soon descends into very extreme patriotism. I can understand why it’s their, but it’s very in your face and potentially limits the appeal of the game to non-American gamers. It’s something that is hard to detach from the themes of the game but, if Kaos can manage it in Homefront 2, they can a wider demographic to get involved in the series’ plot.
Better marketing campaign
Awkwardly timed semi-realistic media coverage of an impending Korean invasion? 10,000 balloons falling into the San Francisco Bay following a GDC promotion? Not exactly a good start on the marketing front for any game. Whilst it didn’t have any impact on the quality of Homefront, the general public don’t need any more reasons to think of gaming as an irresponsible hobby. Let’s just hope that THQ avoid giving the ignorant masses any more ammo when Homefront 2 rolls around.
More varied achievements/trophies
The multiplayer achievements weren't too bad, but the single player trophies could do with some more variation
Whilst the achievements list in Homefront was okay, it wasn’t exactly remarkable. The challenge was definitely there, but the witty titles and varied objectives generally weren’t. This was especially true of the single player achievements. Sure it’s a small and fairly inconsequential point, but a good trophies list can really help more competitive types get into the game. Let’s hope Homefront 2 can come up trumps in this department.
Better PS3 support
There’s always one platform that gets left out in the cold. In the month that Homefront has been on the store shelves for, Kaos have been busy patching up various faults in the 360 and PC version of HF. Yet, at the time of writing, a PS3 patch has only just been submitted to Sony for approval. I can understand that it must be tough treating all systems equally, but it’s shameful that the PS3 audience have been side-lined in this way.
