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[glaurung]

Come on, the 1080p video isn't any better.

The game looks rather ugly, however it could be just the MP segment. The truck wheels were literally lifted from a PS1 game...

 

[Anton Sugar]

Seriously? THQ is doing the dumb EA online pass thing as well. I was planning on renting this for the multiplayer. What's the point if I can only go to level 5.

So glad PC doesn't have to deal with this.

 

[Erasus]

it's not that 480p is unwatchable, it's the way the video was captured like it was through some old shitty 1980's tv cable.

True, the video looks like he used these composite cables:

*laughingface*

 

[BloodySinner]

Is there any PC footage? At all? I'm really starting to doubt my $50 pre-order purchase.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Is there any PC footage? At all? I'm really starting to doubt my $50 pre-order purchase.

Posted this on the last page:

PC footage of Chapter 1 gameplay?

I don't think that HD 360 footage looks that bad. Expecting it to look better on PC. The sounds are great.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Man, it looks ugly. Fun, though, and that's what matters to me.

COD mechanics in a Battlefield game. Seems like fun. I hope it's still fun months from now.

 

[buy teh haloz]

Here is a better vid in HD (1080p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVTEq9jW-Q

Doesn't seem to be many game modes...

 

[Anton Sugar]

Doesn't seem to be many game modes...

True...I wonder if they have plans on explanding it. What have they announced? Deathmatch, TDM, and Ground Control? And then the Battle Commander versions of them?

Ground control is basically Battlefield + Bad Company. Has CP and the advanced mechanics of Rush...it will probably be all I play.

 

[CozMick]

That HD footage has intrigued me.

Is there more footage of the multiplayer knocking about?

Might have to pick this up.

 

[Anton Sugar]

That HD footage has intrigued me.

Is there more footage of the multiplayer knocking about?

Might have to pick this up.

Stuff is starting to pop up on youtube...Hoping there will be some livestreams soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdyTu0PQRUA

Edit: haha, drone took out a Little Bird at :18

I'm also really happy that kills from vehicles net half the BP as infantry kills...think that will be good for balance.

Shame the quality is so shitty (was posted on last page): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg_Kid62jP4

Oh yeah, for the new page: Homefront PC meetup thread

 

[Diablohead]

I like the Battle Points approach, means you can save up counter strike style and buy things you want, spending some points on an anti tank rocket when required is cool, so many times I have killed myself in cod to only respawn with something anti air.

Visuals aside the multi looks real good, but I want to hear more before I bite.

 

[Anton Sugar]

New blog post: HOMEFRONT HELICOPTERS

As a Homefront multiplayer match escalates with players saving an ever larger amount of Battle Points, helicopters will begin to slowly dot the sky! With the introduction of helicopters into the match, the game play will begin to shift from a more ground and infantry-based match to a more dynamic mechanic of a full on three dimensional war. Helicopters are definitely powerful and good pilots can help their team win but they also have their weaknesses that can be exploited by infantry and other vehicles alike. In this blog post about the helicopters, I’m going to cover the two different types of helicopters, their strengths, weaknesses, some tips on tactics and how to bring those bad boys down.

AH-700 Scout Helicopter

The Scout helicopter is shared by both factions and is distinguished by varied markings and camouflage between the two sides. For the most part, this will be the first player-occupied air vehicle you will begin to see appearing during a match’s escalation. The Scouts cost less in Battle Points than their stronger big brothers and make for a very useful tool to have in the sky before the heavier ground vehicles begin to show up. Armed with dual, under-wing mini guns, this helicopter is a formidable attacker versus infantry and lightly armored vehicles. The downside you ask? Well, it’s pretty vulnerable. The Scout has no armor and is susceptible to small arms fire and can be fairly well chewed up by larger caliber machine guns, lock on missiles and proximity detonation rockets. To counter its light armor, this helicopter is swift, speedy and maneuverable – making it a challenging target to take down. A deft sniper can shoot out the glass and snipe the pilot if the helicopter pilot stays idle and in one place long enough. As with other vehicles, this helicopter uses the Vehicle Over Armor System to display damage on a visual level along with FX and UI on the HUD to alert the pilot of vehicle damage. The helicopter HUD also has warnings for incoming missiles, machine gun over heat bars, distance to target, the Vehicle Missile Defeat System and horizon orientation bars. On the PC version of Homefront, the Scout can carry a passenger that has recon abilities and of course both pilot and passenger will have first person cockpit views.

AH-64 Apache™ and Z-10 Chimera Attack Helicopters

When the big boys come to play, they come to play hard. These are the most expensive Battle Points items and as such, are powerful, menacing and tough in the sky. Slower and more heavily armored than their little brothers, they make up for the lack of maneuverability with a powerful arsenal and a second seat gunner. The pilot has access to a dumb fire barrage of 6 missiles and a dual-firing lock on air-to-air missile system. The second seat gunner has control over a thermal view chain machine gun for combating and seeking out infantry threats on the ground, as seen below from this low res PC screen shot.

Being less mobile in the air means it’s an easier target and as such, it can take more hits from rockets and does not take damage from small arms fire. The vehicle’s HUD is equipped with lock on reticules, reload notifications, incoming missile warnings, distance to target, horizon orientation lines and damage notifications. The Vehicle Over Armor System is used in combination with FX to show visual damage on the outside of the vehicle as seen below in this Maya screen grab of the Apache damaged zones.

Infantry working in teams with proximity rockets, LAV lock on missiles, LAV main cannons, Humvee Gatling guns and AntiTank Ground Drone lock on missiles are great approaches to taking down the attack helicopters. A very well placed RPG shot will do it as well, or if you’ve acquired enough skill with a tank cannon – obliteration.

Helicopter control schemes differ by platform for obvious reasons. On the XBOX and PS3, helicopters are relatively easy to control but still leave room for expert pilots to flaunt their skills. With analog controls, the helicopters fly to where you ‘look’ with the controller and orient themselves as such. On the PC, there will be 3 control options as was previously posted.

Meant to be powerful, meant to be expensive – saving up Battle Points for one of these bad boys is both rewarding and challenging. Enjoy the helicopters in Homefront Multiplayer

 

[Anton Sugar]

HD SP walkthrough with commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LxSe1AGwjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzXZMSRqs2g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3287F8ATw

And 10 mins of HD MP gameplay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM69MSMVGZE

 

[buy teh haloz]

What's the difference between all the classes, like 'Assault', 'Heavy' etc? I thought they were all fully customisable?

 

[Relax.MX]

And 10 mins of HD MP gameplay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM69MSMVGZE

That is all?? nah..60dlls? nah...

Go with my BC2/Vietnam

 

[CozMick]

And 10 mins of HD MP gameplay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM69MSMVGZE

Actually looks really nice, wasn't a fan of Frontlines so didn't pay much attention to this.

Looks like it could be a nice little "go to" game once I finish up on MAG

Thanks for the footage Mr. Snrub

 

[Mikey Jr.]

Is there bullet penetration in this or no?

 

[Anton Sugar]

NP CozMick, I'm mostly looking forward to MP, so I'm gonna try to look for vids throughout the day.

Is there bullet penetration in this or no?

Hmm, not sure...haven't heard anything on this specifically.

That is all?? nah..60dlls? nah...

Go with my BC2/Vietnam

I'm sorry, I don't know what this means.

 

[Aaron]

From the vid, it looks like your screen goes red from a fall of two feet and you die from two shots before you have the chance to react. Pass.

 

[Spookie]

and you die from two shots before you have the chance to react. Pass.

Are you sure you're watching the same footage? I just watched someone take 4-5 rounds.

 

[Anton Sugar]

From the vid, it looks like your screen goes red from a fall of two feet and you die from two shots before you have the chance to react. Pass.

Welp, that's a dealbreaker if I've ever heard one.

 

[Dave Long]

If nothing else, this game will sound like war like no other. Frontlines' soundscape was brilliant. I expect no less from Homefront.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Official launch trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mdug8eQ0H4

Short MP gameplay w/some commentary on MP features (and some attack chopper footage!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvZ7_id7xYo

 

[MarshMellow96]

I hate the way the camera 'flies' into the player's character, usually through buildings or geometry.

The default MP gun sounds like a jackhammer..

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Launch trailer is great. Adding all this stuff to the OP.

 

[Liberty4all]

I managed to get a attack chopper today. Very easy to fly in the 360 version ... Not a lot of people have figured out these things really need to be shot down asap .... They are deadly in a way no chopper has been before in any game i have played.

Was ruining people with it, but i think as people get more used to the game you'll see a lot more people trying to take the choppers out. They are also expensive as he'll at 3800 or so points to buy so you won't see them out till mid late game.

Love the sentry jaguar drone ... Awesome to roll around in ... Will often go in first with a drone to a capture point to try to clear a room before the rest of the troops toss in flash bangs and move in.

Air surveillance is awesome as well and makes a huge difference for the team in spotting out incoming enemy rushes as well as camping snipers. Air surveillance is rewarding too, each spot is 30 bps with another 40 bps awarded if somebody you spotted is killed by a teammate. Tanks and humvees are a blast to drive around in but aren't too overpowered in terms of being taken out with RPGs.

Ground control is a fantastic mode with a hitting battlefield and so far the maps are VERY balanced. Cooperating players will rule this game, a squad if 3 can ruin the enemies day.

Love the combination of perks and load outs ... You can really customize to mark fun charachters and with the way the unlock system works it will be easy to have a broad range of characters with different load outs to play with.

The battlefields are huge, yet ground control keeps the action confined, 32 players is perfect for these maps.

 

[Liberty4all]

Our review is live: http://www.msxbox-world.com/xbox360/reviews/review/693/Homefront.html

KAOS Studios should be proud as they have done a highly commendable job of reinventing ideas we've seen in Frontlines , piecing them into a more cohesive palatable story and releasing a new game which feels accomplished and easy to play. With so many shooters on the market it's a shame there's not more on offer for solo players or co-operative play which seems to be gaining more prominence these days. Whilst it could be easy to mark off Homefront as just another shooter, the reality is that although it is, there's enough substance under the hood well worth experiencing. It's a great game, which only lacks vision of its own grandeur which slightly holds it back from being the ultimately amazing game it could be. As it stands, if you're a shooter fan and like big team battles, a decent story, engaging solid gun-play, then Homefront offers it in spades, buries you in it and leaves you to be consumed by its bombast premise. The subject matter could be seen as topical for the sake of it, if you take off the cynical spectacles and just bask in what's thrown at you, you'll find a comprehensive, substantiated game which is well worth the investment.

8.5 out of 10

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

I am still in love with the opening 20 minutes of this game, no matter how many times I see it, it is so well done.

Reading your review now too...

 

[Anton Sugar]

I managed to get a attack chopper today. Very easy to fly in the 360 version ... Not a lot of people have figured out these things really need to be shot down asap .... They are deadly in a way no chopper has been before in any game i have played.

Was ruining people with it, but i think as people get more used to the game you'll see a lot more people trying to take the choppers out. They are also expensive as he'll at 3800 or so points to buy so you won't see them out till mid late game.

Love the sentry jaguar drone ... Awesome to roll around in ... Will often go in first with a drone to a capture point to try to clear a room before the rest of the troops toss in flash bangs and move in.

Air surveillance is awesome as well and makes a huge difference for the team in spotting out incoming enemy rushes as well as camping snipers. Air surveillance is rewarding too, each spot is 30 bps with another 40 bps awarded if somebody you spotted is killed by a teammate. Tanks and humvees are a blast to drive around in but aren't too overpowered in terms of being taken out with RPGs.

Ground control is a fantastic mode with a hitting battlefield and so far the maps are VERY balanced. Cooperating players will rule this game, a squad if 3 can ruin the enemies day.

Love the combination of perks and load outs ... You can really customize to mark fun charachters and with the way the unlock system works it will be easy to have a broad range of characters with different load outs to play with.

The battlefields are huge, yet ground control keeps the action confined, 32 players is perfect for these maps.

This sounds GREAT, thank you.

Is there any rhyme/reason to the spawn system? Doesn't seem like you can select where you spawn.

 

[FINALBOSS]

I'm not too interested in the MP in this game (sort of as a wait and see deal--especially since I have KZ3 and loving it with the Move). But the plot of this game very much intrigues me. Things that involve people enslaving and occupying Americans really gets me fired up.

 

[Bboy AJ]

This game is so awesome. Haven't been looking forward to a game's release like I have for this one in a long time.

Dedicated servers on the 360 is a long time coming.

 

[MMaRsu]

I'm not too interested in the MP in this game (sort of as a wait and see deal--especially since I have KZ3 and loving it with the Move). But the plot of this game very much intrigues me. Things that involve people enslaving and occupying Americans really gets me fired up.

The SP got a 5 from Edge.

 

[Liberty4all]

This sounds GREAT, thank you.

Is there any rhyme/reason to the spawn system? Doesn't seem like you can select where you spawn.

You spawn pretty far back from the capture points ... I suppose somebody could try to camp them but it would be a waste of time ... they would get obliterated really quickly.

I can finally talk about the game now that our review is out. Multiplayer is awesome. I loved Frontlines and this is the next logical evolution of that style of gameplay. The maps in Homefront are in my opinion some of the best designed you will see on a console ... capture points have multiple points of entry, there is cover all over the place ... Think battlefield maps and vehicles with CoD gameplay and your sort of on track.

Not enough people experienced Frontlines which was a blast to play. The gameplay is unique to Kaos Studios and is well done at that. Homefront is the spiritual successor to Frontlines and I hope does as well as it deserves.

edit: I forgot to add you can spawn directly into a teamates vehicle which is great.

 

[Liberty4all]

I'm not too interested in the MP in this game (sort of as a wait and see deal--especially since I have KZ3 and loving it with the Move). But the plot of this game very much intrigues me. Things that involve people enslaving and occupying Americans really gets me fired up.

KZ3 was my go to mp game right now but Homefront is a completely different flavour. I love both and will likely divide time between them. I feel that Homefront has alot more cooperative team elements to it in terms of storming positions.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Added some new reviews from smaller sites to the OP.

Xbox Addict - 93%

MS Xbox World - 8.5

HardGame - 9.5

Multiplayer.it - 8.5

 

[Bboy AJ]

Yes, yes, great scores! Fuck Edge's misleading score. IDGAF about single player.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Yes, yes, great scores! Fuck Edge's misleading score. IDGAF about single player.

Well, even the other reviews have had good things to say about the SP, so I don't know what's up with Edge.

PowerPlayr's Homefront series has posted episode 3, focusing on SP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgJnrvYbG5Y

 

[Barack Lesnar]

I managed to get a attack chopper today. Very easy to fly in the 360 version ... Not a lot of people have figured out these things really need to be shot down asap .... They are deadly in a way no chopper has been before in any game i have played.

Was ruining people with it, but i think as people get more used to the game you'll see a lot more people trying to take the choppers out. They are also expensive as he'll at 3800 or so points to buy so you won't see them out till mid late game.

Love the sentry jaguar drone ... Awesome to roll around in ... Will often go in first with a drone to a capture point to try to clear a room before the rest of the troops toss in flash bangs and move in.

Air surveillance is awesome as well and makes a huge difference for the team in spotting out incoming enemy rushes as well as camping snipers. Air surveillance is rewarding too, each spot is 30 bps with another 40 bps awarded if somebody you spotted is killed by a teammate. Tanks and humvees are a blast to drive around in but aren't too overpowered in terms of being taken out with RPGs.

Ground control is a fantastic mode with a hitting battlefield and so far the maps are VERY balanced. Cooperating players will rule this game, a squad if 3 can ruin the enemies day.

Love the combination of perks and load outs ... You can really customize to mark fun charachters and with the way the unlock system works it will be easy to have a broad range of characters with different load outs to play with.

The battlefields are huge, yet ground control keeps the action confined, 32 players is perfect for these maps.

Awesome!!!!!!

 

[Anton Sugar]

The default MP gun sounds AWESOME.

Fixed! So glad to have great sounds. I was worried since they're borrowing a lot from COD, but luckily not the weapon sounds. Never liked firing a gun and sounding like I was flicking a piece of paper.

 

[MrCompletely]

I can say unequivocally that the multiplayer in Homefront is, by far, my multiplayer of choice in the FPS genre.

A bold statement from the Xbox Addict review.

 

[Makoto]

Heads up for those on the fence about Homefront on PC. Direct2Drive has a coupon that allows 20% off on games including pre-orders.

From CAG

http://www.direct2drive.com/#

use coupon code hangover

Applys to preorders also

Brings Homefront to $40 USD. The Direct2Drive pre-order still includes Metro 2033 (but not the TF2 hat).

 

[Liberty4all]

One more thing ... Kaos has done an amazing job of making a game that makes sniping rewarding while at the same time punishing snipers once they start doing "too" well.

There are so many places to go run and hide but once you've been "marked" by the Battle Commander, somebody WILL be coming to try and kill you. Your worth more Battle Points wise, and the game is essentially telling everyone "hey this motherfucker is sniping, he's over here"

So camping while effective will make you a marked man.

Snipers will love this of course, the thrill of others seeing that they are getting alot of kills, and regular players will be able to smash in the head of aforementioned sniper thanks to the Battle Commander.

Hell I called in a Hellfire Missle on one. Very satisfying seeing in the missle's camera his prone body camped out, having no idea what was about to hit him. =)

 

[Anton Sugar]

Added some new reviews from smaller sites to the OP.

Xbox Addict - 93%

MS Xbox World - 8.5

HardGame - 9.5

Multiplayer.it - 8.5

Feeling pretty confident that the game is gonna be great:

THQ has already set personal records for preorders and I have no doubt that Homefront will be their hit this year. Combining so many elements into such a cohesive story, THQ has reminded me why I love gaming. The only fault I could find other than the character models was the relatively short single player campaign; on the hard level I finished the game in less than 7 hours. As a casual gamer I found the hard setting just difficult enough to be engaging while allowing steady progression. I didn't find all the collectibles and there are plenty of achievements I'll be going back to hunt for but I was disappointed that there wasn’t' more. As much as this is a fault I think it speaks volumes to the quality of the story itself, you see, I wasn't disappointed that the game was short....I was disappointed that I couldn't spend more time in the Homefront universe. With that being said, I offer an open invitation and request to THQ and KAOS....get on some DLC...NOW!!! You've created a detailed and emotionally charged game world...now you need to expand the experience by giving us more. It seems that your greatest strength may become a developers weakness....you've set the bar and like you have stated time and again; Home is where the heart WAR is!

 

[Beaner]

I trust these guys to make a good game. I never played the full version of Frontlines but I did quite enjoy Desert Combat years ago

 

[Liberty4all]

I think that Xbox Addict comments sum up how I feel too. There's so many cookie cutter me too shooters out there ... Homefront does something very different story wise, and the multiplayer is unique enough that it feels different from CoD, KZ3, Battlefield and the rest.

I felt the same way about Frontlines ... very fun unique feeling multiplayer, and map design that is by far some of the best out there.

Can't stress that enough, the multiplayer map design is phenomenal, not a bad one in the rotation.

THQ is rapidly becoming one of my favorite publishers ... I've always seen them as the underdog in the fight against the giants that are Activision and EA .... it puts them in a fighting position, willing to take big (and risky) chances to establish their own brands/IP's.

 

[SapientWolf]

Heads up for those on the fence about Homefront on PC. Direct2Drive has a coupon that allows 20% off on games including pre-orders.

From CAG



Brings Homefront to $40 USD. The Direct2Drive pre-order still includes Metro 2033 (but not the TF2 hat).

Homefront is a Steamworks game too. You win this time, D2D.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Decent quality live MP stream: http://www.justin.tv/xg247#/w/955221392

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

I think that Xbox Addict comments sum up how I feel too. There's so many cookie cutter me too shooters out there ... Homefront does something very different story wise, and the multiplayer is unique enough that it feels different from CoD, KZ3, Battlefield and the rest.

I felt the same way about Frontlines ... very fun unique feeling multiplayer, and map design that is by far some of the best out there.

Can't stress that enough, the multiplayer map design is phenomenal, not a bad one in the rotation.

THQ is rapidly becoming one of my favorite publishers ... I've always seen them as the underdog in the fight against the giants that are Activision and EA .... it puts them in a fighting position, willing to take big (and risky) chances to establish their own brands/IP's.

See Frontlines just bewildered me. It was one of the only games that was so much fun to play, even though it had some horrible bugs/glitches. Somehow the gameplay made me forget all about how crazy the bugs were and enjoy the game thoroughly.

 

[Tunavi]

HD SP walkthrough with commentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LxSe1AGwjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzXZMSRqs2g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3287F8ATw

Ugh.

 

[Liberty4all]

More multiplayer thoughts:

The game rewards patience. In Ground Control the emphasis is on the three control points which means finding a nice spot to camp out after taking a control point and wait for hostiles to rush in. Easy kills ...

Of course if the enemy team has somebody spotting via a sentry drone or somebody using a UAV you may get marked in which case those hostiles will know EXACTLY where you are thanks to you being lit up with a big red threat diamond.

Game does not reward run and gun gameplay although there will be plenty of moments where you have to do just that thanks to an incoming tank/airstrike/chopper missile barrage/etc

Love the LMG. Huge clip, great at laying down suppressive fire. It's not that accurate but if your the type of person that loves opening up for sustained barrages, this is the gun for you. Has a meaty sort of feel to it too. LMG also ruins Humvees. But open up with your LMG too often and you can be sure a snipers bullet will be heading your way in short order.

SMG feels sweet. Small clip but short bursts take out hostiles VERY quickly. Great for taking out a couple hostiles in an enclosed room ... use your UAV ability to spot hostiles on the map and then take them out.

Melee is SO WELL DONE. Finally a game does Melee right. Melee kills are possible and will happen alot but it's not ridiculous the way some other games are.

Perks are complicated enough that you will ponder your loadouts.

For example I have one charachter that has an assault rifle, I perked him with 3 perks that are all designed to extend the life of my drones. (one perk gives more health to drone, another gives more battery power, another more speed). Perks cost 1 point, 2 points, or 3 points depending on how powerful they are, and you are limited to 6 points total you can spend on a loadout. Grizzled for example gives extra experience but it costs a meaty 3 points. There's a perk for more accuracy, a perk for faster reloads, a 3 point cost perk for extra grenades and others I can't remember as well.

Vehicles have their own separate perks as well (seperate cap). The humvee has a perk that makes it turn faster, a perk to cooldown machine gun faster, a perk to give it more weapon damage, a perk to give it more health, a perk to shield it better from EMP grenades. EMP grenades disable a vehicle completey but gunner can still fire (although the turret turn speed while EMP'ed will slow down to a crawl.

Playing around with different loadouts is a big part of the joy of the game for me right now. And best of all unlike other games where only the l33t campers get all the fun kill streak bonuses, in this game ANYONE can earn enough Battlepoints to do some cool shit ... like call in Hellfire missiles (you get 2 shots), or spawn a tank or helicopter, and so forth.

Battle points are the lifeblood of the game ... capping a control point awards an nice fat 250 battle points (most kills are about 130 with bonuses for head shots or revenge kills) ... so the game rewards those who help their team.

Vehicle kills (kills you get while in a vehicle) are 70 battle points too which is great for balancing vehicle kills versus infantry kill battle point rewards.