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jp's Homefront (PS3)
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| [June 6, 2012 03:09:48 PM]
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I stand by my earlier impressions. I've since completed 2 more missions and while the game seems to have all the right pieces and it's clear to me what they're trying to do (oh, I'm supposed to feel sad right now!) it just doesn't work. I would be willing to overlook that because the game is actually kind of interesting and fun except for the technical issues which have started to become more annoying (and my patience is wearing thin). The game has crashed a few more times to a degree that I had to cold reboot the ps3. That just sucks, and it's happened enough that I'm willing to throw in the towel. I'll read up on gamefaqs how the story ends but as far as gameplay is concerned, I'm done.
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| [April 30, 2012 11:38:06 PM]
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I've finished the first 3 chapters of this game. It's definitely interesting and I'm having a hard time pinning down exactly what it is that I'm finding interesting. By interesting I think I actually mean a combination of awkward, thought-provoking, and melodramatic. It sounds like faint praise, but I don't mean it that way.
The game's premise is that sometime in the near future, after the collapse of the world economy (and the US one along with it, together with all sorts of local problems), North Korea invades the US. You're a member of the resistance and the North Korean's aren't the friendliest of invaders.
I guess the premise is sort of plausible? I mean it's actually quite implausible. The games super serious tone makes it all the harder for me to believe, actually. I mean, suspend my disbelief. It just seems to crazy... why would Korea want to invade the US in the first place? (there are closer places to aim for - with plenty of natural resources as well). I feel like the game is trying so hard to make this compelling. As you walk around you find "notes" (not sure if that's what they're actually called) that are basically snippets of news items (clippings, reports, etc.) both from the past (including our present) as well as the fictional future. They're actually quite interesting to read and they serve the role of filling in the blanks - try to explain how it came to be that North Korea rose in prominence (and how the US lost it). It's the right thing to do (from a design perspective) because that was actually the first think I wondered about... I hope they also address WHY Korea would want to invade the US in the first place (what are they after?).
However, it still doesn't quite convince me. The game is actually set in a near future (year 2027 or so?) and there are a few sci-fi-ish elements (military robots and things) to remind you of this, but I guess the main problem is that the setting (so far it's suburban US) is simply to similar to CURRENT suburban US...which makes it harder for me to swallow the whole notion of the collapse of the world order that allowed Korea to rise. In other words, the setting is too familiar and recognizable and thus I'm less likely to go along with the premise of the game. It seems to incredible...
If I had to think of Ts that needed crossing and Is that needed dotting, this game definitely covers that. There are certainly lots of staged scenes/events that are designed to help you think about what's happening, what it means, and how terrible the situation is. For example, early in the 1st mission you're riding a school bus (as a prisoner). Along the way you witness different acts of repression and brutality (included, presumably, to get you to empathize) such as a couple that is executed in front of the young child, and random detainees getting beaten up. The game actually does a good job of not presenting the resistance as the all-too-perfect good guys while showing how evil the occupiers are. For example, while attempting to escape you draw attention to a community that is leaving peacefully, The soldiers show up and all of a sudden everything gets shot up. Later in the game you witness a phosporous attack (think napalm) that sets enemy soldiers on fire. They scream and moan (as the die) with one NCP enjoying the suffering while another is clearly shocked (and asks that you put them out of their misery). On the bad guys side you come upon a mass gravesite with human bodies essentially being scooped into large pits (and then, in what is probably one of the most disturbing scenes I've witnessed in a game, you have to jump in amongst the bodies and cover yourself with one to hide).
It doesn't quite work for me...but I'm definitely interested enough to continue playing. And yes, the shooting and so on is fun enough that I enjoy it.
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jp's Homefront (PS3)
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Current Status: Stopped playing - Technical problems
GameLog started on: Saturday 21 April, 2012
GameLog closed on: Wednesday 6 June, 2012 |
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This is the only GameLog for Homefront. |
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