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Gaming review: Homefront - The Revolution

On the one hand, I had high hopes for Homefront: The Revolution - an open world first person shooter, set in 2029 with a potentially gripping era that sees you take control of a new young recruit who is willing to risk his life in order to release his country from the firm grip of a Korean revolution.

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It is built around a huge Philadelphian backdrop, with high powered weapons, incredibly advanced and fully controllable technology alongside a plethora of vehicles and so much more. It sounds like it could be a very promising mix of variants, that if put together in the right way could be a blockbuster. However, unfortunately for the guys over at Dambuster Studios, this has been thrown together and not in any particular order.

The dismay and dread that has surrounded Homefront: The Revolution's development is well known. It has had a dreaded few years that includes, being passed between two different publishers, changing its gameplay formula late in development stages, then the title finally made its way towards the finish line after even more setbacks.

Scenes from Homefront: The Revolution

So, here's the lowdown - some very unpleasant high-tech North Koreans have occupied a very poverty-stricken USA, you take control of Ethan Brady who is a new recruit for the resistance and he's willing to do anything it takes to win his country back. But Dambuster have attempted to give it a little more subtlety and intensity. The whole Call of Duty-esque linear level design has been thrown out.

Instead comes a game set across a vast Philadelphia, with the city torn into various discrete zones. Each zone hosts a range of different missions and objectives which you can find by unlocking resistance safe houses or hacking into North Korean transponders. If you think that sounds a bit like a Assassin's Creed or Far Cry, then you're right.

Scenes from Homefront: The Revolution

However, you aren't able to roam around as willingly as you may have expected, the map is broken up into eight main districts and partitioned off until you unlock that area which will require you to patiently wait through a lengthy loading screen to access. Other than scouting for crafting resources and ammunition I felt very little incentive to swerve off the main path as there is very little to collect that reward your exploratory efforts.

Sadly, this appealing set-up and enticing atmosphere isn't done justice, unfortunately, by its very choppy narrative, which seems to be packed with clichés and half-baked characters. The problems begin with the game's protagonist, who never mumbles a single word and has very little in the way of a backstory. Several of the other characters flop in making some sort of impression, and in a similar way to Watch Dogs you'll find yourself struggling to remember their names. The underlying plot of an extravagant rescue also does very little to get any blood pumping with excitement, as it's brimming with a mass amount of certain twists and turns that will leave you with a deep sigh and rolling your eyes.

Scenes from Homefront: The Revolution

Each zone gives the game a unique atmosphere. For example - In the Red Zone you play a more conventional shooter, making sure you go all out to complete objectives whilst tackling the enemy and side-missions along the way. In the Yellow Zones you work more undercover. You might kill a prison officer in order for you to release some prisoners or blow up an armoured car, don't get me wrong in some ways there is variety here, which is where the games biggest positive comes in.

The weapons are all too familiar and they lack any form of punch and feel unreliable, movement is slow and feels heavy, the enemy AI are tedious as well as dull. It has some platforming aspects, but the jumping moves never quite seem to work in a way that the game wants them to, especially when under pressure. It's meant to be slick, smooth and cinematic, despite the visuals actually looking pretty good and in some parts quite spectacular, the frame rate on PS4 drops more than water gushing from the Niagara Falls and you'll spot some shocking glitches everywhere, this will include enemies trying to walk through the scenery, random floating objects and your protagonist getting stuck in chunks of rubble.

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However, Homefront: The Revolution does have one thing going for it - that's its co-op Resistance mode. You and three friends can engage in one of six missions against your foe, taking up the challenging task of defending your facilities or infiltrating theirs. Don't go heading in to this as you would Destiny or The Division, but scrapping with the KPA is a lot more enjoyable than going solo. It's also get's annoying that you have to wait for a revive when downed and can't respawn.

Homefront: The Revolution has ambition, creativity and a plethora of solid ideas, but it's ruined by the clumsy implementation. As much as I loved the varied mix of gameplay styles and the classy customisable weapons, I just can't see past the lifeless gunplay, helpless movement and woeful AI.

Sadly, for all of its desire and aspiration, there's simply not much here worth fighting for.

By Simon Hill @SimonHOfficial

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