“Homefront”

You’ve probably noticed by now, Dear Reader, that I don’t really do “reviews.” That’s kind of Eric’s thing, and he’s very good at it. I play a game for as long as I feel is necessary to get an impression about it, and then I tell you what those impressions are. It’s a completely informal environment, I don’t affix a number or some stars next to the title, and I try to avoid firm, declarative statements.

“Homefront” blows.

Whoops. Damn it. Let me try saying the opposite of that.

“Homefront” sucks.

Huh. That doesn’t sound much better. Oh English language, you’re such a saucy minx. Let me try modifying the other part of that sentence to achieve what I’m going for here:

“Homefront’s” single player mode sucks.

Eureka! Now I’ve discovered what Buddhists call “The Middle Way.” “Homefront” actually does not suck at all, but it has a terrible campaign. I have not finished said campaign, because the problems inherent in it prevent me from wanting to. Your character moves at the speed of molasses, the enemy A.I. is moronic, and the battle scripting is dull and repetitive. Admittedly, it opens with a bangin’ cinematic that really gets you excited. But the experience that follows is trite and uninteresting.

And yet, “Homefront” is not a waste of your money, or your time. I’d go so far as to recommend “Homefront” to you. Would you like to know why, Dear Reader? Are you ready for the Straight Dope? Then my guess is, you know me well enough to know what I’m going to ask you to do now. Yup. Hit the jump. I’m a slave for you hitting the jump. Dooooo it.

Hi again. Okay, so as I was saying, “Homefront” is redeemed by one outstanding virtue: multiplayer. And weirdly, some of the very same things that brought the campaign down actually play to “Homefront’s” favor on Xbox Live (or PSN, if you’re a Godless communist). The best example is movement speed: holy hell do you move slow in “Homefront;” you freaking crawl, even when you’re sprinting. And yet, when facing off against other living beings, this makes the fights a lot less twitchy and obnoxious than many other shooters out there. None of the old “wobble left to right” tactics that faster games accidentally promote will get you anywhere here.

Furthermore, “Ground Control” is a blast and a half. It takes the “Bad Company 2” formula and repeats it almost verbatim, sans the squad element, and produces a surprisingly light and enjoyable arcade experience. The maps are smaller, the vehicles are easier to acquire (because you can spawn with them), and the weapons are much more “pick up and play.” Everything is “shut up and get to the point,” and I absolutely love it. Developer Kaos Studios found a way to make massive scale war move like a close-quarters deathmatch, and that’s a real balancing act. And cherry on top: the matches support 32 players at a time. That right there is a dealmaker for me, I’m a huge believer in massive battles, and so few people on consoles actually trouble to do them. Even my beloved BC2 won’t give you anywhere close to those numbers.

I did a little research, and discovered that Kaos Studios were responsible for “Frontlines: Fuel of War,” an oft-overlooked multiplayer gem that came out a few years back. That game, too, featured massive numbers of players at one time, and its ensuing financial failure makes me think that poor Kaos are disciples of an unappreciated faith. They are believers in the massive battle, and I am too, and I wonder if the casual market is going to squeeze people like us out of the console world forever.

So all in all, if you’re in the market for a good multiplayer bloodbath, I really think “Homefront” is worth considering. Yes the single player is a wash, but “Ground Control” pays for its own ticket. If you’re looking for a way to skip the brutal learning curves and long hikes to the action, and you just want to hop right into a maelstrom of bullets and helicopters, this is a strong contender.

Be advised: the publisher got cute and put a leveling cap on the game. If you buy it used, you’re gonna have to thrown down for an “unlock code” to get past Level 5.