E3: Homefront Aims for a Cinematic Experience

Red Dawn was playing up the threat of a Russian invasion of the continental United States. Homefront has taken the main concept from the cult movie and substituted the Soviet Union with North Korea. In 2027, following a long-term energy crisis, the North Koreans invade and a resistance movement appears to repulse them. This is the basic premise of Homefront, the new shooter coming from Kaos Studios and THQ, created for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the PC. Of course, the game will be centered on the actions of one rebel, trying to uncover what and who is behind the North Korean aggression.

One of the more interesting aspects of Homefront is set to be the quest to offer cinematic moments. For example if the player blows up a truck filled with North Korean soldiers he has every chance to see the burning truck speeding toward him, necessitating a few button presses to get out of the way. The sequence will play out in real time and will allow the developers to inject more adrenalin-pumping moments in the videogame.

Homefront will not be offering a cover system with the aim being of creating fluid, quick experience. Squad management options will also be limited, with all non playable characters having complex personalities which allow them to act on their own, providing assistance to the main protagonist when he needs it. There will be vehicles in the game, like the Goliath, designed to introduce some pace breaking moment in Homefront.

David Votypka, who is the design director at Kaos Studios, said that “Homefront isn’t about going to war on the other side of the world or battling aliens from another planet; it’s about fighting foreign invaders in your own backyard and defending your right to live. Homefront combines the unsettling notion of an occupied America with interactive, player-driven narratives to create a deeply engaging single and multiplayer experience.”