Homefront
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THQ to limit functionality in Homefront multiplayer for users without 'Online Pass'
The upcoming Homefront will indeed use THQ's "Online Pass" functionality, similar to the system used by EA for its sports games and co-opted by THQ for its UFC title last year. Players who buy the game new will get a code in the box to play online with, and anyone who buys the game with a used code will have to shell out an extra $10 for the full online experience. Not paying the money won't lock them out completely, but it will limit functionality to only level 5, rather than the full version's 75 levels of progression. The single-player side of the game won't be affected by the online pass at all. It sounds like an interesting option -- certain players who don't care about progression might pass on paying the extra fee completely. We'll have to see how THQ's gamble goes over when the game arrives in March.
New Homefront dev diary changes retail history
Homefront takes place in 2027. In this developer diary's section about branding, it's noted the North Koreans are using a "big box store" as a supply depot. At 1:53 in the vid you can tell it's a Circuit City -- an American retailer that went defunct in 2009. The North Koreans aren't only taking over the country in Homefront, but the past. What a twist!
Homefront trailer introduces New America's new rulers
The latest trailer for THQ and Kaos' Homefront, which emerged during last weekend's VGAs, is a testament to why one should never assume. Oh, the United States assumed that everything was going to be totes cool with their buddies up in North Korea? Well, um ... no. That's not exactly correct.
From the VGAs Red Carpet: Guillermo del Toro and THQ's Danny Bilson
THQ Executive VP of Core Games Danny Bilson stopped by our red carpet post at the VGAs this weekend with director Guillermo del Toro in tow, and Bilson talked with us about all of THQ's upcoming properties, including the quickly ensuing Red Faction movie on SyFy. "They're prepping right now," he promised, "And there's another one coming that we're going to announce soon." Would that be the elusive Saints Row 3? "I can't talk about it or they'll cut my head off," he said. "But we're going to be talking about it at some point in the future in a big way." For his part, Guillermo del Toro decided to work with THQ on the newly revealed inSane because he believes that gaming "is one of the most immersive mediums for storytelling right now." We asked him to tick off a few specifics, and he dutifully did. "Left 4 Dead has passages that are incredibly scary. Silent Hill is great, and Shadow of the Colossus was incredibly moving. There are Call of Duty moments that are better than any war movie." Bilson interrupted at that one. "Wait until they ride the bus in the first level of Homefront!" As for del Toro's inSane, Bilson says, "we're only focusing on the game right now, and whatever happens later happens later. But we're building an incredible world together that we will be talking about more later on." We'll look forward to it.
Homefront's 'large scale warfare' showcased in dev diary
The latest Homefront developer diary is all about the multiplayer, with Kaos Studios emphasizing the game's sense of "large scale warfare." The video details the Battle Points system, which allows players to purchase vehicles and weapons during matches. Also: Futuristic robo-drones.
Homefront single-player preview: Caught in the crossfire
Homefront is a game that demands your attention. While the concept requires a little suspension of disbelief, Kaos Studios has crafted an incredibly believable, gripping and horrifyingly graphic world where -- not unlike real war -- ordinary people are caught in the crossfire. Played from the perspective of a civilian resistance fighter, Homefront offers uneasy answers to the uneasy questions that those of us who experience war from afar aren't necessarily forced to ask: What would you do if your country was being overrun by an occupational force? How would you fight back? The world of Homefront is utterly riveting. The game, however, is not. %Gallery-107660%
Homefront invades U.S. store shelves on March 8, 2011
In the world of fictitious military takeovers, the unassuming hours of March 8, 2011 will probably live on in infamy. According to an update on THQ's Facebook page, that's the day U.S. store shelves will find themselves the subjects of a hostile occupation from new FPS Homefront. That imperialistic empire will spread its control to the peaceful island of Australia on March 10, then -- making excellent time, we might add -- it will drop into Europe on March 11. What can we possibly do to prevent this coup? We ... don't know. We're not sure our local GameStop will let us put sandbags over their doors. At least, not before the holiday shopping season kicks off. Maybe they'll acquiesce in a few months or so.
THQ details Homefront sequel, novel tie-in and potential miniseries
An upcoming novel will follow a tabloid reporter in L.A. during the first moments of the North Korean attack on the US. It's the first salvo in THQ's "transmedia" strategy for Homefront, which is about "building worlds first," then having "different media access that world in interesting ways," Danny Bilson said during his keynote speech at IGDA Leadership Forum 2010. THQ is hoping also to do a miniseries for the game following the contents of the book -- it'd be on SyFy, we imagine -- but even more interesting are Bilson's comments regarding the next game. "The sequel has new features and doesn't even deal with the same characters," Bilson revealed. "It takes place on the other side of the Mississippi -- nobody knows what's going on over there because the North Koreans have irradiated the Mississippi with radioactive iodine and nobody can cross it without a hazmat suit. It's very interesting stuff." Bilson says the book will be available for purchase a month before the game launches. HomeFront is currently slated for March 2011.
Homefront novel announced, part of 'vast transmedia strategy'
The Homefront novel, which was passively mentioned last week during THQ's Montreal Studio presser, has officially been announced, with an "early 2011" publishing date. Written by John Milius (Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now) and Raymond Benson (Metal Gear Solid and James Bond novels), the novel is designed to flesh out the world of Homefront, which finds United States citizens dealing with a North Korean occupation. The novel is part of the "vast transmedia strategy" for the franchise -- according to THQ's Danny Bilson -- so expect the standard graphic novels and coloring books to follow. Okay, maybe not the latter, unless it's bundled with a big red crayon for all the blood. Although no further transmedia projects have been announced, let's be clear about how ambitious THQ can get in these situations: Red Faction is getting a TV movie on SyFy that could potentially turn into a full series.
THQ exec appreciates North Korea's cooperation in selling Homefront fiction
THQ's EVP of Core Games Danny Bilson deftly diffused a potentially explosive question regarding Homefront's cultural sensitivity toward militaristic North Korea today during THQ Montreal's press event, by emphasizing that the game is "speculative fiction." Bilson noted that, thanks to North Korea scaring the international community over the past couple years through its nuclear testing and sinking of a South Korean ship, that "they've been really cooperative" in selling the game's world. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, he said, "And we really appreciate the regime in North Korea for supporting Homefront the way they have." Bilson explains that when THQ made the decision to go with North Korea as the antagonist in the game, that it consulted with East Asia experts in Washington D.C. to sell the premise. He notes that the timeline trailer released during E3 shows the result of that "speculative fiction that comes out of paranoid theory." The company will also release a Homefront novel early next year that follows a reporter in 2027 and explains the world even deeper. Bilson does believe Homefront is a "global game" because it's not important that it takes place in America; the story is about a country being occupied, and it draws its inspiration from other countries being occupied throughout history. Bilson concluded, "There is a reality to [Homefront], but it's by filtering history through a future fiction that gives some sense of gravity to a fantasy."
Bilson: Homefront's 'emphasis is on multiplayer'
During THQ's Montreal event, core games EVP Danny Bilson categorized its FPS Homefront as a primarily multiplayer experience, though "the single-player is extraordinary," he said (of course). "The emphasis is on multiplayer," Bilson explained, "but with an awesome movie to play through on the other side." The reason one even has to be emphasized over the other is, of course, budget. "To get to the old things we used to play, like the 20 hours of single-player," he said, "you'd have to sacrifice, perhaps, the depth of the multiplayer, or have a five-year schedule and unlimited budget." The two portions of the game take place in different settings and involve very different gameplay, with the single-player game involving guerrilla warfare and the multiplayer involving all-out army vs. army combat. Bilson estimated that the single-player portion of the game -- the "awesome movie" -- will run between six and ten hours, which makes it more of an awesome miniseries. The multiplayer is "hopefully in the hundred-hour range." That means it's going to be really heartbreaking if the game is changed at the last minute to be about an invasion from the North Opposing Force.%Gallery-104301%
Homefront multiplayer preview: Funding the war machine
Kaos Studios' Homefront envisions a hypothetical future in 2027, when the US is in the grips of an invasion by a unified Korea. The multiplayer component takes place during the first days of the conflict, two years earlier, in 2025. Unlike the single-player campaign's guerrilla-based combat, the multiplayer represents large-scale war. There are helicopters, tanks, drones and plenty of other expensive futuristic technology to play with. Been there, done that. But Kaos has something extra up its sleeve: Battle Points. It's in-game currency that allows players to call in vehicles, resupply themselves with ammunition and deploy special attack and reconnaissance drones -- and it's entirely score-based, so you don't have to be The Terminator to actually affect what's going on in a given match. %Gallery-104301%
Digital Extremes developing PC version of Homefront
THQ is showing off the PC version of Homefront for the first time at Gamescom this week, thanks to the efforts of Digital Extremes. The publisher announced that Digital Extremes, best known for Pariah, Dark Sector and for assisting on BioShock 2, is developing the PC release. According to THQ executive producer Frank De Lise, DI won't simply be dropping Kaos Studios' North Korean invasion-themed FPS onto PC. "We're building on the great game that Kaos Studios is making and enhancing it with specific PC relevant features," De Lise said, listing dedicated servers and clan support specifically. "We believe the core PC first-person-shooter fan will really appreciate these features, which are becoming increasingly rare." Who could that statement be directed at?
Homefront trailer shows the softer side of insurrection
THQ wasn't just promoting its upcoming shooter Homefront with a fake North Korean platoon at E3, you know. The company also released the title's first gameplay trailer, which you'll find posted after the jump. It's actually a troubling minute-long vignette of our dudes getting wrecked by their dudes, but hey -- at least the music is pretty.
THQ enlists North Korean 'soldiers' to promote Homefront
In order to promote its upcoming shooter Homefront, THQ enlisted a group of struggling actors totally real soldiers. The group marched throughout the streets of Figueroa near the Staples Center before stopping into the ESPN Zone bar to watch North Korea take on Brazil in the first-round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Renting out an entire parking lot across from the Los Angeles Lakers' home base, THQ set up barricades plastered with dozens of flags proclaiming the land was the property of the North Korean Federation. For citizens unaware of the E3 2010 event, it was quite a confusing spectacle. Video of the march after the break.
Preview: Homefront
"The year is 2027 ... A once proud America has fallen, her infrastructure shattered and military in disarray. Crippled by a devastating EMP strike, the USA is powerless to resist the ever expanding occupation of a savage, nuclear armed Greater Korean Republic." -- THQ product description, Homefront An invaded America has become the video game prémisse du jour. Resistance 2, Turning Point, and most recently, Modern Warfare 2, have all explored the notion of a besieged superpower. Kaos Studios' upcoming Homefront may be treading familiar territory, but there's still good reason to be excited: It's got heart. The hands-off playable presentation I watched showcased stellar visuals -- a must in this competitive genre. Particularly striking were the environments, filled with incredible detail. Homefront's opening scene evoked a "lived in" quality: the overgrown foliage, the dirty equipment, and the solemnly swaying swings conveyed a complex yet unspoken story. %Gallery-94923%
THQ prepping Homefront, new Red Faction for 'fiscal 2011'
During its annual investors conference call, THQ's Brian Farrell dropped details on that Homefront game we've been waiting on, as well as word on a new Red Faction title. Both will arrive during the company's fiscal 2011 window -- to us regular schmucks walking the streets, that's the period between April 2010 and March 31, 2011. As for Homefront, it's really not news: THQ had already said the game will arrive sometime this year or early next. However, this Red Faction business is definitely news. We'll be crossing our fingers for more wacky animal-based weaponry this time around. Oh, and more stuff to blow up. Definitely more of that, please. Both games will be shown during E3 2010 in June.
THQ already planning Homefront 2
We have a hard enough time remembering which FPS Homefront is (it's the one that is basically Red Dawn, if you're curious) and THQ is apparently already thinking about the followup. According to Gamespot, THQ's core gaming chief Danny Bilson told the FBR Capital Markets 2009 Fall Investor Conference "It's the beginning of a story. We're going to tell this like a serial, with cliff-hangers. And then we intend to continue the story in [downloadable content], until we go to Homefront 2." The question that will remain unanswered until Homefront ships is, of course, will we be willing to go with them? %Gallery-65785%
Homefront comes home in 2010 (or early 2011)
Today, during its earnings conference call, THQ offered the first clue about the release window for Kaos Studios' Homefront. The FPS about a North Korean invasion will be invading our homes (see what we did there?) in "fiscal 2011," which translates to the year starting in April 2010 and ending March 31, 2011.We're going to go ahead and guess that THQ is aiming for the later half of 2010, because the first half of the year is going to be jam-packed with stuff that was supposed to come out in 2009.%Gallery-65785%
Homefront reveal trailer not as totally rad as Red Dawn
You can understand, for upcoming Kaos Studios-developed Homefront, how it might be hard to live up to the '80s film, hinged on fears of nuclear war, Red Dawn. But it's a similar premise (and the same writer!) that holds together the trailer you see above, peppered with "Resist!" signs and talk of an occupied United States.Considering the game's coming from the same studio that developed Frontlines: Fuel of War, you can appreciate that we're a bit trepidacious when approaching another FPS in Homefront. Still, it remains to be seen whether or not Kaos Studios can pull out the big, anti-occupational guns this time around, so we're remaining cautiously hopeful for Homefront.%Gallery-65785%
