Homefront

[[SS]Chief]

Soooo....talk to me folks. Me thinks this will be on the shelves, this weekend here on base. Is it worth the coin?

I like it...

[[SS]Showstoper]

I have it, but haven't played it yet. I will today, so yeah, I'll let you know what's up with it...

[[SS]Grifter]

Not a lot of modes to work with online. Graphics are sub par. Single player is apparently quite short. All of this is coming from the GameStop guy that I see all the time and he's really into a lot of video games, rarely see's anything that he dislikes, but he doesn't care much for this.

I haven't played it myself to take it for a test run to give you my personal insight. I might get it this weekend and post back after I do. In the mean while, here's a couple of reviews...

Joystiq Review

IGN Review

**EDIT**

So apparently because of the sub-80% reviews, THQ stock took a bit of a dip....

LINKY

THQ Hammered by Sub-Par Homefront Scores

Bad reviews of Homefront send THQ shares tumbling

The graphics don't bother me a damn bit, it's fun to play. idk where the bad reviews are coming from, it can't be from the online play.

The modes are limited, yes, hopefully they will add more soon though...

[Tagger]

I read the online side is where the game does best but it's held back by a short SP campaign. I've had my eye on it for a while but don't know whether I want to spend a gift card on it yet. What got my interest in the first place is the story. For years when i was in uniform, we war-gamed a Korean scenario because it is real. It still is. In spite of the huge leap to the GKR invading the US, it's still probably a great story.

Edit: Surely developers are aware of how big a deal it is to offer a healthy SP campaign and not cut it short. THQ must have been under a lot of pressure to release because the issues in the game could have been addressed with 3-4 more months' work (guessing).

[[SS]Rator]

I can guarantee you wont be getting any new modes. I haven't seen a game release modes for MP ever. Wait, maybe Vegas released a mode in a DLC pack but i dont remember.

[[SS]Grifter]

I actually saw one of those food vendor type taco trucks all decked out in a Homefront theme driving down the street last night - looked pretty cool, but couldn't get a pic in enough time.

And Rator you're right, there was a mode added for Vegas.

Additional modes have happened in the past for some games, but they're really few and far between. With the reviews coming in pretty low for the Homefront, this could go one of two ways...they add more modes to help bring in more players/increase game sales....or....because of the low reviews and stock dropping by nearly 25% now, they don't bother with adding more modes and look for a buyout by a parent company (EA, Activision, etc.).

Like I said on those reviews, they MUST have been for the SP other then the lack of MP modes, but I kind of can't see how they can give a MP review before release...

[[SS]Grifter]

Originally Posted by [SS]Bassani

Like I said on those reviews, they MUST have been for the SP other then the lack of MP modes, but I kind of can't see how they can give a MP review before release...

Actually, lots of places like IGN, Joystiq, etc. are given the full version of the game prior to release so that they can review both single player and/or multiplayer. Hence why they review both the single player campaign and multiplayer gameplay in their reviews.

An average score for a shooter to be successful on any platform is 80% - that is pretty much industry standard. Metacritic (one of the industry leaders in entertainment scoring) gave the game a 71% for the Xbox 360 (the score was only slightly higher for the PS3 - I think 73%). By comparison, it gave MoH an average score of 72%, and we all know how well that did.

Either way, THQ got low reviews from various sites and reviewers for not just the single player campaign but the multiplayer as well. Hence why their stock has taken a 25% nose dive - this is actually critical for any company...anytime your stock takes a 25% hit after a release of anything, it's never a good sign and can only result in some bad things to follow...usually that includes layoffs, people like the CEO or someone else hig and in charge getting fired and the company replacing them with another individual to turn it around.

Or a buyout.

The upside to that, is typically the reviews are taken to heart by the company and a better game comes out in the next cycle....Typically. But not always unfortunately.

Regardless of game scores and media reviews, if you enjoy something, enjoy it - reviews be damned. I would never tell anyone to not buy a game or watch a movie based on reviews alone. Enjoy what you enjoy and be happy. I like to be my own reviewer.

However, if a game like Homefront doesn't offer me much based on the reviews (short single player, limited online play, weak graphics) I'm hesitant on spending the $60 for a game that I'm likely to lose interest in after a weeks worth of playing.

just my 10 cents...

[[SS]Grifter]

One other additional note - Walmart has dropped the price of Homefront to $55. Could be to unload excess orders to get rid of the game after such a low score. You can find it even lower, brand new, on Amazon.

Homefront needs to sell around 2 million copies in order to break even. Homefront first day sales were 375,000 units. They also had roughly 200,000 reserves, the largest in THQ's history.

Yea, lets put out this MP review when there is no one else online to play it with & get a better review on it.

Yea the graphics & sound could be better, the story could be better too, but the MP is fine IMO with the exception of modes & the server issue as well as an issue with joining on friends. But those issues have been noted by them & they say they are working on them.

I guess the lack of modes is due to them wanting to see how many ppl actually wanted to play the game, obviously their servers couldn't handle the demand for the game. I expect more to come from them.

Bottom line for me is, I got the game for MP, for a fresh tasting shooter. In my book, it's fun to play despite the few issues it has. Is it the BEST game out there? Probably not, but it is fun IMO

[Tagger]

I'll wait and catch a used copy at the local Gamestop. That may only take a couple of months (if that much).

Originally Posted by Tagger

I'll wait and catch a used copy at the local Gamestop. That may only take a couple of months (if that much).

If you go that route, make sure it is $10 cheaper or more than it is new, the online code cost $10 if it was already used, so keep that in mind when buying a used copy if you want to play online...

[[SS]Grifter]

Originally Posted by [SS]Bassani

Yea, lets put out this MP review when there is no one else online to play it with & get a better review on it.

200 people or 200,000 people playing online doesn't change the graphics, the modes or the gameplay - that's what their reviews were based off of and stated as much in the reviews.

Originally Posted by [SS]Bassani

Yea the graphics & sound could be better, the story could be better too, but the MP is fine IMO with the exception of modes & the server issue as well as an issue with joining on friends. But those issues have been noted by them & they say they are working on them.

This was indeed what they based the reviews on...Single player story and difficulty and online modes, graphics, sound, etc. The reviews weren't based on the server issues, as those didn't come into play until more people got online to play.

Originally Posted by [SS]Bassani

I guess the lack of modes is due to them wanting to see how many ppl actually wanted to play the game, obviously their servers couldn't handle the demand for the game. I expect more to come from them.

This was THQ's big blockbuster. This was their no holds barred, no holding back. This was designed to put them on the map and over the top - their VP even said so (see link in other posting). The sub par reviews don't reflect the expectations that THQ were looking for from reviewers and players alike. This is hurting them badly and they know it. Having your stock drop 25% shares does not mean you're doing well. This game was designed with the idea in mind to hit a home run out of the ballpark and it didn't do it. Right now they're addmittingly struggling to save it to garner more sales to try and break even. You don't put out a game that is expected to be a blockbuster and hold back on game modes to be implemented at a later date. Doesn't happen - ever.

Originally Posted by [SS]Bassani

Bottom line for me is, I got the game for MP, for a fresh tasting shooter. In my book, it's fun to play despite the few issues it has. Is it the BEST game out there? Probably not, but it is fun IMO

And this is why I said that if you enjoy the game, then enjoy it reviewers be damned. So long as you're happy playing it, who gives a frogs fat ass what anyone else thinks. Like I said, I haven't played it so I can't give you my own opinion of it. What I can do, when someone asks for information, is post up what is happening with the game, player reviews, industry reviews and company expectations and if they're being met or not. If this helps someone, great. If not, great. It's only information - what you choose to do with that information provided is up to you.



Oh btw - multiquote. :)