Introduction

Let's Play Homefront: Home is where the war is:

Homefront has an infamous reputation as a bad game and it's very much earned this reputation as you'll be seeing as we plow through the unlikely plot, the unlikeable characters and the anemic gunplay. This is a short game and will run for a total of seven episodes, which have been pre-recorded, but commentary is yet to come on most.

The Game

This game is incredibly boring, pure and simple. Most of the guns barely feel any different, with three exceptions being the PWS Diablo, the Vector and the T3AK (QBZ-03), the first two of which are the best guns to pick up if you don't mind reloading. You have quickly regenerating health, which at first takes most of the difficulty out of the game entirely. The problem is, is that occasionally the game will just decide you need to die and this isn't just to snipers, rockets or heavy vehicles either. There are segments where it almost approaches a passable shooter, albeit one with anemic guns and piss poor AI, but more often, you'll find yourself shooting another 10-15 guys in some cramped back yard, narrow stretch of street, parking lot or amazingly even a farm turned into a small arena. This is a short game, clocking in at just over 3 hours if you're in a hurry or longer if you're trying to get footage.

The Characters

This game's characters are awful, but should you really be surprised with a plot that has the grace and subtlety of a drunken brawl and some of the worst gun play this side of Colonial Marines. We'll introduce them though for your benefit. (Special thanks to Kitty Burger and Hornet)


Connor Morgan: Retired Marine (Bullshit)
- He's arguably the main character of this game, but he's not your player character. He's introduced by killing 2 of the 3 people he's set out to save. He's a raging asshole and by the end of the game, you'll probably start wondering how he hasn't been team killed, let alone killed by the enemy.
- Voiced by Tom Pelphrey.
- Character done better by Captain Price in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare




Hopper Lee: DARPA Award Winning Car Mechanic
- Your team's tech specialist and token Asian guy so that the game can beat you about the head and shoulders with racism directed at a good guy. He's far and above the most likeable character that has a spoken line. He maintains the most likeable character, Goliath.
- Voiced by Joel de la Fuente
- Character done better by Terrence Sweetwater: Battlefield Bad Company 1 & 2




Rianna: No last name given. Master Hunter (No really)
- Bipolar. I think she's supposed to be the voice of reason to Connor's dickery, but that would involve her having consistent characterization.
- Voiced by Hannah Cabell
- Done better by two games. The professional shooter in Eiger from Shadowrun Dragonfall or in the token woman of your party, but actually likeable and a character in her own right, Zoey from Left 4 Dead




Boone Karlson: Colorado Police Officer
- Largely a likeable character, removed fairly early in the game due to being tougher than the average Space Marine.
- Voiced by Jim R. Coleman
- Done better by David Anderson from the Mass Effect Series




Robert Jacobs: Retired Marine Pilot
- Your character. Sort of.
- Done better by Isaac Clarke, Dead Space 1




Goliath: The most competent member of your team
- Read above
- Voiced by Jurassic Park's T-Rex
- Done better by the SHIV (or HWP) from XCom


The product endorsements


We'll be skipping over the other guns in game unless an ad for them is directly spotted. The Diablo's the only gun to make it on this list.

Spoiler Policy
This game isn't that long and there's no real twist you can't see coming a mile out, but if it hasn't come up in the video yet, just spoiler tag it please.

Episodes

Introduction Video

Episode 1: Why we Fight - Note - FPS and audio issues are resolved in the following episodes.

- Episode 1 notes: Connor's plan kills 2 of the 3 people he sets out to save and asks someone to either kill or knock out a baby during a raging fire fight. It's never explained where you get ammo for Goliath or how Hopper hijacked it. You somehow survive being hit by a Fuel-Air Bomb in close proximity from a low flying drone. (It's the same effect as the MP FAE Strike at least)

Episode 2: Freedom

- Episode 2 notes: We dodge Hank Hill brand 20mm Cannons, explore the home base that we'll be visiting again and discover that maybe one person cared enough about the game to actually put effort into the game with a man praying due East and various art assets that vainly try to do world building.

Episode 3: Firesale

- Episode 3 notes: We use incendiaries dangerously close to friendly lines, neither of the two characters likely to have had any sort of mortar training in the slightest are operating said mortar. The North Koreans apparently would rather temporarily disable Goliath than just blowing the damn thing up in front of their Best Buy Tiger Direct. There are scripted deaths in this level because fuck you for not being where they think you should be. Finally, Connor firmly cements himself as something other than sympathetic.

Episode 4: The Wall

- Episode 4 notes: We run into Koreans finally using normal RPGs on Goliath. Goliath is harder to kill than tanks. We kill Goliath to escape because reasons. This mission also requires Jacobs, integral to their plans, to run out in the middle of a street to open road blocks so that we can escape. This relies on your friendly AI actually hitting something, which leads to Jacobs dying a lot. This is not a fun mission and it leads into the worst mission in the game.

Episode 5: Heartland

- Episode 5 notes: We meet members of a survivalist compound. Or rogue members of the FLDS Church. It doesn't matter really, they have no real impact on the story and instead are the same exact enemies we've been fighting this whole game with a different voice pack and different skins. Join us as we fight through a sprawling farm (Note: Farm may be sprawling, the fight locations may not be.), provide sniper cover for people to move forward, then ruin the chance of surprise while we steal a Little Bird.

Episode 6: Overwatch

- Episode 6 notes: This is almost a good mission. Compared to the rest of the game, this is a fun mission. The plot is still stupid, it breaks any willing suspension of disbelief and after having played Hardline, I'm convinced a couple of stolen cars and some breaching charge shenanigans would've been a better plan.

Episode 7: The Bridge

- Episode 7 notes: This is the best mission of the game. It doesn't mean this is a good mission though. We assault a bridge for no reason, using helicopters against an enemy with air superiority. No one brings a rocket launcher and the North Koreans are still using German AT instead of something like the RPG7-2 which would be used by such forces as the Chinese. I think they secretly annexed Germany. Connor's dead though

BONUS CONTENT

CQC's Let's Play of Battle Los Angeles. The whole thing, right here. It's shovelware, that's the nicest thing to be said about it. Join us for a spectacularly bad game, rambling about anything, but the game, my ringtone going off, dick joke billboards and Dr. Strangelove's attempt at singing.

Part 1
Part 2



Join Evil Tim, Hornet65 and myself on a magical journey.