Homefront

Kaos Studios, March 18th

I’m someone heavily involved in the FPS gaming debate, and as most of you know I lie on the side of the Battlefield series, but at the beginning of this year a new competitor stepped forward in the form of ‘Homefront’.  The original trailers showed genuine signs of superior graphics and a newly innovative angle on the unfortunately repetitive warfare campaign, so like most I jumped at the chance to test out its credibility. 

On the cover, it’s not very mind blowing; Koreans are attacking the USA with an EMP device and this leads on to their eventual invasion. See, nothing particularly heart racing or jizz inducing, see the Modern Warfare 2 mission list for the ‘déjà vu effect’. However instead of the typical desert, urban city centre or trench-fuelled location, Homefront primarily seemed to focus on destroying the good old-fashioned family environment of an American suburb.

But once again, like all FPS games, eventually this takes a repetitive turn as your Resistance Headquarters is located in said suburbia, and it seems like you’re just repeating the same old paper round route in every mission and the tactical shooting around your next door neighbours swing set stops being enjoyable and instead a chore.

Following the post-apocalyptic ideology of a war game, it’s now time to start shooting some bitches; this too it tries to re-define. Eventually, it becomes natural and you’re walking like a boss everywhere you go, but initially, it’s just aggravating. My memory recalls a specific moment in the tutorial where you’re asked to grab some grenades. Though, before you blow the limbs of your enemies and undergo some sick ‘Singing in the Rain’ fantasy, they’ve cleverly figured out the back entrance to the building and are dicking you with an AK-47.

Thankfully, the game does offer new experiences perhaps even Infinity Ward and DICE wouldn’t touch, also ones you’d never want to familiarise yourself to either. During one particular level [SPOILER ALERT], in order to avoid lead bullets lodging themselves into your brain, you need to hide. So where’s the only option? Oh yes, a pit of dead, decaying bodies. So as you comfortably nestle underneath the local postman and pull his limp arm over your face, logic suddenly hits you; ‘I am literally never joining the army’.

Speak to any established gamer, and they’ll make comparisons to Call of Duty until their tongue melts, and this is because it’s possible. For a relatively unknown developing group to step forward and confront the big bad bully of warfare games, not a lot of positive feedback will follow. But for me, playing an FPS that didn’t take itself too seriously and was often a challenge to complete was a nice breeze of fresh air and it’s one I’ll return to again and again.

Visuals – 7/10

Narrative – 6/10

FPS Factor – 8/10

Dead Space 2

Visceral Games, January 28^th

A game not particularly for the faint hearted, or weak bladdered, Dead Space 2 was the immensely terrifying sequel to the gore-fest released just 3 years prior; or at least I thought it was. In all honestly, I haven’t played past the 6^th chapter, as just 5 minutes progression at a time is quite enough for my imagination, before the Necromorphs begin to crawl through the screen and begin a Ring-esque mutilation on my fragile and quivering body.

But back to the game, minus the predictable ‘jumpy’ locations and excruciatingly dramatized encounters with ‘Whatshisname’ on the Torso-TV, the progressional narrative following the first game is well considered and genuinely believable.

Once gain, the gamer is stalking the man-beast that is, Isaac Clarke, someone who between the 2 games learnt how to speak in a gruff, generic tone whilst also developing the worst case of PTSD known to man, thanks to the everyday occurrence of watching your girlfriend get murdered a bloody good treat.

Nicole Brennan, said dead woman, makes a charming return to the sequel in the form of hallucinogenic mind-fuckery as well as some other ‘antagonists’ from the first game. These being the aggravating spawns of Satan we’ve come to know and love, Necromorphs, most recognisable by their trademark every-direction limbs and ability to live even without a head.

On the cover, Visceral’s representation of a murderous hellhole is graphically beautiful and advancement through each harrowing encounter is intriguing as the mystery unravels, unfortunately for me, perhaps there was just a little too much focus on the visual illustration of horror, instead of actually committing to it.

There’s only so many nurseries and bedrooms I could meander through, all drenched in the same metric tonne of blood and guts as the last, before my mind stopped being scared and actually began imagining how expensive the cleaning bill of the ship would turn out to be.

Oh, and there are mutilated children Necromorphs. It’s official, Visceral are sick bunch of bastards.

Visuals - 7/10

Narrative - 6/10

Scare Factor - 8/10