Homefront: The Revolution

[Kasey Chang]

Looks like the long-awaited sequel to Homefront will drop in May 2016... And take a couple pages from Far Cry 3 and 4.

They are promising lot of blah blah about asymmetrical warfare, quick hitting and melt away, with a bunch of homebrew weapons, customization, and probably a boatload of expansion packs with more weapons, skins, and so on, but "open-ended". Given the way game looks, I suspect it'll be "Urban Far Cry 3/4 w/ better AI" with a dose of Red Faction Guerilla. Somehow I never got into RFG. That game just never caught my attention.

[jztemple2]

I suspect it'll be "Urban Far Cry 3/4 w/ better AI" with a dose of Red Faction Guerilla.

By the way, Red Faction: Guerrilla is pretty great.

[tgb]

Every time I see this game mentioned I get it confused with Republic - The Revolution. Now that's a game that deserves a proper remake.

[jztemple2]

New, official video posted: Homefront: The Revolution 'Guerrilla Warfare 101'. Looks awesome

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

Looks good, but I kept getting distracted by the narrator and what I think was his badly disguised Irish accent.

[jztemple2]

Wow, three days before launch and there hasn't been a peep about this game here since March. Anyway, the game is now pre-loading on Steam. I'd be all over it, except that I'm going on vacation at the end of next week and I know myself; if I get a game and play it a bit before I leave, when I come back I have a hard time getting back into it. Since the pre-order bonuses aren't very good I'll probably just wait and buy it later on as well. Unless of course...

Green Man Gaming doesn't have any specific discount. Anyone know if there is a GMG coupon that can be applied?

[killbot737]

Looks good, but I kept getting distracted by the narrator and what I think was his badly disguised Irish accent.

Now I'm replaying that video in my head with the voices of Roy and Moss.

Modular guns. Brilliant!

I enjoyed the original game. The premise was a bit impossible, but the gameplay was fun and the guerilla missions made sense (for the most part) against any occupying force. The gun-truck (whatever they called that, the mule?) performed Deus Ex Machina a few too many times imo.

[jztemple2]

Since somebody had to throw their body on the grenade, I went ahead and pre-ordered the game on Steam, since I had some credit there burning a hole in my Steam Wallet. Pre-loading now...

[Max Peck]

Since somebody had to throw their body on the grenade, I went ahead and pre-ordered the game on Steam, since I had some credit there burning a hole in my Steam Wallet. Pre-loading now...

I grabbed it too, although I don't know if Stellaris is going to give me any time off to play it right away.

[jztemple2]

Since somebody had to throw their body on the grenade, I went ahead and pre-ordered the game on Steam, since I had some credit there burning a hole in my Steam Wallet. Pre-loading now...

I grabbed it too, although I don't know if Stellaris is going to give me any time off to play it right away.

I'm holding off on Stellaris because of the posted developer plans for updates makes me think I'd rather wait for them before I get burned out on playing.

This is what convinced me to give HTR a try: 8 Reasons Why Homefront: The Revolution Will Be Great. Particularly this:

It’s part Assassin’s Creed, part Far Cry

These days, it’s impossible to make an open-world game without it being thrown into an elevator-style ‘X game meets Y title’ pitch. To continue the trend, The Revolution is part Assassin’s Creed and part Far Cry. Sure, those are both open-world action titles (the latter more than the former), but the Assassin’s Creed comparison relates more to the stealth and hiding in plain sight. During the second half hour of my preview, I was fast-forwarded to later in the game, where the patrolling KPA soldiers knew my face and would react to my presence. This meant I had to hide out in the open if I didn’t want to be seen, using civilians as line-of-sight blockers as I shifted through the heavily patrolled streets.

Of course, when that came unstuck, I went full Far Cry on them, making use of hit-and-run tactics against waves of reinforcements in open-approach combat scenarios. Alternatively, if you have issues avoiding your dogged pursuers, you can embrace another Assassin’s Creed trope and hide in optional spots to make avoiding KPA hunters a whole lot easier.

[Max Peck]

RPS Wot I Think

Homefront: The Revolution has so little to do with the previous game that it’s damned confusing, even with publishers’ dizzying fear of new IPs, that they used the title. People either haven’t heard of the first game and don’t care, or they have heard of it and are therefore aware what a massive pile of shite it was. The association doesn’t seem to offer anything positive. Something that appears even more peculiar when you discover just how different a game it is. This is no four hour linear FPS, this is a massive open world recreation of North Korea-invaded Philidelphia that’s five parts The Division, three parts Far Cry, and with a dash of Metal Gear Sold V. Albeit such a concoction that really could have done with another year in the oven.
...
This time out the conceit is at least somewhat better justified – in this alternative timeline, NK started funding the US’s endeavours, and became their primary source of weaponry and warring equipment. But rather cunningly everything had been fitted with a backdoor, meaning at the moment of N. Korea’s choosing they just took over the US military with the touch of a button. After millions of their troops, the KPA, arrived in the country, they easily took over, and now present themselves as offering hope and a chance at recovered prosperity to the American people.

The Division reference sounds good to me -- I love that game, I just wish they would put out some more soloable PvE content. Even I can only do the same handful of hard-mode set-piece missions before I move on (to Stellaris, as it happens ).

Also, it appears to be set in a post-Trump America. I bet he negotiated the best deal you've ever seen for those sweet NK weapon systems.

At any rate, it sounds like the game brings some good ideas to the table, but is saddled with some technical issues (poor AI, some glitchiness, etc).

[coopasonic]

Color me intrigued... I just happen to need a new game right now and the combo they put in the blender sounds right up my alley. And I got an email last night from GMG for 25% off.

[jztemple2]

Now unlocking the game with the last few files... WTF? 2.6 GB download in progress? Well, that's going to take some time... <gumble>

Meantime, here's an excellent article from Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Wot I Think: Homefront – The Revolution. He like some of the game, doesn't like other parts, but...

My guess is that Homefront: The Revolution isn’t going to score so well in the land of game scoring, because it’s quite so replete with issues. And that makes me sad, in a way, because there’s quite so much here. The story, while meagre in depth, isn’t bullshit for once, and the city itself is superbly designed. It feels like it could have been the step forward from Ubi’s stale format, had it only been given more money and time, better resources for AI, and a good few more passes for bugs, glitches and the like before release. (I’ve gotten stuck in scenery far too often, and once fallen out of the edge of the world. Oh, and you know when your phone goes weird and won’t stop telling you you’ve got a message you’ve read. The in-game phone has that bug. Argh.)

But at the same time, it’s one of the most interesting games in the genre, trying to be so much more than the usual icon hunt such open-worlds offer. Scripted sequences may be generally dire, but they’re there with a goal to offering yet more variety alongside the hugely different tones to different zones, the different tactics needed to approach different atmospheres, and weapons that can be a treat to use.

and...

I want to be able to recommend it so much, but I’m also aware how much time I spent bellowing at the screen because NPCs wedge themselves in doorways, or the godforsaken airships spawn immediately above your head and scupper all your hard work. I’m aware how dreadful the AI is throughout. I’m aware that despite its attempts to move things on it’s extremely derivative of a genre that’s wearing itself thin. But I want to recommend it anyway. It’s got this weird bubbling heart underneath it, a clear desire to be a great game despite not being able to reach it. It’s packed, varied, and so bloody enormous. It’s a real muddle, and a muddle for which I’ve developed a real soft spot.

[Max Peck]

Now unlocking the game with the last few files... WTF? 2.6 GB download in progress? Well, that's going to take some time... <gumble>

Depending on your connection rate, maybe not as much time as the preload decryption.

[jztemple2]

Here are some early impressions from 2.1 game hours of play, on Recruit (easy) mode, playing the Steam version on my rig (Intel i7 4770K 3.5GHz, 16GB RAM, GTX 780 3GB, Win7 64bit Home Premium, 480GB SSD main drive).

I like it!

OK, so you want more. Game runs fine at 60fps, with occasional slowdowns to the upper 40s, but no stuttering or lagging. I have the graphics up fairly high, running at 1920x1200 and it looks very pretty. I'm using an X360 controller and there are no issues with controls.

Story so far is decent. There's a main thread of the bad guys are in control, you are the good guys in a resistance movement. I never played the first game nor saw the movie, so I have no expectations or preconceptions on what I should be seeing. It's similar to a Far Cry or an Assassins Creed game in that there are main campaign objectives but also a lot of side missions, collectibles, and some pop-up missions that give points (not money) which are helpful in buying things. And you aren't being forced to play in any particular order of doing these things.

Terrific atmosphere in the game environment. You feel very much like you are in an occupied city. Stay out of sight of the bad guys unless you are picking a fight. You work to liberate areas of the city so you can move about uninhibited. There are transponders to hack (it's not really even a minigame, just a quick interface to make sure you are making an effort) and controlling these unlocks close by items on the map. It's somewhat similar to the Far Cry towers or the Assassin's Creed, err, towers, but not as difficult to get to.

Combat is pretty good. Head shots do kill and even with an SMG you can take a bad guy out without having to empty several mags. I am playing on Easy, so on tougher difficulties this might be tougher, but considering the bad guys have body armor and full helmets, it feels realistic. I played The Division beta and there I felt like it took way too many bullets to kill a bad guy. Here it feels reasonable.

The in-game economy is a bit confusing. There is plain money, hearts and mind points, and something else that I'm not really sure what it's called. However, it seems logical, since just looting corpses isn't going to make the people free. There are plenty of places to buy things. And to make money you loot like a Fallout game, but there's no inventory or weight management for items called "valuables" (jewelry, hard drives, etc). You just cash out these items at any Shop.

Gameplay feels good. I died a couple of times when I went for a transponder location without being careful about the bad guys near me. I got spotted and they rolled in reinforcements and trapped me. You've got to be careful about who is near by. But it doesn't feel random (although I know it is). It feels like the bad guys are patrolling and if I pay attention I can maneuver to where I want to be without being caught.

The game map is awesome. It's a jumble of rubbled buildings, blasted out tunnels and abandoned containers and vehicles. But not in all areas. Some areas are in better shape and in these you can move about as long as you don't draw attention to yourself.

I haven't seen any glitches so far, but it's early days. I'll post more updates as I get in more time.

[killbot737]

I was reading some of the insane tirades on the steam forums so I figure it needs a bit of work, but I have some q's:

How does the save system work? Do you have to get back to a home base to save like in GTA or Saint's Row?

Is it 3D at all in the sense of Dying Light, for example can you climb up structures or to rooftops and make your way around that way? Or is it mostly ground based?

Have you got to the point with the modular guns yet? How does that work for you? Oh and on that front, is there a good variety of weapons (so far)? Do they restrict you to carrying only two at a time like some of the other military shooters do (and the original game did)?

[jztemple2]

I was reading some of the insane tirades on the steam forums so I figure it needs a bit of work, but I have some q's:

How does the save system work? Do you have to get back to a home base to save like in GTA or Saint's Row?

No, you don't have to go to a location to save. Basically every time you do something that changes configuration (buy a gun, capture a base, complete an action that completes a quest, etc) the game saves. If you quit and restart, or if you die in-game, you are restarted in the nearest safe location (a resistance gun shop or or a captured strongpoint, for example) and it loads that save so you have everything you had before and you don't lose progress. The one thing that does happen if you die in-game is that you lose any "valuables" (non-usable loot) you are carrying, but that's pretty minor.

Is it 3D at all in the sense of Dying Light, for example can you climb up structures or to rooftops and make your way around that way? Or is it mostly ground based?

It's definitely 3D in the sense that there are a lot of towers, multi-story buildings and other high locations that are accessible. Also tunnels as well. And, by the way, the motorcycles in game are a hoot, there are a number of informal ramps around and you can really go all over the city if you don't mind being shot at!

Have you got to the point with the modular guns yet? How does that work for you? Oh and on that front, is there a good variety of weapons (so far)? Do they restrict you to carrying only two at a time like some of the other military shooters do (and the original game did)?

The modular guns are great. I think you can have only two guns, but I'm not sure. Right now I have a pistol, which I can convert to a pneumatically operated sound-suppressed weapon or an SMG. I also have an assault rifle which can be converted to be a grenade launcher or a sniper rifle. The conversion system works pretty simply once you have done it a few times. There are add-on scopes and bipods and other attachments too.

[killbot737]

Thanks!

[Normann]

Open world, FPS, Cry Engine. Sounds yummy. But, reading the RPS review (thanks for the link!), the bad AI is holding me back from buying it at full price. I will hold out until a sale or a patch. Though I doubt they will patch the AI.

[Little Raven]

Interesting. I loved Red Faction Guerrilla but I'm afraid my eyes are currently set on Total War: Warhammer. I'll probably end up picking this one up eventually, though, and I appreciate your review, jz.

[jztemple2]

Open world, FPS, Cry Engine. Sounds yummy. But, reading the RPS review (thanks for the link!), the bad AI is holding me back from buying it at full price. I will hold out until a sale or a patch. Though I doubt they will patch the AI.

I haven't found the AI to be bad, maybe not inspired, but not bad. They seek cover if shot at and flank their targets. If they know there is a target out there in hiding they will search pretty thoroughly. And enemy snipers can make your day miserable.

[Max Peck]

Open world, FPS, Cry Engine. Sounds yummy. But, reading the RPS review (thanks for the link!), the bad AI is holding me back from buying it at full price. I will hold out until a sale or a patch. Though I doubt they will patch the AI.

I haven't found the AI to be bad, maybe not inspired, but not bad. They seek cover if shot at and flank their targets. If they know there is a target out there in hiding they will search pretty thoroughly. And enemy snipers can make your day miserable.

I'm not sure why they wouldn't improve the AI (if they can) since they seem to have a post-release development/support roadmap (as evidenced by the DLC season pass they are selling). There was a significant additional download when the game unlocked. It's possible that some of the technical problems apparent in the pre-release version that was reviewed have already been mitigated to some degree if that was a launch day patch (I said with hopeful naivety...).

I still haven't fired it up -- Stellaris is a harsh and demanding mistress.

[coopasonic]

I only played for about an hour last night, but I was a bit underwhelmed. Basically after the first 20 minutes you have no direction at all. Yay, open world. Boo what the hell should I be doing. You are severely out gunned and the gunplay is pretty bad. I am playing on normal difficulty and I am by no means an FPS god, but it just isn't working for me. I have tried both controller and mouse/kb and neither feels right.

I think I am mostly bothered by the overwhelming scope of possibilities. Can a game be too open world? (Actually for me that is true, I don't generally enjoy true sandbox games because I want the game to set goals for me).

I'll keep at it, mostly because I don't have anything else to play (except slither.io, which is what I found myself playing last night after the kids went to bed instead of more Homefront).

[Normann]

Open world, FPS, Cry Engine. Sounds yummy. But, reading the RPS review (thanks for the link!), the bad AI is holding me back from buying it at full price. I will hold out until a sale or a patch. Though I doubt they will patch the AI.

I haven't found the AI to be bad, maybe not inspired, but not bad. They seek cover if shot at and flank their targets. If they know there is a target out there in hiding they will search pretty thoroughly. And enemy snipers can make your day miserable.

ok I will get it than... I have 1 day off... it is your fault now )

[jztemple2]

I only played for about an hour last night, but I was a bit underwhelmed. Basically after the first 20 minutes you have no direction at all. Yay, open world. Boo what the hell should I be doing. You are severely out gunned and the gunplay is pretty bad. I am playing on normal difficulty and I am by no means an FPS god, but it just isn't working for me. I have tried both controller and mouse/kb and neither feels right.

I think I am mostly bothered by the overwhelming scope of possibilities. Can a game be too open world? (Actually for me that is true, I don't generally enjoy true sandbox games because I want the game to set goals for me).

I'll keep at it, mostly because I don't have anything else to play (except slither.io, which is what I found myself playing last night after the kids went to bed instead of more Homefront).

The first hour isn't representative of the rest of the gamplay, you aren't armed at the start and you start off in a Yellow Zone, where stealth is really important. The first hour, for practical purposes, is an introduction to the game world, the two sides, the map and the mission system. I do agree that it does seem overwhelming, but in a way that's the point of the game, that there is so much badness in the city that needs to be addressed. The campaign missions follow a logical progression, but I find it fun to just pick out something to do via the side missions, the "take back the city" tasks, or just something off the job board. Don't get hung up on trying to figure out the logical next move, the logic will make itself clear as you play. And remember, the Yellow Zone is hard, you really must avoid combat till you have the right tools.

I'm using an X360 controller on my PC and it works great.

In response to a question posted yesterday, you are restricted to two weapons, a pistol and a primary gun (or crossbow). But the modular weapon system allows that pistol to be an SMG or a silenced pneumatic gun, and that rifle can be a sniper gun or an assault rifle or even a grenade launcher. Obviously the crossbow isn't going to fulfill the same needs as the rifle, but I've found the crossbow is an excellent choice for the Yellow (stealthy) Zone while the rifle works best in the Red Zone, where no civilians are allowed and it's open combat.

[Normann]

Downloaded it... played the 1st 20 mins. Cannot comment just yet except that the graphics look great.

Q: How do I hack with a mouse? It seems I cannot move the right circle. Thanks!

[jztemple2]

Q: How do I hack with a mouse? It seems I cannot move the right circle. Thanks!

Hmm, no idea, I use a controller. Next time I fire up the game and come across one of these I'll try the mouse and see.

[coopasonic]

I thought it was left click and move for the left then right click and move for the right, but that is just from memory and it aint what is used to be.

[Normann]

I thought it was left click and move for the left then right click and move for the right, but that is just from memory and it aint what is used to be.

Thanks! For whatever reason I was thinking I need to hold the left click then do the right. But it is like you said it.

[jztemple2]

Here's another message I'm cross-posting for everyone's edification...

In response to a question posted yesterday, you are restricted to two weapons, a pistol and a primary gun (or crossbow). But the modular weapon system allows that pistol to be an SMG or a silenced pneumatic gun, and that rifle can be a sniper gun or an assault rifle or even a grenade launcher. Obviously the crossbow isn't going to fulfill the same needs as the rifle, but I've found the crossbow is an excellent choice for the Yellow (stealthy) Zone while the rifle works best in the Red Zone, where no civilians are allowed and it's open combat.

From what I saw in the Giant Bomb Quicklook you can change up your weapons on the run at any time, so you effectively have all the weapons from a sniper rifle to assault rifle to shotgun and grenade launcher all in one at the press of a button/menu. You just seem to have the two categories of small arms (pistol, smg, etc) and medium (rifles, etc).

It's not quite that simple. I've now also bought the assault rifle, which is a different weapon than the battle rifle. I haven't bought the shotgun yet. So now, besides my pistol/SMG, I can carry either the crossbow or the battle rifle or the assault rifle. I can only change my primary weapon at a gun shop, which are all over the map, but sometimes not easy to get to. The pistol you always carry.

For the battle rifle, think M-14 semi-auto as the basic weapon. You can swap out modules on it to covert it to a bolt action sniper rifle. Or you can convert it to a grenade launcher with a five round magazine. And of course the ancillary attachments give me a muzzle brake, bipod, laser pointer, telescope sight, reflex sight, holographic sight and it can also open beer bottles and play ragtime music. OK, the last two items may not be true :icon_wink:

The assault rifle, on the other hand, think M-16 or AK-47 with full auto. It can be converted to an LMG or a limpet mine shooter. And it has the same ancillary items as the battle rifle.

The cross bow probably has some conversion, but I've been basically using it as is with a reflex sight.

[coopasonic]

The cross bow probably has some conversion, but I've been basically using it as is with a reflex sight.

I can't remember the other conversion, but one of the crossbow conversions is a freaking flamethrower. Yeah, totally.

[Normann]

I've played 9 hours yesterday.

I was pretty hesitant at first, because of the bad reviews on steam but I am glad I ended up buying this.

1. Performance
Win 7 980ti 8g RAM i7 3770, SSD
I had no crashes. I am running the game maxed except Vsync. It is definitely not 100% smooth. That is a bit of a problem because it is a shooter, and the enemy does run around quite a bit. So a high frame rate would make it easier to aim. Some optimization is needed for certain. Also, there is a bit of cashing going on but mostly when you interact with your gear locker or whenever the game is saving. It is there but it does not matter much.

2. AI... I was concerned about this.
Nothing really exciting or new but not awful either. They first run to cover, then they tend to stay there for some time and later they seek you out. They do flank some. When the enemy is getting thrown at you in large numbers they do come from all directions. It is challenging enough usually because you are almost always outnumbered. It is OK.

3. Gameplay
It is open, similar to Far Cry. Someone made that comparison earlier in this thread. It is a good comparison. The missions boil down to three things. First, the map is divided into sectors (called "flash-points") and you can take over those one by one independent from the main story. Next, there are occasional missions that pop up. You can rush to those and take part in them or you can ignore them. I.e. "defend the weapon cash". Finally, the main quest, which so far seems to be nothing more but taking over sectors, kind of like the "flash-points". Sooooo... not too exciting. Not to mention that the story is so so... Korea takes over USA? Ummm... okay... It does not matter I guess.

As far as the weapons in the game... Slightly problematic. Especially until you get the RPG. Not too bad later on.
As others mentioned, the weapons are kind of "grouped". So you always have your Pistol slot (which can be converted into a pneumatic gun or an SMG). Then you can select between a rifle (M14 looking) that can be converted into a sniper rifle, or a launcher of some sort. Or you can go with a M16ish looking gun, which can become another launcher, or a SAW (light MG) looking thing. Or the bow, that can be converted into two things as well (but I did not try that yet). The problem is that converting the main gun into something else takes time and in the middle of the battle it is hard to do, in part, because of the control system. You have the manipulate a selection wheel with your mouse or use the shortcuts (that cannot be reprogrammed). So if you want to switch, you need to disengage from combat, hide, reconfigure, and reengage. It is hard and I don't like it. As the game progresses and you start unlocking new stuff, you won't need to switch as often anymore. But it is definitely a challenge initially.

Overall the game is fine. It could have been much better with some polishing. But for $45 with the GMG discount (thanks whoever posted that!!!) I would say it is a good buy. After 9 hours I am probably around 30%. So 30-35h gameplay is probable. Not a bad deal.

[Max Peck]

Not to mention that the story is so so... Korea takes over USA? Ummm... okay... It does not matter I guess.

Just pretend that "Korea" is actually "PRC" and it will work better (as was the case in the original game), or that the Norks are just PRC proxies. If anything, slapping some PRC paint over the backstory makes it almost not entirely implausible given the degree to which real world US military systems depend on electronics that are made in China. Contracts going to the lowest bidder? What could possibly go wrong there...

[Normann]

Not to mention that the story is so so... Korea takes over USA? Ummm... okay... It does not matter I guess.

Just pretend that "Korea" is actually "PRC" and it will work better (as was the case in the original game), or that the Norks are just PRC proxies. If anything, slapping some PRC paint over the backstory makes it almost not entirely implausible given the degree to which real world US military systems depend on electronics that are made in China. Contracts going to the lowest bidder? What could possibly go wrong there...

Right! It is a game. I am just surprised that this was the best they could come up with.

[jztemple2]

Cross-posted...

You don't get unlimited health, nor regen, which I like. Health is found or bought and rarely found on enemies/allies.

I like this too. It makes the player do more planning... do I have enough health kits to continue, or do I need to go find a cache (or whatever they call it) and get another one?

About the only thing I think is bad/useless is the jobs board. I have two jobs, photograph generators being moved and photograph drone launchers, and I've yet to actually see either of them. I have completed some jobs, but some like these I've either not found the items or am missing them in plain sight. Not a big deal anyway, I get enough money in other ways.

I've thirteen hours in and I've now reached the Ashgate Yellow Zone. This is my second full yellow zone (not counting the one in the upper right corner of the map) and it's a prettier looking area that the first one. And it also plays a bit different, the KPA isn't as dominate.

Another cool thing I've found about the game is the way the people change as you rack up the Hearts & Minds points. Down when it's near zero everyone is moping around, but as the H&M points accumulate the people start getting feisty. It took me a while to understand the H&M system, but I think it's pretty clever. You don't have to find every radio or take out all the armored cars; you can mix and match. I thought the max numbers on the H&M display represented the number you had to get, but now I realize it's the max number in each category that will applied to the H&M calculation. For instance, you don't need to get any radios if you get other stuff, but once you reach that max of ten radios, there's no point in going for any more.

[jztemple2]

So, I've got in 15.4 hours and am still really enjoying it. Sadly, I'm going on a 17 day trip; not sad about the trip, but sad that I'll have to wait till I get back to finish the campaign. The story does get better as you get into the game. I find it so disappointing that people are posting negative review on Steam after playing only a couple of hours. We'll probably never get a sequel on what is turning out to be a very fine game.

I'll also mention one other thing that I've found to be a pleasant surprise... the game environment itself. There is so much detail, from the curfew signs to the bookseller stalls to the things lying around in an apartment. There is nothing whatsoever slapdash in the way the developers have created the world. I get that same authentic vibe from it that I do from GTA V or Fallout 4.

Also the NPCs in the Yellow Zones are great. I came across a couple of guys just throwing a baseball back and forth in a very life-like manner. People chat with you if you stand next to them. All helps with the immersion.

And, unlike a couple of recent games, no crashes at all. And it mostly runs at 60fps but when it slows down I only notice it because of the Steam fps display in the corner, otherwise I wouldn't even notice. The game does get a sudden lag when you complete a mission or quest, but it's over in a second and no big deal. And I have to say that I've seen a couple of reviews knock the day/night cycle mechanics. There's nothing wrong with them, the developers just opted to not do a Fallout 4 type of time cycle. Instead the actions you are doing occur in real time, or rather that the time stays where it is. This isn't a problem since it's not expected that you would spend hours without completing an objective. When you complete an objective the game advances the clock and you see night turn into day or vice versa. It makes the game more interesting in my mind.

[Max Peck]

I finally got started last night and have about 3 hours under my belt. I shouldn't harp on the story premise, but the brief prologue makes it crystal clear that the game world diverged from ours a long time ago, with the Norks having little in common with our DPRK other than maybe geography. They seem to be a combination of South Korean/Japanese high tech R&D combined with Chinese manufacturing/exporting dominance, with a capacity for long-term contingency planning. I've got no problem with any of that -- it's as plausible as pretty much any other near-future dystopian setting.

I initially installed it to a HDD and found that there were a ton of little split-second hitches and pauses while I was running around or fighting, in spite of the fact that my hardware meets or exceeds the recommended system specification. It didn't make the game unplayable by any means, but it was very annoying. I freed up some space on my SSD and moved the game there, which seems to have pretty much eliminated the problem. Hopefully the devs can optimize performance in this area, because I can see people without an SSD coming down hard on the game over this.

I'm enjoying the game itself. If nothing else, they've really nailed the experience of running around a chaotic combat zone, trying to stay alive and figure out what the heck is going on, all while recovering from multiple blunt force traumas to the cranial region. Or maybe it's just that I kind of suck at straight-up FPSs...

[coopasonic]

I only played for about an hour last night, but I was a bit underwhelmed. Basically after the first 20 minutes you have no direction at all. Yay, open world. Boo what the hell should I be doing. You are severely out gunned and the gunplay is pretty bad. I am playing on normal difficulty and I am by no means an FPS god, but it just isn't working for me. I have tried both controller and mouse/kb and neither feels right.

I think I am mostly bothered by the overwhelming scope of possibilities. Can a game be too open world? (Actually for me that is true, I don't generally enjoy true sandbox games because I want the game to set goals for me).

I'll keep at it, mostly because I don't have anything else to play (except slither.io, which is what I found myself playing last night after the kids went to bed instead of more Homefront).

I got over my distaste of the beginning and enjoyed it for the most part.

After 9 hours I am probably around 30%. So 30-35h gameplay is probable. Not a bad deal.

I finished the story in 15.8 hours, per steam. A bit shorter than I would normally like, but given the repetitive gameplay, probably for the best.

[jztemple2]

After getting in fifteen hours on the game before my trip, I got back Sunday night and since then I've put in seven more hours. I'm having a bit of a love/hate relation with the game. I hate that achieving some objectives requires so much puzzle solving, and that there is a sense of repetition to a lot of the gameplay. I love the premise and the way that you are obliged to use a mix of stealth, gadgets and blazing gun fire. I also like the maps, the amount of detail is great. I do find the Nork soldiers a bit brain dead, but no enough to spoil the enjoyment.

Maybe because I'm running off an SSD I'm not having any real issues. The frame rate drops below sixty at times but never enough to be a problem; the only way I know that it dropped is that the Steam fps counter shows it. Otherwise it's working fine for me.

[gbasden]

I picked this up as I was really having a bad week and needed to shoot something in the face. It's definitely not perfect, but I am enjoying it more than I thought I might given some of the reviews. It's pretty easy to get swarmed and die, so you need to go into most fights with some sort of escape plan. The AI isn't brilliant, but it is mostly serviceable.

I am really enjoying the movement between the red zones and the yellow zones. The yellow zones feel like an occupied city, and having to use other people as cover so you won't get recognized is fun. Knifing a patrol, leaving the body in a conspicuous place, waiting for a number of guards to converge and then firebombing them is good, morbid fun.