Non-Americans Can Like Homefront, Too

[Saucycarpdog]

This game is looking great from what I have seen, by the way, THQ just released a new video on Homefront today:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/multiplayer-interview-homefront/709510

That Battle Commander idea sounds very interesting.

 

[JerrytheBullfrog]

Then, if this is merely speculative fiction, why not opt for a different speculative story that paints the US as antagonists for a change as opposed to the always good-guy protagonists that defend all that is right and true?

Oh wait...that's right. That wouldn't sell as well to western audiences, now would it? *sigh*

I can't speak as to the story itself since I haven't played this game nor have I seen any of its points. But that doesn't mean that its outset premise is still filled with something I've grown to expect really, nor is it all that innovative with its premise either (For one IO's Freedom Fighters have already done it once before). So sure...maybe the story was pulled off in a better way, I wouldn't know.

But don't try to fool yourself by saying that the premise isn't rooted in perceptions and bias that is fuelled by western media. I am quite certain that if a game of 'speculative fiction' would ever be released, where the world would have to fight off the US from an attempt to control the world (hardly that much of a stretch given how active it has been recently abroad militarily and covertly), it would never be as well-recieved or acclaimed by most critics and audiences - even if its story was executed well enough.

You can make a good thing out of anything, true. And who knows, this game might genuinely be done well story-wise. But the premises will *always* remain the same and will always be rooted in the same underlying bias as usual. The west is the best and anyone who opposes us isn't.

Because... the developers are based in New York City and are thus, presumably, American? And would be more comfortable setting a game in their own country, particularly when the entire point is an emotional reaction about "what's familiar is twisted"?

It's not a hard concept...

 

[archvile93]

but the creative director of the game thinks that its themes and values are universal.

It really would have helped if you'd picked a slightly less controversial and slightly more believable scenario. Like Episode 3 coming out on time.

After playing the game, I actually really don't have a problem with the scenario. They present it well, and as he says in the piece, it's completely speculative fiction.

And I'm becoming increasingly convinced that people don't actually read our news posts beyond the headline and the teaser.

I do! I'm probably gunna get this game anyway. But the premise IS pretty retarded. Forgoing the idea that North Korea could EVER come up with a working EMP, HOW the hell are they even going to GET HERE? Let alone find enough troops to occupy HALF the United States?

I saw in Pre-realease footage that North Korea were annexing many countrys, Steam-rolling its way to America, Countrys near America could of been Occupied.

They'd still have to cross the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to do that. Wouldn't it make more sense to take over Europe and Asia first?

 

[Loonerinoes]

Because... the developers are based in New York City and are thus, presumably, American? And would be more comfortable setting a game in their own country, particularly when the entire point is an emotional reaction about "what's familiar is twisted"?

It's not a hard concept...

Of course it isn't a hard concept. And I understand it completely! I'm just saying...it's getting tiresome to twist the familiar. It'd be interesting for a shooter to actually introduce you to something new, have you grow to really like it and see it may not be as different from what you've already known before, THEN have it shattered and engaging you, the player, to fight for it.

That is a far harder concept to pull off - to have the audience empathize with something they previously considered to be different from what they know, but would be more worthwhile really. Instead...the easy way is to go for the familiar and twist it. Now, there's nothing wrong with that tbh. But if this is considered somehow 'radical' when it comes to shooters then just...dudes, you're way behind the curve. And anytime one of these supposedly 'controversial' games comes out that brings us 'something new' (as I've said - already saw a very gritty approach to this by Freedom Fighters, and IO weren't even American heh...just selling to the American market obviously), I always think to myself that it'd be far more controversial to take the opposing approach rather than the popular one for just once.

Quite frankly, as I've said, I don't ultimately care that much because I like twisting the familiar approach a fair few times too. Hell, Dragon Age might indeed overindulge in the tropes, but I still liked the twist to the Darkspawn in the expansion and I still liked certain very familiar themes being explored somewhat differently. And I am sure I could like that approach in a game such as Homefront too!

Just please...don't sell it as 'something ***SPECIAL***' because it really really isn't. Though obviously if they want to exploit whatever 'controvesy' comes out of this for marketing purposes eh...I understand why they keep trying to milk it for what its worth in that case I suppose.

 

[Drummie666]

I don't know why this premise is controversial. I just think that it is stupid and completely impossible. So if anyone can explain why it is controversial, thanks.

"I think there's a lot of the resistance side - the guerrilla resistance feel - and the emotional storytelling and human cost of war, that you don't really see portrayed in, really, any other shooter I can think of."

Well, fine, I can't name a shooter that has extremely emotional story telling (I'm sure that some one else can), But the human cost of war was a major theme of Medal of Honor 2010.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Then, if this is merely speculative fiction, why not opt for a different speculative story that paints the US as antagonists for a change as opposed to the always good-guy protagonists that defend all that is right and true?

Oh wait...that's right. That wouldn't sell as well to western audiences, now would it? *sigh*

It wouldn't sell well in the US, but in plenty of other places it'd be welcome, for the novelty if nothing else.

This game is looking great from what I have seen, by the way, THQ just released a new video on Homefront today:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/multiplayer-interview-homefront/709510

That Battle Commander idea sounds very interesting.

Looks interesting, have to see if it works.

 

[angry_flashlight]

I knew it! THOSE BASTARD MAPLE LEAF, SYRUP DRINKING HOCKEY GOONS SOLD US OUT DIDN'T THEY!?!

What? They asked nicely.

OT: Can we please stop having the USA invaded? We can still have strong Anglo-Saxon male characters with simple names elsewhere in the world besides the USA you know. Maybe have a British guy in Poland or India or something outside the norm.

I might still rent it though.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Oh, I'm already used to no games being set in my country. And when they are they always get it wrong anyway. There are no mountains here, Battlefield and Call of Duty!

I don't mind defending America (again).

 

[Tom Phoenix]

While I have a hard time buying such an absurd plot even as speculative fiction (North Korea...really? really?), I do have to admit that I might enjoy a game like this. Heck, I enjoyed Freedom Fighters (which was quite cheesy) and this doesn't seem much worse.

 

[Cyberjester]

Of course non-Americans will like Homefront. The big bully United States taken down by North Korea? They'll be laughing at us all the way to the end credits.

Watch the trailer, it's pretty good. Better than that dodgy Black Ops vid. ActivisionBlizzard, both make lame as trailers.

On topic, the back story trailer presents North Korea taking over South Korea to form the Greater Korea Republic. They continue assimilating areas around them, much like the Javanese have done for the better half of the last century. They managed to take China, from the looks of it they went after China as well. They'd want to given how many times both China and Japan have invaded Korea before as well. Then they take what looks like parts of the Russian/Asian area, possibly Europe? Launch a satellite carrying an EMP into space, then detonate over North America.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq control the oil supplies, and if they held onto them completely then the USA really would shut down. Their military wouldn't, they have enough stockpiles for a while, but that would dry up eventually. So no electronics, no fuel. There goes their air force, most of armored ground forces, some of their navy. The nuclear powered boats would be ok.

So you have the Greater Korean Republic consisting of Korea, Japan, China, lower Russia/upper Asia invading the USA. Odds are definitely on GKR to win. Of course, the civilian winning is total rubbish. GKR would smash any resistance quite nicely.

It isn't entirely unlikely, given the USA's current disinclination to secure the Iraqi oil fields and willingness to let other countries walk over them. North and South Korea are gearing up to go at it again and the USA won't jump in for fears China would come over, see how they're doing. I like it.

I knew it! THOSE BASTARD MAPLE LEAF, SYRUP DRINKING HOCKEY GOONS SOLD US OUT DIDN'T THEY!?!

What? They asked nicely.

OT: Can we please stop having the USA invaded? We can still have strong Anglo-Saxon male characters with simple names elsewhere in the world besides the USA you know. Maybe have a British guy in Poland or India or something outside the norm.

I might still rent it though.

Oh yea, British guy in India. Maybe Ireland? That'd go down real well.

snip

They'd still have to cross the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to do that. Wouldn't it make more sense to take over Europe and Asia first?

Watch the Back Story tailer, they did.

 

[Cyberjester]

"I think there's a lot of the resistance side - the guerrilla resistance feel - and the emotional storytelling and human cost of war, that you don't really see portrayed in, really, any other shooter I can think of."

CoD6 (Modern Warfare 2) had that scene in the Russian airport. Unfortunately it seems it was more shock value than politics or philosophy. But for any Russian, it would have hit pretty hard given how many times they've had terrorist attacks on their soil. The school comes to mind, was a cinema a while back. And it seemed to elicit an emotional response from quite a few people going by the comments on this site. 'Course, for every "That was terrible! I hated it, seeing the people get gunned down like that", there was a "Dude, that was so slow, I mean, got to be the worst scene ever. Shooting that gal in the head was fun though"

I knew it! THOSE BASTARD MAPLE LEAF, SYRUP DRINKING HOCKEY GOONS SOLD US OUT DIDN'T THEY!?!

For sure, we've got better things to do than take on the GKR.

Like play hockey and drink maple syrup. ^ ^

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

OT: Can we please stop having the USA invaded?

This. Seriously, this whole USA getting invaded premise is nothing more than a juvenile fantasy. It's like all these games are being written by the kind of nutcase rednecks who keep their guns loaded because they're forever thinking that the foreign horde is just over the next hill. The actual logistics of invading a country as large and well-defended as America are something that none of these hacks ever bother to really consider, yet they still act as if they have a right to proclaim their subject material as 'serious'.

Also the idea that people in Chechnya or Afghanistan will sympathise with the plight of America being invaded is going to keep me in stitches all day. I think this guy missed his calling in life, he should have been a comedian.

 

[Cyberjester]

And I'm becoming increasingly convinced that people don't actually read our news posts beyond the headline and the teaser.

That headline is important.

 

[Woodsey]

Of course non-Americans will like Homefront. The big bully United States taken down by North Korea? They'll be laughing at us all the way to the end credits.

I'd love it if they had multiple endings, and to then be able to see how many people outside of the US got the "bad" one xD

OT: This game doesn't interest me in the slightest, but that's because it doesn't stand out at all, not because of the content (although I'm pretty sure they did the same invasion thing in MW2, not that I've played it).

 

[JerrytheBullfrog]

OT: Can we please stop having the USA invaded?

This. Seriously, this whole USA getting invaded premise is nothing more than a juvenile fantasy. It's like all these games are being written by the kind of nutcase rednecks who keep their guns loaded because they're forever thinking that the foreign horde is just over the next hill. The actual logistics of invading a country as large and well-defended as America are something that none of these hacks ever bother to really consider, yet they still act as if they have a right to proclaim their subject material as 'serious'.

Also the idea that people in Chechnya or Afghanistan will sympathise with the plight of America being invaded is going to keep me in stitches all day. I think this guy missed his calling in life, he should have been a comedian.

Who the hell pissed in your cheerios? Nobody's saying that the next foreign horde is over the hill. Watch some interviews about the game, the staff hardly comes off as "nutcase rednecks."

Learn to read, dude. He's not saying that people in Chechnya or Afghanistan will sympathize with the poor americans. He's saying that the idea of wanting to defend your family and the place you sleep at night is pretty universal, no matter if you're American, Mexican, Afghan, or whatever.

If a group of Americans tried to make a game about a bunch of Chechnyans or Afghans or whoever defending their homelands you can bet your ass that people would be blasting them for being so insensitive or for getting cultural things wrong.

People make what they're comfortable with, what they know. Americans make games starring Americans. Japanese make games starring Japanese. Russians make games starring Russians. There are just a lot of American game developers.

WHAT IS HARD ABOUT THIS?

 

[Nouw]

I'm South Korean and this looks good!

Anyone can enjoy the game, regardless of where you're from.

 

[AngryFrenchCanadian]

How does the game stand apart from Call of Duty? Modern Warfare 2 also staged an invasion of America, by the Russians that time around.