Homefront Impressions

I'll say it upfront.  I still haven't even played the singleplayer of Homefront.  I don't think I will.  However, I've put around 10 hours into the multiplayer, and I still don't know what I think about it.

On one hand, the gameplay is the same that we've played in Call of Duty and Battlefield.  It's been done before and it's been done smoother.  Also, the game may as well be a free for all, since there's little to no team communication or squad based skills.  Finally, the graphics are... at this stage in a consoles life... bad.

On the other hand, it cobbles together a few things that give it a tiny feel of originality.  The 32 player online play is a welcome change.  Even with that many people, the dedicated servers have kept things lag and host-migrating free.  The slight twist to your normal CoD or Battlefield match is the in-game purchasing system.  If you've played Counterstrike, then imagine that system in CoD.  If not, then I'll explain it.

You get experience that encompasses your career and gives you unlocks, just like other FPS's out there.  However you also get experience that's contained within a match.  That experience is like a currency.  Spend that currency freely, because saving it does nothing for you.  With that currency, you can buy RPG's, Spy Drones, Radar Sweeps, and even the deadly Attack Helicopter.  It's a system that rewards the best players, but only within the confines of the match.  It works.

I have a feeling that the game is going to go on the backburner with Crysis 2 coming out.  So far, I'm liking the game, but I'd only recommend to people who want Call of Duty or Battlefield... but are sick of Call of Duty and Battlefield.