Don’t worry dear reader we haven’t added politics to the spectrum of subjects we cover, no this is the chilling world of Homefront. It’s potentially controversial storyline has been just be fully unveiled in an interactive timeline, giving us all a genuinely unsettling step by step look at how the North Korean’s managed to turn the old red, white and blue simply red.
Written by John Milius, writer of Magnum Force, Conan the Barbarian, Apocalypse Now and Red Dawn, Homefront blurs the line between real life and fiction by using real life news media and original news media. The timeline itself is scarily thorough in its taking the staging point of recent unrest with North Korea and gradually creating a situation where the Kim Jong-Il’s son Kim Jong-un could seize on the chance to invade a severely weakened USA. From the apparent death of Kim Jong-il in 2012, a growing crisis in the US including Texas splitting from the USA, North Korea’s unification of Korea in 2013 and the eventual beginning of the Greater Korean Republic invasion of North America in 2025. The site is a great and slightly worrying to read.
What’s really interesting is that rather than North Korea simply being the big bad invaders there are some news clips like in 2023 that show it as a growing super power also performing diplomatic actions such as working with the UN to oversee Nigerian elections and stepping in to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide. While of course they are eventually a global problem, it’s promising to see a different dimension and slant on the story. The use of division across America as well as panic and rioting, when energy sources become strained through global diplomacy and inflating prices, work really well in moving the US from stable super power to a chaotic and crumbling society.
The story for Homefront is hugely impressive and quite rightly is its selling point at the moment. While it’s touchy subject matter the story is based on, it’s refreshing to see video games still walking unafraid onto potentially controversial ground, especially considering the negative mainstream press the industry has received in the last few years. I have to admit I’m still a little weary on how the gameplay will fare but even if there does turn out to be a few niggles the story might just be strong enough to paper over them. Homefront arrives on March the 8th in North America and 11th in Europe on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, this may sound familiar to some as it’s the same day Dragon Age 2 is scheduled for release in both regions. With its brave story I really hope Homefront sells well and doesn’t get lost in the Dragon Age 2 excitement, we’ll keep you updated on future developments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9rp7qv17k
What do you think of the story? Is it a little too close to home for your liking or are you glad to see games happy to take on difficult subject matter?