My experience with the first Homefront game was not especially pleasant. Although the setting was well done and interesting (even allowing for the ludicrous plot) the game itself felt like every linear FPS single-player campaign criticism rolled into one. So when Homefront: Revolution was announced, I scoffed and then ignored it until recently when a free weekend had some friends reporting good things and I tried it. Glad I did.

I think most people compare HF:R to an urban Far Cry 3/4 but that's because it's largely true. Enter a region, note your plot objective, then ignore it as you fight your way through buildings, conquering then and flipping the map from red to blue. Actions can increase your standing with the city residents until they are finally inspired to rise up and riot, attacking their Korean occupiers. It's repetitive and, like Far Cry (or games like Mad Max or Shadow of Mordor), by the second strike point you'll probably know if you feel like playing 30 more hours because the game won't change significantly. The story is serviceable even if nothing amazing or thought-provoking. It's an excuse to run around a ruined city and shoot dudes and take over territory. The simple bottom line is that if you enjoy games in the Ubisoft "point control" model, you'll likely enjoy Homefront: Revolution.

Guns were interesting though the system took me a little while to appreciate. You have your Primary/Secondary weapon but each of them can convert into two additional weapons. So your semi-auto pistol can convert into a small SMG and/or a silenced pneumatic pistol depending on your needs. Add in attachments (scopes, silencers, etc) and you get an impressive amount of flexibility and essentially seven weapons at a time (3x Primary, 3x Secondary plus an RPG) though you'll need to plan tactically and find cover to convert your assault rifle into a light machine gun on the fly. Still, it nicely bridges the gap between console-based limited gun slots and becoming a walking arsenal.

Finally, the game includes a co-op system where you and up to three friends can band together for missions and gain experience and money for skill/weapon/gear unlocks. Although there's an air of randomness about it (you buy a crate and hope for a good weapon), it's all self-contained and there's no item store or cash shops. The system is in addition to the single player game rather than the focus and it adds some additional play once you're done.

To be fair, trying Homefront: Revolution well after its initial release meant that I avoided its rocky, buggy launch and got in after the worst of it was ironed out. When I played, it was relatively bug free. No game-breaking issues for me, although once I dropped through the map and once had a physics glitch fatally launch me into the air. Out of 50 hours of play, I can't complain though. It played well on my aging system (i7-860 @ 3.6GHz, R9 290X, 12GB) with a consistent 60fps at 1080p on High settings.

My experience with the first Homefront game was not especially pleasant. Although the setting was well done and interesting (even allowing for the ludicrous plot) the game itself felt like every linear FPS single-player campaign criticism rolled into one. So when Homefront: Revolution was announced, I scoffed and then ignored it until recently when a free weekend had some friends reporting good things and I tried it. Glad I did. I think most people compare HF:R to an urban Far Cry 3/4 but that's because it's largely true. Enter a region, note your plot objective, then ignore it as you fight your way through buildings, conquering then and flipping the map from red to blue. Actions can increase your standing with the city residents until they are finally inspired to rise up and riot, attacking their Korean occupiers. It's repetitive and, like Far Cry (or games like Mad Max or Shadow of Mordor), by the second strike point you'll probably know if you feel like playing 30 more hours because the game won't change significantly. The story is serviceable even if nothing amazing or thought-provoking. It's an excuse to run around a ruined city and shoot dudes and take over territory. The simple bottom line is that if you enjoy games in the Ubisoft "point control" model, you'll likely enjoy Homefront: Revolution. Guns were interesting though the system took me a little while to appreciate. You have your Primary/Secondary weapon but each of them can convert into two additional weapons. So your semi-auto pistol can convert into a small SMG and/or a silenced pneumatic pistol depending on your needs. Add in attachments (scopes, silencers, etc) and you get an impressive amount of flexibility and essentially seven weapons at a time (3x Primary, 3x Secondary plus an RPG) though you'll need to plan tactically and find cover to convert your assault rifle into a light machine gun on the fly. Still, it nicely bridges the gap between console-based limited gun slots and becoming a walking arsenal. Finally, the game includes a co-op system where you and up to three friends can band together for missions and gain experience and money for skill/weapon/gear unlocks. Although there's an air of randomness about it (you buy a crate and hope for a good weapon), it's all self-contained and there's no item store or cash shops. The system is in addition to the single player game rather than the focus and it adds some additional play once you're done. To be fair, trying Homefront: Revolution well after its initial release meant that I avoided its rocky, buggy launch and got in after the worst of it was ironed out. When I played, it was relatively bug free. No game-breaking issues for me, although once I dropped through the map and once had a physics glitch fatally launch me into the air. Out of 50 hours of play, I can't complain though. It played well on my aging system (i7-860 @ 3.6GHz, R9 290X, 12GB) with a consistent 60fps at 1080p on High settings.