True Or False #4

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

After a long hiatus, this thread series is back! Now if you don't remember what happens here, let me remind you. I give out a topic for discussion. Now this is in the form of an opinion question so you can make a true or false answer. So far, this is what we have concluded.

• Super Mario Sunshine was not the best Mario game of the 2000's
• Megaman Battle Network 2 was the best game in the "Battle Network" Series
• The PS3 and the XBox 360 are equal in terms of popularity.

So today's topic for discussion is...

"Homefront" will be a more popular game than "LA Noire."​

Both of these games are scheduled for release within the next few months. Homefront is scheduled for release on March 15th and LA Noire is scheduled to be released on May 11th. Here is a short description on both games.

One of the major portions of the story arc is built around not only the growth of the North Korean forces over the years leading to the year 2027 (the year in which the game takes place), but also the economic downfall of the United States of America, and the unrest that seems to grip the nation before the invasion.

Homefront is speculative fiction, set in a near-future, post peak oil world that features a significantly declined United States, and a united Korea that has built a massive alliance in East Asia. The Gate Corporation (a major private military company) also plays a minor role. The game focuses on the collapse of the United States, subsequent occupation by the Greater Korean Republic - a united Korea under the rule of North Korea - and the American Resistance that fights said occupation. The player is invited to join the American resistance, "using guerrilla tactics, commandeering military vehicles, and utilizing advanced drone technology", but the player may join the North Korean Forces as well but only in multiplayer matches. The game will also feature vehicle based 32 player online warfare using dedicated servers. The game is planned to ship on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

L.A. Noire is set in "a perfectly re-created Los Angeles" of 1947, with players being given an open-ended challenge to solve a series of murder mysteries.

As the title suggests, the game draws heavily from both plot and aesthetic elements of film noir - stylistic films from the 1940s and 1950s that shared similar visual styles and themes including crime, sex and moral ambiguity and were often shot in black and white with harsh, low-key lighting. The game uses a distinctive coloring-style in homage to the visual style of film noir. The post-war setting is the backdrop for plot elements that reference the detective films of the '40s, such as corruption and drugs, with a classical jazz soundtrack.

Homefront is looking to throw it's hat into the already popular shooting games community. With the already huge popularity in shooting games, Homefront should fare very well. LA Noire on the other hand is made by Rockstar Games. If you're not familiar with them, they're the makers of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. So LA Noire is going to use the same engine that is used with Rockstar's other games. Now I'm at an impasse here. On one hand, Homefront looks like an absolute great game. The graphics look good, and the storyline is something that is possible to happen at some point. It's a unique game because you start out as just a regular guy. So it's not like you're character in the game is familiar with being in the army -- or as it's called in this game, "The Resistance." This game would have a storyline that is fresh. It's not like Battlefield or Call Of Duty where you're fighting Russians, Vietnamese, or Iraqis. In Homefront, you're pretty much fighting every country that The Greater Korean Republic has taken over by the year 2027. That includes places like South Korea and Japan. Homefront should bode well.

On the other hand, Rockstar makes great games. LA Noire should be no exception. I expect it to be just like the other games that they're known for where you can just ride around town doing absolutely nothing and still have fun. You have control on when you want to do the missions. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. However, that could be a curse inside of itself. What does worry me though is the fact that this game really isn't all that different of a system than their other games are. It's going to follow the gameplay that GTA and Red Dead did. However, I'm sure Rockstar Games can once again put a quality game out on the market. If done right, LA Noire can be one of the best games to ever be released on PS3 or 360. So again, I'm torn as to which will be more popular.

But what do you think?

Will Homefront be more popular than LA Noire?

 

[bigdogstalfos]

I think LA Noire takes this one in a walk. I think Homefront has a huge uphill battle in this one for various reasons.

1) It's an FPS: This gen has seen FPSes come out in a quantity that rivals that of crappy 3D platformers in the N64/PS1/Saturn era. The problem with this is that with the glut of one genre on the market, a new IP like Homefront will really have to stand out to get chosen over something like a Call of Duty, Halo, or Medal of Honor game. While anything could happen, I think this game is a lot more likely to go the way of something like Singularity. It looks decent, but not good enough to make a splash.

2) The developers: Homefront is developed by Kaos Studios, which has one game to its credit: an alternate history FPS called Frontlines: Fuels of War which received solid, if unspectacular reviews. Have you heard of this game? Because I sure haven't. And that presents major problems, as LA Noire is being developed by the King of the Sandbox: Rockstar. Pretty much everything Rockstar touches turns to gold (or to red PS3 Greatest Hits cases). LA Noire will likely get rave reviews and a huge marketing campaign. It will receive coverage on major media outlets. Every one of Rockstar's major games is a major event, especially as the success of RDR showed the studio can translate the sandbox game model to a setting like the Old West, further raising confidence in a game set in 1940s LA. In terms of studio power, this is akin to a 1 seed vs. a 16 seed in March Madness.

3) Staying power and competition: Really good sandbox games are few and far between. Aside from the Rockstar games, I can't think of a great sandbox series besides Saint's Row. As such, if you like sandbox games, as lots of people do, you're going to be playing a lot of the big Rockstar release of the year. Conversely, there are many, many FPSes released each year. Homefront's staying power will only last until the next big FPS release, whether it be Duke Nukem Forever or the annual Call of Duty game. There's just too much competition to stay at the top for long unless a game is truly special. I can see LA Noire being both special and filling the yearly sandbox need, while Homefront will fade into obscurity and the bargain bin before long.

Judgment for LA Noire

It is so ordered.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

Easily, LA Noire.

I have been looking forward to both games, infact, they are the first two games that I previewed on this forum.

While Homefront potentially has a better story, LA Noire is attempting something that has never been done in a video game before - full facial recognition technology.

Homefront is a game that I want to rent to see if its worth a purchase. LA Noire feels like a game that needs to be bought and enjoyed on day one.