Tue, Apr 12, 2011 | 21:00 BST
Homefront is “not a 71″ because you can’t “apply math to art,” says Bilson
THQ’s Danny Bilson has said that Homefront deserved a higher Metacritic score than 71, and he is of the opinion that you cannot “apply math to art.”
Speaking with IGN, Blison said that review score also matter less to him now than “a month ago,” because he has realized that “when you make a mass-market game it’s more like the film business.” This, he said means that the idea of the game and its concept will “resonate with a large group or it won’t.”
“If [Homefront was] universally panned, I would say ‘Yeah I guess it didn’t work’,” he said. “I think the idea of 50 reviews that are so radically spread says that we made a game that has a point of view and that you might even argue is controversial. When we set out, and I was sitting with Kaos in New York, I was saying ‘Guys, if we’re going to make a modern shooter of any kind, we have to compete with the best of the world.’ I remember in those meetings, the summary was: ‘We don’t expect to beat those guys; our mission is to be in the conversation.’
“And on being in the conversation: mission accomplished. Everybody’s talking about Homefront.
“Do I prefer that it’s controversial? No, I’d prefer if everybody in the world loved it. But there are 20-plus reviews that are over 80, there are some haters, and there are some mid-range ones. Do I read them all to see what we can do better next time and have every review be 100? Of course, our goal is always that. What I will say pretty clearly is the game is not a ’71′. You can’t apply math to art.”
Bilson goes on to say in the interview that there were certain things he would chance if he could go back and do it, but he “wouldn’t change anything,” regarding the game’s vision or the creative aspects.
17 
Posted in: Development, PC, PS3, Shooter, THQ, Xbox 360
Tags: danny bilson, homefront, kaos studios
17 comments
#1
AHA-Lambda
12/04/11, 8:50 pm
Bilson I actually kinda like you but one thing plain and simple here concerning homefront:
FUCK…RIGHT…OFF!!!
It is a HORRID game!!
I haven’t played a game this broken in FUCKING YEARS!!!
#2
EscoBlades
12/04/11, 8:52 pm
Cry moar Bilson….please!
#3
Talkar
12/04/11, 8:52 pm
@1
+1
#4
The_Red
12/04/11, 8:53 pm
Maybe a work of art can’t have a number but it can be as mediocre and boring as Homefront.
#5
Razor
12/04/11, 9:00 pm
What a moron.
#6
The1stMJC
12/04/11, 9:09 pm
I may not be able to put a number on art, but I can still call art shit.
#7
The_Deleted
12/04/11, 9:15 pm
I’m sure Snow Patrol consider what they do art.
Doesn’t make them any less hateworthy and dull.
#8
DSB
12/04/11, 9:22 pm
Whatever capital he may have built up making himself look like a gamer, he just threw away acting like an empty suit.
@7 Nailed it.
#9
loki
12/04/11, 9:25 pm
Art lol Homefront is art like shit
Homefront is “not a 71″, is 21
#10
xino
12/04/11, 9:35 pm
is it me or are THQ retarded!?
why should a piece of sh* deserve more than 7/10!?
they believe the game is so good that they market the hell out of it.
farking garbage piece of sh* just like Killzone 3.
oh yea…good news! I finally sold the piece of sh* 7/10 Killzone 3!
money for me and the money would go to a better game rather than those 2 piece of sh*s!
#11
Talyis
12/04/11, 9:40 pm
I’m sorry but Metacritic blows! The scores always end up what they want them to be, If they think a game needs a lower score they just look up online another site that gives a game a bad score and vice versa if they want a game scored high they look up sited that scored higher! If they want to be more legit they should just use the top 10 to 20 sites to add up reviews not a bunch of random fanboy site! And keep the big sites like OPM or OXM in a different category! That’s the only way I’ll even give Metacritic a chance!
#12
Ireland Michael
12/04/11, 10:41 pm
Homefront… art?
…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh god, that’s a funny joke.
Bioshock comes close to art. Shadow of the Colossus and Ico *are* art.
Homefront is a pretentious “action flick” video game that uses lazy tactics to try and invoke reactionary responses out of the player without ever actually trying to create a legitimate emotional connection with them. It’s the furthest thing from art I’ve ever seen.
#13
pukem0n
12/04/11, 11:08 pm
the only time i got any emotions in this game was in the drive in the bus, where 2 KPAs shoot 2 parents and the child runs towards them crying.
the rest of a game was just run and gun like cod without any meaning. still was fun, but short…
#14
YoungZer0
12/04/11, 11:39 pm
@12: “video game that uses lazy tactics to try and invoke reactionary responses out of the player without ever actually trying to create a legitimate emotional connection with them.”
That’s Homefront in a sentence. Exactly the way i felt while playing this game. The scene at the beginning, with the parents being shot in front of the kids? I just thought to myself: “You fucking assholes. How dare you use that shit on me?”
#15
LOLshock94
12/04/11, 11:59 pm
bilson and cage seem to be cock suckers these days and its simple a game cant be art it never has and never will, it can only be entertainment
#16
Ge0force
13/04/11, 12:06 am
“Homefront is not a 71, because we spent millions of dollars on marketing and we have loads of DLC coming and a huge deal with Microsoft for that.”
Fixed
#17
Prof.Dr.Moertel
13/04/11, 7:27 pm
I liked it…. *starting anti getting beat up process*