It's been a long time coming, but Homefront: The Revolution finally looks like it's going to make it to release. The game had a strong showing at PAX Prime, thanks to its latest development hero Deep Silver, and attention finally seems to have shifted from the ugly developer hot-potato behind the scenes to the game itself. Homefront: The Revolution aspires to immerse players in a dystopian Philadelphia occupied by North Korea, letting you loose in an open world rife with opportunities for creative assault. It's a second chance for a series that never really found its footing, and one Deep Silver looks determined to make the most of.

Homefront's Philadelphia is comprised of three types of zones. Red zones, otherwise known as war zones, are where most of the smaller skirmishes and general destruction occurs. Yellow areas, on the other hand, are where most of the civilians and refugees live, all decrepit buildings and unstable houses. Finally, green zones are relatively untouched havens and will play host to some of the game's most exciting moments, according to Deep Silver. The demo I played was constricted to a single red zone, so I didn't get to experience the differences between each of the three first hand, but I was assured they will all have bespoke gameplay elements.

Homefront: The Revolution will feature a full day-night cycle and a dynamic weather system, which means missions will play differently depending on the conditions. One key mechanic that will remain the same, however, is the escalating response system. The North Koreans utilize a fleet of scout drones that, once aware of your presence, will quickly scan you and relay that information back to the fleet, signaling for more troops to deploy as backup. If they catch sights of you again, helicopters will be sent after you, and so on and so forth. Homefront wants its players to realize and accept that they can't go running in blindly shooting without some thought.

Getting in and getting out is a common goal during Homefront's missions. Speed, stealth and lethal precision are often what the game asks of players, but it also provides a number of tools to help make accidental improvisations successful. A number of distractions, explosives and gadgets will be acquired over the course of the campaign, providing a variety of options to choose from during each enemy encounter. You can also use the environment to your advantage, utilizing traps set around town in advance by other members of the resistance. It all makes for a liberated sensation during missions, as the game usually allows you to approach each objective as you see fit.

Its development history may be rocky, but it appears Deep Silver finally has Homefront: The Revolution back on track to deliver an immersive, varied and most of all exciting open world combat experience. Whether it can utilize its intriguing premise and unscripted action to set itself apart from the masses remains to be seen, but Homefront: The Revolution looks to finally be in the right hands.