As I look over the games coming out in the next year or so; I wonder if I'm the only one that notices the very large number of games about war and about fighting in wars. I don't want to go to war, do you? I don't believe in killing people to make a political point, do you? Wars are often fought for reasons that no one is readily willing to admit or explain to the people who are fighting or the people who are paying. I'm not here to talk about my politics or some religious beliefs that I may or may not have.
What I am here to say, is that if you repeatedly play games where all your doing is killing people who look like adversaries that either historically or currently we are fighting. In games like Quake Wars or Halo you are just fighting the other, the aliens. No problem here, I know that psychologically this might be just as bad for us as playing a game where we are killing realistic looking people in a realistic setting. But it seems like there is a pretty fine line between action movie and war movie when it comes to video games.
In games like Halo or Quake Wars there is at least the ability to pretend that it is all a movie or science fiction novel. But in a game like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor there is really nothing separating the reality from the gamer's mind. Unlike games like Doom or Quake; I honestly believe that games where you are killing realistic enemies are much worse. There certainly seems that there is a much more direct connection between who we consider to be the enemy.
Worse than all of this however, is the absolute unimaginative blundering that is passing for a war game now a days. Call of Duty 3 was a rehash of Call of Duty 2 and Medal of Honor: Airbourne was a rehash of both COD 2 and 3. Minus the parachuting of course. Company of Heroes, while a well designed RTS could have just as easily been set in space or on some alien planet. Did WW2 really have an integral part in the gameplay of this game. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is probably the most realistic and exciting FPS out there. It will be out in November and it looks to be the best thing since sliced bread. Problem is that the game's character models are, photorealistic. The enemies are supposed to be Russian but they look a lot like Middle Eastern people. I certainly couldn't comment on the story considering it hasn't been released yet; but the graphics really sell this game as real; maybe too real.
This certainly wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't coming out in a year of first person shooters and right before a second year that seems loaded with them as well. Besides this, there is no shortage of World War 2 games out there. Combining all of this together, it is really hard to stomach anything like Call of Duty, America's Army, Company of Heroes, Medal of Honor: Airborne, Hour of Victory, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, and of course the upcoming Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway.
There is no doubt that games like: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Rainbow Six Vegas, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Counter Strike: Source are some of the best First Person Shooter titles the industry has ever seen.
The only problem with these games is the fact that are SO MANY OF THEM. The games have glutted the market. Ubisoft is one of the biggest developers and publishers of video games in the world. They could have certainly consolidated their efforts into one title and made the the best tactical first person shooter, ever. They chose rather to try and make two.
I'm certainly not asking anyone to give up their favorite game. Just think a little about what it is you are actually doing when you are playing them and why you are doing it. Is there some good story basis for why you are doing these things or is it just random killing in the warzone. Also, if you find the images or nationalities of the people you are shooting in these games disturbing; please contact the developers. Because this is the only way they are going to stop doing these kinds of games. Finally, PLEASE don't buy anymore WW2 games. Please let these die the death they so richly deserve. There is truly no reason to reinvent the wheel and there is truly no reason to recreate a game that was done perfectly by Call of Duty 2 and Company of Heroes.
