Author Topic: War Games (Read 4159 times)

Glorb · « **on:** September 07, 2008, 03:07:42 PM »

Is it just me, or does anyone else find some war-based FPSes...disconcerting? I speak of the ones that claim to be realistic and such, and yet still have stuff like regenerating health, respawns, and the ability to turn friendly fire off. Real-life soldiers don't just wait for their vision to stop turning red after being shot; they get to a medic, and probably die. If a WWII or Iraq-based game were truly realistic, you'd never be able to save or load, or play the game at all after you die. A truly realistic war game would be more akin to survival horror than an FPS.

I made this topic because I recently re-saw Saving Private Ryan and thought how completely sanitized Call of Duty and Medal of Honor are in comparison. It's disturbing to me how an actual war can be made into a game. I realize this sounds hypocritical coming from someone who plays FPSes with some regularity, but that's how I feel.

PaperLuigi · « **Reply #1 on:** September 07, 2008, 03:36:16 PM »

Dude, it's a video game. It's not supposed to be totally realistic. If it were, you'd never be able to complete the game (I hesitate to say that because there have been a few individuals who have beaten MGS2 without taking hits). Then again, MGS2 isn't really a war game to begin with, but it does involve guns, and there seem to be a lot of those in war video games.

MaxVance · « **Reply #2 on:** September 07, 2008, 03:38:22 PM »

I think the developers have to balance making it realistic with making it fun. Real war isn't fun, you know.

The same goes for why so many of these sorts of games are set in World War II, a point which bugs me. It's a bit more fun to be shooting Nazis and storming the Normandy beaches rather than getting your legs blown off by a roadside bomb.

PaperLuigi · « **Reply #3 on:** September 07, 2008, 03:54:44 PM »

Plus, anything current is always controversial. If someone made a game where the object was to kill members of Al-Qaeda, it would undoubtably **** a bunch of people off.

Glorb · « **Reply #4 on:** September 07, 2008, 04:01:08 PM »

I guess the point I'm making is that they creep me out a bit. The tone is usually this kind of fake realism where you're never in any real danger. Someone weaned on FPSes would probably subconsciously do some really suicidal stuff in a real war.

One game that really grinds my gears, though, is Battlefield Heroes. It's basically a little-kids TF2 ripoff with a cartoony WWII theme where people bleed rainbow blood and shoot candy cane bullets out of happiness guns or something.

PaperLuigi · « **Reply #5 on:** September 07, 2008, 04:13:42 PM »

Quote from: Glorb on September 07, 2008, 04:01:08 PM

I guess the point I'm making is that they creep me out a bit. The tone is usually this kind of fake realism where you're never in any real danger.

Well, maybe you should try fighting in a real war. Would you rather not be in any danger or be in the worse danger of your life? If being in no danger at all freaks you out, you have no idea how bad being in real danger is.

Glorb · « **Reply #6 on:** September 07, 2008, 05:34:08 PM »

I think you just missed my point entirely.

Boo Dudley · « **Reply #7 on:** September 07, 2008, 05:56:40 PM »

What kind of realism is not having to empty bodily waste every couple of hours. *nod*

Shyguy92 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 07, 2008, 06:27:14 PM »

Quote from: Glorb on September 07, 2008, 05:34:08 PM

I think you just missed my point entirely.

What was the point?

penguinwizard · « **Reply #9 on:** September 07, 2008, 11:14:42 PM »

I forgot about Battlefield Heroes until I saw this trailer. Yeah, a part of me wants to say "oy", but it's also clearly not meant to be realistic in any way.

I don't think much about what war games leave out. I don't even play war games. I'm just sick of hearing about a new World War II game every two months. Isn't there some other war it can be focusing on? Have there ever been any war games centered around Vietnam (with special guest appearance by Sam Kinison, who yells in your ear that you were selfish enough to do drugs and listen to Beatles albums at the time this was going on. You know, "Back to School" reference. Ha ha.)?

Glorb · « **Reply #10 on:** September 08, 2008, 01:41:10 PM »

The only thing about the BH trailer I liked was the Pirate Bay reference. The thing I liked least was that the phrase "CARTOON SHOOTAH" get repeated about sixteen times by the stupid narrator.

DeadAwake · « **Reply #11 on:** September 09, 2008, 11:06:47 AM »

The web site has a nice trailer of the second map... I mean, it's just a bunch of guys running around shooting each other, but I could totally see myself going for that if I were a 10-year-old... so I sent the link to my little brother.