A New Direction for WW2 Games

[RyQ_TMC]

It seems that game developers forget that Australians and New Zealanders fought and died in World Wars as well as the British and Americans.

And Poles (the fourth-largest force on the Allied side). And Canadians. Greeks. Serbs. The Turkmen. LOADS of other nations. And a lot of them had at least a significant cameo, if not a major role in the conflict.

You don't have to ditch WW2 for good, just remember what happened BEFORE Stalingrad and the D-Day. Aside from the aforementioned Pacific Theatre sans Americans, there is also the September Campaign (the last major European operation to feature cavalry; also, it had a drastically different Wehrmacht from the one we know from all the WW2 games and films), the invasion of Crete (an airborne operation of unprecedented size), the Winter War, war in Norway, the Low Countries... All different than the overdone fields of Normandy. Probably not much difference with FPS games, but an RTW would be a nice thing to do.

The "Commandos" series has done its bit to highlight the less-known episodes of WW2. "Codename: Panzers", I believe, is the only modern game to feature the September Campaign. "Close Combat 3" has done the whole history of the Eastern Front, i.e. you got to fight pre-Stalingrad.

 

[mark0217]

A game that understands it's not trying to be realistic is a good game. "The Saboteur", at the conceptual level seems interesting like every other games, but let's hope the plot will be an intelligent one and also help show more about the french resistance in a brighter light.

I'd settle for WW2 Assassin's Creed.

 

[Dangerious P. Cats]

I'm surprised that there hasn't been more interesting game play developments in games set in WW2. The reason so many games are set in such predictable settings is that having a new and innovative setting means you need to spend time establishing the setting and background which slows and detracts from the game itself. WW2 in an easy setting. Most people have a rough idea what went on and who the bad guys are, which means that you can get to the business of killing them.

I'd like to see a game set in WW2 where you play as members of the French resistance. In addition to the generic bombings, assassinations and trouble making you do in an action game you have to stockpile weapons and other useful items, recruit people to your cell, find ways of sourcing income, avoid the secret police and run a resistance group. So basically it would combine action game with resource management/Strategy game. I like the idea that openly carrying weapons gets you shot at by soldiers so for the most part the game relies on stealth and close quarter combat. The characters could be trained in Savate and Faribairn combatives, commonly used weapons would be walking sticks (La Canne), umbrellas, easily concealed knives and the like. Missions where you have to go into a restricted area require stealth rather than going in guns blazing.