Let's revive the WWII genre

[Hristo Tzonkov]

I'm rather interested in seeing more battles all over Europe rather than just Normandy and Stalingrad.It's called a World War it didn't just happen in 2-3 places.There's so many stories to be told and there's a way to stop antagonizing the Nazis and show their perspective.In the expansion of Company of Heroes there were a couple of mini campaigns with a German tank team and another where a young German commander had to hold off some bridges for retreating wounded German soldiers who were going to be slaughtered by Allies.While the whole role in the war for Germany was the antagonist there's individual stories that could depict them less like fiends.

I dunno just a thought.Tired of watching D-day and Stalingrad.

 

[Caliostro]

Really? 8 fucking years of non-stop WWII shooters wasn't enough?

I mean, I'm not against it as an absolute, but only if it's something really special that really needs it. More often than not WWII became a creative wasteland.

 

[Ninjat_126]

Here's one for a twist. How about where you play as a nazi? Can't think of any games off hand that have you playing as the bad guys.

*extended game idea about playing as a Nazi*

I like that idea. Also, people complaining about WWII shooters need to open their minds and wish for something better.

I also liked the idea of a WWI or WWII shooter in which you play a nameless grunt with full on realistic health, physics and maps, possibly even with permadeath as a major option.

Your mission: survive the trenches for as long as possible, and take down as many of those Yankee/Nazi/Russian/British/French/Polish/Australian/Italian m*********ers as you can.

 

[Chechosaurus]

Revive WWII games? lol... No.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I'm sure you want more of it because you were (obviously) so late to the game, but game/film makers have been doing and redoing WW2 since the day it ended.
The sumtotal of "entertainment" material done on WW2 exceeds it's duration by 10x, maybe it's time to stop beating the old mule and get a new one.

 

[LondonBeer]

You want to "capture the feel" of WWII, then suggest World at War? What?

I suggest you try Brothers in Arms some time, you'll never go back to CoD.

Brothers in Arms, although the Hells Highway departed from reality in the last half of the game the feeling of squad combat and instant death is there.

 

[Bob the frantic]

Can we not, please? I swear, if we counted the time used on WWII games put together, it will probably be longer than the ACTUAL WAR!

"dark, gritty, exciting, horrific, and all around amazing" games can still be made without this scenario, okay? Also, you may not know the outcome if it's made up, which can be more exciting, or you can learn about a new things about 'Worst wars ever' before WWII took the cake

 

[Bobbity]

And to think that just a couple of years ago, we were trying to kill it off...

 

[Ramare]

It would take more discreet battles (Italy?) More content, more opportunities, and more interaction. Certainly better graphics(Apparently game developers JUST RECENTLY learned that making everything glossy isn't realistic?) Also, It would require important and prominent ally characters that are persistent until the end, whatever that may be. Basically, it would have to have a lot of RPG, and possibly RTS elements involved, which is typically rare.

Still, I'd like to see the most famous battles done right. I want to see D-day. I want to see Stalingrad. And I want to see them done well, and to stay true to actual battles and events. I'm talking the most realistic and historically accurate WWII game to date. Sure, more discreet battles are okay, but we need to see the big ones done correctly first.

Stalingrad wasn't a battle.
Stalingrad was a siege.
It was a siege that lasted for months, vicious urban fighting and close querters insane melee fights for your life, lines being broken and shifted as houses trade hands every day.
That CAN'T be A SINGLE battle.

No, but that might make a kickass entire game, though.

Think of how you might get attacked at close range, barely pull out a make-shift knife, slice open your enemies' throat, and get blood on your eyes. You'd have to make your character actually wipe the blood off of their eyes, and thus your screen.

 

[Aesir23]

Let's wait a little while before trying to revive the whole WWII thing when it comes to video games. I don't really want to fight the same battles as ANOTHER random American soldier. Though, always playing as an American soldier is likely the reason we always have to play through the same battles in every game. Bring about a game where I can play as an Australian, British, Dutch, [insert Allied Nation of choice here that is not the United States] soldier and I will happily play it. Heck, give me a game where I can play through the entire game as a Canadian soldier and I'll pre-order it and giggle giddily as I do so.

Also, as horrible a marketing ploy as it would be in the Allied nations and in Germany, I wouldn't be adverse to playing a Japanese soldier or a German soldier. Well, as long as certain guidelines are followed with the latter.

 

[Corporal Yakob]

I have no idea how many times I have to say this but: WW2 GAMES FROM THE AXIS POINT OF VIEW! Most WW2 games are the same because stoic and heroic GIs and occasionally the British and Russians save the world from those villianious baby eating Nazis, World at War was a good change from this because it showed what war is really like: no "good" or "bad" guys, just soldiers killing each other, sometimes mercifully, sometimes brutally. A WOW esqe WW2 game from a German soldier's point of view showing the insanely ruthless war on the Eastern Front with a apocapltic finale in the Battle of Berlin would be amazing!

 

[badgersprite]

Um, yeah, can we not?

Like, I guess I don't have anything against it, but I just feel this story has been told enough times that there isn't really anything more to be done. Seriously, there are plenty of other conflicts of the 20th Century we haven't touched upon yet that happened all around the world. Why not start setting FPSs in wars that involve other countries and tell the perspective of these unjustly overlooked conflicts from the perspectives of one or both sides.

Or just invent fictional alternate history conflicts where America and Australia went to war in space. That would be cool.

EDIT: WAIT SCRATCH THAT. I just thought of an awesome WWII game idea. How about a WWII themed game where you play as The Andrews Sisters parachuting in behind the Nazi lines and going on a killing spree, singing their jaunty tunes all the way.

No, really, I'm being serious. That game would kick ass!

 

[Evil Tim]

I'd like to see some other wars done. What about a WW1 shooter? Shit that'd be good. Falklands? Serbian war? How about one of the conflicts in Africa?

I don't think you understand why it's always WW2: it's WW2 because it's easy. You don't have to explain the conflict or why these guys are shooting at those guys, since if the player doesn't know why the Russians were fighting the Germans at Stalingrad or the Americans were fighting the Germans at Normandy you can just shake your head and blame it on the failure of our education system and / or the Youth of Today.

Look at Medal of Honor trying to do the same in Afghanistan: the game barely even explained what was happening and I personally was left with "everyone is trying to climb a mountain for some reason."

WW2 is popular because everything is done for you: you have weapons pre-designed and too old for anyone to claim copyright on the designs or shapes (Glock and H&K have both trademarked the shapes of their weapons recently and more and more gun companies are becoming aware that their names are a bankable asset to games companies), the vehicles, uniforms, locations, backstory and factions are all pre-written and all the major scenarios don't need explaining to the player. A player character in a WW2 game just needs a last name, service and rank for everyone to understand roughly who they are.

Now, compare this to trying to explain precisely what was going on in WW1, or what the fuck is going on in some conflict in Africa (something that can take longer to explain than one of the factions involved actually existed) or precisely why England owns an island off the South American coast in the first place, in the latter case also having fun legal arguments with MBDA and Dassault about whether you can use the names of their products for your bad guy weapons.

Now personally, I'd rather see more games with ridiculously evil Nazis with super-technology. I want more fights against giant ground battleships and transforming zeppelins and super-soldiers with Tesla guns, not all this depressing realism.

 

[deathninja]

Why not a Dynasty Warrior-style WWII game? (Not as in, you run around killing the shit out of everything, but you have units roaming around and occasionally you'll be told to do something like, "Plant the C4 on the Western bridge to delay enemy reinforcements!" and running around to save other units by flanking the enemy and such.

Even better, use the Bladestorm squad mechanics. I would buy the shit out of it.

 

[matt87_50]

I would like to give some feedback to the Escapist:

I read the shorter (sometimes apparently 'low content' posts) WAY more than I read the longer ones.

so who's really wasting space?

 

[Galdrack]

Several reasons.
There were far too many WW2 shooters over a time period of about 8 years polluting the gaming market.

Virtually EVERY WW2 game that came out starred an American. I know american's are the major market for these games but I'd like them to suck it up for once because american's weren't the only ones fighting the war.
(To be fair the previous reason is why I liked the first COD since you played as several different character's from different nationalities.)

WW2 games are inherently more boring as you know how it ends.


I'd like some WW1 games, yes not all of it was in trenches.

 

[Galdrack]

I wish there was a WW2 naval warfare simulator. Closest thing I have at the moment is the naval combat in Hearts of Iron II.

The Silent Hunter series where your the captain of a German U-Boat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hunter

 

[Sonicron]

Dear Lord, no. I've had enough of those games to last me a lifetime. I'm not even a big fan of the Modern Warfare-y games out there, but they are a vast improvement over all the World War shlock of the dark before-times.

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

Just don't make me storm the beaches of Normandy again. They invaded South France too at around the same time. I know it's not as cinematic, but let's try that one.

You could even make an entire game based around the Eastern Front. Or China. I can't recall a single WW2 shooter where you play the Chinese or British in East and South-East Asia.

That's a very good point, we need more WWII shooters that don't focus on the US. You don't even have to leave the Allies, how about a focus on the ANZACs fighting the Japanese along the Kokoda Track? It could have strategy elements with managing supplies and sickness and the like. Also it would be good to see a military shooter where the protagonists aren't carrying fifty kilos of equipment and the kitchen sink on their backs for once.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoda_Track_campaign - For the uneducated.