Let's revive the WWII genre

[AlexLoxate]

The key failure of WWII games so far is that you know how they're going to end. In order for a real shift to take place you need to tell an unusual story, perhaps from different perspectives. Not just from the perspective of the victors but also the defeated. The Axis were just as determined to impose their views as the Allies. Realizing and implementing this can result in interesting gameplay as well.

You could tell a story about an Italian OVRA operative, for example, and see what happens as you explore the protagonist's beliefs and the other characters around him, or you can explore how the war influenced a citizen of a certain country. Maybe for someone war meant opportunity. Another problem is that whenever WWII games are involved most people think FPS, TPS, RTS, etc, though this doesn't have to be the case. The biggest problem, however, is that this kind of game would have it's plug pulled faster than Six Days in Fallujah, so making up a story at this stage is kind of pointless.


EDIT: Ultimately you could stick a swastika on the Halo Reach character's suits and call it Halo: Fall of the third Reach. lol

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

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?

The possibilities are endless. It's like saying you could have many a delicious and exotic meal but you order steak EVERYTIME.

I don't think a WW1 shooter would be that interesting, especially not if the Flanders conflict is used. Running out of a trench and dying within the first ten yards doesn't strike me as the most compelling piece of gameplay. It's been a while since there's been a WW1 flying game though.

As to WWII, I like them, I still think there's a few things you can do in a WWII game of any genre that hasn't been done yet. (Like having the protagonist be part of the Wehrmacht)

That said, I'd just be happy with a remake of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.

 

[Enkidu88]

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

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

Yeah but part of the fun is the spectacle and in your face nature of commanding a vast fleet, submarines don't speak much to me unfortunately. :c

Have you tried Battlestations: Pacific? Pretty awesome game that allows you to command a fleet, but also switch between controlling something as big a a battleship to a PT boat and also control planes.

It's hardly a realistic simulator, your not going to end up with advanced flight controls like in Sturmovik-2 or the Silent Hunter series, but its fun and it provides the spectacle your looking for.

 

[Evil Tim]

The key failure of WWII games so far is that you know how they're going to end. In order for a real shift to take place you need to tell an unusual story, perhaps from different perspectives. Not just from the perspective of the victors but also the defeated.

I'm fairly sure the player knows that Germany lost.

 

[blind_dead_mcjones]

personally i'd rather they just leave it be, and try something different, like actually steering away from war and crime based shooters, it can be done (anyone remember Unreal?)

Now this is just me, but I always thought that there should be a survival horror set in WWII Not sure entirely how it would work.

how does this sound then

kokoda track in papua new guinea, you are one of 200 conscripted Australian soldiers, you have the bare minimum of training, very low on supplies, suffering from all manner of ailments that reside in the jungle, the terrain is near vertical at times as well as being dark and inhospitable, and you are horribly outnumbered and outgunned.

 

[redisforever]

I have to say, Company of Heroes made me miss WWII games. I love that game so very, very much.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Give me a game where I play as a Nazi soldier. Examine the psyche of a man fighting for the Third Reich, and not just more of the same ruggedly handsome Americans fighting comically evil Nazis. Controversial, and it could make for a legitimately unexplored narrative, at least in the area of games.

 

[Lenin211]

I think we need a WWI game. Sitting in the trench for hours, getting trench foot. getting it treated. Then charging across no-man's land and getting killed by a machine gunner. Sounds fun to me!

 

[Lenin211]

I'd like to play as the Germans for once. Has enough time past for that?

NAZI!!!!!!!!!!!!

but seriously, it is time for someone to let me play as the Germans. It would be fun for the early part of the game, but wouldn't be so fun in 1945.

 

[locoartero]

No, thanks. Call me when you have a plan to kill it for good, though.
Still, I would like to PLAY AS THE GERMANS ONCE. What's with videogames not allowing us to kill americans? Are they just fricking sacred or something?

 

[Soviet Steve]

Have you tried Battlestations: Pacific? Pretty awesome game that allows you to command a fleet, but also switch between controlling something as big a a battleship to a PT boat and also control planes.

It's hardly a realistic simulator, your not going to end up with advanced flight controls like in Sturmovik-2 or the Silent Hunter series, but its fun and it provides the spectacle your looking for.

Thank you! I'll be sure to check it out. =D

 

[baddude1337]

were better and the campaign was longer. I think we need another COD: WAW.

Actually, the Best WW2 game is Call of Duty 2, Followed by Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.

I do get what you are saying though, people, for some reason, became 'bored' of WW2 shooters (Even though we only really had MoH and CoD that were decent) and now everything is either modern or very near future. I can't even remember the last WW2 FPS, it might have even been WaW 2 or so years ago.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

way to many of them in a short amount of time

The man with the Hitler Vaultboy avatar says there are too many WWII games, that's the funniest fucking thing I've heard in days and I don't know why.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

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.

Battlefield has you play both sides, Red Orchestra has you play as a Wehrmacht soldier, in Sniper Elite you play an american (?) special operative that officially works FOR the germans killing soviets (you wear a german uniform and all)...

BUT I dislike playing as a Nazi...I would rather like playing as a german, thank you very much.
YES, there IS a difference, it is significant!

Battlefield doesn't necessarily count... yea you can play as a german soldier but there's really no context to it. You might as well be red team/blue team, it'd make as much sense. No one plays Battlefield games for the solo campaign, maybe 3 will change that.

Red Orchestra... never played it.

Imo, a well developed solo campaign from the POV of a german through things like... the invasion of france, bombing of britain, etc. But also add in personal moral dilemma (since not every Nazi agreed with what was being done, some just followed suit so as to not be persecuted themselves) for character development. Could be pretty good.

You acknowledge that not every german soldier was a Nazi, yet still call them Nazis...
That´s like me calling all north americans "republican"...
A Nazi was a member of the NSDAP or a follower thereoff, a National Socialist, not a german per se, as Hitler was Austrian, and therefore not a Nazi? I doubt it XD

I once made the suggestion to play a full fledged, heiling Nazi, who then gets shipped off to war, and after initial success in Poland and France, then slowly realizes he doesn´t like what is becoming of germany and serriously doubts the actions of his "Führer", and deep in Russia, he makes a complete Heel-Face-Turn, maybe abandons his post, and joins the soviets or whatever, to retake Berlin. Maybe his entire squad joins in and become traitors to the Reich...that would be interresting.

Only one problem with that. Those German soldiers would never be accepted into the Soviet ranks. There was way too much hatred, they would merely have been executed, tortured, or bayoneted. Probably a combination of all three...

 

[auronvi]

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.

...Nazi's... aren't... bad guys. Here, fight in this war, or go to a camp and die!? Wouldn't you fight?

Other than the above statement I agree that playing a WWII FPS from the Nazi, Italian or Japanese side would be pretty awesome. I will put this in my project list for games I will want to make when I get my game company up and running (saving money and finding talent). It won't be done in any AAA environment unless you want crazy right wing activists in a uproar over your anti-american game. That would be precisely why I would build it. It would teach a whole lot of people about perspective.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

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.

...Nazi's... aren't... bad guys. Here, fight in this war, or go to a camp and die!? Wouldn't you fight?

And that there is the source for a great game with an intense story right there. The tale of a reluctant soldier amongst the Nazi ranks. You could even have a group dynamic between the reluctant ones, the fanatics, those who joined fully willing to join the good fight but slowly realising they're actually helping a monster, that could be a ~great~ game right there.

 

[Evil Tim]

...Nazi's... aren't... bad guys.

I think you're confusing Nazis with Germans.