So setting a game in America is bad?

[Blindswordmaster]

I actually want to play the game more due to it's setting. It's an invasion and occupation story, and one that relates to me no less. If it was a future war between the U.S. and North Korea set in Asia, I probably wouldn't be interested in the least.

 

[Korolev]

North korea cannot construct 1000 missiles. It lacks the Uranium deposits to do so. China will not help Korea make nuclear weapons, because China wants to control North Korea.

North Korea hasn't even made Hydrogen weapons yet. Their nukes are fission-based, and are extremely low-yield devices. Their last test apparently malfunctioned as well. They haven't been able to miniaturize their warheads - so they are "devices" not "weapons".

I'm not worried about any nation that can't even feed itself. The South Korean army, even without US help, is more than capable of taking on North Korea and winning. Although I don't want a war between the Korean nations, I would laugh out loud if the North declared war on the South, because the North would be signing it's own death warrant.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

But thats just the thing, if it was to take place in their country, they would have no problem. This situation probably would be in reverse.

Or, it really is just the hatered of the US on the escapist. Love the escapist or not, many people post how they wish in games, the US was the villians.

Depends on the country and circumstances, no one wants to be seen as the aggressors.

America is shown as the glorious Red, White & Blue, but over he last 11 years they have shown some truly disturbing colours. Its no longer seen as the stalwart hero who protects the world. Perhaps the people are just angry and disappointed that certain actions have come to light that show America to be just as bad as the people they are fighting. It's like finding out for the first time that cops are bribed by criminals so they can walk free.

 

[Drake_Dercon]

I loved all the Americana in Fallout 3 I'm not American but I think I was literally whistling dixie. America has tons of iconic places.

Canada is the one who really gets no love... a snowboarding game once in a while yay :|

Maybe because people listen to the Arrogant worms. We've got rocks and trees and all that.

And setting a game in america is great. It's just that there are so many games being set in "Type A american city" that bugs me. It's all the same and nobody tries to get too inventive with it. Much like the "dull and brown" reasoning. It can be good, it can be evocative (Morrowind for dull and brown, Fallout 3 for America... yes, I know they're both Bethesda games but that's what came to mind) but many developers just let it lie there and fester because it's familiar.

I'd like to see a game set in modern Finland, Kenya, Indonesia, Australia or Ireland. You know, somewhere that can't just wallow in familiarity because devs don't have anything familiar to go by.

 

[FalloutJack]

I want a zombie game set in Pittsburgh, and I want the living NPCs to be competent because it's goddamn PITTSBURGH!

 

[icame]

I just find the idea North Korea over running the USA about as believable as ohhh...mutant dolphins attacking. How bout a country with a budget and a ability to make it here...Mexico has a better chance? Canada and Mexico maybe?

But why does that matter? Do all games need to have stories that follow real life rules?

Your right, it doesn't make it bad. It makes it feel generic. It makes it feel like I've played this all before with the extreme patriotism that seems to crop up with every game involving Americans by a game developed by Americans. Variety is the spice of life! Seeing a flag that has more then red white and blue on it would be a nice change of pace.

Even though they said their would be no extreme patriotism, people continue to say it will. People who say that, obviously hasn't read up info on it. Even an article on the Escapist no less said that they weren't going for extreme Patriotism.

Wasn't really accusing Homefront itself, just American shooters in general, though to be fair, I didn't know that about Homefront. Thanks.

 

[Kesimir]

A more plausible scenario for Homefront would have been for Iran to attack the US forces in Afghanistan drawing the US into another costly foreign war. The US would, of course, beat Iran into submission but the costs would force US to default on it's economic commitments to China. China responds by seizing complete economic control of the United States, without recourse the US government sells out and the US becomes a Chinese puppet. This incites a new American Revolution where the citizenry, with factional military support rises up to overthrow its own government that betrayed them. Then China, in order to protect it's interests and with UN backing as support for the US government, invades to fight the new resistance movement.

How many games have Americans as their own antagonists? Given the current geopolitical climate this is much more likely a scenario than any foreign invader and the order of events are historically precedented.

 

[00slash00]

its not bad, just means that you will likely face the wrath of faux news

 

[_Cake_]

I loved all the Americana in Fallout 3 I'm not American but I think I was literally whistling dixie. America has tons of iconic places.

Canada is the one who really gets no love... a snowboarding game once in a while yay :|

There's a Canadian campaign in Call of Duty 3, and you get to control the Royal Canadian Artillery Division in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. Oh, and Kaidan in Mass Effect is from Vancouver. That's all that comes to mind.

Holy shit Kaidan?! *fangirl squee* I'm from Vancouver too... Oh fuck I think I did it with my own great great great grandson, I'm worse then Fry from Futurama XD

 

[Death God]

I don't care and usually don't even remember/know where the setting is just so long as I enjoy the game and it is fun.

 

[alinos]

It shouldn't matter where the game is set, as long as they make it fun and cool, doesn't that matter more?

If it comes at the complete cost of plausibility in a game, then the plausibility should matter a bit more. Come on - the North Koreans can hardly feed their country with the military sponging up all of their resources. They have no force projection past the Korean Peninsula, and are hemmed in by the Chinese and South Koreans on either side. They wouldn't even dare attack the United States using conventional forces.

The issue there is the fact that it was meant to be china but was changed because china bitched

and realistically anywhere could attack another place, the issue is that most likely there not gonna maintain the invasion forced for very long

not to mention its set 17 years into the future and it's suggest that america's basically been F'd on by the Global financial crisis.

it's also suggested that north korea is more of a korea as a whole now and has large alliances with the asian area. Which could still mean china anyways


As for the reason's some might not want to play in america. heres my guesses

A) american's will take issue with the fact that it's there country god they complained enough when MOH came out

B) i would guess that while we are in america we'll most likely end up in generic area's because having the statue of liberty blown up wouldn't go down to well

C) if it does it will come with all the "We are america the greatest country of all crap"



2011: "North Korea's weapons program continues to intensify... has surpassed 1000 missiles" This shows that North Korea is arming itself. Some countries want the UN to put severe sanctions on North Korea.
2012: "This morning comes the news of Kim Jong-il's death" Kim Jong-il has died. "North Korea greets their new leader, Kim Jong-il's son Kim Jong-un"
2013: "Kim Jong-un has united North and South Korea" This now forms the Greater Korean Republic.
2015: "Costs at the pump are ready to break the $20 mark" This forces America to become destabilized.
2017: "Civil unrest has intensified with the demise of the US dollar" There are many riots in America and the military has started to pull out of Asia and other countries.
2018: "Under threat of annihilation by the Greater Korean Republic... Japan has surrendered" Japan now joins the Greater Korean Republic. Riots continue during 2018-2022.
2022: "The President ordered a freeze on bank withdrawals." The US economy has completely failed.
2024: "North Korean annexation continues to spread" North Korea takes over many Asian countries.
2025: "The Greater Korean Republic has launched its latest communication satellite claiming it will bring a message of peace" This satellite is really an EMP weapon that knocks out all electronics in North America. The Greater Korean Republic begins the invasion. Greater Korean Republic starts by taking over Hawaii and San Francisco.
2026: "US military scattered" This is due to communications being down and the surprise attack.

thats the timeline that they use for it, now when it says cost's at the pump i assume thats 20 bucks a gallon or whatever they use in america which makes sense

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

The only issue I have with the game is that you play as an American. I'd much rather be the Koreans.

 

[Blind Sight]

I'm sure the Romans said the exact same thing about the Visigoths, Vandals, and Huns.

From one of the dev diaries I saw, their plot focus is on the concept of an empire 'falling from grace' quickly, which has happened many times throughout history. Honestly, the only reason why people think it's implausible now is because the United States is currently the world hyperpower. But hyperpowers throughout history have been crippled and even destroyed over the course of a few years or decades. Alexander the Great leveled the Persian Empire, the Romans drown in barbarian hordes, the Byzantines were destroyed by nomadic Turks, etc.

First of all, the Romans didn't have one of the world's largest supplies of nuclear weapons. Secondly, I don't see why we're expected to believe that it would be North Korea, a third-rate military which has the major characteristic of being very large long before you get to their relative level of military effectiveness, who would be the invaders. If it were China, I'd be a lot more inclined to let things slide, but North Korea can barely feed its people, let alone build aircraft carriers and hydrogen bombs in ten years.

To put the nuclear weapons question simply, just because you have them, doesn't mean you can use them. You're completely ignoring the MASSIVE issues with the use of nuclear weapons in any scenario, even for the sake of a counterattack. You think China would be happy that fallout from nuclear bombs dropped on Pyongyang ended up in their territory? How about South Korea? Or Russia? Hell, we're still picking up dangerous isotopes in deer populations in Sweden due to the Chernobyl. Military might does not equal an absolute win in the modern globalized world, economics govern things more then military power. If North Korea were to, say, take over Japan and South Korea, they'd be given an economic position that would allow them to largely dominate East Asia (yes, even with China, people don't realize how terribly structured the Chinese economy is. Cut off their Siberian and Indonesian oil sources and they're in a severely bad position).

And of course North Korea couldn't feed its citizens now, no one's arguing that point. But throughout history economically crippled powers have pulled themselves out of the gutter quite fast. Hitler's Germany reversed the hyperinflation of the Weimar Republic (I'll note that Hitler did indeed take a starving country and make it able to build aircraft carriers not in a decade, but SIX YEARS. Of course they never finished them but that's another story haha), the British began to dominate the seas after the end of the horribly destructive English Civil War, the Dutch became an economic superpower for fifty years after overthrowing their Spanish masters. History is full of great empires falling while small nations take their place, this isn't something new, nor is it something that is negated in the modern world.

 

[Haelium]

I have no problem playing as an American, once the game doesn't portray Americans as superheroes saving the world from communism, like you do in Black Ops(Which didn't have as much discussion in this area as this game does). And it seems like it a case of "They took over your town, wouldn't you be pissed off?" so I cant see any problems.

That said, can't we base the game on its actual gameplay? We might finally get something that could know COD off it's high horse, and force Treyarch to come up with *Shudders* new ideas.

 

[hem dazon 90]

The only issue I have with the game is that you play as an American. I'd much rather be the Koreans.

Cause hating things that are popular is so kewl.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

The only issue I have with the game is that you play as an American. I'd much rather be the Koreans.

Cause hating things that are popular is so kewl.

I, like the rest of the world have legitimate reasons for disliking America. But doesn't really have much to do with this example (and if you're just belittling my opinion because it somehow is at odds with your country, you justify the world's opinion of your country). I'm just sick of American patriotism in games and think it would be way more interesting to play as a Korean invader. That and playing as the bad guys is always way more fun (see: Dungeon Keeper).

 

[xdiesp]

You have to connect the dots:

+ the US have been at war for 50 years against third world countries for resources
+ 90% of US videogames has you play as soldiers
+ both the US army and public despise the idea of playing as "the enemy"

= US videogames teach you that killing unamerican bad guys is fun and good

 

[octafish]

A game set in America isn't really bad as it is unoriginal.

You know what I would like to see? A game set in Australia. How many games do you know have done that?

It's not recent, but I can think of one!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneath_a_Steel_Sky

It's freeware, so you can get ScummVM and play it if you're into those sorts of games.

OT: Living in Canada, I have long accepted that nothing cool will ever happen in a video game that takes place where I live, so really the US is the next best thing. I don't think it's any less relatable than a game that takes place in Washington for somebody who has always lived in say Colorado. Sure it's still the states, but it's a pretty diverse Country.

Beneath a Steel Sky is a free download from GOG with ScummVM integration

Any how Homefront has a team devoted to the PC version so that wins it points in my book, plus Milnius's contribution as a consultant. I'm Australian and I don't care that it's set in the US, that seems to be the default for any earthbound game anyway, either that or an island in the pacific. North Korea becoming a powerful nation in twenty years? Why not, economically destitute Germany did it as did Japan. I'm looking forward to seeing how Homefront pans out, it's not a must buy, but I may get it if the reviews are positive.

 

[katsabas]

In MW2, it started raining planes in DC and while in Virginia, I had control of remote control missiles. What is so bad with America being the setting?