So setting a game in America is bad?

[Korten12]

Well it seems like a lot of people have a bit of a fuss because Homefront takes place in the US and not anywhere else. To the extent where they have to tell people in other countries that they will still enjoy the game...

I don't know and it seems like people just hate when games are set in the US, that apparently its bad. Sure countries invading the US in games isn't new but just because another game does it, doesn't make it bad. Its like if the North Korean's were invading Europe (Which I believe they are doing something like that for Homefront 2), that the game would just be better.

Now I am not saying the game is good because its not in Europe or any other country, but just because its set in the US doesn't make the game bad.

It seems that its becoming like how many people now say:

Not many vibrant colors = Bland and Bad game.

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

Edit: Also screw plausablity. Like a poster mentioned, this is a What if? Game. Its also a video game, not bounded by the laws of today. Who gives a crap that the game story may seem ludicrious.

People make the argument that it should have some realism. But why? Why should it? There is nothing tell it, to stick to reality. People say they want less realistic games, but as soon as they do this, its suddenly bad? Sure that "less realism" could mean magic and stuff but it isn't limited to that.

 

[GiantRaven]

So does that mean WWII games can only be enjoyed by people in Europe. Who enjoys games with fantasy settings?

What a ridiculous complain to make about a game...

 

[Thaluikhain]

Setting a game in the US is tiresome.

Claiming to be greatly inspired by real-life events and politics and then having North Korea invade the US is cringable.

We'll have to wait and see about the bad.

 

[zehydra]

you have great points and I agree. However, with regards to taking place only in America, I haven't actually heard any criticism like that about any game.

Though I have heard incessant criticism about realism in games, which is what I'm guessing you're referring to with the vibrant colors thing.

 

[linkvegeta]

I would have to say its because america is the main setting for most movies or games and i just think people are tired of it and want a different setting.

 

[GiantRaven]

If it comes at the complete cost of plausibility in a game, then the plausibility should matter a bit more.

Seriously? In a medium where we can play Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft...you get hung up on the plausibility of a game?

 

[Bobic]

I don't think these people were saying it made the game bad, they were just saying they'd prefer it in another setting.

 

[ultrarunner]

It's easy to set a game based around an underground resistance in the United States because everybody has guns, it's that simple. Oh, and it's the main market for video games.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Well setting a game (or movie or book for that matter) in any real world local is invariably going to alienate audiences who're not from that place. That being said, it still would be nice to see games take place in real world locals that are not the U.S. more often.

 

[Gruchul]

It could be overexposure to American characters making them tedious to play as. Also, North Korea overthrowing China is a little far-fetched. But I only heard about this game a little earlier today and am simply suggesting reasons I can think of (clearly not many!) based upon a probably incomplete/misguided view of the game

 

[gigastar]

As a European I elected to not buy Homefront not because of its setting, but because i cant think of a reason why anyone Non-American would want to save America in a fictional situaiton.

 

[badgersprite]

That doesn't make any sense. Isn't practically every non-fantasy, non-WWII game set in America? GTA, Heavy Rain, RDR, Fallout, True Crime, MW2, etc etc etc.

I fail to see how the location is the issue with the game. I think the issue with the game is people think the plot sounds stupid and it is looking like a kind of rabidly pro-American game. Seriously, would you as an American be super excited to play a game that looks like it's going to do nothing but beat you over the head with how awesome some other country is and how much your country sucks in comparison? It's kind of hard to feel inherently patriotic about a country that isn't yours...

 

[demoman_chaos]

Homefront is bad because it is in the US, but GTA being in New York is no problem?
I think the makers of Homefront are trying to make controversy to increase sales.

 

[Flig]

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.

It's alternate history. Compare to Fallout's backstory. Is it plausible that America would somehow get stuck in 1950s culture for a over a century? No. Is it plausible that large doses of radiation would turn you into a ghoul rather than say, kill you? No.

You could do this with any game, or any movie for that matter. Take James Bond movies, I forget which film it's in, but there's a scene in the beginning of one of them where Bond jumps off a dam or something and manages to catch up to an unmanned plane that's nosediving and climb in the cockpit. Cause a man falls faster than a nosediving plane with it's engines going, right?

Movies, games, television programs, books, and most other forms of entertainment are there to get us out of realilty, so changing a few rules around to do this well is perfectly fine.

 

[Korten12]

That doesn't make any sense. Isn't practically every non-fantasy, non-WWII game set in America? GTA, Heavy Rain, RDR, Fallout, True Crime, MW2, etc etc etc.

I fail to see how the location is the issue with the game. I think the issue with the game is people think the plot sounds stupid and it is looking like a kind of rabidly pro-American game. Seriously, would you as an American be super excited to play a game that looks like it's going to do nothing but beat you over the head with how awesome some other country is and how much your country sucks in comparison? It's kind of hard to feel inherently patriotic about a country that isn't yours...

So if the game was set in Europe though, it would be fine? Because thats what a lot of people convey.

Like this poster:

As a European I elected to not buy Homefront not because of its setting, but because i cant think of a reason why anyone Non-American would want to save America in a fictional situaiton.

Sure he says its not about the setting, but the fact that you are saving America. I bet if it was about playing europens and saying europe, the game would be fine.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

As a European I elected to not buy Homefront not because of its setting, but because i cant think of a reason why anyone Non-American would want to save America in a fictional situaiton.

because like you said, its fictional?

personally, it doesn't bug me at all, a game can take a setting anywhere, anytime

as long as its:

1)fun
2)got a decently interesting story
3) has cool weapons/customization
4) isn't a barren wasteland of nothingness

i will probably enjoy the game. i couldn't give a witch's heap where it is set at, if the setting provides an additional niceness with the story/characters, than awesome, if not, then no big deal.

 

[Bang25]

North Korea invading the U.S? That's stupid, they would be blown to bits in seconds. Now, CHINA invading America, that has some weight to it. Although that probably wouldn't happen because it would destroy China's and America's economy, especially with that whole "Chimerica" economic relationship we have, but whatever. Just make the game fun, it doesn't really matter who you fight as long as it's not Russians and as long as they have giant robot's.

 

[badgersprite]

That doesn't make any sense. Isn't practically every non-fantasy, non-WWII game set in America? GTA, Heavy Rain, RDR, Fallout, True Crime, MW2, etc etc etc.

I fail to see how the location is the issue with the game. I think the issue with the game is people think the plot sounds stupid and it is looking like a kind of rabidly pro-American game. Seriously, would you as an American be super excited to play a game that looks like it's going to do nothing but beat you over the head with how awesome some other country is and how much your country sucks in comparison? It's kind of hard to feel inherently patriotic about a country that isn't yours...

So if the game was set in Europe though, it would be fine? Because thats what a lot of people convey.

Like this poster:

As a European I elected to not buy Homefront not because of its setting, but because i cant think of a reason why anyone Non-American would want to save America in a fictional situaiton.

Sure he says its not about the setting, but the fact that you are saving America. I bet if it was about playing europens and saying europe, the game would be fine.

No, I'm saying that a game like this is inherently going to appeal more to whatever country it's set in. If it were set in, say, Russia, and the game is all about how much the enemies of Russia were evil murdering bastards while Russians are nobly protecting their homeland, would anyone other than Russians really be interested in playing it? Would a game like that even be on the radar in America at all? I know I wouldn't be interested in that.

I don't really have an opinion on whether the game is good or bad, I'm just saying that if the game were set in some European country and was super patriotic, like rabidly pro-French or something, then a heck of a lot of Americans wouldn't have any interest in playing it either. And if anyone seriously thinks games set in America inherently suck, then tell them to give back all their copies of Fallout, GTA, RDR, Saints Row 2, etc because that's just stupid and a silly reason for not playing a game.