Stalin For An Enemy Rather than Hitler in Games

[gamernerdtg2]

I'm not a big FPS fan, but I have noticed over the years in games that the Nazis are usually enemies in games that are centered around WW II...even non FPS games in the past like Bionic Commando from the NES days had Hitler in it, and I think Doom had him in there too, yes? (Someone can chime in about that).

My question - Have I missed out on depictions of Stalin as an enemy because I'm not a die hard FPS fan? Stalin was ruthless. I understand that the US was focused on Germany but do you think a game where Stalin was the main baddy would work in the US?

My other question may be a bit uninformed, but do you think a game featuring Stalin as the main baddy would cause any kind of weirdness (politically or otherwise) with Russia now?

 

[Anthony Corrigan]

Stalin WASN'T the enemy of the allies in WW2 (you DO realize that there was more than the US involved don't you?), it was Italy, Japan and Germany vs the rest of the world INCLUDING Russia and the Red Army was as responsible if not more so for the fall of Germany as the US was.

That said there are games which ask what would happen if Hitler was killed before WW2, specifically Red alert.

Oh and it was Wolfinstine not Doom which features Hitler

 

[gamernerdtg2]

Stalin WASN'T the enemy of the allies in WW2 (you DO realize that there was more than the US involved don't you?), it was Italy, Japan and Germany vs the rest of the world INCLUDING Russia and the Red Army was as responsible if not more so for the fall of Germany as the US was.

That said there are games which ask what would happen if Hitler was killed before WW2, specifically Red alert.

Oh and it was Wolfinstine not Doom which features Hitler

Yes, yes...pearl harbor... I know. But the kamikaze pilots get more "fame" than any Japanese dictator...Stalin was ridiculous. Ok I needed to read up on more history...

Thanks for the info on Wolfenstein.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The only way that could possibly work would be if you were playing as the Nazis, since you know, the Russians and Stalin were on the side of the Allies during WWII. In fact, the Russians (and the Poles) were the ones who captured Berlin forcing Germany to surrender. So no, Stalin wouldn't make a very good enemy in a WWII game from the perspective of the US.

As far as a game with Stalin as a villain causing political weirdness, I don't think it would. Russians have been cast as the "bad guys" in America for over half a century now, they're pretty used to it, and most really don't care.

Anyway, you should probably go out and learn some World War 2 history before you start your next thread asking whether we should have Winston Churchill as the main "baddie" in a game about the United States' involvement in WWII.

 

[Skops]

I think what your asking for is in the Sniper Elite series. You play as an american sniper dropped in Germany to assassinate German leaders, scientists, and halt Russian advances into Berlin. So in some missions you're shooting both sides.

If you're looking for a more typical FPS that does the same, I think Red Orchestra is the closest you're gunna get.

 

[Frankster]

snip

Yeh you do need to brush up yer history a bit. Get this in your head, if there was any single one country that "won" ww2 (which is bs, russia by itself without allied support wouldnt have been able to hold back the germans as well whilst they were moving their factories to the east), it would be Russia as they fought the full might of the german armies at their peak.
Not the allies who landed in france when the germans were on the retreat and the war was already lost for them after the battle of Kursk, it was just a question of time when it happened.

Anyways that aside...

If having Stalin for an enemy means we get to play germans, i'd roll with that. But otherwise in fps there are a fair few ww2 shooters like Day of Defeat or Red Orchestra when you can play germans, its single player campaign shooters im struggling to find examples for.

 

[tilmoph]

Red alert is the only series that comes too mind for fighting Stalin during WWII. You would need to look at alternate history games to see if it comes up. Well, that or a WWII game from Germany's perspective. Paradox's Hearts of Iron could work. If you're specifically looking for FPS games that involve fighting the Soviets, I can't think of any off the top of my head that occur during Stalin's era, though for Soviets in general, anything James Bond should work.

 

[spartandude]

I remember reading a few years ago about an RTS (cant remember its name or if it was ever released or not) that was set just after WW2 (still in the 40s) where the West and the Soviets go to war against eachother

but yh the OP REALLY needs to read up on his history it seems

also what the action genre doesnt need right now is more Russians as the bad guy/ enemy. i mean most modern military FPS games have russia, and alot of Cold War games also are also centred around what if scenarios where you fight russians.
I'd be all up for it if you its a WW2 game from the perspective of a German soldier in the Wehrmacht, that would be interesting

 

[Strelok]

Yes, yes...pearl harbor... I know. But the kamikaze pilots get more "fame" than any Japanese dictator...Stalin was ridiculous. Ok I needed to read up on more history...

Thanks for the info on Wolfenstein.

The Japanese had an Emperor not a dictator, Emperor Hirohito to be specific during WWII. Also I agree with the above Russians are Americas go-to safe "bad guy" right now.

OT: Red Orchestra 2 is probably the only game you could find like that, only because you can play the Nazi side as well.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

When I was younger and still into first person shooters, I always thought it would be cool to play as a German soldier and see their perspective for once. There is a lot of potential to show the horrors that German soldiers also faced in WWII, and the eastern-front is the most logical setting for this. Unfortunately, because games cost so god damn much to make these days, I doubt anyone is going to take such a risk. It's a shame, because as I said, there is a lot of potential there, and a good developer could make some very interesting things.

I also thought a game where you played as a Vietcong soldier in the Vietnam War would be really cool as well, but it has the same risk-problem.

 

[Anthony Corrigan]

Stalin WASN'T the enemy of the allies in WW2 (you DO realize that there was more than the US involved don't you?), it was Italy, Japan and Germany vs the rest of the world INCLUDING Russia and the Red Army was as responsible if not more so for the fall of Germany as the US was.

That said there are games which ask what would happen if Hitler was killed before WW2, specifically Red alert.

Oh and it was Wolfinstine not Doom which features Hitler

Yes, yes...pearl harbor... I know. But the kamikaze pilots get more "fame" than any Japanese dictator...Stalin was ridiculous. Ok I needed to read up on more history...

Thanks for the info on Wolfenstein.

Umm dude seriously, as someone who's grandfather died not in WW2 but as a result of it I actually am offended by these 2 posts.

Pearl Harbor brought the US into the war but SERIOUSLY, you do realize that the war was not the US vs Germany and Japan don't you?

Some basics

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

Wikipedia isn't a university grade source but for this should be good enough

Allies
Soviet Union (1941?45)
United States (1941?45)
United Kingdom
China (1937?45)
France[a]
Poland
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
India
Yugoslavia (1941?45)
Greece (1940?45)
Norway (1940?45)
Netherlands (1940?45)
Belgium (1940?45)
Czechoslovakia (1942?45)
Denmark (1940)
Brazil (1942?45)
Ethiopian Empire (1940?45)
Mexico (1942?45)
Client and puppet states
Philippines (1941?45)
Mongolia (1945)

Vs

Axis
Germany
Japan (1937?45)
Italy (1940?43)
Hungary (1940?45)
Romania (1941?44)
Bulgaria (1941?44)
Co-belligerents
Finland (1941?44)
Thailand (1942?45)
Iraq (1941)
Client and puppet states
Manchukuo
Italy (1943?45)
Croatia (1941?45)
Philippines (1944?45)
Serbia (1941?44)
Slovakia

And to be perfectly honest I wouldn't put the US at even second place. ENGLAND should be in Second place.

 

[Greg White]

The sad thing about FPS's is that your main go-to's for bad guys are Russians(a Cold War nut's wet dream that is a bit overplayed by now), Nazis(for the formerly much overdone WWII shooter genre), or Arabs if you're in the mood to piss off people.

Vietnam games, by and large, can't seem to find much outside of the Tet Offensive to portray and while Japan does make a better bad guy than the Germans ever could, they kinda sucked after the first year or so of open war.

If you want an interesting setting for an FPS that hasn't been done to death by now, I'd suggest something from the War on Drugs. Pablo Escabar, among others, would make a better villain than Crazedrussianmadmanwithnukes #83.

At the very least, can we move on from the Cold War?

 

[Anthony Corrigan]

When I was younger and still into first person shooters, I always thought it would be cool to play as a German soldier and see their perspective for once. There is a lot of potential to show the horrors that German soldiers also faced in WWII, and the eastern-front is the most logical setting for this. Unfortunately, because games cost so god damn much to make these days, I doubt anyone is going to take such a risk. It's a shame, because as I said, there is a lot of potential there, and a good developer could make some very interesting things.

I also thought a game where you played as a Vietcong soldier in the Vietnam War would be really cool as well, but it has the same risk-problem.

You would be more likely to get a WW1 game where you could play either side because in reality no one was "the good guys" in WW1, it was an imperialistic war

As for why you wont see a Vietnam war where your on the other side, well to be honest its surprising that you can actually find ANY games about Vietnam because its such a blight on the US and game manufactures would be very reluctant to piss off US consumers by making the US the bad guys (can you imagine the protests?). I would think that if there was a game where you played as the NAZIs it would actually be banned in Germany for one thing and you couldn't faithfully do this without actually showing the war crimes that the NAZIs committed and could you imagine anyone playing that? Hell SpecOps was hard enough to play let alone that and to add on top that it really happened, its not just a story? no wont happen

A WW1 game where you played both sides and saw the horrors that both sides were responsible for though would make a good game

 

[Neverhoodian]

Well there's always Command and Conquer: Red Alert, but it takes place in an alternate campy reality where Einstein builds a time machine and uses it to eliminate Hitler before he comes to power.

I suppose a game about the Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 would work. The player could take the role of a Finnish soldier defending his homeland against the Soviet invaders. The Finns utilized hit-and-run tactics with great success, employing ski troops to swiftly encircle and destroy isolated Russian units. I feel this would translate well for gameplay. Imagine swooping in silently on a group of unsuspecting soldiers, then letting rip with gunfire and molotovs before swishing away again. High speed stealth punctuated by bursts of adrenaline-pumping action.

The only problem with such a game would be the outcome. Despite massive casualties, the Soviets eventually won through sheer weight of numbers. Still, their dismal performance was utterly humiliating and bolstered Hitler's decision to invade Russia.

 

[Amakusa]

Hmm for games that have Stalin as a baddy. Hmmm only one i can think of which has been mentioned above is Red Alert, the first one.
There is tabletop strategy games you could play where you could fight the Russians like Hearts of Iron series (mentioned above). There is also the Making History game series where you can play certain countries and do whatever like hearts of iron.

There is silent storm series but i don't think Russians are the enemy, but you can play as axis or allied soldiers thought. It's like fallout tactics.


Hmm here is a list of world war 2 games, some of them are alternate history which you might like to play.

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

 

[gamernerdtg2]

Spoiler: your response

Stalin WASN'T the enemy of the allies in WW2 (you DO realize that there was more than the US involved don't you?), it was Italy, Japan and Germany vs the rest of the world INCLUDING Russia and the Red Army was as responsible if not more so for the fall of Germany as the US was.

That said there are games which ask what would happen if Hitler was killed before WW2, specifically Red alert.

Oh and it was Wolfinstine not Doom which features Hitler

Yes, yes...pearl harbor... I know. But the kamikaze pilots get more "fame" than any Japanese dictator...Stalin was ridiculous. Ok I needed to read up on more history...

Thanks for the info on Wolfenstein.

Umm dude seriously, as someone who's grandfather died not in WW2 but as a result of it I actually am offended by these 2 posts.

Pearl Harbor brought the US into the war but SERIOUSLY, you do realize that the war was not the US vs Germany and Japan don't you?

Some basics

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

Wikipedia isn't a university grade source but for this should be good enough

Allies
Soviet Union (1941?45)
United States (1941?45)
United Kingdom
China (1937?45)
France[a]
Poland
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
India
Yugoslavia (1941?45)
Greece (1940?45)
Norway (1940?45)
Netherlands (1940?45)
Belgium (1940?45)
Czechoslovakia (1942?45)
Denmark (1940)
Brazil (1942?45)
Ethiopian Empire (1940?45)
Mexico (1942?45)
Client and puppet states
Philippines (1941?45)
Mongolia (1945)

Vs

Axis
Germany
Japan (1937?45)
Italy (1940?43)
Hungary (1940?45)
Romania (1941?44)
Bulgaria (1941?44)
Co-belligerents
Finland (1941?44)
Thailand (1942?45)
Iraq (1941)
Client and puppet states
Manchukuo
Italy (1943?45)
Croatia (1941?45)
Philippines (1944?45)
Serbia (1941?44)
Slovakia

And to be perfectly honest I wouldn't put the US at even second place. ENGLAND should be in Second place.

Thanks a lot actually. I suppose that would be why we called it WORLD war II as opposed to something else. I appreciate that information - I certainly do know about Wikipedia...it's a start though, thanks.

 

[Esotera]

It would be awesome to have a game where you have to escape the Stalinist purges, and maybe also fight some Nazis along the way. It doesn't necessarily have to be WW2 though...maybe an Assassin's Creed game will touch on it at some point?

 

[Festus Moonbear]

And to be perfectly honest I wouldn't put the US at even second place. ENGLAND should be in Second place.

UNITED KINGDOM please dude, not all Churchill's boys were English.

OT: Sniper Elite V2 has Russian and Nazi Enemies, in a way that sort of makes sense. Otherwise you'll have to look for Cold War type games with 'alternative history' type stories, because Stalin was never actually an official wartime enemy. Unless there's a WWII shooter where you get to play as the Nazis in southern Russia, or something. I doubt it.

 

[WoW Killer]

Easy. Set it in the Spanish Civil War. What started as Fascists versus Socialists eventually turned into a love-triangle between Fascists, Trotskyists and Stalinists. So you get to make both Fascists and Stalinists the bad guys. You could kind of loosely follow the events in Homage to Catalonia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homage_to_catalonia], maybe even have Orwell as some sort of NPC.