Why Russia?

[Lord_Gremlin]

As a Russian I'm sick of it. The irony here is that USA is the only country actually guilty of horrid war crimes (Vietnam, Iraq anyone?). Yet games where you slaughter Americans are always low-budget titles released in Eastern Europe only.

On the other hand it warms the heart - poor bastards are still afraid of us, Russians. We still have nuclear weapons and some advanced types of rockets, the ones you can't defend from.

Попробуй они, голубчики, это в реале мы б им их собственные поджаренные задницы вернули. Как у нас говорят - вытащи у американского солдата из ранца туалетную бумагу и все - боеспособность на нуле.
Ничему не учатся, ей богу. Мы Наполеона порвали, Гитлера порвали, неужто есть еще желающие?

Now try and translate this. Google translator will kill itself.

 

[spartandude]

Because Russians were the last enemies that America fought which were on the same technological level as the US, and which were perceived as an actual threat.

I mean, what have we had since the Cold War? A bunch of terrorists, in ass backward countries using 60 year old weapons, and home made explosives. Sure, they can kill people, but there is not threat of them ever being a serious threat to the American government.

and yet they are still undefeated after nearly 10 years

 

[shootthebandit]

basically it started in the 80s towards the end of the cold war, ronald reagan was paranoid and he started propaganda campaigns about russian spies. its also because russians are conceived as communists, alot of people dont understand communism and people tend to fear what they dont understand. the thing is that modern russia is actually closer to facism but we still see them as communists

also russians are brutally hard, they are rougher than a bear arse and i think that antagonises them even more

 

[Torrasque]

Because Americans still think Russia is the evil communist country that will nuke the world into the dark ages at a whim, and they are immoral and blah blah...

They can only rag on the Germans for so long before it stops being funny imo.

 

[AnAngryMoose]

Why not? We lost the Cold War. Americans won. They get to make us look like the bad guys.

I have no issue with it, really. At least it shows that Russia is considered a power to be reckoned with.

Well it is true; Russia is a force to be reckoned with along with Middle Eastern countries, hence why both of them are shown as the antagonists in these games. Both have control of oil supplies and both have thrown some serious punches at America.

 

[strum4h]

Потому что Россия является удивительным

Google translate, huh?

I would try to fix that, but I'm sort of lazy. But, really, that last word is incorrect.

Yeah I wish I knew how to speak it.

 

[gamepopper101]

This reminds me of what Yahtzee said not too long ago "Can someone just INVADE AMERICA PLEASE?"

 

[Vrach]

Yeah, why not have North Korea or something like that as an antagonist? Why Russia?

See argument above - few nations have the military power to seriously go against America on their own. Considering Chinese censorship standards, they'd likely ban the game on sight if Chinese were the enemy (and considering they're N. Korea's ally, there's another reason for not having NK), so as it is now, it's either going after Russia or saying something even stupider like "European Union has banded together to attack the US".

Don't get me wrong, I love the Russkies, but they just make sense as a war opponent to America. Take it as a compliment, you're the only ones who could single-handedly kick their arses

Because Americans still think Russia is the evil communist country that will nuke the world into the dark ages at a whim, and they are immoral and blah blah...

Actually, you lost that title to the Chinese, they're the "crazy communist people" now (and hell, I'm not sure if I'd even be against the stereotype myself in general >.< ). You saw the way MW2 provoked a war out of you, only by killing a pile of civilians (which is funny cause I don't think Russians are the same as Americans in that regard that they'd start a war over a terrorist incident - I'd say that's more projecting on the Yanks' part).

 

[GoodApprentice]

Love how games like this generate political discussion...

 

[AnAngryMoose]

basically it started in the 80s towards the end of the cold war, ronald reagan was paranoid and he started propaganda campaigns about russian spies. its also because russians are conceived as communists, alot of people dont understand communism and people tend to fear what they dont understand. the thing is that modern russia is actually closer to facism but we still see them as communists

also russians are brutally hard, they are rougher than a bear arse and i think that antagonises them even more

It was before Reagan even. Senator McCarthy was the source of the Red Scare and Anti-Communist hysteria. Others just exacerbated it over the course of the Cold War, Nixon and HUAC being some of them.

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

Love how games like this generate political discussion...

And that's a very Russian thing to do, by the way. Turn anything into a political discussion (or complaining, if politics is way too out of place).

 

[Eijarel]

I guess because somehow we still respect Russia that has us on the edge since 1946 to 1989.

not saying that they are the perfect BAD guys though , i remember they also had their own "vietnam" in Afghanistan (Fyi that time the CIA supplied training to the Afghans, while the russians trained the Vietcong lol)
ahh history never ceases to amuse me...

you know wut, we need a new enemy why not make the second American civil war i doubt anyone would complain lol..

 

[spartandude]

ok people make a point about the cold war, but you do realise that America and the USSR didnt fight eachother? they just fought other countries. So that actually makes less valid.

Buton the topic of Korea. the North Korean military isnt that outdated, it may not be as advanced as NATO but its till pretty good, and the 4th largest in the world with a standing army of over 1million and 800,000 in reserve as well as some of the most effective air and missle defences, so they would be a good target in these kinda things.

 

[Spartan1175]

falsefalse

For some reason that reminded me of Reagan's Star Wars http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/coldwar/page20.shtml

 

[RanD00M]

&#1055;&#1086;&#1087;&#1088;&#1086;&#1073;&#1091;&#1081; &#1086;&#1085;&#1080;, &#1075;&#1086;&#1083;&#1091;&#1073;&#1095;&#1080;&#1082;&#1080;, &#1101;&#1090;&#1086; &#1074; &#1088;&#1077;&#1072;&#1083;&#1077; &#1084;&#1099; &#1073; &#1080;&#1084; &#1080;&#1093; &#1089;&#1086;&#1073;&#1089;&#1090;&#1074;&#1077;&#1085;&#1085;&#1099;&#1077; &#1087;&#1086;&#1076;&#1078;&#1072;&#1088;&#1077;&#1085;&#1085;&#1099;&#1077; &#1079;&#1072;&#1076;&#1085;&#1080;&#1094;&#1099; &#1074;&#1077;&#1088;&#1085;&#1091;&#1083;&#1080;. &#1050;&#1072;&#1082; &#1091; &#1085;&#1072;&#1089; &#1075;&#1086;&#1074;&#1086;&#1088;&#1103;&#1090; - &#1074;&#1099;&#1090;&#1072;&#1097;&#1080; &#1091; &#1072;&#1084;&#1077;&#1088;&#1080;&#1082;&#1072;&#1085;&#1089;&#1082;&#1086;&#1075;&#1086; &#1089;&#1086;&#1083;&#1076;&#1072;&#1090;&#1072; &#1080;&#1079; &#1088;&#1072;&#1085;&#1094;&#1072; &#1090;&#1091;&#1072;&#1083;&#1077;&#1090;&#1085;&#1091;&#1102; &#1073;&#1091;&#1084;&#1072;&#1075;&#1091; &#1080; &#1074;&#1089;&#1077; - &#1073;&#1086;&#1077;&#1089;&#1087;&#1086;&#1089;&#1086;&#1073;&#1085;&#1086;&#1089;&#1090;&#1100; &#1085;&#1072; &#1085;&#1091;&#1083;&#1077;.
&#1053;&#1080;&#1095;&#1077;&#1084;&#1091; &#1085;&#1077; &#1091;&#1095;&#1072;&#1090;&#1089;&#1103;, &#1077;&#1081; &#1073;&#1086;&#1075;&#1091;. &#1052;&#1099; &#1053;&#1072;&#1087;&#1086;&#1083;&#1077;&#1086;&#1085;&#1072; &#1087;&#1086;&#1088;&#1074;&#1072;&#1083;&#1080;, &#1043;&#1080;&#1090;&#1083;&#1077;&#1088;&#1072; &#1087;&#1086;&#1088;&#1074;&#1072;&#1083;&#1080;, &#1085;&#1077;&#1091;&#1078;&#1090;&#1086; &#1077;&#1089;&#1090;&#1100; &#1077;&#1097;&#1077; &#1078;&#1077;&#1083;&#1072;&#1102;&#1097;&#1080;&#1077;?

"Try it, my friends, is in real life, we used them to their own fried ass back. As we say - remove the American soldier from knapsack toilet paper and all - fighting capacity at zero.
Learn nothing, I swear. We broke Napoleon, Hitler broke, it really is still interested?"

That's what I got from Google Translator.

OT: I just don't know. But I've been playing Sniper: Ghost Warrior, and there the enemies are Mexican.
But a lot of points of why they are still being used have come up in this thread. And none of them bear repeating.

 

[AnAngryMoose]

As a Russian I'm sick of it. The irony here is that USA is the only country actually guilty of horrid war crimes (Vietnam, Iraq anyone?). Yet games where you slaughter Americans are always low-budget titles released in Eastern Europe only.

On the other hand it warms the heart - poor bastards are still afraid of us, Russians. We still have nuclear weapons and some advanced types of rockets, the ones you can't defend from.

&#1055;&#1086;&#1087;&#1088;&#1086;&#1073;&#1091;&#1081; &#1086;&#1085;&#1080;, &#1075;&#1086;&#1083;&#1091;&#1073;&#1095;&#1080;&#1082;&#1080;, &#1101;&#1090;&#1086; &#1074; &#1088;&#1077;&#1072;&#1083;&#1077; &#1084;&#1099; &#1073; &#1080;&#1084; &#1080;&#1093; &#1089;&#1086;&#1073;&#1089;&#1090;&#1074;&#1077;&#1085;&#1085;&#1099;&#1077; &#1087;&#1086;&#1076;&#1078;&#1072;&#1088;&#1077;&#1085;&#1085;&#1099;&#1077; &#1079;&#1072;&#1076;&#1085;&#1080;&#1094;&#1099; &#1074;&#1077;&#1088;&#1085;&#1091;&#1083;&#1080;. &#1050;&#1072;&#1082; &#1091; &#1085;&#1072;&#1089; &#1075;&#1086;&#1074;&#1086;&#1088;&#1103;&#1090; - &#1074;&#1099;&#1090;&#1072;&#1097;&#1080; &#1091; &#1072;&#1084;&#1077;&#1088;&#1080;&#1082;&#1072;&#1085;&#1089;&#1082;&#1086;&#1075;&#1086; &#1089;&#1086;&#1083;&#1076;&#1072;&#1090;&#1072; &#1080;&#1079; &#1088;&#1072;&#1085;&#1094;&#1072; &#1090;&#1091;&#1072;&#1083;&#1077;&#1090;&#1085;&#1091;&#1102; &#1073;&#1091;&#1084;&#1072;&#1075;&#1091; &#1080; &#1074;&#1089;&#1077; - &#1073;&#1086;&#1077;&#1089;&#1087;&#1086;&#1089;&#1086;&#1073;&#1085;&#1086;&#1089;&#1090;&#1100; &#1085;&#1072; &#1085;&#1091;&#1083;&#1077;.
&#1053;&#1080;&#1095;&#1077;&#1084;&#1091; &#1085;&#1077; &#1091;&#1095;&#1072;&#1090;&#1089;&#1103;, &#1077;&#1081; &#1073;&#1086;&#1075;&#1091;. &#1052;&#1099; &#1053;&#1072;&#1087;&#1086;&#1083;&#1077;&#1086;&#1085;&#1072; &#1087;&#1086;&#1088;&#1074;&#1072;&#1083;&#1080;, &#1043;&#1080;&#1090;&#1083;&#1077;&#1088;&#1072; &#1087;&#1086;&#1088;&#1074;&#1072;&#1083;&#1080;, &#1085;&#1077;&#1091;&#1078;&#1090;&#1086; &#1077;&#1089;&#1090;&#1100; &#1077;&#1097;&#1077; &#1078;&#1077;&#1083;&#1072;&#1102;&#1097;&#1080;&#1077;?

Now try and translate this. Google translator will kill itself.

I do agree with your initial point. I'm not saying America hasn't done any good (it has! Really!), it has just been a bit too arrogant and pompous what with believing that it was the leader of the free world during the Cold War regardless of the rampant racism. However, having said that during the Cold War America and Russia were both paranoid of one another because they both knew they could more-or-less destroy the world at the push of a button and up until recently, no other country had been on par with America, technologically. Also, America associated Russia (and Communism) with Stalin who allied with Hitler (albeit for his own ends) and committed horrid civil atrocities. As far as America was concerned, Russia's record of human rights was on par with Nazi Germany's and you had people like McCarthy, Reagan and Nixon blowing the threat posed by Russia at the time completely out of proportion. Although, yes it was unfair, and I'm not disagreeing with you.

 

[Fippmeister]

Who else should the enemy be? the concept of being attacked by the japanese and the germans have worn pretty thin over the years, and there's not exactly much else to shoot at, is there?
The french? Just mute the cries of "we surrender" and it'll be like a rail shooter.
The norwegian? (yeah, using them as an example out of national pride. Or something.) Last time the norwegians went to a war -if that was what it was, they never really decided if it was a corporate takeover, a war, a military action, or an act of peace negotiations- most of the soldiers were sent home due to lead poisoning. And that's not slang for getting shot, either. Good old, honest to ned flanders, chew on your pencil lead poisoning.

Maybe we should give new zealanders a chance to get shot in a virtual war game? Do they even have an army?
And the list goes on. Looks like we're stuck with russia for now; they might not be the best choice, but they're better than risking bad publicity by using some minority group from ooga-boogaland. And they have voice actors who manage to sound passable; that's a big plus over german, where everyone either speaks american, or sounds like they learned german from an american wartime sitcom.

 

[Baradiel]

Theyre the only country (except China) that has the technology, soldiers or stupidity to possibly WANT to invade America.

Iran? Not enough soldiers.

N Korea? Same.

Britain? Struggled to get rid of America in the first place, we definitely dont want it again!