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On the possibilty of Failure: Medal of honor modern warfare
AaronLindes Neighbor | 1:52 PM on 08.07.2008 12 comments


The Rumortoid post by Sterling today has me on the edge of my seat for the following reasons:

1. I really enjoyed CoD4, including the single player, but felt it could be revolutionary if it told the Iraq or Afghanistan war stories in a timely fashion.

2. Medal of Honor could either take advantage of the opportunity to create a compelling historical and relevant critique of US military action or inaction in Afghanistan or they could botch it horribly via poor story, propaganda driven story, poor graphics, or voiceovers.

The idea that they are examining operation Anaconda is interesting. This mission was followed the first attempt by the CIA and US special forces to hunt down and kill Osama Bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora, only to have the regular branches of the Military willfully allow him to escape into Pakistan. This needs to be discussed in any narrative covering the Afghanistan War. See the Wikipedia entry:
Tora Bora

I would suggest the excellent frontline series produced by PBS and available streaming at their site for free or on the torrents. Bush's War (most recent episode dealing with this topic

As well, Seymour Hersh and Bob Woodward have done some wonderful writing on the subject of how the OBL could have been captured if the US had wanted it.

The issue of the mismanagement or outright sabotage of the War in Afghanistan should be reflected in any story wherein troops are the central actors. They knew the score when it was going on, and this book should be read by the story writer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawbreaker:The_Attack_on_bin_Laden_and_al-Qaeda

If we get a puff piece of garbage from the medal of honor series I will be the first to rattle e-sabers and light my e-torch. Any thoughts?



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12 comments | showing # 1 to 12

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Char Aznable's Destructoid Blog
That would be a very sophisticated and welcomed approach to the game, but I don't know if EA would have the balls to critique the US military in such a way. Think of the shitstorm that would bring upon them. I can practically hear Bill O'Reilly jerking off to that potential controversy right now.

Actually, eww.
EternalDeathSlayer's Destructoid Blog
edge of your seat?

It's just a game. What the fuck do you really care for? It's a game. If it fails, are you really going to get angry?
Lightthrower's Destructoid Blog
Im with you with this issue, i'd hate it if it was a propaganda game, but i would love it if it would depict the botched Afghan war.
Usedtabe's Destructoid Blog
So the jist I'm getting is that if the game depicts US army in a good light it fails, but if it makes them out to be some evil bane of the earth it's a first day purchase? And not just from your write-up, but also from some of the comments.
TheDreadHawk's Destructoid Blog
Yeah, basically that's what it is Usedtabe; very very fail ridden.
AaronLindes Neighbor's Destructoid Blog
Edge of my seat, because this would be the first game to take on a military conflict before it is over, possibly purporting to be historically accurate.
If such a claim was made by the developer, and it turned out to be nothing but a fluff cheerleader story ala
Tom clancy/Rainbow six vegas style storyline style I would be very angry and shot it from the highest rooftops. I can see this happening.

As far as the army being portrayed in a good light, I find it difficult to believe that anyone who takes a longitudinal view of the Afghanistan or Iraq conflict to claim can call them a success. Can you?
Often times this is reflected in stories from actual soldiers relating the great degree that our military and civilian leadership has actually done more harm than good. I.E. aforementioned calling off of the hunt for bin Laden. See L. Paul Bremer's entire career in Iraq.
It's the soldiers who bear the brunt of these failures, and to portray them as your typical first person shooter GI JOE character in a FPS that purports to be based on historical fact would be the equivalent of putting Gordon Freeman in a cooking mamaesque DS science party game.
EternalDeathSlayer's Destructoid Blog
You know, you sound like one of those assholes on NBC. Like Keith Olbermann or someone.

Liberals.

The fact is, you don't know the truth anymore than I do. So please, just play games and stop worrying about political BS.
AaronLindes Neighbor's Destructoid Blog
I don't know the truth? Why?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62618-2002Apr16
Even a fairly conservative paper like the WaPo backs up my assertions, this article is from back in 2002.
I'm sorry if your only reaction to the facts are to blame the messenger and insult my competence. I do know the facts more than you do, otherwise you may agree with me or give my point some credit as being truthful.
3r0t1c n3rd's Destructoid Blog
A FPS game that most likely will be produced in colaboration with the US military actually criticising the Army?

*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*

Yeah right. Tell me how that turns out.
AaronLindes Neighbor's Destructoid Blog
I don't know what indicated to you that they would be doing this medal of honor: modern warfare in collaboration with the US army.
Don't they already have the America's Army game for that?
BTW, I have no specific problem with the US army sponsoring or publishing a game, as long as it is clearly stated on the box that they paid for it. As long as the consumer is informed, he/she has a choice in the matter of ingesting domestic propaganda or not.
As an aside, I was contemplating the inequity of WWII games being made true to history, while modern warfare games ala Ghost recon/tom clancy all must be based on fictional conflicts. See upcoming Brothers in arms squad FPS.
Was there any Desert storm games based on actual events??
I know there were Vietnam games.
Arttemis's Destructoid Blog
As someone whose father is working in Iraq as a civilian contractor for over three years, I'm still shocked at the amount of ignorance on the use of our troops in the last 7 years...
AaronLindes Neighbor's Destructoid Blog
I would see it as particularly egregious if a developer declined to use any offered U.S. military funds for the creation of a game, and simply wrote an sugary sweet tale comprising of one long blowjob of the military command/administration's schlong, while failing to finger the ass representing the truth of the conflict, based on publisher pressure to avoid rocking the political boat.


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