Historic periods you'd like to see more in video games

[Arshaq13]

Ancient India, or any time before the 14th century. There's just waaaay too much to make a story and/or setting out of during those years.
Disclaimer : I'm an Indian so that's where my bias comes from.

The 60's and 70's during the whole sexual revolution and hippie/disco thing would be way cool too.


There's waaay too many unexplored settings, there's this India game that I've been hearing about for a while about the 79' Iranian Revolution. It really does feel like a lot of countries have an incredible story of revolution to tell.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

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The Witcher and the Gothic games come to mind. More so Gothic 1 and 2, which are modelled after European medieval settings. While there's monsters and magic, there aren't any gigantic weapons or bulky armour to be found. It looks and feels quite authentic, despite being magic-toting fantasy. The Witcher as well for similar reasons. Despite Geralt's own actions being completely ahistorical, the look and design of the landscapes and architecture is very historic, as well as much of the arms and armaments found on soldiers and other NPCs.

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If you're not opposed to RTS games, you could try Stronghold: Crusader (the original). It's mainly a castle building game, but features plenty of combat, focused in the Crusades. You can play as both European and Arabic factions. Incredibly fun and charming game. Doesn't really focus on the brutality of those wars. It's a bit more of a cheerful showing of it.

 

[Gray-Philosophy]

It'd be kinda niche but I'd like to see a game or two set in the Paleolithic era. I dunno, I just like the idea of a survival based game set in a true stone-age hunter-gatherer society. I don't mean like Turok (here are some dinosaurs but here's a shotgun), or like Skyrim (here are mammoths and smilodons but here's a suit of plate-mail), but a proper prehistoric survival game so stripped back and ancient that you're more than halfway through the game before discovering fire.

The Stomping Land might be something for you

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Oh yes! I can't believe I forgot about The Witcher. I recently completed the second one and am looking forward to getting my hands on the third. I do rather like that universe, even though the sexual references throughout can get a bit excessive at times. I haven't tried Gothic though, sounds like it's worth looking up

 

[ffronw]

Going to take a punt and guess you meant American Civil War (pretty much every nation has had a civil war); if that's the case did you check out Ultimate General: Gettysburg? It only does The battle of Gettysburg but it does it really well in my opinion, just a thought that might help quench your thirst a little.

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Yep, played Ultimate General: Gettysburg. I think my initial description here was a bit off, so let's try this.

I want a large scale strategic / tactical game. It would let you run RTS-style battles and literally determine the outcome of the war. Basically, it gives you the overall setting, and you pick your battles and try to win the war. Think of it as Risk meets Company of Heroes. Overall control of the entire map, and then a zoom down to combat level to play battles in RTS style.

Plus, you have to do research and tech on the side. Better make sure you get your forces those Spencer rifles, or they'll be out-gunned.

Yes, it's ambitious as hell, but a guy can dream, right?

I've longed for an up-to-date take on the Civil War. Maybe something in a really solid, Relic-style RTS, or even a first-person shooter if need be. Heck, why not both?

Darkest of Days was kind of a Civil War Shooter. You got to fight on both sides of the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsberg and use period weapons. However, the game does break immersion when occasionally your future buddy gives you a future weapon and tells you to go nuts, history be damned(because digging modern bullets out of the dead/wounded isn't gonna mess up the timeline or anything).

Yeah, Darkest of Days had some potential, but it went off the rails fairly quickly. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood had some fleeting Civil War moments as well.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

It'd be kinda niche but I'd like to see a game or two set in the Paleolithic era. I dunno, I just like the idea of a survival based game set in a true stone-age hunter-gatherer society. I don't mean like Turok (here are some dinosaurs but here's a shotgun), or like Skyrim (here are mammoths and smilodons but here's a suit of plate-mail), but a proper prehistoric survival game so stripped back and ancient that you're more than halfway through the game before discovering fire.

The Stomping Land might be something for you

Thank you. Thank you for that.

 

[Gray-Philosophy]

Thank you. Thank you for that.

You're welcome!

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Ancient China needs more love... Been playing Jade Empire (Been in a quite Bioware run lately) and I would love to see something like that again. Bioware, sequel? Please?
Maybe this time make it feel more like Ancient China rather than Chinatown because everyone seems to speak perfect english, except those who speak the ancient "Gibberish in order to save space of audio file" tongue.

You do realize that Warring States China has been a staple of Japanese gaming with Dynasty Warriors and i'm sure many other games given the promanace of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in Japan.

I suppose though that having a much more grounded game involving the generals and figures of the time would be a nice counter balance to Dynasty Warriors' over the top nature.

OT: After watching Maria the Virgin Witch, I realize that not a lot of games or show focus on the Hundred Year War between France and England. That could generate gameplay around politics, intrigue, religion or just trying to survive.

 

[Mister K]

Everything besides medieval and modern periods. Medieval one I am bored to death with and while I like modern setting, I'd like for it to rest for 2, maybe 3 years.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

The Bakumatsu where the shogunate was overthrown and Japan opened its doors to the West. In fact, Asian history in general deserves to have more games made about it including stuff in China and India.

I would start with Sengoku Jidai Japan as that period of history resulted in the unification of Japan under a single rule, has powering figures like Oda Nobunaga and Toyotama Iyasu and legends like Miyamoto Musashi.

We have Sengoku Burasa and Total War Japan but I think having a game involving swordsmen, ninjas, or even just the common people could introduce Amercia to an important history of time for a major country on the world stage

 

[hermes]

The March Revolution in Russia, 1917.

 

[Scarim Coral]

World War 1. Ok sure there are a couple but I would like to see more but not too much like World War 2.

 

[zumbledum]

Id like to see some stuff around the Proterozoic era or anything before all the mass extinctions , would be cool to see earth as was. and of course more dinosaur era stuff.

 

[WhiteWolfe]

The time period of Wooden Ships and Iron Men. Assassin's Creed 4, Sid Meier's Pirates!, and Empire: Total War are the only ones I can think of that are set there, and it's one of my favorite periods. Seriously. More boats all the way.

 

[deleted_by_strongbad]

I would love, and am kind of shocked on thinking about it that there really isn't anything that focuses on early stages of formal nation states and cities, so like 6k-5k-ish BCE around Mesopotamia and Indus River. This is a setting full of every type of conflict you can have, it'd be a great setting for pretty much any genre, and is pretty much untouched (other than superficially in civ for like 10 minutes of play). Additionally, for including thematically relevant fantastic elements, while we don't have lore from that early, looking at the earliest recorded stuff from around there (vedas, enuma elish, etc) there is a ton of great stuff that can be added in.

 

[Arina Love]

Sengoku period aka Japan Warring States period. I would play all my moneys for high budget what-if RPG in that period (think BioWare style RPG), where you try to unite Japan under your banner.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: A horror game set during the first World War would be amazing.

I imagine it as a psychological horror game where the dull drudgery of the western front trench warfare is interspersed with these intense moments of utter chaos and conflict, all leading towards moments later in the game where it becomes increasingly difficult to tell reality from growing insanity. Artillery bombardments and the rush of conflict in the forays 'over the top' leading to an increasingly surreal and hellish experience as the green fields and lush forest you'd started in become torn and muddied, mustard gas soaks the battlefield while the air is filled with sickness and the screams of the dying. Blimps and primitive aircraft fill the darkened sky while metal gas-belching tanks roam the battlefield.

People often say WW1 wouldn't work as an action game, and in terms of trench warfare they're largely right. But this wouldn't be an action game, it would be a horror game. Something more in line with a mix of The Darkness Hell sections, Dead Space, Valiant Hearts, and the growing insanity of Spec Ops than Call of Duty or Battlefield.

Hell, movies and books figured this combination out ages ago, about time games did. It would make for an amazing(ly horrifying) interactive gaming experience.

It's definitely just an action game with horror elements, but "Necrovision" has a lot of what you're looking for. A combination of WW1 insanity combined with monsters, zombies, etc. The game goes basically completely off the rails nuts in the last 3rd, but it's still a pretty fun game.

 

[UmberHulk]

late 1960s/early 1970's america

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

80 years war.

 

[Akjosch]

10th century Ghana.

I'd say sub-Saharan Africa in general needs more love. Even when it's some relatively modern setting. Running around as a member of the Ashanti Empire and beating up the Brits [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Ashanti_wars]? Sign me up, please!

 

[Albino Boo]

Early years of World War 2, where the allies were on the back foot and resorted to commando raiding. Video games would have you believe that the War didn't exist before JUNE 6TH 1944.

I strongly suggest that you look up some history. The Invasion of France in 1940 the Germans launched 2500 tanks. The North African campaign was an all motorized/mechanized affair and the 1941 German invasion of Russia constituted of 4000 German tanks versus 20,000 Russian tanks.