No Russian

[Silenttalker22]

They're an enemy with substance that doesn't have to be explained. Pure and simple. Sure we know they're not stereotypes, or bad but it's all about effectively setting a stage. You can't do that w/o backstory if you make up "random large enemy that's big and bad, cuz we say so."

And to the guy who didn't pay attention and said "No Russian is all about Americans killing Russians", it just shows you didn't pay attention. It was a Russian militant group setting up the one American with them.

 

[AstylahAthrys]

Russia is just the standard enemy, I think, left over from times before now. It's an easy target for developers.

I would like to see something new, though. How about Australian and Portuguese mercenaries fighting against sentient cyborgs on the moon? I'd play that.

 

[Blackpapa]

I got a better idea.

How about Assymetric Warfare?

You know, you play the role of an insurgent cell leader in an unnamed middle-eastern country invaded by the US. You build IEDs, research new tech like directional charges, makeshift chemical bombs and cut down american troops.

Not only that, but you wage war on different fronts. High-profile attacks like ambushing a US convoy and hanging a US govt. official off a bridge or or suicide bombing the first McDonalds in the country won't weaken the enemy much but will give you more recruitment options, publicity and generate terror. Doing systems disruption like blowing up city infrastructure will present the enemy's efforts at rebuilding as ineffective, preventing them from being viewed positively by the native population. And to limit your enemy's profits you use a number of methods, from covert to overt, to sabotage oil flow.

And you get to kill a LOT of marines.

Wouldn't that be a great game?

 

[Blackpapa]

 

[rokkolpo]

I just want to say that during ''No russian'' I laughed...

HYSTERICALLY!

Captcha: hurry oractio
YES ORACTIO! HURRY, BEFORE I MURDER YOU!

OT:It was all fun and games to me, shoot the moving things was the only thing going on in my mind.

 

[The Funslinger]

I'm just glad they started at World War 2, and not further back, or I would be seeing games about crushing the nasty imperialist Brits everywhere.

Well I say, that would be a bit of a sticky wicket! Really, they probably didn't make a game where you fight the British because the protagonist would clearly be outclassed by our refined British ways, and all that.

OT: Activision is a believer in the old adage that "any publicity is good publicity." End of story.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

I can't believe that people don't see why Americans consider Russia a fair target. For all you younger people out there, the Cold War only ended 20 years ago. Many people can still remember a time where America and Russia were literally a bad word away from turning each other in cinder (and taking most of the world with them). And that time period lasted for over 40 years, and was the impetus for both the Korean and Vietnam war, as well as a myriad of smaller conflicts. You don't just get over something like that.

Plus, its not like we are the only country in the world with some dated, somewhat silly rivalries. Britain/France? China/Japan? Germany/The Rest of Europe? Wars tend to do that. Besides, no one here (except for your standard Tea Party whackos) actually hates Russians. At worst, we see them as "Those guys who live half a world away who we fought for a long time", which really can sum up a good chunk of the Europe as well. Most Americans, from my experience, see Russians simply as white people with funny accents. If anything, that just makes them an easier target because its hard to call "racism" when you have white people shooting white people. MW2 already played its brown people card with the Brazilians AND the Unspecifiedistanians, so I guess they wanted to go with a more traditional enemy.

As far as the MW universe goes, Russia actually makes perfect sense. They have a strong, developed military, and a militant Ultra-nationalist faction that is in control of the government. Combine that with the joint SAS/Marine task force that killed their leader just a few months before the start of the game....it makes sense they'd want revenge. Makarov's attack on the airport and Pvt. Allen's dead body just gave them a valid excuse for war.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

I can't believe that people don't see why Americans consider Russia a fair target. For all you younger people out there, the Cold War only ended 20 years ago. Many people can still remember a time where America and Russia were literally a bad word away from turning each other in cinder (and taking most of the world with them). And that time period lasted for over 40 years, and was the impetus for both the Korean and Vietnam war, as well as a myriad of smaller conflicts. You don't just get over something like that.

Plus, its not like we are the only country in the world with some dated, somewhat silly rivalries. Britain/France? China/Japan? Germany/The Rest of Europe? Wars tend to do that. Besides, no one here (except for your standard Tea Party whackos) actually hates Russians. At worst, we see them as "Those guys who live half a world away who we fought for a long time", which really can sum up a good chunk of the Europe as well. Most Americans, from my experience, see Russians simply as white people with funny accents. If anything, that just makes them an easier target because its hard to call "racism" when you have white people shooting white people. MW2 already played its brown people card with the Brazilians AND the Unspecifiedistanians, so I guess they wanted to go with a more traditional enemy.

As far as the MW universe goes, Russia actually makes perfect sense. They have a strong, developed military, and a militant Ultra-nationalist faction that is in control of the government. Combine that with the joint SAS/Marine task force that killed their leader just a few months before the start of the game....it makes sense they'd want revenge. Makarov's attack on the airport and Pvt. Allen's dead body just gave them a valid excuse for war.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

No Russian is offensive? Oh noes, the poor helpless army of clones (really, there's only like four different civilian models) who fall down when I pew them despite showing no signs of injury (not a drop of blood on them), the execution was too ludicrous to take offence at, heh. And aren't there some evul Americans in MW2 as well?

Aaaand I really can't see what's so offensive about bad guy Russians in Black Ops, it's the freaking cold war. That's like taking offence to evil Germans in a WW2 film.

Granted, you COULD make a compelling tale about the woes and struggles of an every day Axis or Soviet soldier, but, y'know, not many developers, let alone film makers have the balls to do that.

So the bottom line is, Russians have been bad guy fodder for over half a century now, you'd think you'd be used to it by now.

 

[sleeky01]

And what if Russia brought out a game where you go around killing hyper-fat Americans and the magazines they were reading were "How to bomb brown people" and "How to get you IQ up to 73" and "The REAL way to clean a shotgun"

It would fly off the shelves lemme tell ya.

 

[White_Lama]

I think we need more games where you play as a russian and kill innocent Americans.

Not that I have anything against Americans, but every other game you're American killing some random other group of people.

 

[Hamhandderhard]

Eh, the old Call of Duties were among the first games to show off the Russian side of World War 2, kinda weird they replaced the Germans nowadays. As for the "All Russians are bad" yeah there are some good ones in the first Modern Warfare but in Modern Warfare 2 it showed the Russians invading because they wanted 1,000 dead Americans for every Russian dead in Moscow. That means the entire reason the Russians are invading is to massacre civilians. That's...Kinda stupid. Shooting up houses, blowing up national monuments, shooting down helicopters filled with civies, you get the feeling the entire Russian invasion was planned by emotional unstable generals whose main strategy in anything is to KILL MAIM BURN and shit.

As for Black Ops, it gets by because it's a period piece.

I would like to see a second Korean War game. Yeah tentions are high as it is but imagine fighting in bombed out Seoul with tanks going at it and jet's dogfighting in the sky and all that. mite b cool

 

[Nathan Dampier]

Let's just be fair, none of the CoD games depict all russians as the anti-christ, MW2 are just soldiers following orders from (then very recently ultranationalist)government. Makarov was already practically in power in Russia "No Russian" was basically a way of blaming american spec ops for the killings, which by-the-way is a fair reason for revenge.
And to be honest CoD does a good job of balancing goodie-baddies. Lets remember that in World at War, the only russian that was openly questioning the morality of what they we're doing (remember the surrendering Germans who just needed a reliable job?).
But of course that is war.
I do however object the current FPS' of recent years, as they are all "cold war fantasist wank games" (in Yahtzee's humble words) Whilst not anti-russian, it does get a bit dull.
Also Shadow Company was a PMC so not necessary all american (PMC's are a good enemy cause they can have multi-cultural enemies).
However I do like the idea of a game where America gets taken over by far right ring american government, and then a combined western Europe army of British, French, German, Spanish, Norweigan etc. soldiers having to free america.

 

[dancinginfernal]

Red Orchestra 2 will feature a "nazi" campaign. Playing from the German side on the eastern front. That should be interesting.

Interesting. Aside from the obvious backlash, I've always wondered why there haven't been games depicting the war from the eyes of the enemy.

 

[Nathan Dampier]

Plus, its not like we are the only country in the world with some dated, somewhat silly rivalries. Britain/France? China/Japan? Germany/The Rest of Europe?

Whilst I can't really speak about China/Japan, I can definitely tell you that there is no anglo-franco rivalry in the 21st century, those wars happened a very long time ago indeed. I bet anyone that there is nothing but the "white flag" which seems to be shared the world over.
As for Germany/ The Rest of Europe, it is that kind of ignorance that gives europeans the american stereotype.

 

[Asehujiko]

The CoD games have always been great at portraying things without a simple good/evil line.

wat

Cod 1: Anglophone countries good, germans evil, russians evil
Cod 2: Anglophone countries good, germans evil, russians evil
Cod 3: Anglophone countries good, germans evil, russians evil
Cod 4: Anglophone countries good, russians and arabs evil
Cod 5: Anglophone countries good, germans evil, russians evil
Cod 6: Anglophone countries good except for the ones scheming with russians, russiand evil
Cod 7: Anglophone countries good, communists of all nationalities evil

Notice a pattern here?

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Plus, its not like we are the only country in the world with some dated, somewhat silly rivalries. Britain/France? China/Japan? Germany/The Rest of Europe?

Whilst I can't really speak about China/Japan, I can definitely tell you that there is no anglo-franco rivalry in the 21st century, those wars happened a very long time ago indeed. I bet anyone that there is nothing but the "white flag" which seems to be shared the world over.
As for Germany/ The Rest of Europe, it is that kind of ignorance that gives europeans the american stereotype.

Hah. Next time the World Cup rolls around try and tell me Europeans all get along.