The Problem with World War 2 Games...

[Kyber]

One setting I want to see is the player paying as Simo Häyhä from Finland in te WinterWar (a part of WWII)
That would be sweet, roaming the Finnish winter nights, taking down a few hundred enemies with a sniper rifle!

You mean a game in which you lie perfectly still for multiple hours, eating snow and trying to shoot far away russians with an unscoped rifle? Doesn't sound that exciting to me. Also, people might take offense with playing as, technically, the "bad guys". It is an interesting idea, but as a sniper game, it would be pretty boring, because Häyhä didn't really do that much of exciting stuff, he just lied down on the snow for most of the day and just shot a lot of russians.

 

[Guffe]

One setting I want to see is the player paying as Simo Häyhä from Finland in te WinterWar (a part of WWII)
That would be sweet, roaming the Finnish winter nights, taking down a few hundred enemies with a sniper rifle!

You mean a game in which you lie perfectly still for multiple hours, eating snow and trying to shoot far away russians with an unscoped rifle? Doesn't sound that exciting to me. Also, people might take offense with playing as, technically, the "bad guys". It is an interesting idea, but as a sniper game, it would be pretty boring, because Häyhä didn't really do that much of exciting stuff, he just lied down on the snow for most of the day and just shot a lot of russians.

Yeah I know, but how many games are historically THAT accurate?
I mean It would be more moving around, and he didn't only lie in snow, he was up in the trees also for long periods of time

One thing you said in your comment confuses me. "playing as, technically, the bad guys"
A a Finn my view is a bit different, if you mean to say we were allied with the Nazis because we had a common enemy then I, politely, ask you to take a look back up to 40 years before WWII and the political situation between Soviet/Russia and Finland.
This was our own war, not some part of trying to help the Nazis, we were defending our own freedom!

EDIT:
Didn't notice you were a Finn until you commented me in the Nokia thread
I guess you know about what I tried to say then

 

[exobook]

A game based on the Battle of France could be amazing if done right. A desperate and failing defensive action against a foe who are revolutionizing warfare as they continue to press past static defense lines sounds like a great setup for a game. Sure, it's a foregone conclusion that the battle was a major loss for the Allies, but there is so much potential in there for a good story. You're not liberating France, you're trying to salvage what you can.

one problem the main characters in the game are going to be the french, and no one likes the french or for that matter the british much. Why do you think Saboteur turned the protagonist into Irish? And of course it doesn't have americans in it.

While it might be a good idea it just doesn't have the "hell yeah!" victory against the nazi's that most ww2 games seem to concentrate on.

 

[Kyber]

One setting I want to see is the player paying as Simo Häyhä from Finland in te WinterWar (a part of WWII)
That would be sweet, roaming the Finnish winter nights, taking down a few hundred enemies with a sniper rifle!

You mean a game in which you lie perfectly still for multiple hours, eating snow and trying to shoot far away russians with an unscoped rifle? Doesn't sound that exciting to me. Also, people might take offense with playing as, technically, the "bad guys". It is an interesting idea, but as a sniper game, it would be pretty boring, because Häyhä didn't really do that much of exciting stuff, he just lied down on the snow for most of the day and just shot a lot of russians.

Yeah I know, but how many games are historically THAT accurate?
I mean It would be more moving around, and he didn't only lie in snow, he was up in the trees also for long periods of time

One thing you said in your comment confuses me. "playing as, technically, the bad guys"
A a Finn my view is a bit different, if you mean to say we were allied with the Nazis because we had a common enemy then I, politely, ask you to take a look back up to 40 years before WWII and the political situation between Soviet/Russia and Finland.
This was our own war, not some part of trying to help the Nazis, we were defending our own freedom!

EDIT:
Didn't notice you were a Finn until you commented me in the Nokia thread
I guess you know about what I tried to say then

Yeah, I know what you mean, but we were techically axis, no matter how things really were. Even wikipedia says so.

 

[Eliam_Dar]

I am tired of WWII games, I want a WWI game. Historically accurate if possible, with horses, tanks, biplanes, zeppelins, etc.

 

[Dragoon]

I know it would cause an uproar but I would really like to see a game where we play as soldiers from the Axis side. If you started out as a kid living in the run down mess that Germany was and witnessed Hitlers rise to power, his speeches and the propaganda I think that would be really interesting. You make friends and join Hitlers Youth with them, grow up with them and then go to war with them.

I think that's what is missing, the camaraderie of battle and the fact that German soldiers were just normal guys just like the Americans. A lot of German soldiers didn't want to go to war but they did because it was expected of them and I think this needs to be explored more.

 

[josemlopes]

To be honest I really like the typical Europe campaigns, those enviorments are so fun to fight in.

There is so much that can be done in the WW2 setting and I think that its incredibly balanced for a game, not every gun is an accurate automatic rifle like in modern day shooters, you basicly have the most balanced and varied gear in a game. Even the tanks are balanced being strong and slow.

Then there is that whole Wolfenstein thing with the paranormal wacky nazis that never gets old, thank god a new one is coming.

WW2 was such a bizarre event that can be stylized to such a level, I mean, this shit is real and it looks like something out of an action movie with a cartoonish villain:

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, they got way more "clearly we are the bad guys" things to use and abuse in a stylized game.

 

[Major_Tom]

I want to see something like The Saboteur but with Yugoslav Partisans.

 

[Daniel Kleeman]

Funny you should say that about the clearly the bad guys part. (while they WERE obvious badguys) some of our own behaviours at the time were also a bit... off.

My favourite example of this sort of thing from our own side was a magazine (TIME I think) with an article about an American serviceman who returned on leave and presented a Japanese soldiers skull as an engagement present to his fiance, who carried it around with pride and about how others should strive for such nationalism.

Some of the comments made by those who ran the strategic bombing campaign were also quite chilling.

Like you said it was a bizarre time.

On the original posters comment;

I'd also like to see what others have suggested in the vein of Spec Opps, particularly that Berlin one which sounds like a really interesting game, the general avoidance of combat and focus on staying alive rather than fighting or victory could even bring out similar suspense induced paranoia and fear like in Amnesia (though obviously not to the same extent).

The growing up and experiencing it from the other side pitch seemed interesting, I've always wanted to see something similar based upon a what if type scenario concerning the almost civil war in new South Wales, Australia in the late 20's if it had really kicked off. (thankfully it didn't)

 

[SonicWaffle]

The French Underground, it'd make for an excellent Assassin's Creed style game, blending in with crowds, stealthily escorting people past German patrols, blowing up Nazi bases, all that good stuff.

That has been made as The Saboteur, and it was dreadful.

 

[Bertylicious]

Funny you should say that about the clearly the bad guys part. (while they WERE obvious badguys) some of our own behaviours at the time were also a bit... off.

My favourite example of this sort of thing from our own side was a magazine (TIME I think) with an article about an American serviceman who returned on leave and presented a Japanese soldiers skull as an engagement present to his fiance, who carried it around with pride and about how others should strive for such nationalism.

Some of the comments made by those who ran the strategic bombing campaign were also quite chilling.

Like you said it was a bizarre time.

"Bomber" Harris was a frigging murderer and he should have been put in prison. He had a lot of public support though. I remember my Father telling me about a memory when his mum called him and his sisters out into the garden to watch the bomber formations flying towards Germany.

"Now it's our turn!", she said, utterly delighted. Sickening really.

OP: I also think a game centered on the Sino-Japanese conflict would be good. All the games featuring the Eastern front show you can sell the story without having to include quick time events to sexually assault women.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Funnily enough they did make a game of The Great Escape back in... 2003 I believe. It was pretty mixed really; some missions were kinda fun but others were almost unplayable (oh dear god don't mention the shooting mechanics *shudder*).

Hmm, doesn't ring a bell. Found an IGN review, 5 out of 10. Low score blamed largely on the A.I; It was either dumb as rocks or omnipotent. Sad. Still, would be nice to have a POW escape game where it was almost entirely stealth based.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

"Bomber" Harris was a frigging murderer and he should have been put in prison. He had a lot of public support though. I remember my Father telling me about a memory when his mum called him and his sisters out into the garden to watch the bomber formations flying towards Germany.

"Now it's our turn!", she said, utterly delighted. Sickening really.

Wasn't Harris responsible for Dresden? Because I remember Bomber Command was pretty damn awful about selecting military targets in the wake of the Blitz.

 

[Commissar Sae]

I'd love to see early WWII stuff explored more. Things like the Ghost Division, the fact that Germany was still using horses to carry supplies for much of the early war. I'd love to see some of those early French and Polish battles shown, complete with how woefully unprepared both armies were. On the other hand it would be awesome to play as a Polish cavalry charging around as mobile infantry units, or better yet being able to play one of the few Cavalry charges executed against German infantry units. That or maybe play as a Soviet Partisan, fighting a guerilla war behind enemy lines on the eastern front.

Playing as a German soldier would also be an interesting change of pace.

 

[Mistermixmaster]

How about the Battle of Caen (1944) during Operation Overlord, where British troops got bogged down in armoured fighting in the ruins?

Call of Duty 2 had a few missions set in Caen, and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts had a great big campaign about the British and their fight to get to, and fight for, Caen.

Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Tarawa, Guam...

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault has Guadalcanal and Tarawa as about half the game. It's great. Heroes of the Pacific also has a majority of the Pacific War, in a freakin' stellar WW2 arcade-airplane game.

Seriously, between Heroes of the Pacific and Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW2, you'd go from all over the pacific, to London, Norway, Dunkirk and Paris, to name a few. Add in the Company of Heroes games and expansions, and you suddenly got a large chunk of the war in France from D-Day to the closing of the Falaise Pocket, Operation Market Garden and a chunk of the eastern front.

Those of you saying there's a part of WW2 not covered in games just aren't looking hard enough

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Call of Duty 2 had a few missions set in Caen, and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts had a great big campaign about the British and their fight to get to, and fight for, Caen.

I had totally forgotten Caen in CoD2, but I intentionally disregarded OF since it is a strategy game. The ire that WW2 games usually get is mostly aimed at FPS-games so that's what I focused on.

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault has Guadalcanal and Tarawa as about half the game. It's great. Heroes of the Pacific also has a majority of the Pacific War, in a freakin' stellar WW2 arcade-airplane game.

Rising Storm also has Guadalcanal and Peleliu as two maps, but Rising Storm is also the odd kid on the block because it is entirely pacific centric, has two asymmetrical teams and is multiplayer only. As far as they go, Rising Storm is probably the best example of a WW2 game done right, because it manages to present the PTO in a fairly realistic manner while still keeping decent gameplay balance.

Seriously, between Heroes of the Pacific and Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW2, you'd go from all over the pacific, to London, Norway, Dunkirk and Paris, to name a few. Add in the Company of Heroes games and expansions, and you suddenly got a large chunk of the war in France from D-Day to the closing of the Falaise Pocket, Operation Market Garden and a chunk of the eastern front.

Once again, flight sims/arcades aren't really what most people consider when they say "WW2 games", even the OP only discuses FPS games. IL-2 Sturmovik covered pretty much the entire eastern front, but sitting in an aircraft above the battlefield provides a certain sense of detachment.

Those of you saying there's a part of WW2 not covered in games just aren't looking hard enough

Find me a game covering the Finnish Continuation War or the German retreat through Finland and Norway in 1944-1945. Or the Soviet Manchurian campaign in August 1945. I dare you =P

On a more serious note, it is not that some parts aren't covered. It is more that some parts are very spottily covered whereas others are so saturated with games that you can easily get the impression that the war went something like Stalingrad->D-Day->Berlin. Theaters like the Pacific or even a majority of the Eastern Front still have plenty of potential for great games.

 

[Bertylicious]

"Bomber" Harris was a frigging murderer and he should have been put in prison. He had a lot of public support though. I remember my Father telling me about a memory when his mum called him and his sisters out into the garden to watch the bomber formations flying towards Germany.

"Now it's our turn!", she said, utterly delighted. Sickening really.

Wasn't Harris responsible for Dresden? Because I remember Bomber Command was pretty damn awful about selecting military targets in the wake of the Blitz.

Amongst other cities. Apparently he used to keep little blue folders with 'before and after' photographs of all the cities he'd ordered bombed.

I think it was Hamburg that was the first city he ordered fire bombed. Like Dresden, the mixture of fires and high explosive created a tornado of fire. The wind got up to hurricane speeds and the city became a furnace. Apparently the tarmac melted, glueing the feet of civilians trying to flee and boiling the flesh off their living bones.

It was super effective! Horrible though.

All the tens of thousands (not to mention the 12,000 or so air crew who died on his incessant raids) he killed was a drop in the ocean compared to China, Japan and the Eastern front though. This is what is so difficult for WW2 games to capture; the sheer scale of the thing.