News Konami drops Fallujah war game

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2009/04/27/konami-drops-fallujah-war-game/1

Konami has decided to drop the controversial Six Days in Fallujah squad-based shooter after rising controversy.

 

Is this an indication that in some quarters, video games are still seen as something for children and should not be used to "trivialise" adult subjects like war?

 

I don't think it has anything to do with video games being associated with children, but has everything to do with a current war being trivialised. Soldiers are still risking their lives in Iraq. To have the option of playing themselves with regenerating health thanks to a cover system designed to enhanced gameplay simply isn't respectful. How can you claim to be trying to convey the horrors of war when you are enhancing the experience to do the opposite?

They could have done this well. They could have made it ultra realistic and creatively dealt with death to make it less trivial in games. But they chose to mainstream it. I don't see how they could have expected a different reaction.

Having said all that, I'm surprised they dropped it to be honest. I would have thought all this publicity, whilst negative, would have guaranteed a high level of sales. I still expect this to be published by someone else.

 

I think americans just want to preserve the idea that their armed forces are noble and to be idolized... acurately depicting the realities of combat would probably destroy all enthusiasm for the armed forces amongst all the 'patriots' who 'support the troops.'

 

Weak.

 

I think Psytek has a point.

Personally, I think it's a shame that, what is in essence a creative company, has been forced to not create the "art" they wanted to. I realise people are dying out there, but no one is forcing them to. I'm sure the majority of soliders you asked would not give a ****. The war is much bigger than the game. So what if it comes out? Is it going to affect squadies on tour at all? No, it wouldn't.

Usually, the only people that get offended are the ones with the least relevance.

 

The entire point of the game was to make combat look like hell, to have 1 bullet kill you, to have misery and pain as the main theme.

The game WASN'T meant to be some unrealistic shooter in Iraq

 

The full correct name of the game was to be Imperialism:Six Days in Fallujah?

 

wow props to konami.. they could probably release it without any controversy if they had just waited- makes you wonder what mental midget came up with this idea.. looks like the game critics thought it was alot less original than the hype created (what's new)

I would think this would offend iraqi's too- mean sure you can look at it and say it's just a game- get over it.. it's still in bad taste until everyone is back home..

 

Lame.

 

very.

 

So true!

 

Only from what I'd read, my impression was that it was shaping up to be a Delta Force: Black Hawk Down clone but in Iraq instead of Somalia.

That game was too easy, and pretty much a shooting gallery which made you as an American soldier seem invincible. Would make you want to shout "Hoo-rah!" in various comical ways.

If this was the case then props to Konami for bailing out on a game which could have been embarrasingly flag-wavingly pro U-S-A.

If the game was a considered representation of the middle-eastern conflict as a whole (which I doubt if you have regenerating health), and bailing was merely because they were scared of diving head first into a pool full of controversy then yep - weak.

 

..Pathetic.

If Atomic drop this I'll lose all respect for the company. Christ, RWS didn't drop the postal games, and they're banned in a huge number of countries.

Konami seem to have forgotten that critics are, well, critical by the nature of their job. Of course they're going to slag it off at every given opportunity. It's what they do.

I doubt this is, or was, a 'gears of war' clone by any stretch of the imagination.

Bah. I'm so infuriated I can't even put together a cohesive argument at the moment.

 

Aww weak. I was looking forward to this, and in the way I was looking forward to Bioshock.