Our 5 Most Patriotic Games
Barbecue, fireworks, and an organized rebellion with monster trucks are some of the things that truly make America great. During this 4th of July, a holiday solely dedicated to celebrate American awesomeness, Game Rant offers its top star-spangled titles that will have you chanting “USA! USA!” until George Washington himself weeps tears of patriotic joy from the beyond.
Pledge Allegiance To The King, ‘Duke Nukem’
The Duke Nukem series is the living id of the United States circa 25 years ago. Utilizing catch phrases from every major (and some not so major) Hollywood action star of the 1980’s and 1990’s, Duke represents the bombastic, politically incorrect, Michael Bay-infused side of the Home of the Brave. Duke even owns a monster truck. What’s more American than that?
Duke Nukem may be misogynistic, lowbrow, and unredeemable to some. Even so, the game is probably the most jingoistic mainstream first-person shooter to ever appear in video game form. While Duke is saving the entire Earth from the alien invaders, he’s not shy about letting everyone know which country he hails from and large U.S. flags are littered throughout the landscape. And in the last installment, Duke announced his intent to be the 69th President of the United States. Um, OK.
Answering The ‘Call of Duty’
It’s no coincidence that the citizens of the largest and most advanced military power should help make a military shooter the most successful game franchise of all time. The Call of Duty series has become a yearly roller coaster of adrenaline and explosions (with the ending of Black Ops proving that America is, still, ‘The Beautiful’) but it didn’t quite start that way.
Set within the battles of WWII, players were asked to answer the ‘call of duty,’ and relive the conflicts that led to German defeat, and helped to form the United States into the military power it is today. Patriotism in wartime is not unique to the U.S., but the underlying message became clear with the shift to Modern Warfare. Engaging enemies in the capitol of Washington, D.C., and even the burnt remains of the White House itself, the player was told one thing: the country may be under attack, but as long as those trusted to fight refuse to fall, all is not lost.
Call of Duty may take plenty of heat, but no game series has better captured the patriotism behind America’s military, or the pride and and sense of honor of its servicemen and women.
Living Vicariously on ‘The Oregon Trail’
Who can forget this patriotic gaming gem? When it comes to edutainment software, The Oregon Trail is the title that started it all. While the most famous and fondly remembered Apple II version may seem innocent enough, the entire game was designed for players to learn how territorial America was at that time.
While the story and gameplay are deceptively simple, the message behind The Oregon Trail is pretty powerful. I mean, traveling 2000 miles, risking life and limb for a chance at a so-called better life beyond one’s own borders? That is a bold statement of entitlement that The Oregon Trail games not only got away with, but built the entire edutainment industry from. That there is some serious patriotism.
Star-Spangled ‘Freedom Fighters’
Telling a story of an invading enemy force in New York City in 2003 carries plenty of patriotic weight in itself, and a fair amount of risk. But Freedom Fighters took strong third person combat, a story torn from a ‘Red, White and Blue’ 1980’s action movie, and one of the best soundtracks of the console generation. Set in an alternate timeline where the USSR never stopped gaining power, the player was tasked with leading the resistance of New York City.
As the mysterious ‘Freedom Phantom,’ the player approached levels of John Connor-esque charisma and devotion to liberty, though not in the name of man against machine, but as Americans against those who would strike in their own backyard. Freedom Fighters may have been formulaic in plot, but its execution was terrific.
IO Interactive has long claimed that they’d love to revisit the game, and with so many titles touching on the ‘American Resistance’ trope, we would love to see another installment from a development team that implemented it so well.
Joining Up With ‘America’s Army’
Gamers who complain about the lack of realism in military shooters have not played America’s Army. Developed as a propaganda/recruiting tool, this continually updated free shooter teaches recruits what it is like to actually be in the United States Army. The game utilizes actual military lingo and strategies employed by the U.S. Army and teaches players about the U.S. military’s code of conduct. The purpose of the free downloadable title? To familiarize future soldiers, I mean um, gamers with military life.
Unlike with most modern military shooters, “run and gun” players will meet a quick death as America’s Army emphasizes teamwork while taking on real-world situations. Get clipped once by the enemy and that’s pretty much all she wrote. Friendly fire and collateral damage are also not acceptable, but blowing up the USA’s enemies still is.
The only problem with America’s Army is that players who perform too well may end up receiving a visit from their friendly neighborhood recruiter.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the titles which relied on American patriotism to evoke emotion, but there are plenty more where these came from. Fallout 3, Homefront, Command & Conquer: Generals and many others were in the discussion, so feel free to point out you own favorites in the comments. After some hot dogs and fireworks, obviously.
Happy Fourth of July! Watch out for alien ships. And Jeff Goldblum.
