Konami Cuts and Runs From Iraq War Game 321
Less than a month after the announcement of Six Days in Fallujah , a video game based upon a real-life battle between US Marines and Iraqi insurgents in 2004, Konami has decided that it is too controversial, and abandoned plans to publish the game. The developer, Atomic Games, has not commented on Konami's decision other than to say an announcement will be made soon. Konami told a Japanese newspaper, "After seeing the reaction to the video game in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it." While the game did receive a great deal of criticism, others were optimistic, including several outspoken veterans of the Iraq war. One of the major complaints was that in researching the battle, Atomic Games reportedly interviewed several insurgents. This prompted speculation that the insurgents were compensated for their help, though Atomic later denied that was the case. Konami's decision also may have been influenced by the fact that they seemed to represent it as entertainment, whereas Atomic's president, Peter Tamte, was more hesitant to describe it as "fun." He said, "The words I would use to describe the game — first of all, it's compelling. And another word I use — insight."
Replacement (Score:5, Funny)
In a follow-up press release, Konami states they plan instead to produce a game where you pilot Air Force One in the skies above NYC, performing daring acrobatic feats like "buzz the highly populated pier" and "read all the hats of the tourists at the top of the Chrysler building".
Re:kneejerk army bashing (Score:5, Funny)
You just keep thinking that if it makes you feel better.
article title (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Release it anyway (Score:1, Funny)
Why not just change the characters to Nazi's and Americans, call it Afrika Korps, and people won't be offended.
Afrika Korps? Sounds like something that will ship with KDE.
Re:Release it anyway (Score:2, Funny)
Re:kneejerk army bashing (Score:5, Funny)
Kudos to Konami. . . (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I think that's a shame (Score:5, Funny)
They could have made the Iraq War game really realistic. You play a member of the Missouri National Guard who has to give up his job and not see his wife or two young children for five tours, so you can go to a country where the people who live there don't want you, and you get to drive around, waiting for an IED to kill or cripple you.
Oh, and when you are done playing the game, you are forced to sit down and play again, and again, and again, and again, while your kids grow up without you and you've lost your job and you lose your house, which you bought with a adjustable rate mortgage and the payments have tripled and now you don't have a job and when you go home the economy will suck.
Gamespot gives it an 8.9