Konami Officially Announces Six Days In Fallujah, Critics Respond
Last night Konami officially announced that it will be publishing Six Days in Fallujah, the hugely controversial "documentary style" shooter based on a 2004 battle in Iraq. The official announcement comes a week after the LA Times reported on Konami's apparent decision to publish the game, which was developed by Atomic Games.
Since the story broke, the game has faced criticism from all fronts, the possibility of not being published in Europe, and generally caused a fracas.
This, for the record, is Atomic Games' Peter Tamte's description of the game's ambitions:
For us, the challenge was how do you present the horrors of war in a game that is also entertaining, but also gives people insight into a historical situation in a way that only a video game can provide? Our goal is to give people that insight, of what it's like to be a Marine during that event, what it's like to be a civilian in the city and what it's like to be an insurgent...
But according to previews, Six Days plays more like Gears of War than anything remotely realistic:
It was apparent that Six Days is not aiming for a very realistic take on modern warfare... considering the extensive marketing on the point of realism, I certainly didn't expect to see soldiers running out into the middle of the street during a firefight, taking a half-dozen bullets in the chest, and then regenerating their health safely behind cover...In fact, from what Konami showed us, Six Days is far closer to Gears of War than America's Army. It has the same Gears D-pad weapon selection, the same style of cover system, and the same action-oriented gameplay...
Those sound like very serious problems with a game that aims to be compelling in a real-world, documentary-style way. If Six Days makes it to its 2010 release date (for 360, PS3 and PC, by the way), we might even be able to judge for ourselves.
KONAMI ANNOUNCES SIX DAYS IN FALLUJAH FOR
THE XBOX 360®, PLAYSTATION®3 AND WINDOWS PC
Third-Person Action Shooter -- Based on Fiercest Urban Battle of The War in Iraq
Uses Real Footage, US Marines Who Fought in the Battle and Real Missions
Features Co-op and Online Multiplayer Modes
El Segundo, Calif. - April 14, 2009 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., announced today that Six Days in Fallujah is currently in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Developed by Atomic Games, Six Days in Fallujah is a new third person shooter experience that puts the player in the center of the largest urban military operation in four decades. Six Days in Fallujah combines the action of a military shooter with the realism of a documentary film to create a new kind of experience that is both historical and engaging. Partnering with over three dozen US Marines to help develop the game along with unprecedented access to battle plans, after action reports, photos, videos and satellite maps makes this game the most authentic military shooter to date. Coupled with missions, objectives and scenarios grounded in factual events, Six Days in Fallujah will create an authentic 3rd person shooter unlike any ever developed.
"Six Days in Fallujah creates a very compelling interactive experience," said Brian Christian, Vice President of Product Development for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "We are creating a 3rd person shooter unlike any other by combining a brand new game engine, authentic weaponry, missions and combat set against the gripping story of the US Marines on the ground."
Six Days in Fallujah lets players experience the historic battle of Fallujah as a US Marine fire-team leader and places them in the heat of the action against the insurgency. Players are able to physically shape the battlefield just as US Marines did during the battle in Fallujah. Create new lines of attack by kicking in doors, blowing up walls, eliminating enemy cover and destroying the environment around them. To make the battle even more authentic, heavy emphasis has been put into the environments using real world satellite maps, weapons from US Marines and vehicles used in the conflict to fully immerse players in this epic confrontation and experience what it was like to be a Marine on the ground. In addition, Six Days in Fallujah will include multiplayer functionality - allowing players to team up with other fire team members in co-op and online modes.
Six Days in Fallujah is scheduled to be released in 2010 on Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 system and Windows PC.
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany, Video Games on 15 April 2009
· Comments (1)
Other stuff like this: iraq, konami, six days in fallujah
I really do not understand why people get more upset over something just because its more recent.
Games depicting WWII battles that were probably a lot worse is seemingly fine, just because it was half a centuary ago... yet a war thats still going on is off limits
its hypocrisy of the highest degree.