Sunday, 29 July 2018

Dear Ubisoft, please make a game like Rainbow Six Patriots one day as it was originally meant to be made


Here is a video for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICVHMOjKncUBeing a long-time Tom Clancy fan, you often expect a lot of story-driven narratives where some elements have their own sci-fi elements like Splinter Cell's near-future technology, combined with some real-life elements like for example The Division (though technically a Tom Clancy game in terms of gameplay, mechanics or even story since it is not based off of a Tom Clancy novel and it has the Tom Clancy name) is mostly based off of Operation Dark Winter, a mock simulation where the U.S. Government tested on how to be prepared in case an actual biological pandemic happened in the U.S.Most stories in the Tom Clancy series have some form of realism in it which is a part of its charm with the usual heroes-vs-villains type of story with a more mature or dark look and sometimes even a level of conspiracy involved like hunting down an underground criminal organisation, or stopping a worldwide terrorist attack or even stopping a conspiracy that could result in nuclear war or World War 3.(and sometimes, there were often some shades of grey in terms of morality as some vilians had their own sympathetic motivations although they were also extreme too)However, most of the enemies that the protagonists face were external threats like ultra-nationalist Russians or worldwide criminal organisations and so on.Rainbow Six Patriots was promised to have a different look. The main antagonists, the True Patriots, although their motivations involved extremism, intimidation, terrorism and other illegal acts, they were domestic terrorists whose motivations were sympathetic because they felt that the U.S. was too corrupt and needed to be destroyed entirely.It was a more politically-driven type of story with more politically complicated elements because the topic regarding U.S. politics and possible corruption and other shady practices was a very hot topic during that time and it still is today.Even though I would not have liked the idea of neglecting the tactics and strategy focused elements that Tom Clancy games are known for, this idea of a complex story with different perspectives whose neither good or bad was a brilliant idea.Yes, of course people are going to take this too literally and will be personally affected by this(I mean, come on. Have you seen how politics often meddles with video games and scapegoat them for pretty much anything? Have you seen how America reacts to anything involving the depiction of America in a bad light? It is almost hypocritical that it has a culture of involving freedom and yet, anything involving America in a bad light is often deemed as heretical)Yes, some far-right people would have probably taken the game too literally and think it was a propaganda to motivate people to become domestic terrorists. Yes, some legal action would have probably been involved (as if domestic terrorism was somehow a new thing because many TV shows and films used this kind of story as a plot element)But man, this would have been a bold move for Ubisoft to publish this kind of story and probably spark endless discussions.For many times we are often see America portrayed as the good guys and the heroes of the story.While true, its influence has changed the world in many ways, it is not a perfect country and this darker and perhaps more realistic portrayal of America and its complex culture, it would be a game that many people will talk about.Just like many people talk about the bold portrayals of characters and stories down right and done with proper intention and passion like Last of Us, God of War, Metal Gear, and so many other games that make gamers question their motives, their lives and their world around them, this game would also be an artistic expression about the world of today.Note that I am not saying that America is the bad guy and the portrayal of domestic terrorists is a done out of spite. Far from it.But this type of portrayal is the portrayal that make people discuss more, question more, and even think critically about the world and even their own choices as the soldiers who has to make the tough choices and makes them more aware that in real-life, this complex interaction of warfare, terrorism, politics and culture, it is not a game. It is far more complex and maybe even way more mature and scarier than you might think.Like I said earlier- much like some developers took bold and passionate moves that portrayed characters in very believable and impactful manners, these games are the games of legend and the games will be remembered forever for their sheer artistic expression and how different they are from other games and how much that they will still be remembered how much effort was made to give those messages that they were meant to portray in most effective manner possible(Like Joel eventually has to be a ruthless survivor in the Last of Us while we also still mourn for his loss and the fact that he felt that he was becoming more human again since he met Ellie; or the portrayal of Big Boss and Solid Snake and how their actions in war, no more how noble they are, have a ton of negative effects on other areas in the world and while continuously progress that cycle of warfare; or the portrayal of Kratos in the latest of God of War game where Kratos must learn to face with own past while must teach his own son to not make the same mistakes that he did and teach him that the world is very cruel as well while his son teaches him how to be human again)

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