Military Shooters: John Wayne or Clark Gable?

With the Fourth of July less than a week away I decided that my next article would be on modern military shooters from the past and the future of this popular genre. When I talk about different games from the same genre, especially military shooters I break them down into 2 basic styles. The first is the fast paced shooter. Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and the Battlefield series are in this group. The second group is more of a dark horse when it comes to shooters. A sub-genre that began in 1998 with Rainbow Six. These are the tactical shooters. Rainbow Six, Operation Flashpoint,Ghost Recon, and the ArmA series are serious about their attention to detail and a commitment to the hardcore. Lets take a look at what makes each style of military shooter so much fun.


When I play Call of Duty I usually think of recent "BIG" Hollywood movies like Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk Down or classic war movies like The Longest Day or Sands of Iwo Jima. These action packed, drama filled epics pound your senses into submission visually and give your emotions a workout with great storytelling. Likewise Call of Duty and Medal of Honor offer the same experiences in game form. Quick paced, linear storytelling with beautiful set pieces are the hallmarks of greatness for them. These are paralleled with a multiplayer component that is unbelievably addictive and could be stand alone game in their own right. I call these games the John Wayne of military shooters. I say this because they, like the actor look the part, play the part, and is entertains the audience into thinking that this is how soldiers lived their lives under fire.

The thing is is that its not true. John Wayne never served in the military. Like wise Call of Duty and Medal of Honor is not a realistic representation of life as a soldier. You want proof? Just take a look at any level you played in any of those games. How many combatants did you kill? 25, 50, 100? If you did that in real life you would be hailed as the greatest soldier ever and have statues built in your honor. Every medal that could be awarded would be and your name would be in the history books forever. In the real world that just wont happen, but it sure does make for damn fun game.


Now lets turn the coin over and look at the modern "tactical" military shooter. Rainbow Six (R6) was a strange beast when it came out in 1998. It featured a one shot one kill game mechanic. It also had one of the most complex map and waypoint systems that to this day has yet to be matched. Like wise the online play was full featured and complex. It was what hardcore gaming was all about. After the R6 series Ghost Recon took over as the definitive tactical shooter and really catapulted the Tom Clancy name into the spotlight of gamers. How realistic was Ghost Recon? Well, back in 2001 the game told a story where the main theme of it was a war between Russia and Georgia that takes place in the year 2008. What is really weird is the fact that in 2008 Russia and Georgia did go to war and is documented here.

Is there anything more hardcore than those old Tom Clancy games? How about a game that was so realistic that it was converted to a training tool called VBS1 and is used by military personal from West Point to the Marine Corp. That game was called Operation Flashpoint.


Operation Flashpoint and its sequel ArmA is hands down the most robust piece of software to ever grace a PC. Huge environments, pretty graphics, and total freedom were what made these games awesome. Connect that to an amazing multiplayer component and a dedicated community and you have the start of something beautiful. The fact that I sunk literally 1,000's of hours into Operation Flashpoint and did not even know that ArmA even existed tells you the tale of how good a game Flashpoint was.

These tactical shooters are the Clark Gable of military shooters. Like John Wayne, he could look the part and play his part. He also entertained the audience with his subtle drama. But unlike John Wayne, Gable served in World War II and put himself behind enemy lines on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Both actors, Wayne and Gable are amazing in their performances and sell the viewer with awe inspiring action. Like wise the Call of Duty series and the Operation Flashpoint/ArmA series are amazing and entertaining but the ArmA series like the actor Gable has the benefit of actually serving in the armed forces. Its little things like that, the attention to detail that makes all the difference. If you don't believe me just take a look at this trailer.