What's wrong with Call of Duty essay

[CT Phipps]

Literally a game rooted in Polish culture based on a book rooted in Polish culture. Zerrikania is referenced in-game for what it's worth. Let the devs tell the story with the characters they want. I couldn't care less if there's a lack of a certain cultural group.

I have a feeling I'll go blue in the face before I see an article from Polygon that says Jade Empire wasn't diverse enough.

Javez was a great magician/foe in the first game. I wish more Zerrikanians had shown up in the game but at least they had a part in Heart of Stone.

I'm a guy who favors high fidelity to the source material. I'm also not arguing with you that non-diverse climates are automatically bad in the gameworlds they're meant to do. However, it's a world which is the result of humans traveling across dimensional rifts to colonize new worlds.

I remember having a conversation about how elves should always been white skinned in Forgotten Realms because it's Light Elves vs. Dark and I'm like, "Yes, because this is a thing that matters." More diverse worlds are more interesting.

I couldn't care less about cod tbh. Although on the subject of shooters how was the new wolfenstien and the new doom? I've heard good things but gamers these days are willing to put up with a lot of shit.

Wolfenstein: The New Order was surprisingly well-written and interesting for a game no one expected either factor from. It's sequel, "The Old Blood" is said to be like Return to Castle Wolfenstein except crappy.

Everyone says Doom the game is completely awesome but I can't attest to that.

 

[Atomkilla]

Javez was a great magician/foe in the first game. I wish more Zerrikanians had shown up in the game but at least they had a part in Heart of Stone.

Actually, Zerrikanians play almost no part in Heart of Stone, those are Ofieri - who IIRC aren't mentioned in the books, but are from comics or something. Or maybe an original invention, can't recall.

Anyway, TW doesn't need people of different skin color to be diverse. It's already diverse enough and Sapkowski's treatment of different fantasy races is pretty much an allegory of how humans of different color/ethnicity/religion have treated and are treating themselves since time immemorial.
Books make passing mention of non-white characters since the plot is set in Northern Kingdoms, which are based on Poland, England, France, Norse region etc. so having blacks or Asians running around for the sake of them being there is (in my opinion) a racist thing to do.

So, CDPR handled it all pretty well.

 

[BigGuyCIA]

I'm a guy who favors high fidelity to the source material. I'm also not arguing with you that non-diverse climates are automatically bad in the gameworlds they're meant to do. However, it's a world which is the result of humans traveling across dimensional rifts to colonize new worlds.

I get that, but it sounds like you're invoking the "it's a fantasy setting, who cares who's what and where." There needs to be some internal consistency on why people would travel so far to the Northern Kingdoms.

I remember having a conversation about how elves should always been white skinned in Forgotten Realms because it's Light Elves vs. Dark and I'm like, "Yes, because this is a thing that matters." More diverse worlds are more interesting.

Diversity is relative to the setting.

 

[Supreme Shah Ismail]

I couldn't care less about cod tbh. Although on the subject of shooters how was the new wolfenstien and the new doom? I've heard good things but gamers these days are willing to put up with a lot of shit.

Both are good but the nu DOOM is much better.

More old school and more satisfying/challenging combat and better level design.

Also FFS its a game made in Poland, let them have white people. The game already has a great cast of well written female characters. Its like asking Japanese devs to shoe horn white people in.

 

[CT Phipps]

I get that, but it sounds like you're invoking the "it's a fantasy setting, who cares who's what and where." There needs to be some internal consistency on why people would travel so far to the Northern Kingdoms.

Well, they didn't come from JUST Poland. They came from Earth along with god knows how many rifts to other places and realities. Also, it's modern Earth since they have knowledge of things like disease, mutation, gene therapy, and other ideas even if the knowledge is degraded.

It's not even just fantasy Poland.

Kaedwin is Fantasy Russia and Nilfgaard is Fantasy Germany/Holy Roman Empire (many states, one Emperor).

Kovir is Fantasy Norway.

Temeria is Fantasy Hungary.

Geralt usually is travelling through the smaller micro-countries between them.

 

[Supreme Shah Ismail]

Well, they didn't come from JUST Poland. They came from Earth along with god knows how many rifts to other places and realities. Also, it's modern Earth since they have knowledge of things like disease, mutation, gene therapy, and other ideas even if the knowledge is degraded.

It's not even just fantasy Poland.

Kaedwin is Fantasy Russia and Nilfgaard is Fantasy Germany.

Kovir is Fantasy Norway.

Temeria is Fantasy Hungary.

Geralt usually is travelling through the smaller micro-countries between them.

I guess that makes Redania fantasy Poland (flag obvs)

Tho its interesting to see characters like olgierd and the ofieri with very ottoman/safavid clothing and weapons.

 

[CT Phipps]

Yeah, Redania is a nice representation of Poland back during its bloody warrior days when everyone was a knight.

The Ring of Fire series by Eric Flint has a good depiction of them during that period.

 

[Prone Squanderer]

Who wants merchandise? https://shop.callofduty.com/

I also couldn't help but laugh at the website describing the Co-op:

Call of Duty: WWII’s co-operative mode unleashes a new and original story. Play with your friends in this next-level standalone game experience full of unexpected, adrenaline-pumping moments.

Yeah new and original story, but it says all this with a picture of what appears to be a Nazi zombie in the background.

Ok in all fairness I could be wrong, I mean WW2 might be the best COD game ever, I just see too much "been there, done that" with the whole setting and what-not (though apparently a French resistance member is playable in the main story at one point).

 

[TheAdversary]

Who wants merchandise? https://shop.callofduty.com/

I also couldn't help but laugh at the website describing the Co-op:

Yeah new and original story, but it says all this with a picture of what appears to be a Nazi zombie in the background.

Ok in all fairness I could be wrong, I mean WW2 might be the best COD game ever, I just see too much "been there, done that" with the whole setting and what-not (though apparently a French resistance member is playable in the main story at one point).

I'd be genuinely surprised if the campaign for WW2 is anywhere near as good as BO2's campaign (the best in the series).

Not quite in terms of story, hell would freeze over if a CoD game provided a consistently good story, but through gameplay and design. It's something that CoD has consistently failed at (bar MW2 and BO2) ever since CoD2 was released.

 

[RangerBoo]

I am genuinely worried and a bit miffed with the upcoming CoD WW2. As someone who is a avid lover of history, especially military history, I really can't help but be really pissed off at their design decisions.
For one, there is no Nazi's in multiplayer as the game devs do not want gamers to play as Nazi's. I find this both funny and insulting. Funny in that while its not okay to play as a Nazi, it is however okay to play as a Russian communist solider. If I recall communism killed more people then Nazism, but whatever. They weren't racist so they get a pass I guess.
Insulting because they think that if gamers play as a Nazi then they are going to become Nazi's themselves.
I can't help but be reminded of the Medal of Honor fiasco. To those that don't remember, Fox News and right wing outlets threw a fit because in Medal of Honor multiplayer had gamers play as the Taliban. Game developers and left wing outlets acted appropriately to this, by pointing and laughing at their outrage and telling these right wing outlets that they were insulting the intelligence of gamers if they think that having the Taliban in a multiplayer game was going to convert gamers to Islamic terrorism. Now those same devs and left wing outlets are doing the same thing that Fox News and right wing outlets did. How times have changed.
The second thing that really miffs me is the revisionist shit that they are doing, such as having black women fight for the Nazi's. WTF!?! Yes their were female soldiers in WW2, such as the famous Russian female snipers, but this, this is clearing pandering for both brownie points with the SJW crowd and pandering to a audience that wouldn't showed interest in the game if not for the diversity pandering. I hated this with Battlefield 1 and I still hate it now.
And Activision is saying that they are respecting the sources and history. They also stated that they wish to portray the Holocaust in CoD WW2 saying that gamers are ready. Yeah, your right about that Activision. Gamers maybe ready but you sure as fuck aren't with what I have seen so far from you.

 

[Prone Squanderer]

The second thing that really miffs me is the revisionist shit that they are doing, such as having black women fight for the Nazi's. WTF!?! Yes their were female soldiers in WW2, such as the famous Russian female snipers, but this, this is clearing pandering for both brownie points with the SJW crowd and pandering to a audience that wouldn't showed interest in the game if not for the diversity pandering. I hated this with Battlefield 1 and I still hate it now.

That's just the multiplayer modes though isn't it? It isn't going to be in the campaign as far as I know.

 

[RangerBoo]

That's just the multiplayer modes though isn't it? It isn't going to be in the campaign as far as I know.

Yeah but they are having the gull to say that the game is going to be "as historically accurate as possible". Sorry but revisionist history isn't historically accurate.

 

[Prone Squanderer]

Yeah but they are having the gull to say that the game is going to be "as historically accurate as possible". Sorry but revisionist history isn't historically accurate.

I get what you're saying but IIRC they did say the multiplayer mode wouldn't be historically accurate as opposed to the campaign.

I remember playing Medal of Honor European Assault (I think it was called that) and saw all the swastikas replaced with some generic symbol. History has happened, cutting bits out and changing others does not benefit anyone in my eyes. If the makers of COD WW2 do anything like that in the campaign after claiming they'll be as accurate as possible then I definitely won't bother with it.

 

[Big No]

WW2 might be the best COD game ever,

Some of the veterans might disagree, but meh.