War video games are among the best pastimes to be able to experience in the most direct way the vicissitudes that have marked humanity: in this guide we will illustrate the most valid ones
Despite being the victim of numerous controversies, the titles that use war as a central theme have won the favor of gamers since the dawn of this entertainment media. Obviously, the speeches carried out by detractors of video games over the years are wasted, who describe this genre as the most determining source of the violence that threatens the hearts of young people. Still, it is evident as the headlines that raise the argument of the conflict between different parties they hardly turn out reducible only to the so-called "shoot shoot".
War video games are able to increase the self-esteem of an individual, giving him not only an outlet but also a sense of achievement, increasing the ability to plan one's moves according to strategic reasoning, andintervene with your instincts if necessary. Furthermore, although these are usually the most popular productions, some video games also use the war as a simple sort of echo, vaguely audible while it is the background to the events narrated. In this guide, we will then present the best war video games that the market currently offers.
A transcendental conflict
The sheer amount of gaming genres, with their respective subgenres and subcultures, demonstrates how not all gamers are the same, not even as regards the theme of war: some will appreciate more a title based on survival, accompanied by frenzy and movement, as in the case of a shooter; others will prefer to dabble in the destruction of the enemy through a more thoughtful approach, led by strategy, cold judgment, and a perceptive analytical eye. This guide to the best war video games will therefore give a little consideration to every type of gamer, so that anyone can find the title more able to touch their chords.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - The best war video games
When in the rankings we find ourselves talking about war video games, it is common practice to see among the best titles the names of two franchises in particular: Call of Duty and Battlefield. Finding a winner between the two sagas becomes a rather arduous task, as both show off games that are children of their eras, with their own distinct soul and a structure that has both undeniable flaws and qualities that still remain in the hearts of the most nostalgic gamers.
Battlefield Bad Company 2 embodies a perfect meeting point for players of both franchises: unlike the boundless maps of the current Battlefield, Bad Company 2 takes advantage of a smaller perimeter but in an exceptional way, using the iconic environmental destruction of the series in every form and on every surface, without being chaotic or confusing. In addition to that, the small number of players brings a further meaning to team play, so much so that it still remains one of the most loved Battlefield episodes still played by the community. Battlefield Bad Company 2 also preserves a single-player campaign, an element of which we currently feel a very strong lack.
The Saboteur - The best war video games
If Grand Theft Auto has taught us anything, it is that being able to wander around a map, creating as much mess as possible, is damn fun. And with The Saboteur you will be able to do this too: set in Paris and its surroundings in the period of the 40s, during the German military occupation of the main city of France, the title offers the player a totally explorable world, leading him to take on the role of a member of the resistance named Sean. To rid the city of him, he is willing to carry out all kinds of activities and tasks, including the camouflage among the enemy branches stealing the uniform of the soldiers.
Furthermore, the decision on how to carry out a given mission belongs to the player, who can choose to use a more or less stealth method to achieve their goals. Therefore, all kinds of sabotage actions will be carried out, in order to send away the Nazis who occupy the different quadrants that divide the map. Another key feature of this title is the atmosphere that it offers, bringing to life the urban and rural settings of a population that flounders for the revolution: who ever said that the best war video games must necessarily be on the battlefield? And above all, why shouldn't the occupied city be considered as such?
Spec Ops: The Line - The best war video games
The negative view regarding war is shared globally: conflict, no matter where or when it occurs, it cannot be a source of joy for people. Yet, despite being a universal thought, humanity fails to respect this ideal in any way, being guided by ambition, greed, hypocrisy and lies. From these premises we look out to Spec Ops: The Line, a third-person shooter title with a gameplay purely focused on the use of covers. Impersonating Captain Walker, he will walk between the desert roads of a collapsed Dubai along with his two teammates.
The task is to rescue an important member of the army after his battalion was remained to help evacuate the population. Yet, once on the spot, the traces of a clash between American forces and locals will raise very worrying questions, and decidedly tragic developments shortly thereafter. In the gameplay mechanics of Spec Ops: The Line you can coordinate the actions of their soldiers, and the style of play will be closely linked to the morality that will be followed; the choices made will weigh significantly, and will lead to 4 alternative endings. The plot, apparently obvious, actually hides a much deeper story than the objective revealed at the beginning of everything, and soon you will find yourself having to deal with the indelible atrocities that stain the human soul during the war.
Europa Universalis IV - The best war video games
Fan of the tactical games and historically accurate works, come together: in this list of the best war video games there is also bread for your teeth. There is no intention of creating any kind of grudge with fans of the various Total War and Command and Conquer, but it must be said that, in case you find yourself looking for a highly addictive strategic game, the eye will inevitably fall on the fourth title of the Europa Universalis series produced by Paradox Interactive. In this title, the player is in the condition of choose a nation to begin the conquest of the continents, while also experiencing the most important events that took place in the period from the mid-1400s to 1821, thus ending in the era of the greatest European revolutions.
The choice of country falls on the continent in which you want to create your domain: it will be possible to decide between Europe, the Arab caliphate, an Asian nation or an Indian tribe to conquer the Americas. Managing your army will be a crucial point during the game, but the same will also apply to aspects outside the battlefield. We will have to deal with the keep your nation standing, and create strong relationships with neighboring regents. Dwelling on the side of the war, we will not actively participate in the battles, but we can indicate the generals, the position of the troops and command the units. The accurate historical simulation of the events that took place in the various factions will lead to experience all kinds of battles, from the shortest to the most intense. Small tip: if you are interested in the title, get the bundle with all expansions.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - The best war video games
In the passing of the ages, what humanity learns is not so much not waging war, but the way to evolve it. The Metal Gear saga teaches us well: there will always be something more powerful than in the past, the result of incessant studies and experiments never revealed, which will never reach the eyes or ears of ordinary people. This leads us to think that the awareness of war, constantly promoted by the greatest world powers, is just a bluff and nothing more.
The intrigues presented in the various chapters of Metal Gear all unfold in the shadow of the most important conflicts between the United States and Russia, and although the character we will play will not appear directly on the front, the main plot is closely linked to the war. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, set in the darkest period between the two superpowers, is perhaps one of the most successful titles of the master Hideo Kojima as regards the representation of the anxious and terrifying atmosphere that characterized the Cold War. Despite being titled as the third installment in the series, Metal Gear Solid 3 is chronologically the point where everything originates, and one of the war video games with the best narrative, characters, and setting ever.
Valkyria Chronicles - The best war video games
The crazy love Westerners have for war it doesn't seem to be shared by most Japanese developers. However, it would be reductive to make such a consideration with regard to all Japanese development studies: let's remember how Metal Slug, one of the best and most iconic video games set in a war scenario, both the fruit of the Japanese company Nazca Corporation, and also Advance Wars remains among the most popular Game Boy Advance titles developed by a Japanese studio closely linked to Nintendo. But in case you are looking for more characteristic titles, which however they keep anyway a marked Japanese mold, Valkyria Chornicles is perhaps the most compliant product.
Revived in its remastered version 8 years ago, it still holds its uniqueness among the various SRPG games. Set in a 1935 Europe, two superpowers in constant tension with each other divide the continent into two blocs: the Eastern European Imperial Federation in the East, and the Atlantic Federation in the West. Both try to take possession of ragnite, a precious and useful energetic mineral for war and technological advancement.
In this title based on the strategy "with an anime twist" and in watercolor style, the adrenaline of combat is not the main focus: what will motivate you to go on will only be the will to overcome the fight together with all your companions, so as to return to the peaceful life of always. Comparable to Xcom games, the style of play is based on turns in which a number of orders to their teammates. Starting with an overhead view on the map, selecting an allied unit then switches to third person, thus allowing us to maneuver it as in a third person shooter. The number of steps the unit can take will be limited and it can only take one action. The gameplay is structured in a further way, and it is also one of the most original and appreciable parts of the game.
Bonus game: 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim
Before concluding our list of the best war video games, we would have to add another title in case you have not yet found the right work for you. 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim, initially released as a PS4 exclusive and coming soon to Nintendo Switch, is the latest fruit from the authors of Dragon's Crown, the Vanillaware studio. This game does not belong to a specific genre, but if you really wanted to attribute one, you would say a mixture of a visual novel, an RTS tower defense, a platform-adventure. The story takes place in Japan, and spans a span of time that fluctuates between the 1944 and the 2104. There will be effective references to the Second World War, with characters very close to this era.
With a narrative that recalls the spirit of Chrono Trigger, and a combat inspired by Super Robot Wars, the thirteen characters from different eras they will have to fight against strange invading robots called Kaiju. In the numerous clashes, young people will exploit the awakening of mysterious mechas, perhaps created as a secret weapon in the Second World War, or perhaps the result of a lost civilization, and at the same time they will be victims of continuous narrative plots, time deviations, interference of different types. The twists will be numerous, and will not end even when it comes to the final.
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