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North Korea Angered Over Ghost Recon 2

Fennario writes "According to Stars and Stripes Pacific's translation of a North Korean government newspaper article, UbiSoft's forthcoming Ghost Recon 2 videogame, which envisions a near-future North Korea/China conflict with US involvement, has already attracted the reclusive country's attention. In a curt review, a North Korean government-run newspaper called the game proof of U.S. warmongering. 'Through propaganda, entertainment and movies,' read a recent online commentary in the Tongil Newspaper. Americans 'have shown everyone their hatred for us. This may be just a game to them now, but a war will not be a game for them later. In war, they will only face miserable defeat and gruesome deaths.' Given the steep learning curve of previous incarnations of Ghost Recon, it's conceivable many may face miserable defeat and gruesome deaths anyhow."

19 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. Quite a few wars without video games by Weh · · Score: 4, Informative

    Most of the wars in this list of 20th century wars don't have any videogames. Maybe I should send the link to some game-makers.

  2. An Avid Fan? by blueZhift · · Score: 3, Funny

    From what I've heard in the past, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Kim Jung-Il is an avid gamer.Yeah, he's kinda nutz too, but he actually does seem to pay attention to pop culture and such. Heck, he may be playing copy of Ghost Recon 2 right now. I'll bet he beats his homies all the time, or else!

  3. Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    So I guess by the same rationale that because of Full Throttle all bikers are bad.

    Day of the Tentacle: Weird green and purple blobs are evil and want to take over the world

    Leisure Suit Larry: men only care about sex (ok, maybe they're right...)

    Grand Theft Auto: It's totally ok to kill a hooker as long as no cop sees you do it.

    Worms: Worms are bad creature and I should use wind direction and missle bomb loft to kill them in the most efficent manner.

    UT: Other people are only good for cannon fodder

    I could keep going...
    hey NORTH KOREA, IT'S A FUCKING GAME. I highly doubt that every game that's ever been produced over seas portrays Americans in a good light, but do you see us complaining? Hell no, because we are too busy trying to get "kill all haitians" removed from our games (because haitians are a good and kind people who deserve no ill-respect).

    1. Re:Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle.. by Alkaiser · · Score: 3, Informative

      Dude...only the PURPLE tentacles are evil. Green Tentacle is a friend of Mankind.

      --
      Netjak.com independent reviews of domestic & import video ga
  4. Re:You know... by MarkPNeyer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't think there's a lot of truth in the ramblings of the North Koreans. Those guys have thousands of artillery peices trained down on the South Koreans, and most of their citizens are starving because all of the food given to them as international aid is diverted to the military. Yet somehow we're the warmongers because of a hypothetical situation created in a video game? Couple that with their prediction of 'miserable defeat for us' and you should realize that you aren't dealing with complaints from a rational group of people, but paranoid ranting and chest thumping from a corrupt and weak regime.

    --

    My blog
  5. North Korean paper doesn't get it. by hal2814 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "U.S. warmongering"?

    Is this North Korean gov't-run paper aware that UbiSoft is not an arm of the American gov't? I could see if America's Army had a similar storyline due to its US Army ties, but this is a Tom Clancy game.

    Even if the paper is referring to US citizens instead of the US govt, this game isn't something that a large percentage of our general population will play. This game will be played by video game players who like war games. How much of our population is that? I imagine it's somewhere around 5% - 10% at most. Also, these games seem to me to have no bearing on players' opinions of real war situations. I imagine there will be some people who would be very upset about a US invasion of North Korea who would still enjoy this game, because they have the ability to separate reality from fantasy.

    1. Re:North Korean paper doesn't get it. by John+Harrison · · Score: 4, Insightful
      You are right that they don't get it. Anything of substance that is produced in N. Korea is produced by the government. It is easy to see how they might assume, or pretend to assume, that any game coming out here has the approval of the government.

      The North Korean leadership are a bunch of inbred wackos that live in their own reality in which all Americans are aware of them and are focusing their efforts on destroying them. In reality most Americans couldn't find North Korea on a map and never give the country a moment's thought.

    2. Re:North Korean paper doesn't get it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      UbiSoft is also not an American company.... UbiSoft is French.

  6. Re:You know... by Eagle7 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And where in that article does it say "the Supreme Court made them do it."?

    That, sir, is why you're wrong and the AC is right.

    --
    _sig_ is away
  7. Re:Game not at all realistic. by Louis+Guerin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Such a war will be fought with bombs. Hope the North Koreans understand that they will get their butts kicked.

    But at what cost? You do realise that NK can pretty much destroy central Seoul (pop ~10,000,000) in the first 24 hours of their artillery bombardments... and that's presuming they DON'T use chemical/biological/nuclear weapons.

    In this case, it's not about "kicking butt" - it's about finding a way to defuse the situation without massive carnage. Unfortunately, most USians, including those in office, seem not to realise this.

    L

  8. American Warmongering? by chrismcdirty · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I understand it's a Tom Clancy game. Even so, it was a French/French-Canadian publishing house that made it all work, so NK might as well call Quebec and France Warmongerers, too. Since they're obviously supporting the idea by having one company produce a game with anti-NK sentiments.

    --
    It's like sex, except I'm having it!
  9. YOU don't get it. by clambake · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "U.S. warmongering"?

    Is this North Korean go>v't-run paper aware that UbiSoft is not an arm of the American gov't?


    If you ever have the chance to actually watch the NK news or read it's papers, EVERYTHING is further proof of the US's warmongering. If it rains next Tuesday, it's proof of the US's warmongering. If a French guy eats a taco while on vacation in Mexico, it's proof of the US's warmongering. If something sitting on some guy's desk is a particular shade of red... well, you get the idea.

    It's actually quite entertaining to read.

  10. Re:You know... by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm a Canadian. I'm just curious what your reaction would be if someone in Canada made a game that depicted a revolution against a tyranical US President (just for argument's sake let's say George W), and put you in the role of a terrorist/revolutionary?

    Or how about a game that let you play as Osama Bin Laden. How do you suppose Americans would like the game? Would there be a public outcry? Would the government try to censor it?

  11. Wait til they see Mercenaries by raskolnik · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From Pandemic's Site:

    Mercenaries is a revolutionary 3rd person action-shooter game set in the near future and inspired by real world events. On the eve of a historic reunification of North and South Korea, a ruthless general stages a military coup to take control of North Korea and threatens the world with nuclear war. As one of the top operatives for a private mercenaries company called Executive Operations, you have been called in to help collect bounties on the general's top military and scientific advisors.

    http://www.lucasarts.com/games/mercenaries/

    --

    "You should never have your best trousers on when you turn out to fight for freedom and truth."
    -Henrik Ib
  12. Hypocrites! by aneurysm36 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Look at the stuff that THEIR GOVERNMENT creates!

    http://www.epicentregallery.com/DPRK_posters.html

    --
    ------ hi mom
  13. Re:You know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm not the original poster, but I am an American.

    I'm a Canadian. I'm just curious what your reaction would be if someone in Canada made a game that depicted a revolution against a tyranical US President (just for argument's sake let's say George W), and put you in the role of a terrorist/revolutionary?

    Sounds like a cool premise actually. I do recall a recent game that involved some bad stuff happening in the US, and you taking control of a band of freedom fighters. Think it was a PS2 game.

    Or how about a game that let you play as Osama Bin Laden. How do you suppose Americans would like the game? Would there be a public outcry? Would the government try to censor it?

    There would be outcry, but they could no more censor it than they could Ferenheit 911. I doubt it would sell well. Not just for the outcry, but for the fact that hanging around in a cave and releasing taped statements every few months isn't exciting gameplay.

  14. In other news... by TheAdventurer · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news, Satan has filed an official complaint against ID Ssoftware for the unfair and unlicensed portrayal of his dark minions in the DOOM series. ID Software released a brief statement, saying "IDDQD, motherfucker!"

  15. Re:Wow, that article is crazy by ronfar · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Here's a movie review:

    Stomp Tokyo: Pulgasari

    I like the way Kim Jong-Il turned the Marxist version of the historic class struggle into a monster movie. (***Caution Spoilers:*** I. E. Like capitalism, Pulgasari fights the evil king (aristocracy) on behalf of the peasantry, but after defeating him turns on the working class....) I just wish it was available on DVD...

    --
    All the creatures will die, And all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai. (Jubai, 1605)
  16. Re:Game not at all realistic. by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 4, Informative

    You do realise that NK can pretty much destroy central Seoul (pop ~10,000,000) in the first 24 hours of their artillery bombardments

    You'd be surprised just what kind of developments we've made in the past few years in counterbattery technology. Using tools like the AN/TPQ-47, our forces can detect incoming artillery shells, pinpoint the point of origin of those shells, and have a firing solution to destroy the artillery emplacement that fired them, all before the initial incoming shell hits its target.

    Against a modern counterbattery force, a fixed artillery piece would be lucky to get two rounds in the air before being destroyed. And as the Iraqis learned, the same applies to mortar teams that aren't smart enough to fire and move, fire and move.

    We have such counterbattery forces all along the DMZ. The artillery barrage by the DPRK wouldn't last anywhere near 24 hours, and the damage inflicted while significant wouldn't be anything like what you're intimating.

    And the next big thing is a weapons system that can intercept and destroy incoming artillery shells. I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, and I think it's still in the proving-ground stages, but it's coming soon to a theater-of-war near you.

    --

    I write in my journal