Is this game supposed to be satire?

[Malidictus]

So, after nearly completing Ghost Recon: Wildlands, I'm starting to get progressively more angry at the game's writing. I don't know if this is a Tom Clancy thing, an UbiSoft thing or what, but the game is full of American jingoism so rampant as to be borderline offensive. I say "borderline" because the game seems to be well aware of this. The heroes (i.e. "you" and your supporting characters) are depicted as violent amoral meatheads who respond with "I love my job" at the tail end of a massive firefight where they just gunned down 50 Bolivians, respond with "Ho-rah!" when given orders and default to "That's above my pay grade." whenever the ruin lives and devastated infrastructure they leave in their wake is called into question. The villains, by contrast, are depicted much more even-handedly. Yes, they're cold-hearted murderers involved in some heinous acts (human trafficking, genocide, shocking levels of violence), but they're also shown to operate on a certain code of honour, typically defending their families and almost always working to build their own nation. They're definitely not good guys, but their leaders seem aware of the horrors they're committing, not really claiming to be good people.

I get the impression the writers were aware they're making horrible xenophobic crap, so they went all-out with it ala the Starship Troopers movie. It would just help if my own character weren't such a massive ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, if you'll pardon my language. So here I am conducting casual racketeering. A chemical company is involved with the Santa Blanca cartel, supplying them with chemicals for cocaine production. I show up, wearing my American boxer shorts on the outside and demand they stop. The owner explains that not only is the Cartel the only reason he's in business, but they're also going to kill him if he stops. My character's response is along the lines of "Nice oil pumps you have there. Shame if something were to happen to them." So I go around blowing up oil pumps, tanking a company and leaving hundreds if not thousands of people out of a job. The owner obviously relents. "Just know - when they come to kill me, my life will be on your head." My character's response? "I can live with that." MURICA, @#$%! YEAH!

And before you think I'm specifically bashing on the US, the game itself does it. After having killed literally thousands of people, murdered my way through cartel and police alike and singlehandedly reduced Bolivia's industry into a smouldering ruin, I end up saving the family of one of the Cartel lieutenants. The boss had them kidnapped to keep him in line. His son mouths off to my CIA handler, about how Americans are ruining Bolivia and only bring death and destruction, to which she replies "I'm sick of this anti-American ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥t!" That's a direct quote. Lady, YOU are the reason for those sentiments. The kid was absolutely right. But of course my character suffers from chronic rectal-cranial inversion, so she's also complaining. "Ungrateful punk! Doesn't he realise we just saved his life?" Well excuse me, princess! After YOU put his life in danger and YOU ruined his father and YOU carved a bloody path of destruction through his homeland with all the self-awareness of a child, I think the kid doesn't exactly have a lot to thank you for.

I just... Is this satire? Because I shudder to think who could actually take the presentation in this game at face value. I played through the entirety of Saints Row 3 and 4, and I never did anything even remotely as heinous as I've done in Wildlands, and that's with me randomly running over pedestrians for giggles. And yet, it seems deliberate. The game constantly - CONSTANTLY - brings the Americans' amoral behaviour and outright war crimes into focus and presents them with villains who actually make legitimate points and have plenty of redeeming traits of their own, for being genocidal human-trafficking scum. Moreover, the worst of the atrocities are back-loaded onto high-difficulty zones that the player will naturally visit towards the end of the game. As such, the player starts out seemingly fighting for truth, justice and the American way, opposing irredeemable monsters and stopping horrible crimes. As the game progresses, however, the player's actions grow worse and worse while the villains' plight grows more and more sympathetic. Which, frankly, is a little unfair to dump onto the player in a game with literally no moral choices anywhere in it. Maybe it wouldn't feel so unfair if my character offered some kind of contrast against the establishment, but nope! The player character is a caricature of everything "the rest of the world" hates about America, and seemingly deliberately so.

I don't know what to make of this game...

*edit*
For those joining late, I do actually know what to make of the game, having had a pretty significant discussion in this very thread. To try and make a long story short, I'm not sure the game is intentional satire, but it does offer a complex story, giving plenty of depth to all of its characters and striking a decidedly "grey morality" stance. It was refreshing to see a modern military story with some amount of depth and thought put into it - it made me think, at the very least, and that's more than I can say for most of its peers.

[☆Orion☆]

Your entire post is a bunch of B.S. This game isn't for you, sissy boy.

[Mile pro Libertate]

Your mom goes to college.

[i_am_macgyver]

What a bunch of bleeding heart liberals, go play something else.

[pointemorte.]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von i_am_macgyver:

What a bunch of bleeding heart liberals, go play something else.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Mile pro Libertate:

Your mom goes to college.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Generic Jim:

You guys are reading way too much into this game.
Just accept that it's a low budget, half baked story to give you a reason to be sneaking around ghosting dudes with your mates.
It's like the plot in a prono.

I don't think there's any subtle messaging or anything behind the plot, it's just plain bad and slapped together on a whim.

If you have nothing to say then do not talk at all.

[LX357]

What exactly makes you say the Cartel are a sympathetic organization? El Seuno just preaches non-stop in an attempt to sound like a big picture deep philosopher but he's just a coke king and a thug. That entire opening cinematic made me cringe uncontrollably at a man who puts far too much weight on his monologue and not enough on his actions. Also don't give me this "Sicarios don't have a choice" crap. There's always a choice, and sometimes that choice is dying for the Cartel or dying for Pac Katari and his rebels, but that's still a choice and the Sicarios made the damned wrong one.

Also on what grounds do you say that the Ghosts are there to help Bolivia? They got called in to avenge a dead DEA agent. They know they aren't white knights there to save the people and liberate the country - because sending 4 men and a CIA operative to liberate an entire narco state would be insanity of an astronomical scale. They're being utilized as a glorified hit squad and everyone involved seems to know it. You seem to be accrediting some kind of altruism where there isn't any. Just because the Ghosts aren't actively cruel to the general Bolivian populace doesn't mean they're going to liberate the people. Pac Katari is liberating the people, and the Ghosts are allied with Pac Katari purely because he's got guns, mortars and a hanger full of infinite helicopters to make the Ghosts job easier. He, and all of the Buchons you manipulate or murder, are simply stepping stones on a path to El Sueno. They're a matter of convenience. Also not wanting to actively pillage and burn a massive swath of the country isn't some kind of noble trait that demonstrates a strong moral code. It's just good business when you're fighting a hearts and minds war, and trying to keep a low profile (hence the "ghosts").

As for the Ghosts inconsistency, they tend to be callous and uncaring to people who keep making their jobs harder. The civilians and the people they ruin have generally not pissed them off. It's once someone starts obstructing their primary goal that they get glib. You might not have noticed because you're wearing protagonist plot armor, but when that ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ forced you to go out and blow up those oil rigs, you got in to two firefights with the cartel. That's two fights you could have avoided if he'd just cooperated. The Ghosts as characters, are not aware that they have infinite respawns, and generally are not aware that they've mowed down thousands of Sicarios (and probably canonically, haven't). Their lives were put in danger twice because this ♥♥♥♥ didn't want to cooperate even after you tried to verbally strong arm him, then he tried to guilt trip you. They're pretty pissed off at him, and you know odds are pretty damned good he's not just going to sit at that refinery and wait for the Sicarios to come kill him.

[JS]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von LuftKorsar:

If you have nothing to say then do not talk at all.

*tips fedora

My response is valid.
You're analyzing the plot of a B-grade, arcade, co-op shooter game.

[pointemorte.]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Generic Jim:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von LuftKorsar:

If you have nothing to say then do not talk at all.

*tips fedora

My response is valid.
You're analyzing the plot of a B-grade, arcade, co-op shooter game.

*tips fedora*
My response is valid.
Stop acting like a B-grade human.

[JS]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von LuftKorsar:

*tips fedora*
My response is valid.
Stop acting like a B-grade human

What's your problem?
The guy asked if the game is satire.
I gave my opinion that it's not and stated why I think so using a paragraph, then you come in like a self proclaimed forum moderater telling me that I can't post my opinion here.
Get off your high horse.

[pointemorte.]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Generic Jim:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von LuftKorsar:

*tips fedora*
My response is valid.
Stop acting like a B-grade human

What's your problem?
The guy asked if the game is satire.
I gave my opinion that it's not and stated why I think so using a paragraph, then you come in like a self proclaimed forum moderater telling me that I can't post my opinion here.
Get off your high horse.

I am doin' this cuz you are judgin' a book by the cover and not by the content it's offering to you. You have to dig deeper to realise that it has a quite interestin' scenario. It does not matter if it's a so called "half baked A,B,C,D grade game made with low budget".
(IMO this game feels like an american propaganda made by lazy ass french dudes trying to earn as much money as possible.)

[JS]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von LuftKorsar:

I am doin' this cuz you are judgin' a book by the cover and not by the content it's offering to you. You have to dig deeper to realise that it has a quite interestin' scenario.

OK
I guess it's all above the head of a B-grade human such as myself.
Good thing I don't suffer from autism too, ay?

Peace out. x

[pointemorte.]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Generic Jim:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von LuftKorsar:

I am doin' this cuz you are judgin' a book by the cover and not by the content it's offering to you. You have to dig deeper to realise that it has a quite interestin' scenario.

OK
I guess it's all above the head of a B-grade human such as myself.
Good thing I don't suffer from autism too, ay?

Peace out. x

Ay stop it.
You make me feel bad for saying these things.
Even though it was meant to be an offensive joke. So don't take it seriously.

Tbh I would rather classify you as an C-grade subhuman

[DELTA]

America
America

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Comin' again to save the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' day, Yeah

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Freedom is the only way, Yeah

Terrorists, your game is through
'cause now you have ta answer to

America, ♥♥♥♥ yeah!
So lick my butt and suck on my balls

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Whatcha' gonna do when we come for you now

It's the dream that we all share
It's the hope for tomorrow
(♥♥♥♥ Yeah!)

[pointemorte.]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von DELTA FORCE:

America
America

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Comin' again to save the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' day, Yeah

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Freedom is the only way, Yeah

Terrorists, your game is through
'cause now you have ta answer to

America, ♥♥♥♥ yeah!
So lick my butt and suck on my balls

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Whatcha' gonna do when we come for you now

It's the dream that we all share
It's the hope for tomorrow
(♥♥♥♥ Yeah!)

Why isn't it their national anthem?

[DELTA]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von LuftKorsar:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von DELTA FORCE:

America
America

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Comin' again to save the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' day, Yeah

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Freedom is the only way, Yeah

Terrorists, your game is through
'cause now you have ta answer to

America, ♥♥♥♥ yeah!
So lick my butt and suck on my balls

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Whatcha' gonna do when we come for you now

It's the dream that we all share
It's the hope for tomorrow
(♥♥♥♥ Yeah!)

Why isn't it their national anthem?

ikr, they need to hae this as the new national anthem

[WinterGale]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von DELTA FORCE:

America
America

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Comin' again to save the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' day, Yeah

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Freedom is the only way, Yeah

Terrorists, your game is through
'cause now you have ta answer to

America, ♥♥♥♥ yeah!
So lick my butt and suck on my balls

America, ♥♥♥♥ Yeah!
Whatcha' gonna do when we come for you now

It's the dream that we all share
It's the hope for tomorrow
(♥♥♥♥ Yeah!)

No offense meant, but are you anti-America?