With Memorial Day just around the corner, it’s almost time for the United States to celebrate our nation’s fallen soldiers and the sacrifice they made for our country. In honor of the holiday and the brave soldiers’ lives that it honors, we’ve put together a list of historical video games that you may consider playing this Memorial Day.
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Though the gameplay itself may be a bit dated compared to today’s standards, Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 still has one of the best stories of all first-person shooters. The game, set during World War II, takes place on June 6, 1944, just hours before the Normandy landings. What sets Brothers in Arms apart from the many World War II shooters on the market is the fact that the title tells a much more personal narrative, with real emotion and heart.
Unlike Call of Duty and Battlefield, which can blend together and feel quite similar after a while, Road to Hill 30 is distinct and unique. The game does an excellent job of characterizing every soldier quite well and humanizing those often portrayed as one-dimensional killing machines in other war shooters. This game is so good and historically authentic that the History Channel did an entire documentary surrounding i’s development.
Company of Heroes
Another title set during World War II, Company of Heroes is set during the Battle of Normandy where the player must control the United States forces in order to overtake the opposing armies. Unlike most other WWII games, Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy game where the player is given an overhead perspective and control over several units at a time. This game is a perfect fit for fans of RTS titles like Age of Empires and Civilization that aren’t looking for the fast-paced action of an FPS. Though the game was released back in 2006, it still holds up quite well and is a great choice for WWII history and RTS games alike.
Call of Duty: World at War
Ignoring the Nazi Zombies side mode, Call of Duty: World at War is actually a fairly faithful and authentic take on World War II. Unlike many of the later entries in the series, World at War tells an honest and grim recount of the later events of the war and is one of the best entries into the long-running franchise for that reason. While it’s much more action-focused than the other games featured on this list, it never feels too over-the-top or phony in its portrayal of the global conflict.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
Back in its heyday, the Medal of Honor series was known as one of the best war shooters on the market, and after a few mediocre titles and a long hiatus, the series has more or less fallen off the map. But in 2020, the series made a comeback with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, a new title released exclusively for VR. Above and Beyond is one of the first fully-fledged war shooters to be released on VR, set during World War II with a full-length single-player campaign spanning 8 hours and additional game modes.
While it isn’t a perfect VR title by any means, virtual reality allows the user to immerse themselves into WWII more than any other shooter on the market. Players can experience the Second World War like no other in a unique way that makes for an extremely profound experience. The Medal of Honor entry literally goes above and beyond by including bonus content in the form of videos told by World War II veterans, recounting their time served in the war. This additional content further drives home Above and Beyond as a game that truly celebrates the lives of fallen soldiers, and makes it a fitting game to be played on Memorial Day.
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At Epoch XP, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch XP’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.
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(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)