Company of Heroes 2 an "Insult to Russian History"

From GamesReviews:

"If you don't live in the US, the "Hollywood" idea that the US led the charge at each and every battle is constantly a source of minor annoyance, but I'm not sure I've ever come across a group so angry that their country's history has been so distorted. That's until today."

[Bonerboy]

Really? How utterly petty. Im Canadian so I hold no proud allegiances to either country represented in this game. It's a "GAME" plain and simple. What more needs to be said? Russia is still stuck in the cold war era and even further behind in so many other areas of common modern civility. I say screw 'em. Don't like it? Then dont play it.
Russian whiners, no one cares about your tears of contempt for this "GAME". Perhaps instead your whining should be directed towards your vast multitude of real world problems.
Im not too sure if the dev has touted their "GAME" as 100% factually accurate or not, but for Christ sakes who cares? Waaaaa huhwaaaaa.

[CrusRuss]

+1 my thoughts exactly. We have seen countless movies and books dramatise the war in favour of USA. Even FPS games make other countries/groups the bad guys (eg Russia is the bad guys in one of the cod/bf games can't remember which one).

It's nothing new just get over it and enjoy the game.

[matgrowcott]

"We have seen countless movies and books dramatise the war in favour of USA."

And, unless you're from the US, this is a major problem that most people with a knowledge of history find absolutely disgusting.

[matgrowcott]

When your grandparents are displayed as cowards and wannabe deserters for no reason other than their nationality, sure you might start getting annoyed. It breeds a "Winners" history that, whether it's true or not, ends up leading some to believe it.

Yes, it's a game and in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter, but if a similar title was made where you played through some of the darker moments of US history, and then parts of it were just made up for the fun of adding stereotypes, there would be a mountain of hurt on that game's developer.

[CrusRuss]

Would you run into a field of MG42s without being given a gun? If you try to turn back or regroup you were shot by your own side?

[andrewer]

"where you played through some of the darker moments of US history" that would never happen, because US is "perfect"........... lol

[andrewer]

Russian whiners? lol, they are the bad guys at 80% of the games, and they complained just now something about their history.

[JsonHenry]

Did they not get the memo this is a game and not a history book?

[Aloren]

Does that make it right ?

[JsonHenry]

^^Does it make it wrong?

[Aloren]

I dunno. But it sure is convenient. "this is a game", so we can put whatever we want in games?

[JsonHenry]

Yes. We can put whatever we want in games. BECAUSE IT ISN'T REAL!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe we should just stop people from writing fiction/fantasy novels because it might offend someone because it isn't historically accurate. Right? You see where YOU are going with this?

[matgrowcott]

@JsonHenry

Someone should make a game where, like, concentration camps were just some fun party. It's just a game, right?, so there would be no problem with that? And then, like, the developers could make all the Jews and gays and Gypsies REALLY mean, like... they deserved it or something?

That would be fine. Because it's a game.

[JsonHenry]

@matgrowcott

Maybe we should make a game where you can run over people indiscriminately, kill innocents because it is fun, make all gays/minorities a stereotype. Oh wait, we're already going on our 8th GTA title.

Your logic is FAIL. By your standards some of the most popular games would have never been made in the first place.

IT IS A GAME PEOPLE! It can be about whatever. Doesn't mean you have to buy or play it. When you start putting restrictions on creativity no matter how obtuse or backwards it might be remember eventually the same style of nanny/censorship will in the end be used against YOU as well.

[3-4-5]

Russians are more than capable of creating a realistic RTS game that incorporates all real facts about WW2.

They can makes games, good games, so I suggest if they are that butthurt about history in a game they go and do something about it by creating their own game.

Obviously USA history is distorted and many "truths" unknown, but don't take it out on the fun loving gaming community who just wants to enjoy being entertained by a game.

[Wni0]

Because the Russians were so nice in WW2! But I agree with the above, this is petty. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/H...

[b_one]

not to mention USSR invaded Poland shortly after Hitler did it...

[Pintheshadows]

Everyone knows it was his moustache which was magically controlled by a zombie Rasputin who lived in the basement of a house in St Petersburg eating the livers of orphaned children from a wheel barrow, who actually killed all those people.

Seriously though, Stalin was nuts, he killed his political enemies and allies, friends, family members, including allegedly his second wife. He then killed the doctors who refused to sign off on her having committed suicide.

[AnteCash]

USSR defeated 90% of german forces in WW2 on eastern front, 10% was left to US and england in the west.

[Psychotica]

Yeah while the US fought Germany, Italy and Japan at the same time. They also provided resources for Europe and Soviet Union.

[AnteCash]

I sed germans i didnt mention japan or those italian cowards who never win a war unless the other side is chucking spears.

[Psychotica]

@AnteCash - I know what you said and you were insinuating that US did nothing..

[matgrowcott]

Sorry... The US fought Germany, Italy and Japan at the same time?

Yeah, they were present, but let's not make out like it was one country against three. That's where problems start.

[Psychotica]

@matgrowcott - I never said it was one against three. My point was that we were not just fighting the Germans so our percentage of the total German kills would of course be less than the Russians.

[aliengmr]

The actual country had far more to do with the those German deaths and ultimate surrender. The people did their part but the Germans were a superior fighting force and the Russian winter was particularly bad. Russians were better prepared for it, so ultimately they won out.

[CrusRuss]

@ante what do you expect? The Jerries were invading your cities. You were lucky for the help you got. I don't see USSR helping anyone else but themselves. You were lucky we didn't nuke you too.

[blackmanone]

Is this why the game is so poorly reviewed on Metacritic? Lot of angry Ruskies. I agree, they were the most influential power in WW2 and their scorched earth maneuver single handily saved the world from German forces. US wants to believe the Nukes were that fact, but the war was already over by then pretty much.

However, the game developer is just pandering to their audience, nothing wrong with that... except unfortunately most of their audience doesn't know their correct history.

EDIT: As I await the storm of downvotes, I'm not saying anything against Americans, I think they've been given a bad wrap they don't necessarily deserve, but there are numerous accounts where they've changed their history books to favor Americans... the most recent being that they are now being taught in their schools they won the war of 1812.

[andrewer]

"they are now being taught in their schools they won the war of 1812"
Really? wow that's sad haha

[Brasi1989]

"US wants to believe the Nukes were that fact, but the war was already over by then pretty much." By the time the United States dropped the "Nukes" (actually Atom Bombs, and yes they ARE different) Germany had already surrendered to the Allied forces. While Russia was a huge role in defeating the Nazi threat your statement that, "they were the most influential power in WW2 and their scorched earth maneuver single handily saved the world from German forces." is a completely false assessment. The war was a group effort and if not for the D-Day invasion and the pincer that allied forces had on Nazi Europe they would have had more supplies and soldiers sent to Russia.
Also, while history books do favor the United States in the United States, it is the norm for all countries with an education system. English History is favorable to the English, Russian History if favorable to Russia, ect. Also I have yet to see a history book in the United States that says "The United States defeated England in the War of 1812." They do however over expose the victories to basically say "Hey look we didn't do all that bad!" On a technical note the United States neither lost or won the War of 1812 as nothing but lives were lost. (Not to sound cold but the treaty called for no change in territory. Prisoners would be exchanged, and captured slaves returned to the U.S. or be paid for by Britain)

On topic.
Its a game.

[blackmanone]

Well said (I was wrong about the classification of Nuke and Atom Bomb) and i have to agree with you on many points, except scorched earth. Many want to downplay Russia's importance and that's the easiest way to do it. Scorched Earth crippled Hitler and is widely considered the single largest mistake he made that led to his downfall.

http://www2.macleans.ca/201...

While I no way express the sentiment towards the Americans that this article does, it does document a trend to distort facts to promote blind patriotism.

But you're right, it's just a game. They could have avoided this whole mess by just saying that it was based on a fantasized history and none of these complaints would be valid. Personally, I loved the first, cant wait to play the second.

[ThanatosDMC]

Nope, it's also just not as good as the original. Too much BS in a CoH game.

[Pintheshadows]

Agreed. It feels like all they have done in 5 or so years is add slightly nicer effects, remove polish, and make things worse overall. Very sad.

[Mouktouk]

After watching BadComedian's video, I have to agree with him. The main problem isn't that Russia is very badly depicted in Company of Heroes 2, the problem is that developers insist it's an "historically accurate story".

If developers just said it was a fictive story with 0 peanut given to historical accuracy, then no one would get mad. But portraying Russia as an evil and coward country that doesn't care much about cruelly killing its own comrades, civilians... and stating the game is historically accurate, I can understand people get mad.

Developers simply should have said the story of the game was made out of propaganda, clichés, fiction and fantasized behaviors, instead of saying it's an accurate depiction of History.

[matgrowcott]

The other thing I took from the video, and the thing that stuck with me the most, was that the US, the UK and even the Germans are presented as almost noble in their conflict.

The Russians though? Nope. Killing each other and sacrificing thousands "just for a photograph."

[SatanSki]

Russia itself is an insult to worlds and especially Europes history

[bumnut]

When your grandparents are displayed as cowards and wannabe "deserters for no reason other than their nationality, sure you might start getting annoyed"

Leave the french out of this :)