New game releases of May 20-26
Killzone: Mercenary shoots onto Vita on September 10
Trion Worlds hit with more layoffs, Defiance team impacted
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault defending Vita next week
Game & Wario was originally going to be pre-installed on Wii U
The Last of Us digital download lets you start playing sooner
Weekend PC download deals: Borderlands 2 for $11
Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection coming to PS3 in July for $50
Madden NFL 25's $99 'Anniversary Edition' includes Sunday Ticket
Final Fantasy 8 getting PC re-release (in Japan)
Medal of Honor Devs Rename 'Taliban' to 'Opposing Force' in Multiplayer Mode
by Xav de Matos, Oct 01, 2010 2:30pm PDTAfter months of protest and controversy, Electronic Arts has announced it will rename the opposing army in the Medal of Honor multiplayer mode from 'Taliban' to 'Opposing Force.'
In a blog post this morning, Medal of Honor executive producer Greg Goodrich explained the decision was made for "the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice." Goodrich said the Medal of Honor franchise will "never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise" the memory and service of the men and women in the armed service.
On September 24, EA revealed an open beta for PC users would launch early next month. At the time of announcement, EA Games Label president Frank Gibeau said he was hopeful the beta would clear up some of the controversy surrounding the Afghanistan War shooter's Taliban playable multiplayer faction. Earlier this month, GameStop announced it would not sell Medal of Honor at any of its 49 military base locations in the U.S., by request of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. The request was directly connected to the existence of the Taliban multiplayer faction.
At the time, Gibeau stated that EA wouldn't allow the uproar to "compromise [EA's] creative vision and what we want to do." Like the name of the opposing force in Medal of Honor, things change.
Comments
To the people saying that having Taliban in the game is equivalent to Nazis. No...there is a difference. Currently U.S. and other nation's military personnel are in the field fighting the Taliban- they are a real and current hostile force. The Nazis are now just a piece of history- not killing Americans as we speak.
Also, on the idea that U.S. forces fighting the Taliban are the "real" terrorists. Do you even remember why U.S. forces deployed to Afghanistan. Do you remember who the Taliban are? Before Sep.11th the Taliban regime in Afghanistan openly hosted Al Qaeda. That's right, that little group that perpetrated the 9-11 attacks. The Taliban allowed Al Qaeda to train in Afghanistan and game them a safe haven from which to perpetrate a myriad of terrorist attacks. How quickly you forget(or perhaps you never learned).
As far as the U.S. has removed a legitimate leader from power(Saddam Hussein of Iraq). WHAT? Since when is a totalitarian ruler, who gains office only by outlawing Opposition parties except for his Baath movement to be considered legitimate? So now we consider dictators who torture athlees, give acid baths to critics and genocidally wipes out villages a "legitimate" leader. Please, if that is a "legitimate" leader- define an illegitimate one.
If you all are going to post Anti-American garbage, at least have some facts in place.
I applaud them for changing the Taliban label. Maybe years from now, when young Americans aren't being ambushed, captured and tortured by these scum will they be a part of history, and be a faction in a game. For now, anyone who seeks to assume their persona is sick- and any game company immature to put that mode in their game deserves every bit of public outcry.
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