Memorial Day is more than just another day for you to head over to your neighbors, have a beer, a burger and trade the latest stories. It’s a day when you remember the veterans who’ve sacrificed their lives while traveling the world over and defending the freedoms we hold near and dear. While there are multiple dynamics to how Warfighters get said mission accomplished – it sometimes results in the need to annihilate enemies with grim precision. As it has always been with Video Games, the same thing applies. Sure, you can kill something in a game for any reason, even for fun, but when the narrative asks or demands at times that you slaughter slews of enemies for freedom. It is really something so basic - usually going hand-in-hand with survival, which is what rarely makes the premise so contrived. Thus, sit tight as PlanetXbox360 presents the top 5 enemies you’ve slaughtered in the name of freedom.
5. Locusts: The Locusts of Sera are not only bloodthirsty, but have no reservations whatsoever about curbstomping every man, woman and child they can get their dirty, oversized boots on. After bursting from underneath the surface of the planet a little under a decade and a half ago, they have been summarily slaughtered in one form or another by the forces of the Coalition of Organized Governments. The forces of the COG have all but been exhausted in an attempt to not only reclaim the planet in an attempt to be free once more on the surfaces of their world, but merely continue to struggle in the hopes of survival. While Dom, Marcus, Anya, Coletrain, and Dom have been fighting an endlessly retreating battle, the situation has only become bleaker with the emergence of the Lambent. As the situation continues on a path to hopelessness – the fight against the enemies of the Seran people continues unabated in the hope that they’ll once again be free thanks to the heroes of the COG.
4. Zombies: While there is a veritable gift basket of reasons for Zombies to start walking the Earth – be it radiation, poison, viral outbreak or even extraterrestrial the desire to not become one of them couldn’t be stronger for the humans killing every single one of the undead that stand in their way. It doesn’t matter what incarnation they come in – no one wants to endless up a mindless, creature feasting on the brains of their friends. Somewhat shifting away from the higher tenants of freedom, such as free speech, free press and free religion – the unsung heroes who face down a horde of Zombies instead of panicking to the point of being food may be humanities only hope to be at the top of the food chain again. Be it Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising or Resident Evil, we’ve all had our share of slaughtering the undead and it has forever been over one simple idea. They want our brains and I’m sure we’d all prefer to keep them comfortably tucked away inside our craniums.
3. Predators: Not the mindless creatures that are more than appropriately apparent in their Xenomorph counterparts, the Predators rob their prey of the freedom of not being hunted for sport. Instead of facing off against potential targets in a stand-up, no holds-bar battle the Predators will happily sneak up behind you before jamming their clawed blades through your skull for the sake of mounting it on their wall. Achieving an eerie synergy is the trifecta that is humanity, xenomorph and predator – the hunters have accomplished themselves as one of the most dangerous threats the galaxy has every faced. As opposed to the Aliens, which are merely attempting to survive and propagate their species even at the cost of any others that may have the unfortunate prospect of crossing their path, they can’t be counted on to have an agenda in the same way the Predator does. Removing the most basic freedom of existence by hunting a human, it isn’t the most pleasant way to die. Freedom doesn’t defend itself in space, so stay frosty and keep your head on a swivel, lest the Predator takes it for their trophy rack.
2. Evil Russians: Without a doubt, the Russians have now superseded the Germans and Japanese as the major cultural group posing as standard enemies in a video game. Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield 2 chose Russians as the major enemies in the game and while the events leading up to their invasion of the United States was decidedly different in either title, the battle to keep them out is not. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments in a video game in recent history is the liberation of Washington D.C. from Russian occupational forces in Modern Warfare 2, complete with an uncanny nationalistic fervor following the battle, which allowed for the evil General to complete his diabolical plans. Battlefield 2 was no different as an evil Russian set out to use a doomsday device that would render the country vulnerable to an assault that ends up occurring anyway, So, in the spirit of Red Dawn, it seems the old Cold War enemy of the United States will be getting a return to the spotlight as heroes of all walks of life and genres will be getting a crack at them.
1. Covenant: Nothing unites humanity like the possibility of extinction; just ask the guys who made Independence Day. While the original Halo takes place at a locale that is a bit distant from the cradle of the Human Race, the plight becomes absolutely dire when it’s made known that the UNSC hasn’t only been losing the war for a significant amount of time, but is on the verge of annihilation at the hands of the Covenant, which would result in the destruction of humanity. This inflates Master Chief’s importance significantly as well as all the efforts of the ground and naval forces who face the Covenant on an almost daily basis to buy their species another day of existence. Again seizing upon the most elementary of human desires to survive, the game does make this appeal to the player throughout levels of kicking ass and taking names. But if there is one hero that’d be remembered on Memorial Day centuries into the future, odds are it would be the guy who saved the entire human race from a horribly painful extinction at the hands of a vicious alien menace.
So, how did you plan on spending your Memorial Day or how did you end up spending it? Did you go out and have a barbecue or did you quietly pull a Veteran aside and say thank you for taking the steps to continue ensuring the freedoms that you may not necessarily appreciate on a daily basis. The next time you curse someone out on Xbox Live, it may violate the terms of service but it doesn’t violate your freedom of speech and that is what you should doubtlessly remember before you put that burger in your mouth on this Memorial Day.
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