'Black Hawk Down' Video Game Planned for Holidays

Zardon · Jun 9, 2002, 07:49 PM

By Ben Berkowitz

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Coming soon: a video game based on the botched 1993 raid in Somalia now known as "Black Hawk Down" and etched in American memory after two dead U.S. soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu.

The company producing the game, Calabasas, California-based NovaLogic, said the game was patriotic, intended in part to educate the public about the U.S. mission in Somalia.

But some critics question that aim and whether the game risks blurring the line between history and entertainment and altering perceptions about the bloodiest firefight in U.S. military history since Vietnam.

Some even speculate it could lead to games about other tragedies -- maybe even Sept. 11. -- and NovaLogic says it has a game in the works about U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

Mark Bowden, the author of "Black Hawk Down" the best-selling book about the Somali raid, said he declined to be involved with the game because it was not in line with his purpose in writing the critically acclaimed non-fiction book.

"We were approached by them and I just told my agent I didn't want to be involved," Bowden told Reuters. "To me there's a qualitative difference between making a game and telling a story."

NovaLogic said the upcoming military adventure game "Delta Force -- Black Hawk Down" would center around a series of U.S. commando raids against Somali warlords, allowing players to take on the role of special forces troops.

In the real-life battle that inspired the book and a hit movie based on it, U.S. troops hunting for Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid entered Mogadishu on Oct. 3, 1993, and were caught in a fierce firefight after a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down. A total of 18 soldiers were killed.

"The whole notion that you would make this part of your entertainment regimen strikes me as a little creepy," Prof. Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, told Reuters.

NovaLogic said it would publish a version of the game for PCs in the fourth quarter of this year, with versions expected for Sony Corps PlayStation 2and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox in 2003.

'LOGICAL PROGRESSION'

"For us this is actually a logical progression," he said. "This is our take on the whole 'Operation Restore Hope'," he said, referring to the name of the American military's early-1990s operations in Somalia.

Marcus Beer, a spokesman for NovaLogic, said the last mission of the game is the one depicted in "Black Hawk Down," though he said it will steer away from the actual fate of that mission so as not to offend anyone, and will exclude scenes of bodies being dragged through streets.

"We've had a lot of positive feedback from the military community about this," Beer said, noting two former members of the elite Delta Force are advising NovaLogic on the game, including one commando who actually fought in Mogadishu.

He also said a version of "Delta Force 2" is in use as a training exercise at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and that the company has a retired Air Force general on its board.

The game "re-educates people to a certain degree" about the U.S. mission in the strife-torn east African country, he said.

Beer also said the company will be donating a part of the proceeds from sales of the game to two military charities, with specific details on those recipients expected soon.

NovaLogic is also working on a "Delta Force" game that allows players to fight as U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and in late May the U.S. Army unveiled a game it is designing that will allow users to take on the role of American soldiers in typical combat missions.

skinlab · Jun 10, 2002, 03:48 AM

i own the whole delta force series, this one will prove to be just another crappy release by NoLogic (as the delta force community them). DF1 proved to be the best and lots of ppl still play it, i stopped a few months back caus it was getting old and repetitive, but there's still a few tourney sites for it. DF2 and DF:LW turned out to be crap. TFD will be released before BHD, based on the LW engine, which was shit to begin with. who knows though, it just might please some gamers...

Frodo301 · Jun 12, 2002, 06:00 PM

I was in the military during Somalia, cared for some of the wounded of that f'dup police action in Europe during the last days. Those guys never really got any support from our leaders or population, in many ways it was a repeat of Vietnam. Doesn't really offend me that they are doing a game as long as it is in good taste and it looks as if this is so. Look how many games are based on WWI, WWII, D. Storm at least in the '90s, Vietnam and other conflicts that have been fought. I thought MOHAA was in very good taste and it covered a couple of very nasty battle scenes during WWII. 9/11 is a different monster all together. The general population is not ready for a game like that and at this point I think it would be an unwise choice for any software publisher to pursue.

warrenpchi · Jun 13, 2002, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by skinlab
i own the whole delta force series, this one will prove to be just another crappy release by NoLogic (as the delta force community them). DF1 proved to be the best and lots of ppl still play it, i stopped a few months back caus it was getting old and repetitive, but there's still a few tourney sites for it. DF2 and DF:LW turned out to be crap. TFD will be released before BHD, based on the LW engine, which was shit to begin with. who knows though, it just might please some gamers...

Yeah, same here. I have all three but I enjoy DF1 the best. The other two seem so bloated - like the performance just up and left the room. I'm hoping that either Task Force Dagger or Black Hawk Down will redeem them. Keeping fingers crossed.

-Warren

warrenpchi · Jun 13, 2002, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Frodo301
The general population is not ready for a game like that and at this point I think it would be an unwise choice for any software publisher to pursue.

Perhaps, but if there were a lot of supplemental content - explaining why we went in - that might raise people's awareness a little.

For realism's sake, I hope its a sniper only game. Let's face it, the only DF troopers in the Black Hawk incident were the two that volunteered to go in and provide cover fire. They died, and were given Medals of Honor posthumously . . . and were the first snipers in history ever to be so honored I believe.

That game should be dedicated to all the Rangers and those two.

-Warren

Impulse · Jun 13, 2002, 11:45 PM

[SIZE=x-small]As much as I enjoyed watching the Movie, so will I playing the game

[/SIZE]

skinlab · Jun 14, 2002, 02:02 AM

warren do u visit DFW?

and what squad are u on/have been on? maybe i know u.

Alistair · Jun 14, 2002, 03:04 PM

honestly I loved DFLW... still play it as a member of EKT

The only thing I missed was the grass from DF2. But I saw plenty of it in screenshots for BHD

Anyways the latest screenshots for TFD look like they did update the models... slightly

warrenpchi · Jun 14, 2002, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by skinlab
warren do u visit DFW?

and what squad are u on/have been on? maybe i know u.

Actually. I never really played online . . . only private games and lan games with friends. My friend and I got bored passing the single player so we got a bunch of workmates hooked on it to get in more sniper practice. There was nothing that me, my .50 cal, and extra ammo could not do.

I remember that one of my guys (worked for me) tried to take a sniper position once in three mesas . . . thought he could beat me at my own game. I spent 17 minutes crawling prone to sneak up behind him the slow way. I was gonna kill him with my knife just to make a point.

At the last moment (just a few feet away), damn f**ker turned around. Had to pistol him in the forehead. Ahh, good times, good times.

-Warren

skinlab · Jun 15, 2002, 12:46 AM

lmfao, i was a pretty good sniper myself. then i stopped playing, my snipers skills went to shit, so i picked up the m4. joined one of the best teams in the game, won myself about 9 titles, then gave up on the game again. i dont play much of anything anymore, except fifa wc 2k2 heh

warrenpchi · Jun 15, 2002, 12:56 AM

Any good sniper stories Skinlab? I love hearing about one-shot-one-kill successes.

Actually, while we're off topic . . . know of any good sniper games? My friends only play CS and you can't sniper there. I mean, technically you can, but if you're not homing in on someone running away at full speed from 1800 yards away, its just not the same.

-Warren

skinlab · Jun 15, 2002, 04:06 AM

after DF1, the whole series went more the gunner way than the sniper way.

back in 98, everytime we got a kill u'd see someone type "1s1k"

it got ridiculous after a while, ppl stopped doing it, and soon, ppl stopped talking altogether heh, except for the always popular "u fucking cheater!" and "u fag!"...u know, the usual

warrenpchi · Jun 16, 2002, 08:24 PM

Been playing it for the past few days . . . feels like coming home.

-Warren

Jun 9, 2002, 07:49 PM	#1
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 177	'Black Hawk Down' Video Game Planned for Holidays By Ben Berkowitz LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Coming soon: a video game based on the botched 1993 raid in Somalia now known as "Black Hawk Down" and etched in American memory after two dead U.S. soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. The company producing the game, Calabasas, California-based NovaLogic, said the game was patriotic, intended in part to educate the public about the U.S. mission in Somalia. But some critics question that aim and whether the game risks blurring the line between history and entertainment and altering perceptions about the bloodiest firefight in U.S. military history since Vietnam. Some even speculate it could lead to games about other tragedies -- maybe even Sept. 11. -- and NovaLogic says it has a game in the works about U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Mark Bowden, the author of "Black Hawk Down" the best-selling book about the Somali raid, said he declined to be involved with the game because it was not in line with his purpose in writing the critically acclaimed non-fiction book. "We were approached by them and I just told my agent I didn't want to be involved," Bowden told Reuters. "To me there's a qualitative difference between making a game and telling a story." NovaLogic said the upcoming military adventure game "Delta Force -- Black Hawk Down" would center around a series of U.S. commando raids against Somali warlords, allowing players to take on the role of special forces troops. In the real-life battle that inspired the book and a hit movie based on it, U.S. troops hunting for Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid entered Mogadishu on Oct. 3, 1993, and were caught in a fierce firefight after a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down. A total of 18 soldiers were killed. "The whole notion that you would make this part of your entertainment regimen strikes me as a little creepy," Prof. Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, told Reuters. NovaLogic said it would publish a version of the game for PCs in the fourth quarter of this year, with versions expected for Sony Corps PlayStation 2and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox in 2003. 'LOGICAL PROGRESSION' "For us this is actually a logical progression," he said. "This is our take on the whole 'Operation Restore Hope'," he said, referring to the name of the American military's early-1990s operations in Somalia. Marcus Beer, a spokesman for NovaLogic, said the last mission of the game is the one depicted in "Black Hawk Down," though he said it will steer away from the actual fate of that mission so as not to offend anyone, and will exclude scenes of bodies being dragged through streets. "We've had a lot of positive feedback from the military community about this," Beer said, noting two former members of the elite Delta Force are advising NovaLogic on the game, including one commando who actually fought in Mogadishu. He also said a version of "Delta Force 2" is in use as a training exercise at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and that the company has a retired Air Force general on its board. The game "re-educates people to a certain degree" about the U.S. mission in the strife-torn east African country, he said. Beer also said the company will be donating a part of the proceeds from sales of the game to two military charities, with specific details on those recipients expected soon. NovaLogic is also working on a "Delta Force" game that allows players to fight as U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and in late May the U.S. Army unveiled a game it is designing that will allow users to take on the role of American soldiers in typical combat missions.

Jun 10, 2002, 03:48 AM	#2
skinlab Got Satan? Join Date: May 2002 Location: was in Canada, now in UAE Posts: 286 Rep Power: 0	i own the whole delta force series, this one will prove to be just another crappy release by NoLogic (as the delta force community them). DF1 proved to be the best and lots of ppl still play it, i stopped a few months back caus it was getting old and repetitive, but there's still a few tourney sites for it. DF2 and DF:LW turned out to be crap. TFD will be released before BHD, based on the LW engine, which was shit to begin with. who knows though, it just might please some gamers... __________________ Religion is the opiate of the masses - Marx God is dead - Nietzsche X-pider2 + Enermax 465 / P4P800-DX / 2.6C@3.25 / 1GIG XMS 4000PT/ R9800PRO / Audigy2 ZS / 80gig WD SE + 160gig Maxtor SE + 200gig Maxtor PS3100 External / Plextor Premium + BenQ DW1640 / other stuff

Jun 12, 2002, 06:00 PM	#3
Frodo301 Outraged Join Date: May 2002 Location: The mountains Posts: 584 Rep Power: 0	I was in the military during Somalia, cared for some of the wounded of that f'dup police action in Europe during the last days. Those guys never really got any support from our leaders or population, in many ways it was a repeat of Vietnam. Doesn't really offend me that they are doing a game as long as it is in good taste and it looks as if this is so. Look how many games are based on WWI, WWII, D. Storm at least in the '90s, Vietnam and other conflicts that have been fought. I thought MOHAA was in very good taste and it covered a couple of very nasty battle scenes during WWII. 9/11 is a different monster all together. The general population is not ready for a game like that and at this point I think it would be an unwise choice for any software publisher to pursue. __________________ The greatest thing you'll every learn is to love, and be loved in return.

Jun 14, 2002, 02:02 AM	#7
skinlab Got Satan? Join Date: May 2002 Location: was in Canada, now in UAE Posts: 286 Rep Power: 0	warren do u visit DFW? and what squad are u on/have been on? maybe i know u. __________________ Religion is the opiate of the masses - Marx God is dead - Nietzsche X-pider2 + Enermax 465 / P4P800-DX / 2.6C@3.25 / 1GIG XMS 4000PT/ R9800PRO / Audigy2 ZS / 80gig WD SE + 160gig Maxtor SE + 200gig Maxtor PS3100 External / Plextor Premium + BenQ DW1640 / other stuff

Jun 14, 2002, 03:04 PM	#8
Alistair Spoos Join Date: May 2002 Location: State College, PA, USA Posts: 435 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	honestly I loved DFLW... still play it as a member of EKT The only thing I missed was the grass from DF2. But I saw plenty of it in screenshots for BHD Anyways the latest screenshots for TFD look like they did update the models... slightly __________________ - Alistair

Jun 13, 2002, 11:45 PM	#6
Impulse l33t Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 248 Rep Power: 0	[SIZE=x-small]As much as I enjoyed watching the Movie, so will I playing the game [/SIZE]

Jun 15, 2002, 12:46 AM	#10
skinlab Got Satan? Join Date: May 2002 Location: was in Canada, now in UAE Posts: 286 Rep Power: 0	lmfao, i was a pretty good sniper myself. then i stopped playing, my snipers skills went to shit, so i picked up the m4. joined one of the best teams in the game, won myself about 9 titles, then gave up on the game again. i dont play much of anything anymore, except fifa wc 2k2 heh __________________ Religion is the opiate of the masses - Marx God is dead - Nietzsche X-pider2 + Enermax 465 / P4P800-DX / 2.6C@3.25 / 1GIG XMS 4000PT/ R9800PRO / Audigy2 ZS / 80gig WD SE + 160gig Maxtor SE + 200gig Maxtor PS3100 External / Plextor Premium + BenQ DW1640 / other stuff

Jun 15, 2002, 12:56 AM	#11
warrenpchi DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 12 Rep Power: 0	Any good sniper stories Skinlab? I love hearing about one-shot-one-kill successes. Actually, while we're off topic . . . know of any good sniper games? My friends only play CS and you can't sniper there. I mean, technically you can, but if you're not homing in on someone running away at full speed from 1800 yards away, its just not the same. -Warren __________________ BPG_folding 1 of 4 (Team Rage3D) —· ···— ·· —·· ·· ·— ··· ··— —··— "Glory be, the fold's on me!" —· ···— ·· —·· ·· ·— ··· ··— —··— Dual AthlonMP 2000+/Tyan S2466-4M/512 MB/TNT2 (Generic) Dual Athlon 1.3Mhz/Tyan S2460/512 MB/Radeon 64MB ViVo Dual Pentium III 700 @ 968/Abit VP6/2.0 GB/Matrox G550 Duron 1.0Ghz/Gigabyte GA-71XEH/1.0 GB/TNT2 (Leadtek) Dual Celeron 366 @ 522/Abit BP6/256 MB/Voodoo Banshee

Jun 15, 2002, 04:06 AM	#12
skinlab Got Satan? Join Date: May 2002 Location: was in Canada, now in UAE Posts: 286 Rep Power: 0	after DF1, the whole series went more the gunner way than the sniper way. back in 98, everytime we got a kill u'd see someone type "1s1k" it got ridiculous after a while, ppl stopped doing it, and soon, ppl stopped talking altogether heh, except for the always popular "u fucking cheater!" and "u fag!"...u know, the usual __________________ Religion is the opiate of the masses - Marx God is dead - Nietzsche X-pider2 + Enermax 465 / P4P800-DX / 2.6C@3.25 / 1GIG XMS 4000PT/ R9800PRO / Audigy2 ZS / 80gig WD SE + 160gig Maxtor SE + 200gig Maxtor PS3100 External / Plextor Premium + BenQ DW1640 / other stuff

Jun 16, 2002, 08:24 PM	#13
warrenpchi DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 12 Rep Power: 0	Hehe . . . Been playing it for the past few days . . . feels like coming home. -Warren __________________ BPG_folding 1 of 4 (Team Rage3D) —· ···— ·· —·· ·· ·— ··· ··— —··— "Glory be, the fold's on me!" —· ···— ·· —·· ·· ·— ··· ··— —··— Dual AthlonMP 2000+/Tyan S2466-4M/512 MB/TNT2 (Generic) Dual Athlon 1.3Mhz/Tyan S2460/512 MB/Radeon 64MB ViVo Dual Pentium III 700 @ 968/Abit VP6/2.0 GB/Matrox G550 Duron 1.0Ghz/Gigabyte GA-71XEH/1.0 GB/TNT2 (Leadtek) Dual Celeron 366 @ 522/Abit BP6/256 MB/Voodoo Banshee