Posted on 09/23/2004 10:08:21 PM PDT by HAL9000
DALLAS (AP) -- An upcoming video game lets players re-enact the Swift boat mission in Vietnam that won Sen. John Kerry a Silver Star award for battlefield heroism.The first-person shooter "Kuma War" uses a ripped-from-the-headlines approach where gamers can download and then relive actual battles, mainly from the current war in Iraq.
Beginning Sept. 30, the "John Kerry" mission will be available for download as an add-on pack for the game, made by New York-based Kuma Reality Games.
The Kerry mission is based on the Navy's records of the encounter on Feb. 28, 1969.
Playing as Lt. John Kerry, you lead three Swift boats into enemy fire on the banks of the Mekong Delta. Don't try to turn around and flee -- the game is scripted, so you have no choice but to attack the enemy before they kill you.
Kerry is unaware of the game and had no comment, spokeswoman Allison Dobson told The Associated Press. She said Kerry doesn't play video games.
The Silver Star was awarded for Kerry's actions in pursuit of enemy forces while commander of Swift boat unit PCF-94.
Some veterans have challenged the Democratic presidential candidate's version of the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to the award, as well as his three Purple Heart medals.
"The level of rancor has been such that few of us know what is supposed to have occurred in anyone's version of the story," Kuma Reality chief executive Keith Harper said. "Kuma Games is in a unique position to bring clarity to ordinary people's understanding of Swift boats, of the men who served in them, and of the events in question by letting you, as Lt. John Kerry, join Swift boat PCF-94 during these important events."
Last week, Navy inspector general Vice Adm. R.A. Route concluded in a memo that procedures were followed properly in the approval of Kerry's awards.
Other recent "Kuma War" missions include "Battle in Sadr City," which creator Kuma Reality Games says is based on an actual U.S. Army operation that occurred May 23, 2004.
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This is REALLY sick. Just my opinion, of course.
If you can't flee, how can you be playing John Kerry. I'd buy it only if I could be on one of the other 2 boats and go after Kerry.
I wonder if the game will show Jim Rassman falling off the boat? After the first explosion Kerry guns hit boat to leave the battle causing Jim to fall in.
Of course the player will also need to be able to jump out of his boat and chase a wounded VC down and shoot him in the back.
Kuma War?
I've yet to hear about this through any of my video game information channels. Looks pretty unremarkable.
Somehow, I doubt it'll put too big a dent in Halo 2's sales.
I'd laugh if the game's design team included a scenario for throwing a grenade into a pile of rice.
I agree.
It's fun to mock Kerry because he makes it so easy, but this man has made his service a Joke! These people were in the middle of a war and he has trivialized it by exagerating what he did and speaking of it every other sentence. What they did was not 'fun and games', but it'll now be portrayed that way in this ode to Kerry.
I have no problem with video games featuring anonymous troops, but this is distasteful to me.
don't forget VC, the magical flying dog.
I've heard when you collect all three purple hearts, it unlocks the secret mission to cambodia.
ROTFLMAO AP takes a swipe
Rasshole was not on this mission...
Uh? Why has this thread not been pulled. Nevermind.... The Admins don't like conservative old farts confronting liberals.... laid out a terrific confrontation to a Lib, onlt to finf out the thread was pulled. Oh well? sheesh...
I'm waiting for the second edition... where you get to play as JF'nKerry accusing your fellows of committing war crimes and hold illegal peace talks with the commies.
Gee...just what I wanted for Christmas...
I want to know if the game will be scripted for the Vietnamese soldier to get shot in the leg then as he is fleeing your supposed to shoot him in the back LOL
I wouldn't say they are sick just misguided. The mission would suck if you had to be a coward like JK.
The graphics are crappy on the 'Kerry campaign' but they looked pretty good on the Iraq/Afghanistan scenarios. And as an avid wargamer, I had never heard of Kuma/War until now so they must be new.
But I checked out the rest of the website they seem like a good company. They give 1 dollar of every subscription to the Fallen Heroes Fund, and they have a good mission scenario dedicated to Pat Tillman, the ranger who gave his life in Afghanistan earlier this year. So I forgive them for a momentary lapse of judgment.
Who knows, maybe they'll have an episode where you can play as Dan Rather and drop out of USMC boot camp. :)
That's about all I'd be good for.
But, like I've said before. I'm willing to give Kerrry credit at face value for his service while deployed. It was what he did afterwards that makes it sick, IMO.
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