Bleed American – Top 10 Video Game Patriots: Part 2
Posted by JMatula
5. William “BJ” Blazkowicz (Wolfenstein)
While his name may not be instantly recognizable, his exploits are in the gaming hall of fame for popularizing the FPS genre many years ago. Wolfenstein 3D pits gamers against a castle full of vicious Nazis; eventually battling the Führer himself, Adolf Hitler. But not just any Hitler, no sir. HITLER IN A MECHA SUIT! To say it was epic at the time was understatement.
In celebration of this nation as a melting pot, the game makers even gave him a truly American backstory. The son Polish immigrants in America, BJ Blazkowicz, inspired by his love for his new homeland, signed up to take on the fascists that overran his parents’ homeland. Fighting for one’s country and taking on mecha suit-wearing evil leaders in the name of the good ole USA? Sounds like a red-blooded American to me.
4. Captain America
This entry doesn’t even really need an explanation. He is the visual symbol of patriotism to multiple generations of Americans. He even socked Hitler on the jaw for crying out loud! A few months ago he stopped an alien invasion with the help of his fellow Avengers in movie theaters everywhere.
For those old enough, his most infamous gaming exploit was the arcade game and eventual Sega Genesis release of the side-scrolling action game Captain America & The Avengers. Players could choose Cap, Iron Man, Hawkeye or Vision and battle their way through tons of stages in an effort to save the world. He’s appeared in over 20 games, from old PC action games to little Facebook games.
You may be asking yourself, “why isn’t he #1? He’s got America in his name for crying out loud!” Well, we thought about it. But it seemed like it would have been cheap since he’s not originally a video game character. We had to include him in the list of course, but we felt the top spot should go to a patriot predominantly game-based.
3. Solid Snake (Metal Gear series)
This one was an obvious choice. You probably saw it coming too. He’s practically the game equivalent to Captain America in the times and ways he’s proved his dedication to the US. The exploits of Solid Snake date way back to 1987 when he appeared in the first Metal Gear game on the NES. Real name David, Solid Snake has been a spy, special operations soldier and FOXHOUND black ops commando. Let’s take a look at his resume:
- Defeats each member of FOXHOUND one by one, destroys Metal Gear REX, and confronts emo brother Liquid
- Survives tanker explosion and bum wrap for it all the while training a rookie agent to protect the President.
- Despite accelerated aging, still manages to destroy the Patriots’ A.I.s and defeat Revolver Ocelot and his large army of troops.
And that’s just the cliff notes of his main adventures. That doesn’t count all the ways he’s saved the world in the original Metal Gear games, on the PSP and so many other adventures that are too top secret for even us gamers to know. Sleep easy at night knowing Solid Snake is secretly defending the country.
2. Michael Wilson (Metal Wolf Chaos)
From out of nowhere to us Americans, Michael Wilson takes the number two spot! One of the most patriotic game characters of all time never even made it to our red, white and blue shores, his game Metal Wolf Chaos staying a Japan-only XBOX title. In this title you play as the Commander In Chief, the President of the United States himself…IN A MECHA SUIT.
A descendent of the 28th president, Woodrow Wilson, Michael Wilson is president in the not-too-distant future. The vice president has exceeded his power, shifting the military in his favor and tries to take over the country! Wilson narrowly escapes in Air Force One, heading to the west coast. Armed with his mecha suit, he’s taking back America from the evil and corrupted vice president one giant metal step at a time. After showdowns in both Las Vegas and a space station, Michael Wilson saves the country from nuclear destruction and total devastation. For a president to do this single-handedly he must be one helluva patriot. This guy probably bleeds red, white and blue.
It’s hard to even conceive of a digital patriot as hardcore as this one, but in a medium dominated by men, the top spot goes to one amazing lady…
1. The Boss (Metal Gear Solid series)
To those of you who have played the Metal Gear Solid games, this should comes as no surprise. This woman takes the top spot not only because of her obvious heroics, but because of just how unsung her deeds are in the Metal Gear world; not to mention the level of personal tragedy and sacrifice her patriotic and selfless actions have caused.
We’ll try to keep it brief, but her activities could fill up several pages:
- Daughter of one of the original Philosophers
- Fought in D-Day, even giving birth on the battlefield
- She was the mother of U.S. special forces
- Mentor and mother figure to Naked Snake (Big Boss), as well as biological mother to later villain Revolver Ocelot
- Went deep undercover with the Soviets to expose dangerous secrets.
- (Secretly) First into space as part of the Mercury Project (which caused a 6-month coma upon return to Earth)
If that wasn’t enough, she died for her country. In order to prevent a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the US during the Cold War, she allowed herself to be killed by Snake. She died with very little of her bravery or amazing accomplishments officially on the record. To keep up appearances the U.S. had already labeled her a Soviet spy and traitor, so she died in public disgrace.
Despite the tragedy, Snake and gamers everywhere know what a true hero she was. The world of her game may never properly sing her praises, but we will all know her as the most patriotic character ever created in gaming history. We here at GameAgent salute you, The Boss.
That’s it folks! The top 5 most patriotic game characters. What did you think? Any surprises? Upsets? Who are your top American heroes in gaming? Let us know in the comments.
