Delta Force: Proof that forced diversity can make you hate a good video game



Delta Force mirrors a decades-old but consistently successful blueprint for first-person shooters but stumbles out of the gate with cringeworthy characters and a boring prologue.

Before launch, Delta Force promised modes like operations, attack and defend, and a recreation of the cinematic wonder that is "Black Hawk Down."

The latter is a story familiar with most war genre fans but unfortunately wasn't available in the open beta.

Users will be annoyed before the game even starts, having to parse through multiple screens in order to launch it. Users are asked to launch Steam, agree to terms and conditions, and then launch the game every time they boot it up, at least for now.

What the gamer immediately gets when the game finally opens, however, is a storyline and set of characters so baffling it feels like it was written with artificial intelligence using the keywords "gender and racial diversity."

The opening cinematic feature is a tried-and-true story about a conflict in a fictional Middle Eastern war zone, before quickly transitioning to a vague plotline about a cybernetic old woman communicating with her daughter via video call from a control room.

Either this story was very hard to follow or it was so scatterbrained it wasn't worth following. The publishers also released other trailers for different plotlines, such as an Elon Musk-inspired Neuralink knockoff, where a female Russian character who helped develop the technology has to murder the co-founder.

Moving on, the characters — or the "operators" — then offer a sad reflection of the current state of big-budget titles.

Put a chick it in, make it lame!

Using the typical "operator" method that has been used tirelessly by developers in recent years, users are given the option of eight characters, four of which are unlocked at launch.

Three of the characters are Chinese, which becomes less strange when you find out Delta Force is developed by TiMi Studio Group out of Shenzen, China.

While the game lacks the nonbinary characters that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 provides, it makes up for this with pointlessly diverse characters that seem like tropes from any given heist movie crew.

The first few characters are normal enough if we excuse their nicknames: "D-Wolf" (Kai Silva), "Vyron" (Wang Yuhao), and "Stinger" (Roy Smee) are just regular-seeming guys with their own special set of gadgets and bonuses. This is where any semblance of actual time spent writing stops, though.

Enter "Toxik," a Russian woman named Zoya Pomchenkova. This sexy operator uses mini-drones that are shaped like dragonflies to help her on the battlefield.

Next is "Shepherd," the quintessential buff, quiet character whose name alludes to his deep religious faith.

We then move on to "Uluru," who painfully shows up on screen as a beer drinking, spitting, bearded Australian guy with a mullet.

Luna Kim uses her high-tech bow-and-arrow system to create scans of the battlefield to reveal nearby enemies.

"My arrow knows everything," she says, as users consider closing their laptop.

Last is "Hackclaw," real name Mai Xiaowen, a silver-haired hacker wearing — you guessed it — a COVID-style mask.

"Don't imagine that hiding behind a keyboard makes you safe," she says, in what is seemingly a mistranslated tagline.

At this point, it really seems major developers don't want gamers to have the freedom to create their own characters out of fear the user base may appear incredibly un-diverse. Instead, players are forced into tragically bad archetypes that provide unnecessary advantages that typically trump skill.

This is especially odd given the customization levels throughout the game.

- YouTube

Gameplay: Auctions and microtransactions

After choosing from one of the incredibly demoralizing operators, users quickly jump into a prologue mission where they are joined by two other real gamers to explore a warehouse.

Enemies inexplicably drop briefcases full of loot, ranging from ammo to medical supplies or hard drives. Key cards gain the player access to rooms with more loot.

Equipment and load-out are customizable, allowing users to change their helmets, vests, and even their backpacks in order to carry more ammo or med packs.

Users take their in-game findings with them to their menu hub where they can pull from their inventory before each game. This is key because there is a medical aspect to the game; players can bleed out slowly or use a tourniquet or wrap to stop the bleeding. There are other injectables for stat bonuses, too.

Acquiring weapons and ammo out-of-game is very reminiscent of Counter-Strike and similar games, with in-game currency used to buy any item at auction.

As a reminder, this game is free, so one might have expected it to include microtransactions ... and it does. Offers to buy in-game currency ranged from $1.35 to $135, which could have been curated, however, users can spend as much money as they want to get ahead.

For example, a user can buy key cards in the auctions that allow them to gain access to certain rooms on a map to collect more goodies.

Available game modes included operations and war, the latter offering fast-paced urban combat on the one available map upon launch. Users who get to level 12 unlock a "normal" difficulty for the map, as opposed to "easy."

Operations is typical of games like Battlefield; fight for control of certain regions on the map until you control them all or exhaust the other team of their lives.

Controls

Although there was no controller support on PC (even a custom setup didn't provide proper mapping), there are many of the standard in-game movements one expects to find.

Purists may not be happy to hear that within hours of the game's launch there was already frequent abuse of the sliding maneuver.

The action itself felt like anything you might play, while still being better and more realistic than Call of Duty or Fortnite.

Purists may also not like the pace of the game; there are a lot of open areas and a lot of reviving going on. Vehicles parachuting in can be annoying as they are as bait as possible, as opposed to them being available by default on the map.

For a free game though, there is not much to complain about. Unreal Engines look great (Unreal 4 for multiplayer, Unreal 5 for campaign), and recoil, damage, and movement is about what you'd expect.

What Delta Force does right is deliver a current-generation, fast-paced shooter that provides a refreshingly simple kit system with a vast array of guns and items.

What it gets wrong is being another game where users will be disadvantaged against whichever teenager is willing to spend the most money on in-game currency.

This, combined with the awful operators meant to placate any complaints about a lack of diversity, will likely make the game a "pass" for anyone but hardcore fans of the pay-to-play genre.

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ANOTHER woke video game tanks after star actress calls it the most 'diverse' and authentic game she's ever seen



Another woke disaster is well in the works from the usual set of suspects in Quebec, Canada.

Unknown 9: Awakening was developed by Reflector Entertainment, which is backed by Japanese studio Bandai Namco. The iconic Japanese brand that brought audiences Pac-Man and Tekken will have some soul searching to do as its latest venture has immediately circled the drain.

After an October 18 release date, Unknown 9: Awakening has garnered a pitiful peak of 276 concurrent players on gaming platform Steam.

Industry and fan accounts have estimated the game's budget to be somewhere between $80-$120 million based on studio size and similar projects, with some writers reporting an embarrassing performance at big box stores as well.

Some predicted the game's failure from its onset once it was learned that video game consulting agency Sweet Baby Inc. was heavily involved in the project.

Sweet Baby Inc. has become synonymous with diversity-centric storylines, painfully adding unnecessary DEI and woke aspects into popular games such as Spider-Man 2 and God of War Ragnarok.

The company has accused critics of its political injections of being "far-right" antagonists and said it has been subject to "harassment" campaigns and "disinformation."

— (@)

Industry website DEI Detected reported Sweet Baby Inc. founder Kim Belair was listed as the "story architect" for the new game.

Reflector's brand content manager, David Bedard, is also in the credits. Gamers may recognize him as the co-founder of Sweet Baby Inc; therefore it should come as no surprise that the consulting agency was hired for the game.

'I'm excited for people to hopefully feel empowered by this character.'

A stunning and brave endorsement

Actress Anya Chalotra, who stars in the Netflix series "The Witcher," plays protagonist Haroona in the game. Ahead of the game's release, Chalotra likely hammered the final nail in the coffin when she said the game was the most "diverse" she had ever seen.

"I'm excited for people to hopefully feel empowered by this character who is so, so grounded, so inspired by things that are outside of herself, bigger than her," she told CG Magazine.

She added, "I don't think I've ever seen that connection to—a game as diverse as this with that many voices and that kind of exploration."

Your browser does not support the video tag. Footage by Ming Yeung/Getty Images

Chalotra also connected the game to her Indian heritage, rhetorically asking, "Why wouldn’t I want to play this character?"

"That part of myself, the Indian heritage, that part of myself to this woman of Indian descent. But not only that, there's a real sense of groundedness and authenticity that she has that I feel from my family, that I feel because of my family. I hope that's what grounds her."

All the authenticity and diversity couldn't help Unknown 9: Awakening, as it flopped even faster than Sony's Concord, which was pulled from shelves after just two weeks as fans mocked the game's forced DEI aspects, which included robots with pronouns.

Developers may be able to relish in the fact they didn't lose as much money as Warner Bros. Studios, however, as the company took a huge $200 million hit when fans scoffed at its game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

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Where is the woke? Space Marine 2 leaves gender politics at the door and flies off the shelves



Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 made a bold move: It didn't force progressive politics into its narrative.

Despite a three-day window to play an early release (at a whopping $90), fans still flocked to get physical copies of Saber Interactive's latest release.

Buying physical copies of games has become a returning trend for gamers who fear updates or patches will ruin the original, non-woke versions of games they love; see Tomb Raider or Stellar Blade.

With Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop all selling out of physical copies, digital download was the only option left for this review — at the same price, of course.

After approximately six hours of gameplay, Space Marine 2 delivered an experience that fans of the original narrative will be thankful for; it's seemingly devoid of any real-world politics. The game provides an enjoyable but sometimes hand-injuring experience while delivering on its promise of awe-inspiring hordes.

Empty walls

Playing on PS5, it's hard not to notice a significant amount of clunkiness in the controls. Compared to titles like Chivalry 2 or Doom Eternal — which is actually a next-gen upgrade — stringing together moves felt sluggish. This was definitely not expected from a game of this generation, especially one with so much hype.

Understandably, some of this movement can be attributed to the physical weight of the characters and their armor, but not all of it.

There were also some running glitches and sliding with the character, but this can probably be patched out. But this is level-one stuff that one doesn't expect to encounter at this retail price.

Invisible walls were definitely not expected, either. Some parts of the game felt entirely too linear and reminiscent of PS3/Xbox 360-era titles. The gamer will find himself attempting to jump on platforms within his reach and asking why he can't trample a plant. If you want to fall to your death, shouldn't you be able to?

Wear your gloves

Image courtesy of Focus Entertainment Press Kit

The second-highest difficulty will bring some finger pain. Switching between hundreds of enemies and, at times, single firing will test even the greatest Metal Gear Solid-tested fingers.

These hack-and-slash controls will have you pressing buttons a lot, but it's not as flashy and fast as the aforementioned Doom Eternal, during which users need to remind themselves to blink.

At the same time, the controls were underwhelming. Sometimes you are so blinded by shots and exploding bubbles of acid from afar that there is no other choice but to run in order to simply figure out what is going on. The weapon controls made it hard to move while pinpointing enemies, as the mechanics are generally over the shoulder. It feels like the user is encouraged to no-scope, yet it isn't easy to do so on most occasions.

Again, a certain level of this is acceptable due to the nature of the protagonist, but it gets annoying.

Adding to this headache was the inability to pick up ammo by walking over or near it. The press-and-hold technique is painstaking, especially when being attacked from all angles.

The user can only carry one primary weapon, one sidearm, a melee, and three grenades. This feels extremely limited, especially given that Space Marines are seemingly eight feet tall and carry 2,000 pounds.

Forgotten wokeness

Image courtesy of Focus Entertainment Press Kit

'There are no female Custodes in Space Marine 2.'

Before its release, fans were cautious about the game possibly including recent changes to the decades-old story. While it's hard to grasp how much fans truly disliked the retcon of the lore, some of the recent stories are worth noting.

As That Park Place reported in May, lore was rewritten to ensure inclusivity to females, removing the words "sons" and "men" from older texts.

Adding women into the lore through a rewriting continued in July, when Games Workshop, creators of the Warhammer figures, explained a new "revelation" that "Custodians can be any gender.”

This came with a new female character in the animated series "The Tithes."

However, none of the newly rewritten content appeared to have made it into Space Marine 2, leading fans to rejoice over the new title.

DEI Detected's Kabrutus seemingly gave the game a passing grade, saying on X, "Just to make it clear: There are no female Custodes in Space Marine 2."

Clearly the game has resonated. Space Marine 2 launched out of the gates, peaking at over 186,000 concurrent players on Steam alone in its first week.

With gamers paying close attention to which games promote progressive politics, Space Marine 2 seems to have taken that into consideration. With Concord's collapse and Star Wars Outlaws' oncoming death, it may be in developers' best interest to avoid out-of-game politics.

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Steam faces renewed criticism over game in which players assume role of Palestinian terrorist, gun down Israelis



The video game distribution giant Steam has been called out once again for continuing to sell a propagandistic title wherein players assume the role of a Palestinian terrorist and massacre representations of Israelis.

While some regard the game as a loathsome work of agitprop warranting removal, various commenters have fired back, noting that other violent games permitted on the platform — including titles in the Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty franchises — similarly enable players to virtually live out terroristic fantasies.

With Israel actively battling Hamas and anti-Semitism aggressively rising in the West, Jesse Petrilla, a former captain in the Army National Guard, took issue with how the Bellevue, Washington-based Valve Corporation is still selling Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Steam platform.

Petrilla asked, "Why do you have a pro-terrorist game on @Steam?"

Shortly thereafter, the Libs of TikTok account on X, managed by Chaya Raichik, shared footage from the game, noting, "This is available for your kids to play."

Jeremy Dale Hambly, the popular YouTuber known as TheQuartering, responded to Raichik's expression of concern over the game, writing, "Don't care, it's a video game that you have to choose to pay for and then download and then play. Cringe."

Carl Benjamin, the YouTuber known as Sargon of Akkad, noted, "This won't be the thing that turns them into terrorists, it'll be their university professors."

— (@)

Fursan al-Aqsa, a gory first- and third-person shooter released in full last year, has for its protagonist Ahmad al-Falastini, "a young Palestinian Student who was unjustly tortured and jailed by Israeli Soldiers for 5 years."

The description for the game states, "Now, after getting out from the prison, [he] seeks revenge against those who wronged him, killed his family and stolen [sic] his homeland, by joining a new Palestinian Resistance Movement called Fursan al-Aqsa."

Trailers for the game, which runs on the dated Unreal Engine 3, feature footage of the protagonist shooting, stabbing, bombing, and torturing Israelis, while frequently yelling, "Allahu Akbar." In one scene featured in the trailer, the terroristic protagonist says, "This is your end, f***ing Zionists!" while feeding an unarmed Israeli to a shark. In another featured scene, the Islamic protagonist prays beside a pile of butchered Israelis.

A play-through shared by the developer earlier this year revealed that the missions require the player to "Kill all Zionist Soldiers." In recent promotional material shared on YouTube, the developer states, "See how many different ways you'll be able to snipe Israeli Soldiers."

Another promotional video reportedly told players, "Get your knife and seek your revenge. The blood of the oppressed is calling you. Resistance is not terrorism."

While the developer claims on the Steam sales page that the game "DOES NOT PROMOTE 'TERRORISM,'" in the game, players are prompted to rank up from a "soldier" to a "general" and finally to a "terrorist."

The review section for the game on the Steam platform is crowded with anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli remarks.

One reviewer wrote, "May the zionists fall," prompting the developer to write back, "In sha Allah!"

Another reviewer wrote, "Truly a simulation of the righteous struggle of Palestinians against the colonialist oppressors."

Multiple reviewers wrote, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" — a threat similarly made on the developer's website.

The game saw a significant spike in largely positive reviews in early October, following the Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

The developer of the game, Nidal Nijm, describes himself thusly: "I am a Brazilian, son of Palestinian Immigrants, Muslim. My father is an ex-fighter of Palestinian Resistance, he fought for the Independence of Palestinian State. From since childhood I felt too much proud of my father and the Palestine People in general, because of their Strength and Constant Resistance."

Ahead of the game's release, Efraim Zuroff, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's chief Nazi hunter, said, "There is no question that this game glorifies Palestinian terror against Jews and is not a neutral exercise," reported Haaretz.

"This is something that praises and glorifies the worst type of terror and basically promotes a result which would cost hundreds of thousands of people their lives," added Zuroff.

Nijm defended the game, noting, "There are no Jewish, Israeli civilians for the player to attack."

Steam, which takes a substantial cut of the revenue from each sale, indicated in a 2018 blog post that it had given up on most content moderation, stating, "If you're a player, we shouldn't be choosing for you what content you can or can't buy. If you're a developer, we shouldn't be choosing what content you're allowed to create. Those choices should be yours to make."

"With that principle in mind, we've decided that the right approach is to allow everything onto the Steam Store, except for things that we decide are illegal, or straight up trolling," added the company.

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Man who fatally shot two attackers, wounded a third outside Philly area bar won't face criminal charges; DA says 'self-defense played a critical role'



A man who fatally shot two attackers and wounded a third outside a Philadelphia area bar earlier this month won't face criminal charges, PhillyVoice reported.

What are the details?

Bucks County investigators said 21-year-old Liam Hughes acted in self defense after leaving Steam — a pub in Upper Southampton — with a friend around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 7 and firing shots at three men who assaulted him in the parking lot, the outlet said. Upper Southampton is about 30 minutes north of Philadelphia.

"Self-defense played a critical role," Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said at a news conference Thursday, PhillyVoice reported. "Use of deadly force by Liam Hughes was justified as the circumstances were such that he reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to protect himself against death or serious bodily injury and because the circumstances were such that he was unable to safely retreat."

Investigators examined surveillance videos from the bar and the parking lot as well as additional evidence, Weintraub said, according to the outlet. Everyone involved in the incident had been inside the bar that night, but Hughes hadn't interacted with his attackers, the outlet added.

PhillyVoice reported that two of Hughes' attackers — Raymond Farrell, 28, and Steven Panebianco, 30 — died at the scene; prosecutors said the third, 24-year-old Michael Michell, is facing simple assault charges for throwing punches at Hughes.

Richard Bowman, 24, attempted to break up the fight and is expected to recover from a gunshot wound, the outlet said, adding that Weintraub said Hughes can't be charged for wounding Bowman because he fired the shots in self-defense. Bowman will not be charged, the outlet added.

More from PhillyVoice:

Hughes, an auto technician and military reservist from Middletown, was returning to his car when a group of men gathered nearby confronted him. After Hughes asked Michell to stop leaning on his car, Panebianco, who was intoxicated, threw a punch, and the men began to beat Hughes, striking him in the head and face, investigators said. His friend ran into the bar to seek help.

After an unsuccessful attempt to get into his car and flee, Hughes grabbed his gun, located between the driver's seat and center console, investigators said. He told his attackers that he had a firearm, but they continued. He then fired eight shots, striking Farrell four times and Panebianco twice. Bowman suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

The outlet said immediately after the shooting, Hughes called 911 and told dispatchers "they jumped me; I had to," according to a recording of the call.

Anything else?

Hughes stayed at the scene until police arrived, PhillyVoice reported, citing investigators. The outlet added that Hughes was interviewed and had his blood tested — and investigators noted he didn't have any alcohol in his blood at the time of the shooting. Hughes also surrendered his phone, clothing, and weapon, PhillyVoice said, adding that Hughes had a legal firearm pit.

Hughes suffered a concussion, a bloody nose, a split lip, and bruises to his forehead and ear, the outlet reported, citing Weintraub. PhillyVoice also said Hughes has experienced post-traumatic headaches.

Here's a news report from WPVI-TV that aired soon after the shooting: