Patriot Games

Like many people, I spent the 30th of June watching our country get a new president. Although I do not think he was the best choice (I didn't vote for him after all), I am a firm believer in respecting the position over the person.

So in the interest of Patriotism, I compiled a list of really epic games to unload some of the leftover nationalistic tendencies.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii [Rereleased as Reflex Edition])

I picked this one over the sequel Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 because it's cheaper to get, and it's also on Wii. Plus, I get the added bonus of telling people, "I played the first one" too (even if it is technically the 4th or 5th Call of Duty game).

This game is perhaps one of the best modern examples of melding 1st-person action with a well-told (if somewhat generic) story. A lot of conversation takes place while you're playing, and if it is linear, it makes sense in the context of what the game is (you're a private in the army, so you need to follow your superiors), and what the game wants to offer (a cohesive narrative in a first person action game). It is probably the one FPS I'd recommend even if you're not a fan of FPS's (it beats the snot off Half Life 2 at least).

Even more awesome-er? You play mostly as British SAS soldier "Soap" MacTavish. Bloody good.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP)

Metal Gear has always been a game series with one of the strongest anti-war themes, despite the fact that the main characters are often ninjas posing as soldiers. This installment focuses on Big Boss / Naked Snake building up the army that Solid Snake eventually blasts into extinction in the first Metal Gear on the MSX or Family Computer. Dang, so that's why Big Boss was so PO'ed at Snake.

Peace Walker on the PSP is an experiment in taking Metal Gear's ninja sneaking, mixing in Pokemon's obsessive-compulsive disorder-inducing hunting-gathering and Monster Hunter's multiplayer epicness. The result? Snakes Taking Down a Plane. For realz.

Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC, Xbox 360)

So, after the Cold War, the NSA apparently managed to get a hold of the CIA Ninja Training manuals they used to train Big Boss and Snake. How else could you explain Sam Fisher?

This time, Fisher goes rogue on the NSA, but you just know that eventually he gets back on the US of A's good side. The US sure needs lots of them ninjas.

The best thing about SC: Conviction is that it throws out Splinter Cell's trademark "slow and steady" stealth and brings it to Batman: Arkham Asylum's "BAD-@$$" stealth level. After all, what's a ninja if he's not bad-@$$?

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

It's a Mario game. You will save a princess at some point. I imagine that makes it patriotic for those who live in a monarchy.

Oorah? OOOORAHHH!