Global Thermonuclear War: featuring YOUR hometown!

by Conrad Quilty-Harper { May 25th 2006 at 7:55PM }

I couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled across this in a HMV store in my hometown of Canterbury, UK: the staff at the store had stuck stickers on boxes of the game War on Terror enthusiastically proclaiming that it features "a Canterbury Level!!". Linking terrorism and imagery of burning houses to the customer's current location and hometown? That's gotta be a surefire guaranteed way to boost sales!

Tags: War on Terror, WarOnTerror

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Stu @ May 25th 2006 8:07PM

I'm just not interested in Anti-Terror Urban Warfare video games unless I can play in my cities burning wreckage and find the virtual tatters of my life strewn about. Only then will I fight the digital good fight.

Knoxximus @ May 25th 2006 8:24PM

Well, at least you might have an idea what expect when the shit goes down!

Nintendo Kiddy @ May 25th 2006 8:32PM

Yeah it would boost sales if the population of canterbury wasn't a paltry 1,500.

Chris Holmes @ May 25th 2006 8:44PM

Yeah more like 10000 Nintendo Kiddy you idiot, I actually live there, and I've seen this just shuggred it off as advertisement gone bad.

Limestallc @ May 25th 2006 8:51PM

i live in st. louis and i think the only game that ever featured my city is red alert 2.

cringer8 @ May 25th 2006 8:58PM

LMAO! If they did a good enough of a job putting all the right stuff in all the right places, this would bring "immersion" to the next level.

"Hey, they painted the swingset in my backyard the wrong shade of blue."

Those stickers are brilliant. I'd buy the game if I was a Canterburian.

The ZeroCorpse @ May 25th 2006 10:12PM

Yikes... Imagine playing a game like this and stumbling across the smoldering remains of your own house, walking inside, and finding a charred corpse sitting in front of the computer/console with gamepad in hand...

And strangely enough, the corpse is wearing that shirt you just bought today...

Revadarth @ May 25th 2006 11:16PM

My town is featured in Fallout 2. Pretty cool, I guess.

The_Predator @ May 26th 2006 12:07AM

Now I eagerly await GTA: Berkshire...

:)

Mike @ May 26th 2006 12:40AM

Well I live just outside Toronto, and from what I gather, theres never been a Toronto level in any video game ever made? I thought maybe we had a shot with one for one of the Tony hawk games, but nah.

Judd @ May 26th 2006 2:04AM

I'm from New Jersey and my areas first representation will be in the upcoming "The Sopranos" game. Hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to whack people on the highways!

Sockatume @ May 26th 2006 4:45AM

A friend of mine has this, I'll have to nick it from him and see if it's remotely accurate. I'm not convinced you'll actually find the cathedral in the Lovecraftian maze that is Canterbury city centre.

Don Jose @ May 26th 2006 5:17AM

...I'm still waiting for True Crime: Barrios of Phoenix.

DG @ May 26th 2006 7:23AM

I live in urban Kentucky and, believe me, people fully expect the war on terror to drop down in Louisville at any moment. I almost wish this fair city was featured in a game such as this. Or any American city for that matter. Maybe then our leaders could live their boyhood fantasies in virtual countries instead of acting them out in real ones with real people.

JaSoN! @ May 26th 2006 8:40AM

hey at least the shop is paying attention to the product its selling. kudos hmv.

Icupnimpn2 @ May 26th 2006 9:02AM

Judd,

Of course there was a game set in Jersey! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero_League_of_Hoboken

Matt @ May 26th 2006 10:09AM

Canterbury Tales 2: Judgement Day. Chaucer would be proud!

Jacob @ May 26th 2006 10:53AM

9) Those "GTA" games are so misleading, aren't they?

/waiting for "GTA: GTA"

Adam Blinkinsop @ May 26th 2006 11:35AM

@Kiddy - where'd you get that number from? A quick googling gets me 35,000 (http://www.10best.com/Canterbury/locationDetails.html). Think before you speak, huh?

On the game - every time an FPS comes out with good level editing software, I always get requests to model up a level of some nearby area. I don't think it's a "let's practice our terrorist skills" as it is a "cool, I know this place!"

achillez @ May 27th 2006 4:34AM

To # 16, Icupnimpn2:
Just the name in the link had me laughing for ten or fifteen seconds, thank you. I somehow doubt the actual content can top that, but I"'ll follow the link and give it a shot.