Highlights
- Team Jade faces a unique challenge in balancing fun gameplay with faithfully depicting Delta Force: Black Hawk Down's legacy and real-world events.
- The remaster must handle scenes with sensitivity to avoid problematic portrayals and cultural criticisms, especially with the Battle of Mogadishu setting.
- Adapting to please fans of the film while delivering an enjoyable experience for all players will be key for Delta Force: Hawk Ops' success.
While the Delta Force series of tactical shooters no longer carries the cultural cache that it once did, the Summer Game Fest trailer for Delta Force: Hawk Ops still managed to generate some serious excitement thanks to an unexpected addition. Alongside glimpses of other gameplay modes, the trailer revealed that Delta Force: Hawk Ops also includes a remastered version of 2003’s Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. Including this remaster of the fan-favorite title among the free-to-play shooter’s trio of gameplay modes is sure to come as welcome news for fans of both the franchise and the acclaimed Ridley Scott film, but it could also pose some unique challenges for developer Team Jade.
Unlike Delta Force: Hawk Ops’ other gameplay modes, which can focus on fun first and foremost, the remastered version of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down must live up to the legacy of both the original game and the movie that inspired it. This means that any scene lifted directly from Black Hawk Down will be subjected to increased scrutiny by fans of the film on the lookout for inaccuracies. And if pleasing fans of the film wasn’t already a daunting enough task, Team Jade must also walk a fine between making the mode fun to play and respectfully depicting the real-world events that it’s based on.
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Delta Force: Hawk Ops May Be Put Under the Microscope by Movie Fans
Despite being a remaster of 2003’s Delta Force: Black Hawk Down rather than a direct tie-in to Black Hawk Down, film fans will still likely scrutinize anything directly inspired by the movie. This could make meeting the lofty expectations of those looking for a straightforward video game adaptation of the film particularly challenging. While the reveal trailer shows the remaster striving to faithfully recreate some of Black Hawk Down’s most iconic moments, following the film too closely also presents other problems.
With some players eager to experience their favorite parts of the film firsthand, Team Jade may refrain from straying too far from the story as depicted in Black Hawk Down. Sticking slavishly to this script would limit the sorts of gameplay scenarios the realistic tactical shooter can offer, though. Whereas the original game’s campaign used the film as a general inspiration while still offering some unique missions, hewing closer to the movie’s story for the remaster to attract film fans could result in a far more linear experience. Directly echoing the film’s depictions of events could also lead to potentially problematic portrayals of the game’s enemies.
The Portrayal of the Battle of Mogadishu Should Be Handled With Care
Cultural considerations may also make a straightforward adaptation of Black Hawk Down tricky. While both the film and Delta Force: Hawk Ops were inspired by the real-life events of 1993’s bloody Battle of Mogadishu, presenting every Somali seen on screen as a one-dimensional enemy to be eliminated would undoubtedly draw complaints. It could even lead to the same sort of backlash that followed the initial gameplay trailer for Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 and its questionable depictions of the game’s primarily African antagonists.
Given the remaster’s real-world setting and the fact that, based on the Delta Force: Hawk Ops trailer, civilians are likely to be a constant presence on the battlefield, Team Jade needs to ensure combat scenarios are presented with a degree of sensitivity. Without careful handling, action sequences in the free-to-play shooter could end up echoing some of the more disturbing aspects of Spec Ops: The Line but with none of the nuance of that cult classic game.
Team Jade’s remaster of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down must balance trying to appease hardcore fans of the film with delivering an enjoyable experience for everyone. If it can manage to walk this tricky tightrope while avoiding problematic portrayals of the game’s central conflict, though, Delta Force: Hawk Ops could present players with one of the most thrilling tactical shooter experiences in years.
