America's Army: True Soldiers demo now on Xbox Live
by Justin McElroy 
{ Nov 2nd 2007 at 4:25PM }
We all know that America's Army: True Soldiers is actually America's Army: The Game That Forces You To Join The Army, but we had no idea how blatant the conscription was until we played the new demo on Xbox Live. We started to be concerned after we brought down our first target and the friendly digi-general complemented our skills before demanding that we gave him our actual, real world name and address and a pledge of four years service. But it was the last straw when we had to complete a quicktime event sequence of "A - B - X - Go to your local recruiter and sign up for the Army." The demo itself is a multiplayer only affair that seems to be passably GRAW-esque, thought with a hopelessly outdated interface for setting up games. That said, if you don't mind risking accidentally joining Uncle Sam's forces and you're a fan of tactical shooters, you might be able to squeeze some fun out of the download.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kinshadow @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:34PM
Does the demo have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy? I'm just asking, because people keep saying "suck my balls" and so forth.
nerrrrrrd @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:36PM
*SPOILER ALERT*
Demo ends with enlistment form.
nerrrrrrd @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:36PM
*SPOILER ALERT*
Demo ends with enlistment form.
KirbyMeister @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:36PM
...You're kidding? I freakin' LOLd.
LaughingTarget @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:46PM
Get this kid to play it:
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/01/halo-3-spawns-juvenile-mother-puncher/
And tell him the form is for uber skills that will allow him to unlock mad Halo 3 skillz.
Sean @ Nov 2nd 2007 4:50PM
Yuck.
WiNG @ Nov 2nd 2007 5:14PM
This:
http://www.helium.com/tm/667194/anniversary-september-terrorist-attacks
J @ Nov 2nd 2007 5:14PM
With recruitment levels at an all-time low, perhaps tricking kids into joining to kill the brown people du jour via a game (yay) as opposed to with a college opportunity (boring) can surely turn things around.
angryguy77 @ Nov 2nd 2007 5:37PM
yes becuase this game is going to trick people into service for our country. And so what if it does get people to join, is it a bad thing to serve our country now? Oh wait, I guess it must be becuase America us eeeevil, and all those enlisted men must be idiots. Take you anti military talking points and stick it. I can't stand you spinless whimps that have no stomach for war. Somtimes its necessary to protect our way of life via bullets. And yes, some of those brown people have to die first becasue (i know its hard for you libs to swollow) there are bad people out there that want to kill us.
Long Bow @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:00PM
Wow, Angryguy really is...angry.
As someone who served in the military, and went in under my own free will, I can truly say that the whole "America's Army" is a bad recruiting tactic. You'll have kids going in thinking it's a game and quickly become disillusioned and will probably end up disliking the military. For anyone who may think that I probably had a desk job, I was an infantry paratrooper. I didn't go Ranger, SF, etc. because I knew it wasn't the life I wanted.
Batzarro @ Nov 2nd 2007 5:15PM
SIR,NO SIR! I MAY KILL MYSELF AT HOME FOR FREE, SIR!
Gimbal @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:18PM
I tried looking in my equipment list for asthma medicine but could't find any. I can only moves at a snails pace lest I sound like I'm gasping for air from a sucking chest wound. Bad framerate, especially when the bullets start flying. Clunky Operation Flashpoint feel to the movement. Friendly AI constantly walk into my fire arc.
Gimbal @ Nov 3rd 2007 12:10AM
Update: I tried the demo again. Must have been some sort of glitch the first time, but this time when I played it the panting sound from moving (however slightly) was still there, but at least the volume of it wasn't drowning out everything else.
Still sucks though.
angryguy77 @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:17PM
long bow,
I just get very angry at people who have a dislike for the military. I believe that people have the right to their opinion, except when it comes to this. There is no reason to believe that our military is a tool for wrong doing in the world. It has done so much for this country, and it kills me to see people taken in by the Vietnam era of hate. I never served, but I have the greatest respect for people that do-past and present. Ever since this current war started, there has been a political driven movement to destroy what we are trying to do. I would think that after 911 and seeing heads chopped off, that the people of this country would understand what we are up against. But they take the liberal lies and follow like lemmings over the cliff. In order for us to remain free, we have to love this country and its military and do whatever it takes to thrive. This doesn't mean that we follow blindly, no country has ever been perfect, but we can fix whats wrong with the country with out desroying it in the process. Just remember people, no great country has fallen from outside invaders, it always started inside its borders
Long Bow @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:41PM
There's a difference between paying respect to those who have served and the actual military. The military is just another tool that politicians use to get the end result. If you truly want to pay homage, do it for the individual Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors. The military is just another corporation where the executives get rich by exploiting the workers. The only difference is that they're allowed to kill in order to create revenue, even if it means killing their own soldiers. We need structure and discipline, unfortunately those that run the government and military are always corrupt, selfish and sacrifice their own people to further their goals.
As for America's Army, it's still a crappy way to recruit.
Dave @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:48PM
I support all those who service our country.
PickyPants @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:51PM
I know I must appear to be a "spinless whimp," but I don't think I have to love the military to still be a productive member of society.
In fact, I might even go so far as to say that fact that we can have differing opinions is what makes this country great.
Also, There is no reason to believe that our military is a tool for wrong doing in the world?
No reason?
Don't want to hijack the thread, but he started it.
AstroZombie @ Nov 2nd 2007 7:19PM
"There is no reason to believe that our military is a tool for wrong doing in the world."
"Somtimes its necessary to protect our way of life via bullets."
You wanna explain to me how, exactly, our "way of life" is being protected via the war in Iraq? Seriously, and don't play the 9/11 card. Iraq had nothing to do with that. I'm not trying to talk shit about our soldiers. I respect them for their bravery, and I know that they're just doing what they feel (or what they're told) is right.
In case you can't tell, I am against this war. It has served no real purpose, beyond getting innocent people killed and wasting a couple billion dollars a week. Iraq is a far more unstable, dangerous place today than it was when we invaded, unprovoked. The "president" and his administration (oh, and Fox "News") have lied to us, blatantly, over and over again about Iraq, about 9/11, about the Presidential elections, about everything. In my opinion, they (the Bush regime, not the troops) should all be impeached and tried for war crimes.[/rant]
LaughingTarget @ Nov 2nd 2007 7:25PM
The only Constitutional authority our government has to use the military is to strike at enemies that attack us or pose a real, credible threat. Attacking Al Qaeda is justified, blowing up two countries and spending billions to rebuild them isn't. This nation really needs to get back on track with what the Founders wanted, not this 130 nation global patrol we're on.
gregory mitchell @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:23PM
Well i for one couldnt give a F*** about what you think. You need to calm the F**k down. You are whats wrong with this country. hotheaded and stupid, oh yea and deceitful
yea when i was young i thought we were doing great things for the world but i ask who decided to make us gods on earth. We go around telling people what they can and cant have. How the hell do we spend billions destroying a country and then spend billions trying to fix it. Wow what do you know we live in a country that bleeds you dry. Have you ever done the math on how much taxes get taken out of your paycheck a generous 20-30%. then when you use the 70% that you do net. they take another 7% on everything you buy. so basically you cant afford anything. were so goddamn rich as country but we get assraped for healthcare. car insurance credit all that shit it fucked up. O and in jersey if you get certain tickets costing in excess of 500 and 4 points you get a 900 surcharge.....FOR NOTHING JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN. shopping for a car guess what every dealership (or anywhere) everytime they run your credit is 1-3 points against. Its amazing how people are getting fucked and dont know it. Cowards lol...We bomb the shit out of everyone else and now we get hit and people start panicing. well thats what happen when you bully people and they get the means to defend themselves. its old playground rules. No dissrespect to people involved in 9/11 2 building cant compare to entire cities weve destroyed. but hey everyone is happy as long as its us doing the killing right??? Its amazing how people get pissed when they hear most countries dont like us but maybe someone stop and think about why.....We HAD to do something to make everyone hate us
License to ill @ Nov 3rd 2007 3:10AM
But they take the liberal lies and follow like lemmings over the cliff. In order for us to remain free, we have to love this country and its military and do whatever it takes to thrive.
Sorry but you're the one following like a lemmings...
LaughingTarget @ Nov 3rd 2007 8:21AM
Liscense to Ill -
The very reason we're in this shitstorm in the first place is because of that attitude. We put up military bases in everyone's backyard and somehow expect them to like it? We back dictators, unelected officials and do tons of other ugly things for various stupid reasons. We created bin Ladin because we didn't like the Russians, we pissed off Iran because we preferred their kingdom over a democratically elected leadership. We sit here and give Israel military equipment. We go around to places like Venezuela and Cuba and tell them they suck, do as we do or pay the consequences.
We brought all of this on ourselves. Reac the Constitution. There's a reason why foreign aid is not allowed. There's a reason why we're not supposed to nation build. There's a reason why we are expected to stay out of the political affairs of other nations and only keep open lines of trade and communication with them. Our current Government ignores every last one of them. We toss billions of dollars around to other countries with OUR MONEY and see no benefit from it. We police the world with bases and military presence in 130 different countries and have to hire mercenaries to cover the shortfall. Whenever there's any kind of conflict, we immediately jump in and back the most convenient side and tell the other side to tow the line or we'll kill your economy. And you wonder why we have all this venom.
The moment we stop sending foreign aid, pull our military back from every nation (really, why do we even have Ramstein AFB in Germany anymore?) and stop playing favorites and just deal with everyone by example, not dictation things would be a whole lot better. We spend less money, we're less intrusive and people get to see just how awesome our way of life is and lets them make the change on their own, which is the only way it will ever stick.
angryguy77 @ Nov 2nd 2007 6:56PM
Here's the thing, if the motives are bad and wrong by the politicians, then wouldn't that mean that the people in the military are just as guilty because they are not drafted and sign up on their own? The military complex is a good thing, it has helped many people get their lives together. My brother was an example of this. I don't think that you can blanket all politicians as using this as a tool for their own gain. I'm not going to say that it has never happend, but our military has been used for far greater good around the world than it has been used as tools for the powerfull. There is a mentality of many Americans who think we are wrong no matter what. And its these people who say horrible things about it. These comments only serve the enemy and help its cause. Vietname was a perfect example of this. They have shrines to the likes of jane fonda and the protestors. They even said that it was the anti-war crowd that gave moral boosts to their troops. How many of our guys died because this? And how many have did in Iraq because of this same crowd.
Long Bow @ Nov 2nd 2007 7:14PM
"Here's the thing, if the motives are bad and wrong by the politicians, then wouldn't that mean that the people in the military are just as guilty because they are not drafted and sign up on their own?"
This is a good notion, but it's flawed. The majority of people that serve have a feeling of patriotism. Once you're a member of the military, you do as your told. The reason for this is that regardless of what happens, you need structure, or anarchy will corrupt said structure. Although you're forced to do questionable things, you do them because at the moment you don't have a chance to debate the situation and circumstances.
P.S. it's easier if you just reply to yourself to keep it as a thread. I'm done for now. I hope your brother is safe.
Dave @ Nov 2nd 2007 7:38PM
Wow. You're brainwashed, dude.
gregory mitchell @ Nov 2nd 2007 9:28PM
serve the enemy....how about trying to control the world and telling people how to live. maybe if helped our own people, people would actually want to support this country.
mikeypop @ Nov 3rd 2007 12:55AM
So I guess you'll be running out to join the Marines as soon as you're of age? In about six years?
Batzarro @ Nov 3rd 2007 7:59AM
There's multiple ways to go about it, but in general:
1)Besides the illegality of the war, and the people that die because of it, It does not seem to be helping U.S. In fact, it's causing a festering pit of what I call "Ameri-hate"
2)The army is actually running out of willing bodies to throw at the situation, and has resorted to lies and half-truths to sucker people into joining. My cousin was told if he joined they WOULDN'T ship him over there(In the middle of war?Halfwit.)
3)I do believe having an Army IS nessesary. After all, if something real does break out, you need something to fall onto. That's why it's a bad Idea to waste resources on the middle east. My personal believe is that every time we("westerners") looked over there, we get stuck in some war. They have they're own squabbles and getting between them is bad for us.
4)There are no good countries. There are countries that use their power, and countries that don't have it.
BIGGEN @ Nov 3rd 2007 12:53PM
i got REALLY bored with all the pointless drivel, but did anyone comment that the game SUCKS?
Batzarro @ Nov 4th 2007 9:06AM
YOU TAKE THAT BACK! OUR DRIVEL WAS POINTFULL!
Sus @ Nov 3rd 2007 3:16PM
Im in the Uk here and im so happy to see that some Americans are aware of their own situation...you guys have at least that going for you. THe siutation is the same over here, massive debt, in fact our population is like 30% of yours and we too are in debt by $2.2 trillion.
Iraq is costing us financialy and like America global opinion of the UK is so bad. (BTW I am not English...global opinion can never be good).
The thing is we were told the reason going to war was a lie (No big 25 minute missles and all that), but people continue oblivious, well I say that, they just dont seem to care that this is a war that shouldnt have been