More Modern Warfare

You know for someone who doesn't really care for Modern Warfare 2 I sure do write a lot of entries about it. Here's another one!

Being the nerd that I am I've always been fascinated by insignias, logos and so on be they military, commercial, athletic, you name it. If it has an identity I'm interested in it. This is probably why I have a collection of patches, probably why I have Uniwatch on my RSS feed.

My favourite part of Modern Warfare besides the pointless violence, then, is the various teams that are available in multiplayer. There are a total of six different teams all with their own unique logos, in-game chatter, uniforms and so on. Today we take a look at these teams identities, look for inspirations in the real life and compare them according to overall badassery. I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the emblems, apparently they haven't made their way to the internet yet so I just borrowed them from some youtube vids.

-Rangers - An obvious one, these guys represent the United States Army, specifically the Army Rangers. The colours and the star are borrowed directly from the widely used U.S Army logo (the one that accompanies all the swag you pick up at high school job fairs). The star also appears on the Rangers insignia. Sadly there is not a single trace of a lightning bolt on the game emblem but at least they kept the gold, the rifles complete the coat of arms in the most literal way possible. As for badassery? the Rangers have a swagger about them with their insistence on leading the way.

-Seals - The U.S Navy, the emblem has an eagle holding onto a sword whereas in the actual emblem the eagle is holding either an anchor or a trident or whatever else it can get its claws on. The emblem is finished off with a globe and what appears to be the Star Trek logo in the background. The SEALs have always been the most acclaimed and famous special ops team in the U.S military. They also have that swagger about them in the game but their crop is certainly devalued since all teams have the same abilities. In reality the Seals would probably kick the most ass.

-Task Force 141 - The main group in the single player game, I've always considered them the British team and with good reason, not only do the soldiers talk in British accents but the emblem is based on the British Special Air Services (SAS) division. The skull and the crazy looking plane in the back are an addendum as is the laurel which helps frame the emblem. The badassery of this team is seen in the single player campaign, ergo I have yet to see it.

-OpFor - The Middle Eastern team, an ultranational (but not Islamist?) faction that fights in the streets and mountain tops wearing assorted keffiyehs and other assorted terrorist ware. The logo is a typical one for an Islamist group, it instantly reminded me of the logo of the real life Muslim Brotherhood. The various swords, the crescent moon, the flame in the back, they really went for all the markers and were able to fit them into an emblem that can fit into any faction in any country in the Middle East. They're fun to use because you're using the bad guys, but not a lot of badassery.

-Spetsnaz - Quickly close your eyes and think of two things that scream "Communism". Chances are at least one of those two things is either a red star or the hammer and sickle. The Spetsnaz emblem in the game is just that, a hammer and sickle inside a red star. It doesn't get much more Soviet than that. The real Spetsnaz did not have an official logo and it appears that the one used in the game is based on that used by the KGB. Since the Red Army is no more, Russian intelligence falls under the umbrella of the Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye or GRU, naturally this new organization no longer uses the old communist insignia. When you constantly use the word "comrade", by the way, your badass level is through the roof.

-Militia - Finally the Brazilian militia which isn't modeled after any particular group but is sort of a representation of similar groups found throughout the world at various times. A clandestine, revolutionary group with a particular goal: usually to overthrow the government but frequently just to work as an organized crime syndicate. These are not soldiers but ordinary malcontents, their emblem is a red hand which is reminiscent of other movements that have sought change through revolutionary means. It is also fairly easy to reproduce: after a political killing simply dab your hand in the blood of your enemy and press it against the wall, bam! instant calling card. The militia is also up there not because they're taking on some of the most powerful military forces in the world while wearing casual clothing but rather because one of their members dares wear a Boca Juniors shirt. In Brazil. That dude has got some balls.