The region’s cultural and historical richness make it a great backdrop for stories to be told. Countless novels, poems, films and even video games have dealt with the region’s culture, telling stories that deal with the region’s past, present and near future.
From medieval Jerusalem to WWII-era Egypt to post-apocalyptic Dubai, we take a look in this article at the region’s depiction in video games, and how different developers would handle the region and present it in their own video games.
Jerusalem - Assassin’s Creed
This is perhaps the most lifelike city in our list. The game was released in 2007, and it amazed us with its brilliant design, accurate landmarks and lifelike population (which became a staple in subsequent Assassin’s Creed games). The game really gave the impression that it is indeed set in the midst of 12th century Jerusalem. In the game, Jerusalem was ruled by famed Muslim leader Saladin, and the third crusade was being led by Richard The Lionheart to take over Jerusalem.
So how accurate was Jerusalem’s portrayal in the game? Well, we weren’t present in 12th century to give a verdict on the matter, but to their credit Ubisoft seems to have done their research. The city was divided into three parts - the poorer districts included low buildings, a church, a mosque and a jewish temple, and is riddled with guards which makes it one of the more difficult areas in the game
The middle district is relatively larger in size than the previous one, and includes most of the city’s landmarks such as the hospital, the guard tower, and The Church of The Resurrection, and it is sparsely populated in terms of civilians and guards. The rich district is known is for its large spaces, its tall buildings and most importantly, its accurate recreation of the Dome of The Rock Mosque.
Syria and Yemen - Uncharted 3
The Uncharted series took us across the world, and through the game we visited countries like England, France, Colombia, Syria and Yemen. The historical landmarks presented in the latter two countries made them ideal to serve as important elements of the game’s story.
Yemen appeared in six chapters, and while its appearance in the game might not be an accurate representation of the country itself, the developers put a lot of effort in recreating Yemen’s oriental atmosphere, with its narrow roads, unique antique buildings and its high mountains gracing the skyline. This becomes more apparent when you visit the “souq” (marketplace), where you will find lively merchants selling fruits and vegetables, and small stores lining up the market as female shoppers dressed in Arab and Middle Eastern garments walk by. The icing on the cake is when you hear Arabic phrases, such as “Tafadaloo, Ahlan w Sahlan, Shukran” (Welcome, Greetings, Thank you) being thrown around, as well as Arabic writing and graffiti marking the stores and the surrounding walls. We don’t see nearly as much of Syria, as the country served as the location for only two chapters, and most of it takes place inside a castle.
Iraq - Splinter Cell: Conviction
In the fourth Splinter Cell game, Sam Fisher needs the help of his old friend Victor Coast who served alongside him in the Gulf War and saved his life in Iraq. During the phone call between the two friends, the game takes us through a flashback of Sam’s mission in Iraq.
A lot of players were skeptical about Iraq’s depiction since the area we see has little relation with the Arab country. However, the game explicitly states that the area saw numerous clashes between the American forces and the local armed guards, which is why you’ll find yourself under the grey sky standing on a charred road riddled with bodies and debris.
As Sam goes forward, we start seeing burnt vehicles, destroyed homes, and fallen Arabic billboards scattered through the area. More Arabic elements start coming to our attention further into the game, such as palm trees, the lighting posts and the electric posts that we immediately recognize from the region. This all gives the impression that this is an Arabic city in, but one that has been bombed and destroyed beyond recognition
Dubai - Spec Ops: The Line
Dubai served as the main setting for this game, but this is not the Dubai we know. Gone are the majestic skyscrapers, the expensive cars and the luxurious restaurants, as we are greeted by a ghostly city ravaged by sandstorms that obliterated everything in its way and turned the city’s residents into refugees. The United States sends a 33-man team led by John Conrad to evacuate the city, however all contact is lost with the team, and another team led by Captain Martin Walker is sent to investigate their disappearance.
Spec Ops’s experience was strange, but it was exhilarating at the same. It was quite cathartic to experience the city in such a dark scenario, and in the end Yager Studios did an incredible job.
Gulf of Oman - Battlefield 3
This isn’t the first time we see the Gulf of Oman in an FPS, as the location was previously featured in Battlefield 2. But with the release of the old maps on Battlefield 3, we get to see the region rendered in the mighty Frostbite 2 engine.
The design of the city stands out thanks to Battlefield 3’s graphics. The atmosphere of the map is very Arab in nature, with the region’s unique architecture and vast desert environments and the palm trees lining up the roads. Take a jet and fly over the map to get an aerial view of the map and the really enjoy the incredible amount of detail that DICE incorporporated in their map.
Egypt - Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 was released in 2003, and despite its admirable efforts in depicting the Egyptian desert, we can’t compare Call of Duty 2’s representation of the region to the other current-gen games on this list. However, what we appreciate is Call of Duty 2 taking us to one of the WWII’s most important battles; the Second Battle of El Alamein.
The battle took place between The Axis powers (The German and Italian forces) and The British Forces, whose role you take. The general design presents Alamein’s war-ridden desert environment brilliantly; a sand covered area with dozens of trenches are dug to provide the soldiers with protection, in addition to plenty of transport vehicles, bedouin tents scattered through area. The area is under a constant barrage of bombings and explosions, often trapping you in sand clouds that compromise your vision during combat.
Libya - Global Ops: Commando Libya
The game starts in the year 1968, when the American forces pursue a ship containing 4 nuclear bombs into the north pole. The forces manage to secure three bombs, with the fourth bomb going missng. Cut to present day, and the CIA learns that Russian arms deal Yebievdenko is in possession of the bomb and has made a deal to sell it to a notorious Libyan dictator, and it is up to your team to venture into Libya and secure the bomb.
Due to the game’s lackluster graphics, it lacked any interesting design choices that would make Libya stand out. But that’s hardly the primary concern with this game, as the game’s environments have little to no relation to Middle Eastern environments, as the architecture, buildings and environments could’ve been found in any other country, and if we would’ve had no idea that game took place in an Arab country, let alone Libya, if it wasn’t specified in the title, with the only identifying elements being a few Arabic phrases you would hear during the campaign.
