The 4th of July is Independence Day for Americans, and they celebrate it with lots of fireworks and usually with friends and family. However, you may not engage in this type of activity, or you may just be afraid of the potential dangers it can cause.
In this case, you can easily celebrate by watching American movies or playing American games. These headlines must have some sort of American flavor, discuss American topics, be patriotic, or just ooze Americanness. You can celebrate the holiday by playing these games, some even feature the President of the United States.
Developed by FromSoftware, Metal Wolf Chaos is one of the funnier American-themed games, and it wasn’t even originally released in the West. It was a Japanese-only original Xbox title for the longest time, until it was re-released on modern platforms in 2019.
This seems particularly odd, given how absurdly exaggerated American patriotism is treated here. Despite being made by the studio that later created Dark Souls and Elden Ring, it’s not on the same level as those masterpieces, but it remains fun.
9 Saints Row 4
Like Metal Wolf Chaos, Saints Row 4 is a bit absurd with its American patriotism, but this time clearly in jest. As you take control of the President of the United States, you must defeat an emerging horde of alien invaders called the Zin—certainly a stark contrast to the grounded, realistic first entry.
Saints Row 4 is a game that divides the fan base as it enters full fantasy territory. However, in its own right, it’s still a fantastic open-world title like its predecessors. Flying around and shooting these weird and wonderful guns is still a thrill today.
8 Bad boys
One of the sweetest video games from the 80s is definitely Bad Dudes. The actual gameplay is pretty decent in the premium arcade version, but what makes the title famous are the opening and ending cutscenes.
The game begins with an announcement from a Secret Service agent telling the heroes that the president has been kidnapped. He then asks them if they are bad enough to save him. To top it off, you end up going out for a burger with the president. You can’t get more American than that.
7 Rocky (2002) subtitles – download subtitles
When it comes to American cinema, there aren’t many films that embody the American dream quite like Rocky – a true comeback story both on and off the screen. The first movie is one of the best, and there have been many Rocky movies as well. The best is the 2002 title Rocky for PS2, Xbox and GameCube.
It’s incredibly true to the movies, including footage from it and the Rocky theme. Rocky’s gameplay is similar to other boxing titles of the era and remains solid today. Sure, the graphics are dated, but that’s to be expected from a sports title from 2002. It’s still fun to play alone or with friends, and the Rocky Legends sequel is worth checking out.
6 Call Of Duty 2
They just don’t make as many WWII games as they used to. Call of Duty 2 is a great World War II title, and it hasn’t aged one bit in terms of emotional impact. Here you play three campaigns, first you start with the Soviets, then the British and finish with the Americans. Infinity Ward saved the best for last, as the American campaign has some of the most memorable moments and set pieces in the title.
You start playing through D-Day, culminating in holding off waves of troops at the top of Hill 400. It’s a grueling fight and a notable holdout stretch that COD campaigns would become famous for. With its authenticity and cinematic score, it remains a special experience, and at the end, thank the real individuals who risked their lives in search of freedom.
5 Duke Nukem 3D
Launched in 1996, Duke Nukem 3D featured a talking main character, which was new to the FPS genre. Duke was a parody of action heroes from the 80s and 90s, most notably Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ash from Evil Dead. Even the iconic box art is a tribute to the poster for Army of Darkness. He’s a woman-loving, beer-drinking American bastard who wants to send the aliens back to where they came from.
Duke 3D is still a fantastic FPS, mainly due to its level design and large arsenal. You can play it on pretty much anything these days, and if the base game isn’t American enough, there’s the Duke It Out In DC expansion. In this you have to save the president after aliens invade the white house.
The second installment of the Metal Gear Solid series has some heavy American themes. While the game itself is a quality stealth action title with amazing boss fights, the controls take some time to get used to. This game stands out because of the story and its various themes surrounding fake news, information concealment, memes, censorship, artificial intelligence and more.
The title finale is particularly strong as it had to be changed at the last minute due to the events of 9/11. With a sweet final boss atop Federal Hall, the game ends with a call to action. Even though the events of the game are pretty bad, Snake tells Raiden and you to take action and create a better future for generations to come. It certainly seems touching and patriotic in a way.
3 Assassin’s Creed 3
Assassin’s Creed has always been a historical series that takes place in different eras, and Assassin’s Creed 3 is especially set during the American Revolution. Several historical figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are present in the game.
Assassin’s Creed 3 isn’t one of the best in the series, but it’s still decent and you can learn a lot from it. For some people, the Assassin’s Creed series is how they know a lot about history, and even if you’re already well-informed, it’s still fun to play. Since it is a Ubisoft game, it also sells a lot.
2 Fugitive Hunter: The War on Terror
It’s rare to come across a game that’s so bad it’s good, but Fugitive Hunter for PS2 and PC is just that. Beginning in 2003, at the height of the war on terror in the United States, you are tasked with shooting ten of the most wanted fugitives, including Osama bin Laden himself. The protagonist is CIFR agent Jake Seaver, who is basically an illegal version of the American action hero.
You’ll want to make sure the music is turned down and the voice is in line while playing because his one-liners are absolutely hilarious. He talks so often that he’ll even comment when he’s missing shots, which is especially funny. If you think this game is cheap then definitely give it a try as it is pure fun.
1 Grand Theft Auto 4
It seemed like every Rockstar game since Grand Theft Auto 4 had some variation on the American Dream theme. However, the best is still the originator. Later titles, including GTA5, made the theme feel more dated every time it was used. GTA4 felt fresh and the way Niko Bellic follows his dreams is most well executed, especially regarding the ending.
This game is still fun to play, and the awesome swing glitch is unique to the series. But if you are used to GTA5, it takes some time to get back. However, the multiplayer is still great.