#7: Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield
Look, every single Tom Clancy game has a certain amount of perfunctory patriotism attached. It’s required, and Ubisoft is the leading provider of half-assed jingoism. I decided to limit myself to one single game on this list, so I chose the one with the most awesome soundtrack.
Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield is the most modern game of the franchise that still attempted to retain the one-shot, one-kill gameplay and deep strategic planning phase. You have to move carefully, check those corners, save hostages, breach and clear – all the stuff awesome soldiers do.
These games are crazy hard, and if you manage to persevere and complete a mission, you’re treated to a rousing Rainbow Six theme that’ll make you want to salute the red, white and blue – even if Rainbow Six is a multi-national group that doesn’t operate in the United States. At least, until the games forgot about that.
#8: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
I promise, this is the last game about Soviet invasions on this list. Red Alert 2 is a high-point in a series that’s all high-points – a legendary RTS that barely needs introduction. It’s a lightning fast, explosive series that’s all about blowing stuff up as quickly as possible, and the story is what makes this game belong on the list.
Ray Wise plays the well-meaning but kind of goofy President Dugan, and he’s up there with some truly legendary video game presidents. Throw in a time-traveling Albert Einstein, and plenty of super-evil Soviet goons to fight, and you’ve got some perfect patriotism gumbo. And I don’t give a wooden nickel what you think of that analogy! (That’s a Red Alert 2 reference. Watch the video above.)