"The Hurt Locker" dramatizes the Iraq war, but doesn't claim its based on reality like "Six Days in Fallujah"; Summit, 2008

It all leads you to believe that the problem isn't that "Six Days in Fallujah" is rooted in history, or that it wants to turn actual incidents into entertainment for trigger-happy teens. No, the sticking point is that it's dealing with a particular episode of a war that's still going on. Those who fought in WWII may -- decades removed from their front-line exploits, and after hundreds of films, TV shows and games -- not feel insulted by such endeavors, but recent vets understandably bristle at Atomic Games and Konami turning their still-raw experiences into consumer-ready shoot-'em-ups.

With opposition to the war still strong, with the second battle of Fallujah still mired in controversy (thanks to persistent questions about the number of civilians evacuated before fighting began and how many subsequently died), Atomic Games -- failing to heed the warning of "Kuma\War" a critically savaged PC game that recreates actual Iraq conflicts -- sabotaged themselves by not waiting long enough before tackling such a hot button sim.

For that matter, the too-true-to-life specifics probably also contributed to "Six Days in Fallujah"'s downfall. Consider how poorly Iraq war films have fared with audiences and critics, because of their lack of perspective and fondness for sermonizing. It's not surprising that Atomic Games chose to emphasize adrenalized run-and-gun mayhem instead of political commentary or, as a former U.S. Infantryman mentioned to Kotaku, the dreary sit-around-and-wait aspects of service. Yet while Kathryn Bigelow's upcoming "The Hurt Locker" uses 2004 Iraq as the setting for an apolitical genre adventure, one that generates suspense from reality-based set pieces (disarming bombs, sniper stand-offs), its action comes equipped with no "based on real events" addendum. The backdrop is genuine but, just like in last year's heralded first-person-shooter "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare," the details are make-believe, a tack that "Six Days in Fallujah" forgoes. Beholden to facts and, because of that, the responsibility to at least touch on the complex strategic and moral issues that come with them, Atomic Games may have perhaps placed "realism" on too high a pedestal, failing to recognize that -- at least when it comes to Iraq films and games -- we want to feel like we're there, but only up to a point.

The Sandbox, a column about the intersection a film and gaming, runs biweekly.

[Additional photo: "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare," Activision, 2007]

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