Ah, Philippines, so beautiful, so scenic and exotic, and so… pixilated?
Kamusta kabayan!
Frank here!
It's hard to believe how far we've come with video games.
Nowadays, you can explore and experience different locations and parts of the world from the
comfort of your own home!
In fact, so many video games out there allow us to do so – from exploring New York City
in Grand Theft Auto, to running through the Middle Eastern dessert in a war-based first
person shooter.
As someone who hasn't been to the Philippines in the past 3 years, it made me miss the mother
land and then I thought, "I wonder what video games feature Philippine locations that
I can explore?"
With that said, in this video, I will go over 8 popular games that feature various parts
of the Philippines either as a vital part of its plot, or as a background for aesthetic
reasons.
Either way, we are going on a trip to the virtual Philippines!
Grab your 16-bit suitcases and let's go!
Medal of Honor: Warfighter featuring Isabela City, Basilan, Philippines
The first real-life Philippine location on this list takes place in the popular wartime
shooter game, Medal of Honor: Warfighter in Isabela City, Basilan.
In the game, one of the mission objectives is to save hostages and defeat Abu Sayaf's
terrorist group.
What I love about the depiction of the country here is that you really get to immerse yourself
into the real war-torn slums of Basilan in the Philippines.
The palm trees, the broken down buildings, along with the non-playable characters speaking
Tagalog in the background.
It doesn't glamorize the Philippines nor should it, especially in such a setting where
terroristic activity and militia are present.
Regardless, you really get a strong feel of the squatter areas and poorer places of the
provincial locations and the graphics in this game are so realistic, it's like you really
are stepping foot in the Philippines.
Soul Calibur featuring The Village of The Wind Deity, Philippines
As I've mentioned in my previous video a while back, Talim is one of the few Filipina
characters in a video game.
Debuting in Soul Calibur 2, we are introduced to a pre-colonial Philippines, right as the
Spanish came to colonize the islands in the 16th century.
Referred to as "The Village of the Wind Deity," it is situated in a location that
commands a view of both the mountains and the sea.
The main focuses of this stage are the wind mills which bring about a strong breeze throughout
the village.
The stage takes place on top of a wooden platform with an open area several feet about the ground.
Here you can see the magnificence of the Philippines in the background during a clear sunny day.
The beautiful wooden structures, as well as the utilization of wind power and stone houses,
bring us back to a historical era of the Philippines.
In Soul Calibur 3, water-powered mills and aqueducts are depicted instead, showcasing
more Filipino innovation and a different side to 16th century Philippines.
The beautiful soundtrack compliments the beautiful scenary and takes as back to a more simplified
Philippines before industrialization and Spanish influences had been integrated with our culture.
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine featuring Palawan, Philippines
In this movie based video game, we get the chance to explore Palawan as Indiana Jones,
even if it is in a virtual, pixilated world.
The real life Palawan is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world,
and even in this PC game, we get to see it for ourselves in the game, pixels and all.
The Palawan lagoon, temple and volcano are some of the locations featured and although
the graphics are primitive by today's standards, there's so much to venture upon.
Exotic animals, the fresh blue water, and the vast amount of green wildlife really stand
out.
It makes sense since Indiana Jones is an explorer, but as the player you really get a feel of
the nature that surrounds you and it's easy to get lost in the beauty that surrounds you.
You get to swim the clear blue water, see the inside of a volcano, and visit a Palawan
temple, to name a few.
Pretty much your basic touristy activities all while relaxing in your own home.
Katamari Damacy featuring a Filipino House in the Philippines
Ah, Katamari Damacy.
In this weird yet addictive game, you are an alien that has to collect objects from
earth on a ball called a katamari in order to make stars.
One location featured is the Philippines.
But unlike the previous games I've mentioned, here you are limited to the inside of a Filipino
home.
Now I don't know about you, but as Filipinos, we tend to have very messy houses so I felt
like this was a pretty hilarious and somewhat accurate depiction.
Some of the things inside this house that you can collect are coins, batteries, lego
pieces, and other little knick knacks that are all around the house.
Throughout the game, you are able to collect household items from a Filipino living room,
as well as the outside area where there are plants and other objects lying about on the
grassy areas of the backyard.
I'm pretty sure the best Tagalog phrase to explain all of this unnecessary clutter
and mess is "maraming tambak," at least that's what my mom likes to say whenever
my room is a big huge mess.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 featuring Manila, Philippines
Not only did Tekken give us its first Filipina fist-fighter Josie Rizal, but they also gave
us 2 Filipino locations.
The first takes place in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
Referred only as the "Coastal Sunset" stage, you really feel as though you are in
Manila just looking at the background.
I remember when I was in Manila back in 2012, I saw the exact same beautiful sunset and
seeing it again in this game made me feel so nostalgic.
Philippine sunsets are like no other, and the "Coastal Sunset" stage in this game
makes that known.
From the tricycles and jeepneys lined up in the background, to the Filipinos in the back
cheering on the fight, the game producers really captured the essence of Manila.
The sunset is obviously the key element of this stage however, signaling that evening
is upon us.
The orange sky in the background with the silhouette of the palm trees and the Philippine
buildings, really makes it seem like we traveled to the island's capital.
Tekken 7 featuring a Jungle Outpost in the Philippines
In Tekken 7, another Philippine stage called "Jungle Outpost" gives us a look into
the outskirts of the jungle areas instead of the city.
This stage is shared by fellow Filipino Josie Rizal and Heihachi's pet bear Kuma.
You can clearly see the bahay kubo in the distance, as well as some wildlife, including
tropical birds in the background of this stage.
Not much else is noted here other than the wild marshes and the utilization of wood and
logs for the fighting platform.
The same orange sky is present as it was in the Manila stage in Tekken Tag Tournament
2.
The jungle, obviously too, is also present in the background and really adds on to the
nature of this location.
Front Mission 3 featuring the Taal Volcano & Batangas, Philippines
Front Mission 3 is another video game that I mentioned previously that features 2 Filipino
characters, Jose Estrada and Pham Luis.
It also features 2 popular Philippine locations – The Taal Base and Batangas.
The game depicts a futuristic Batangas ridden with militia, base camps, and mechanized robots.
The beautiful Batangas that we are familiar with today is no longer recognizable and instead,
is filled with military bases and unnecessary buildings and control centers.
Thankfully this is just a fictionalized depiction and hopefully will not be a sneak peak of
what's to come in the future.
The Taal Base is no different either.
Whereas the Taal Volcano and its surrounding locations are mostly made up of grassy area
and nature, the depiction of this area in Front Mission 3 is the complete opposite.
Crysis 3 featuring The Lost Island, Philippines
This fictional location referred to only as "the Lost Island" takes place in Crysis
3, a first person shooter action game.
According to the plot, traces of a mysterious alien presence have been discovered on a small
island in the Philippines 200 miles from Ling Shan.
As you can see, this location appears to be a remote island of the Philippines near the
coastal area.
The game accurately depicts the natural side of the country despite the fact that you have
to shoot down aliens in the game.
Exploring further, Crysis 3 also features some squatter areas similar to the real-life
poorer areas of the Philippines.
These houses appear to have rundown roofs and makeshift support beams made out of wood
and sticks to keep the structures standing.
Despite this, the player has the opportunity to have an open-ended exploration of the vicinity,
which includes the coastal area of the island and the marsh, grassy plains and tree-filled
areas of the Philippines.
Just be sure to put on the bug spray!
Obviously these video games don't do justice to the real-life beauty that the Philippines
has to offer but it is nice to experience the motherland in the comfort of your own
room, especially if you live in another country.
Which of these virtual depictions of the Philippines was your favorite?
Let me know in the comments below, and let me know if there were other video games which
feature the Philippines that I may have missed.
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These video games really made me miss the Philippines, now if you'll excuse me, I'm
off to grab my passport and search up some flights to Manila.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you guys in the next video!
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