Developer Sensible Software
Publisher Virgin Interactive
Genre Strategy
Released 1993Cannon Fodder
T
his game is not in any way
endorsed by the Royal British
Legion. Cannon Fodder’s splash
screen cheekily referenced
the legal battle over using a red poppy
on its cover. Ferocious press coverage
called for a ban, making Cannon Fodder
one of the first ‘video nasties’ to be
criticised for tone rather than content.
Yet it had a much-misread anti-war
agenda. The infamous motto “war has
never been so much fun” was clearly
sarcastic, while its screen of new
recruits lining up before a hill studded
with gravestones marking the fallen
starkly highlighted the sad futility of
conflict. Yet beneath the poignant
imagery was a compelling (and, yes, so
much fun) mix of action and strategy.There was something very powerful and
shocking about the first time you gunned down
an enemy and he didn’t die - instead lying there
writhing and yelping in pain, inviting you to put
him out of his misery. More thought-provoking
than many so-called moral dilemmas in
modern games.
CLASSIC MOMENT