Video games have had a long-running fascination with war since anyone can remember. From fighting Nazis in an alternate reality fraught with terror to find yourself knee-deep in the trenches of World War I, video games have made us live through historically accurate and entirely fictional battles.
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So it’s no surprise that several video games have powerful militaries you’re either a part of or are fighting against. Often portrayed as high-functioning super-armies incapable of being taken down by a normal human being, these armies terrorize their enemies and preserve the peace of those they swear to protect. Friend or foe, they provide some of the most iconic presences in video games– because, as we all know, war never changes.
9The Unity - Fallout
The Unity, also known as the Master’s Army, is a military organization created byFallout’santagonist, the Master, with the singular goal of evolving humans to become the perfect race free of strife and war.
These ‘new’ humans are made from the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) and are known more colloquially as super mutants throughout the series. With the sole intent of serving the Master by kidnapping regular humans to assimilate into his army, the Unity terrorizes the West Coast wasteland. This tangible threat winds up being stopped at the last possible second bythe unlikeliest of heroes.
8The Reapers - Mass Effect series
The Reapers are a highly-advanced machine race of sentient starships that serve as the main villains inthe Mass Effect series. Residing in dark space, they stay dormant for fifty thousand years at a time before coming out of hibernation to devour the galaxy and destroy every living being in their way.
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By the time the events of the third game occur, the Reapers have taken Earth and are spreading at an alarming rate throughout the galaxy. Unstoppable and with a hunger deep enough to obliterate entire civilizations, the Reapers' only goal is to render civilization obsolete in their pursuit of prey.
7The UNSC - Halo
The United Nations Space Command (USNC) is a military and scientific agency of the Unified Earth Government, the central government inthe Halo series. Its militia consists of several branches, including the UNSC navy, marine corps, and most notably the SPARTAN program.
Besides maintaining peace throughout Earth, the UNSC also maintains garrisons on colony worlds. The SPARTAN program proved to be their crowning achievement, with the goal ofproducing elite soldiersthrough mechanical and biological augmentation. These super-soldiers would go on to protect Earth and its colony worlds, regardless of the cost of their lives.
6Brotherhood Of Steel - Fallout
The most iconic faction in the Fallout franchise, the Brotherhood of Steel is a post-War techno-religious military order with chapters spread throughout post-apocalyptic America. Founded shortly after the Great War by Roger Maxson, a rogue U.S. Army captain, the Brotherhood’s defining goal is to preserve advanced technology and regulate its usage.
However, as decades passed, the Brotherhood became more erratic, confiscating all manner of technology from wastelanders, and ostracizing those who don’t fit into their category of ‘human’ such as ghouls and synths. With their pre-War level of technology and strict ideals, theBrotherhood is one of the wasteland’s biggest threats.
5The Combine - Half-Life 2
The Combine is a vast interdimensional empire consisting of slaves and other allied factions that serve asHalf-Life 2’smain antagonists. Propelled by the goal of conquering the entire multiverse, there is nothing that the Combine will not do to sweep humanity into its ranks.
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On Earth, the Combine’s most powerful force is the Combine Overwatch: an army of surgically-modified humans infused with Combine technology that is not just deployed on Earth but across multiple dimensions as an extension of the Combine’s terrifying will. Being able to tear through dimensions, the Combine is indeed a force to be reckoned with.
4Vox Populi - Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock Infinite’sVox Populi is a militant underground insurgency led primarily by revolutionist Daisy Fitzroy. Consisting of minorities who have been oppressed by Columbia’s white supremacist society, the Vox engage in active combat with Columbia’s founders, rejecting their xenophobic and puritanical ideologies.
In the game, they prove to be both allies and enemies to Booker Dewitt as he traverses through Columbia in an attempt to escape with Elizabeth Comstock. The Vox does not allow anything to stand in their way, often resulting in them doing desperate acts to keep up their side of the war– such as seemingly murdering an innocent child.
3The Imperial Military - Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Imperial Military is a subsection of the Sith Empire in the Star Wars universe that serves its overlords with great dignity and fervor. InStar Wars: The Old Republic, they are one of the classes you may choose in order to embark on your journey across the galaxy. Even as your allies, they are one of the most formidable factions in the universe.
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Disciplined and efficient, the Imperial Military represents the ‘human’ side of the Sith Empire, almost bureaucratic in their dealings with the rest of the galaxy. From their elite network of spies to their highly capable soldiers that guard their homeworlds, the Imperial Military spares on expenses when doing what they do best: conquering and destroying in the name of the Empire.
2Rauatai Army - Pillars Of Eternity: Deadfire
A powerful kingdom, Rauatai is one ofPillars of Eternity: Deadfire’sbiggest and most prosperous regions, with a powerhouse of a military to boot. Emphasizing speed and firepower over resilience, the Rauatai Army is at the forefront of artillery, firearm, and explosive research throughout Deadfire.
Its large military includes an elite force of sharpshooters tasked with protecting Rauataian ships on their journeys frompirates and other disgruntled forcesand specially-trained warriors who carry out the ranga nui’s will without a second thought, living only to be a hand of this mighty empire.
1Kyros’ Army - Tyranny
The main faction in Tyranny, Kyros the Overlord’s armies are a force to be reckoned with, sweeping through Terratus and conquering city after city mercilessly. Kyros’ generals are Archons, powerful beings imbued with magic of varying skills that command their own armies, which all fall beneath the Overlord’s banner.
In addition to these large numbers of bodies, Kyros also employs the Court of Fatebinders: judge, jury, and executioners of Kyros’ will. The words of Fatebinders shape the lives of all those under the Overlord’s territories, and it is through them that Kyros strikes fear into all those who dare oppose him.
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