5 looks at when videogames get very AMERICAN.

Ah, yes. Independence day. The day where we Americans get together, light things on fire, eat mass amounts of barbecue, and find somewhere to get drunk. Hey, man it's a free country, and what better day to act like it than America's birthday? So before you go off into the wild, scarfing down hot dogs and attacking your neighbor's cat with bottle rockets, get fully amped from a look at some of the most American-driven games/characters in the virtual world.

Guile:

Yeah man. Buzz cut. Not one, but TWO American flag tattoos. One-track mind set on revenge. Yeah this guy is about as American as it gets. Other Street Fighters got a bunch of new, flashy moves over the years. Does this guy need that? Absolutely not. He'll be quite fine throwing Sonic Booms and crushing your teeth into dust with a well placed backflip no matter what Japanese word you throw in front of the -ken suffix. Hadouken? Got that covered. Shoryuken? Seen it before. Messatsu Gou Senpuuken? Still gonna tell Akuma to sit down. This guy is the MAN. End of story.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Come on guys let's be real for a minute here, we know what this is really about. You're practically invincible and you can win the game with a nuke when you're clearly way too good to be playing with these other weaklings. Can you get more American than that? I'd say that that's pretty hard to top. Not to mention the fact that some people are just so incredibly American that they can throw a knife from I-cant-even-see-you far away and drop you. Amazing.

NFL Blitz:

We like FOOTBALL here in America. And not that World Cup FIFA type kick the ball into the goal football, we like that gridiron, see that guy with the ball and obliterate him, win with a last minute hail mary pass football. So when you take that which is already American and American-ize it further by removing that annoying referree and increasing the level of bonecrushing, it's almost TOO American. Who needs rules and regulations? If he's just gonna fall into the touchdown when you tackle him, step it up and SUPLEX that guy.

NBA Jam:

We like BASKETBALL here in America as well. So what happens when we take another one of our own homemade sports and inject it with a little extra America? You take what was already pretty good and you add fouls that dont send you to the pansy free throw line, absolutely ridiculous dunks that bring down the rim while you are still trying to play, and of course, the whole reason why you wanted to play in the first place. FIRE. Yeah, you can have your NBA Live. I'm over here knocking people down, and dunking the ball. ON FIRE.

Johnny Cage.

What do the two previous games have in common? Hidden Mortal Kombat characters. Who's the most American Mortal Kombat character of all time? THIS GUY. Who else can come straight out of Hollywood, stroll up in a tournament filled with ninjas, four-armed people, and that crazy guy with swords in his arms, cheat death in the process, and make a movie about it when he gets back home? Did I mention that he never took off those $500 sunglasses? I mean above all else, his signature move is doing a slick James Brown split and decking your BALLS in the face. Cage doesnt get mad. He gets even. And then he gives you an autograph.

Now that you have been filled to the brim with some of the most American moments in gaming, be off with you. Enjoy all of the barbecue and fireworks you can handle. You deserve it.