History VideoGame / ShadowPresident

* BerserkButton: Recklessly launching [[NukeEm nuclear strikes]] is a good way to cause nations to hate you. The radiation certainly does not not help either. Doing this against random countries for the hell of it may just cause you to [[OhCrap lose all of your popularity]], [[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment or worse]].

* WarForFunAndProfit: Aside from the GDP of annexed territories, successfully winning a war and occupying a country raises your popularity and effectiveness. However,if public concerns are against war, the subsequent drop in popularity will likely destroy any gains you made.

''Shadow President'' is a "Geopolitical Simulation" game, released in 1994, designed by Robert Antonick and Brad Stock. The game's scenario is based loosely around the early 1990's and the [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar Cold War]]. Also, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is another scenario included in the game that runs parallel to the main Cold War scenario. The game is somewhat like a [[TextAdventure graphical text adventure.]]

** The "power to declare war" is realistically restricted to the U.S. congress; in this game, there is no suggestion that congress has declared war before you order your troops to invade. This is especially noticeable if you send all of your troops into a region like it's a World War and nobody is able to stop you from doing so. Albeit, in recent decades, the concerns over "presidential wars" contrary to the War Powers Resolution have risen so it's not completely farfetched.

** The "power to declare war" is realistically restricted to the U.S. congress; in this game, there is no suggestion that congress has declared war before you order your troops to invade. This is especially noticeable if you send all of your troops into a region like it's a World War and nobody is able to stop you from doing so. Albeit, in recent decades, the concerns over "presidential wars" have risen.

** The "power to declare war" is realistically restricted to the U.S. congress; in this game, there is no suggestion that congress has declared war before you order your troops to invade. This is especially noticeable if you send all of your troops into a region like it's a World War and nobody is able to stop you from doing so.

The USSR may inexplicably nuke Japan in a game, which may cause the entire world to constantly overthrow the USSR and to a cloud of fallout to settle over eastern USSR.

** The Soviet Union seems to have a "hair trigger" in certain game instances, nuking a country for seemingly implausible reasons. For example, allowing Iraq to conquer Saudi Arabia has a chance of causing this reaction from the USSR; the USSR executes a nuclear strike against Saudi Arabia, likely starting a continental thermonuclear war between itself and Europe and/or China.\\

* WarForFunAndProfit: Aside from the GDP of annexed territories, successfully winning a war and occupying a country raises your popularity and effectiveness.

** Invading and taking over Cuba has a chance of provoking a similar response from SovietRussia.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: There are possibly many examples...

* ArtificialStupidity: The Soviet Union seems to have a "hair trigger" in certain game instances, nuking a country for seemingly implausible reasons. For example, allowing Iraq to conquer Saudi Arabia has a chance of causing this reaction from the USSR; the USSR executes a nuclear strike against Saudi Arabia, likely starting a continental thermonuclear war between itself and Europe and/or China.
** The USSR inexplicably nuked Japan in one game, which caused the entire world to constantly overthrow the USSR and to cause a cloud of fallout to settle over eastern USSR.

\\Even the UI disapproves of such an action, especially if you drop several hundred or thousand nukes on the country: after selecting to commence preparations for the strike, the UI just says "[[{{Understatement}} Bad idea]]."

** The balance of power in this game is a rather inaccurate. Short of assassination-of-player or "impeachment" (note the misuse of the term impeach), there is little the courts or congress can do to stop you toying with the fate of the world.

* ArtisticLicenceLaw: The balance of power in this game is a rather inaccurate. Short of assassination-of-player or "impeachment" (note the misuse of the term impeach), there is little the courts or congress can do to stop you toying with the fate of the world.

** You can nuke and/or invade anybody (except yourself).
*** You can [[ForTheEvulz Carpet-nuke]] a country into [[NoKillLikeOverKill oblivion]].
*** You can conquer a country, install a new government, and conquer them again, for as long as your popularity and infamy will allow.

* WhatTheHellPlayer: Behaving ruthlessly may cause an adviser to call you out or even resign for your cruel behavior. For example, they may say that they hope you had a "damn good reason" for nuking a country, after taking the fallout into account.
** Attacking a nation who lacks nuclear strike capability using your own [[NukeEm nuclear strike(s)]] will cause pretty much the highest amount of condemnation from world nations. Even worse, you set a possible precedent for the liberal (read: reckless) use of nuclear weapons by anyone who possesses them.
*** Even the UI disapproves of such an action, especially if you drop several hundred or thousand nukes on the country: after selecting to commence preparations for the strike, the UI just says "[[{{Understatement}} Bad idea]]."

* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: The primary scenario in the game starts near the close of the titular war. Russia is still referred to as the Soviet Union, however, and are just as armed to the teeth with nukes as you are. Even if you fired every missile at your disposal at them, they would still be able to send back a crippling retaliatory strike. In fact, in any armed conflict you engage in throughout the world, the Soviet Union will almost certainly be assisting your enemy.

''Shadow President'' is a "Geopolitical Simulation" game, released in 1994, designed by Robert Antonick and Brad Stock. The game's scenario is based loosely around the early 1990's and the [[Cold War]]. Also, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is another scenario included in the game that runs parallel to the main Cold War scenario. The game is somewhat like a [[TextAdventure graphical text adventure.]]

''Shadow President'' is a "Geopolitical Simulation" game, released in 1994, designed by Robert Antonick and Brad Stock. The game's scenario is based loosely around the early 1990's and the Cold War. Also, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is another scenario included in the game that runs parallel to the main Cold War scenario. The game is somewhat like a [[TextAdventure grapical text adventure.]]

* BerserkButton: Recklessly launching [[NukeEm nuclear strikes]] is a good way to cause nations to hate you. The radiation certainly does not not help either. Doing this against random countries for the hell of it may just cause you to [[OhCrap lose all of your popularity]].

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Entirely possible to achieve, as demonstrated so succinctly [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNxHUfGc3gE right here]].

** The "power to declare war" is realistically restricted to the U.S. congress; in this game, there is no suggestion that congress has declared war before you order your troops to invade. This is especially noticeable if you send all of your troops into a region like its a World War and nobody can stop you from doing so.

** The "power to declare war" is realistically restricted to the U.S. congress; in this game, there is no suggestion that congress has declared war before you order your troops to invade.

In the game, you play as the President of the United States of America and start off with your popularity at 50%, and part of the game is maintaining your [[VideoGameCaringPotential popularity]] so that you can be reelected and therefore "win" the game. The game has a variety of statistics for each region, such as the "quality of life", the average income per person, the populations' primary concerns, and much more. (Not being reelected is basically "game over".)

** The USSR inexplicably nuked Japan in one game, which caused the entire world to constantly overthrow the USSR and to cause a cloud of fallout to settle over eastern USSR.