Quite simply, it's impossible to successfully invade America. The proliferation of personal firearms means that even if a foreign military was able to defeat America's military, they would still have to deal with millions of armed and determined citizens.
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto - "You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."
Realism dictates that war with China is inevitable, while war with North Korea isn't. Therefore, China would have been a much more suitable enemy, especially when you consider the fact that China has been rapidly increasing its naval capacity in the last decade. Their eventual invasion of Taiwan ought to be the premise for a video game.
@Apresmode: i'd argue that US hegemony post-Cold War has vastly improved the state of the world (i.e. women's rights, constitutional governments, international institutions, etc.)
Alan Wake a disappointment? I thought it had, by far, the best and most intriguing story of any video game this year. It always kept you on your toes for the entire ride, and the plot twists were just awesome.
@Killer Toilet: would be skewed because it's easier to kill someone in COD, meaning there will always be more kills most likely made in COD than in Halo.
seems to be a lot of hate for conviction. i thought it was the best in the series in terms of gameplay. it progessed the stealth genre to make to more modern. it really felt like sam fisher was becoming more like Jack Bauer, which is very good IMO. as for the total package, however, that goes to chaos theory. but if the next splinter cell is an extension of conviction, then i'll be very pleased.