They want people to engage with the propaganda and to weaken criticism that that's what it is. At the same time they don't just want to send you a message telling you "America good, commies bad," they want to present a decision in such a way that you (well, the average person) would choose America. And including MKULTRA stuff, like, the message you're supposed to think isn't, "the CIA does no wrong," it's, "the CIA does the bad stuff that's necessary to protect us from evil commies." I haven't engaged with the content at all but from what I'm gathering the defection choice involves nuking the world out of personal spite and revenge, while the America choice is the one where you decide to be the bigger person and do the right thing for the world.

Trying to go for the chud money and the online communist money, the grift never stops.

Actually, this is probably a good sign. The previous Black Ops set in the cold war had you play as the same all-American, VC-and-Russian-massacring CIA guy, who thwarts the evil communists at the end of a linear campaign with no choices.

This time, the company with DoD funding and pretty anticommunist views has apparently decided that Socialists are now a market share large enough to pander to.

lol as soon as i heard you could side with the soviets i figured it'd end with you nuking the world because the ussr isn't allowed to be shown as anything other than absurd, over the top villains

Wow it even lets you RP as a Posadist!

:lenin-shining:

Holy shit!

Critical support for the Absolute madlads at Activision who got DOD funding to make this.