Controversy just for the sake of it?
After playing through the controversial airport sequence of Modern Warfare 2 last week, and discussing it with friends and colleagues over the weekend, it's obvious to me that every gamer who plays it is going to react differently to the scene.
Personally, I didn't fire a shot as I walked - I can't run - through a Russian airport, while the men around me fired systematically on innocent civilians, filling the air with terrified screams. I don't know what it was but something just made me not want to pull the trigger. Maybe my morality chip was kicking in, I don't know, but something just held me back.
Other friends who have got the game said they blasted through the airport, firing away happily, with one saying he gunned his way through to the end. Another said he fired on the civilians, saying it's just a video game.
For those who haven't played Modern Warfare 2, at the very beginning of the game, before you've even loaded a clip or fired a bullet, there is a warning that tells you some people may find one mission "distrurbing or offensive" and it gives you the option to skip the mission. Don't worry, skipping the mission won't penalise you in any way. You're given another chance to opt out of the mission before you start the game.
After finishing Modern Warfare 2 over the weekend, and contemplating the experience, I feel that the terrorist sequence was totally out of place in the overall scheme of things. It added absolutely nothing to the story - and this is clearly evident in the fact that developer Infinity Ward gives you the option of skipping the sequence altogether. Also, graphically, it looks inferior to the rest of the game, as if it was almost a last-minute add-on.
I loved Modern Warfare 2 but was the terrorist sequence included just to court controversy? Was it added just to generate more interest in a game that was going to, controversial scene or not, sell millions of units anyway? I can't help but think that it was.
The only other game that I can think of that created as much controversy was Manhunt, from Rockstar, which was banned in New Zealand and several other countries. In that game you play a death row inmate who has to kill gang members for someone called The Director using increasingly gruesome methods.
I'd like to hear from Game Junkie readers who have played the Modern Warfare 2 airport level and ask what were your thoughts as you played through it. Did you fire at the civilians or not?
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I played this and mowed the civilians down. At the end of the day it's just a game.
If you dont want your kids playing games over there age limit you can set a parental lock on the PS3 so that it wont even load up the cd.
I found it quite moving as a scene. In a game where the object is to kill everything that moves I found myself strangly hesitant. I ended up killing the civilians but I didnt enjoy the process. It was like I was that undercover dude having to go through this hell to protect my cover and perhaps in the long run a greater number of lives then those lost in the airport. I found it challenging and moving as a scene and one of the first times I didnt enjoy doing what I had too. As well as this scene there was one near the end of the game where you sneak up and knife some guards, instead of the usual knife animation, my character spun my victim around so that I could see his eyes whilst I was stabbing him. This was another chilling "horrors of war" moment for me and found that far from glorifying violence this game was trying to show me just how horrible war and the tasks we ask our soldiers to do, actually is.
I completed the game at the weekend on Veteran level, and thought it was, if not just as good at the Modern Warfare. The airport scene I did do, didn't think too much of it. It's just part of the game, I see what people are saying about it. It's just a section in the game that kinda links it in with the terrorist story line and what happens at the end of the game. If people think it a bit too much, then skip the section or don’t play the game.
Played it and loved them game. I thought it was an integral part of the story line, The whole point of it was to insite support for the ultranationalists for them to take control of the government and as an excuse for a full scale war with america. The whole purpose of Not speaking Russian and leaving the American dead behind was what started it.
I have to admit i didnt start firing until the police turned up half way through, i just couldnt bring myself to shoot all the people (apart from a couple of 'mercy killings' towards people who where already dying). In complete contrast my flatmate just let rip and didnt stop to think at all.
I would like to see how they handle progressing the story line if you dont play through that mission (the end of it would seem to set up the rest of the story) anyone done this?
Loved the game, enjoyed the story, and was happy to see the arrival of prisoner #627
I did the same as Batranum. I didn't start firing until i absolutely had to. In fact, initally i turned my gun on the terrorist only to find out he had a kevlar head, and then shot me before turning on him! It kind of shocked me to be honest. I heard very little about it before i played so it took me by surprise when it started to happen. Did it add the game? Unsure, though i'm looking forward to the payback! (Haven't played through the single player yet, too busy in multiplayer.)
I personally found the scene rather absurd. I initially didn't fire but then the whole thing was so redicous I dived right in and gunned down everything. I even focused on making sure all the crawling wounded ones dies too to make sure it was as absurd as possible.
I agree with Gerrard in that I don't think this scene added anything to the story that a cut scene of a news report wouldn't have added. The fact that there were civilians crawling away wounded etc was just a bit over the top in my opinion.
I haven't finished the campaign yet but a large part of the way through it (very short it appears!) and thinking the airport scene tends to fit into the overall rediculousness of the story. In COD the story is largely irrelevant but in this case some of it is so silly it actually takes away from the game. Not to mention the randomness of the Rio levels....from a campaign perspective I found COD4 much better so far.
this level was just like my day job, only more virtual... loved it!
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I blasted my way through the airport, I found it rather tame after all the hype and in reality it's just a game and really no different to shooting/bashing people on the street in GTA 4 IMO.