Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 controversy

Status
Not open for further replies.

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
40,775
Reaction score
5,947
Location
Some personalized demiplane
So...spoiler warning. Huge huge huge spoiler warnings

















A video was leaked recently, then yanked off by Activision. I saw it...and...I really wish I hadn't.

There is a level, fairly early on (possibly the first level) in COD: Modern Warfare 2. You play as what appears to be a terrorist. You walk into a crowded airport with a machine gun.

And...you...shoot people. And you keep shooting people until you get to the exit of the airport, wherein you yourself get shot and die. Presumably, the game goes on to let you play as the guys hunting down the other terrorists.

Reactions? Is this a bold new step in video game storytelling or...just...disgusting?

I think its both.
 

MGraybosch

Lunch Break Novelist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
2,877
Reaction score
404
Location
United States
Website
www.matthewgraybosch.com
A video was leaked recently, then yanked off by Activision. I saw it...and...I really wish I hadn't.

There is a level, fairly early on (possibly the first level) in COD: Modern Warfare 2. You play as what appears to be a terrorist. You walk into a crowded airport with a machine gun.

MW2 is a FPS, right? So how do you know that the guy who made the video was playing as a terrorist, and not simply trying to prove that you can go nuts and kill civilians if you want to?
 

BigWords

Geekzilla
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 22, 2009
Messages
10,670
Reaction score
2,360
Location
inside the machine
I remember when a video of a survival game was released onto YouTube. The plot had a plane flying into an office in a skyscraper and the characters had to escape before the building collapsed. Turned out that it was a mod created by someone with too much time on their hands and a sick sense of humor. If a video doesn't have some kind of authority behind it then I automatically dismiss it as a sham.

However, if the footage is actually taken from the game, then I am interested in what they hope to accomplish. Is this a publicity stunt gone horribly wrong? Maybe. Games companies have been known to release really, awfully stupid things in the past...
 

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
40,775
Reaction score
5,947
Location
Some personalized demiplane
I found the video.

http://www.gamedat.blogspot.com/

Go here scroll down, the video is in French, but its either one of the *best* hoaxes I have ever seen, or IW has massive massive MASSIVE balls. The exact video is "Modern Warfare 2 leaked single player gameplay w/ sound."

Right now, its the video right after the first video.
 

Tzalaran

Registered
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
18
Reaction score
3
Location
Lincoln, Ne
Website
horneddevil.proboards.com
can't watch the video as i'm at work...

but...

iirc, the opening sequence of CoD 4 showed a general or other officer getting shot by a sniper, and you in the car going to meet them. i see having an opening sequence showing the bad guys making a terrorist move as no different than a movie using that to set the stage for the hero to enter.

Video games are entering a time when their graphic capabilities are crossing into the realm of film quality, and their storytelling aspects are starting to become a focal point. This is just another step in their evolution, and the reaction to this may determine the direction video games take in the future.
 

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
40,775
Reaction score
5,947
Location
Some personalized demiplane
The reason why this is so...creepy is that it is putting you in the shoes of a terrorist, and YOU control the actions, shooting the innocent civilians as they run screaming from the hail of bullets.
 

clockwork

In the zone...
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
4,735
Reaction score
1,797
Location
Aphelion
Website
redzonefilm.net
It's real:

Activision Press Release said:
“Yes it is. The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player’s mission to stop them.

“Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled.

“Modern Warfare 2 is a fantasy action game designed for intense, realistic game play that mirrors real life conflicts, much like epic, action movies. It is appropriately rated 18 for violent scenes, which means it is intended for those who are 18 and older.”

Linky

I get it and I don't get it. I'll play it but probably skip it the next time. It won't bother me because I know it's not real but I anticipate the media firestorm with marshmallows and bread on sticks. (I feel like tipping off The Daily Mail myself just to see the headline.)
 

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
40,775
Reaction score
5,947
Location
Some personalized demiplane
Wow...

Infinity Ward is both brave and wise...I mean, its pretty amazing that they're getting away with this. The skip option is nice.
 

clockwork

In the zone...
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
4,735
Reaction score
1,797
Location
Aphelion
Website
redzonefilm.net
**COD 4 MW 1 spoilers within**

Yeah. I did love some of the beats they played in the first one that really made you think. I mean, being the leader led to his execution at the beginning is horrible because there's not a damn thing you can do and similarly, the death of the soldier (useless with names) during the nuclear explosion is just effing heartbreaking. I knew he was going to die every time and yet, every time I crawled out of the damn helicopter and hopelessly tried to get as far as I could.

I think it's brave of them but even if it turns out to be a genius move in terms of getting players to emote more with the story and the broader themes, it still simply will not make sense to most people who don't play games. Naturally, it's a pretty nifty way to get the game to make headlines, especially given this leak is coming in the 2 weeks before the game's release but they're not that shallow are they? ;) (I'm not saying it's an outright publicity stunt but I do think it'll help shift a few more copies - even if it's just amongst the morbidly curious. Like me!)
 

clockwork

In the zone...
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
4,735
Reaction score
1,797
Location
Aphelion
Website
redzonefilm.net
**COD MW 2 Spoilers**

So I've played the level. It's not much different to any other level really aside from most of the people don't shoot back. It's certainly not pleasant but I can't help but think it would have been more impactful if you were one of the civilians trying to escape the attack rather than someone perpetrating it. You're unarmed, all you can do is run and hide and then, at the end of the level, you're shot and killed. That would be truly devastating, especially if it was clear there was no chance of survival. As it stands now, it's a lot of flash and noise and it's all a bit... bleh. The ending to the level is a nice twist but, again, more neat than shocking which seems to go against the idea. It is an important plot-point though. I don't know. The game isn't there to remind people terrorism is bad but since IF and Activision have made political/cultural statements about it, I think it could have been done more effectively. VMMV.

Beautiful-looking game though. Can't wait to play the rest.
 
Last edited:

Ehab.Ahmed

Drifting Silently
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
1,132
Reaction score
150
Location
Somewhere up there
I don't understand what's the fuss is all about. You play as a terrorist the first level? Big deal! It sets the stage for whatever they wanted you to feel. It's no different than movies, imo. Media is just too fixated on games and their bad effects on kids that otherwise have no business playing an M rated game in the first place. Parents can't obviously blame themselves for their obvious lack of parental guidance, and easily dump the blame on video games.
I'm buying this game day 1.
 

clockwork

In the zone...
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
4,735
Reaction score
1,797
Location
Aphelion
Website
redzonefilm.net
Well, no-one's really talking about kids having access to it as being any kind of problem, at least not here. We're discussing the actual content of the game and how agreeable or disagreeable that is to a person's individual tastes. Day 1 is today, by the way.
 

clockwork

In the zone...
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
4,735
Reaction score
1,797
Location
Aphelion
Website
redzonefilm.net
Right. Here (UK) it's classified 18. And that's not some pansy-ass European recommended guideline. It's law. You can't buy the thing unless you're 18 so it's clearly not intended for anyone who isn't an adult. Kids will obviously get their hands on it, I sure as hell would if I was 13, but that's not the developer's problem. They've done what they can to restrict access to it so media outrage is largely useless and any debates about content (as in the OP) should be able to play out at an adult level without some journalist yelling, "please think of the children!"

The kids & games debate can be had but it's hard to seriously make a point about it without inevitably coming around to the fact that kids shouldn't be playing it in the first place.
 

DVGuru

Plays too many video games
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 29, 2006
Messages
163
Reaction score
18
I just played the level and didn't think it was that big of a deal. Maybe it's because so many years of playing Grand Theft Auto has desensitized me to killing innocent civilians in video games.
 

Ehab.Ahmed

Drifting Silently
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
1,132
Reaction score
150
Location
Somewhere up there
Well, no-one's really talking about kids having access to it as being any kind of problem, at least not here. We're discussing the actual content of the game and how agreeable or disagreeable that is to a person's individual tastes.
Yeah, I know that. I just meant to insinuate that being over the age restriction (18 in most countries) it stops being an issue after years of playing such games and watching movies like Saw. There are some exceptions of course.
 
Last edited:

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
40,775
Reaction score
5,947
Location
Some personalized demiplane
I am very disappointed with this game. It does not look astoundingly better than Modern Warfare 1, but it runs like crap on my PC.

Fah.
 

Salis

You Lie!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
Messages
725
Reaction score
91
The reason why this is so...creepy is that it is putting you in the shoes of a terrorist, and YOU control the actions, shooting the innocent civilians as they run screaming from the hail of bullets.

OH DEAR LORD, we might not be able to dismiss them as psychotic murdering soulless monsters then!

Quick, ban this game. No need to understand our enemies.
 

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
40,775
Reaction score
5,947
Location
Some personalized demiplane
Um...

How to break this to you...

But you play as a C.I.A operative infiltrating the terrorist cell, and they are portrayed as soulless, psychotic murderous monsters.
 

LOG

Lagrangian
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
7,714
Reaction score
354
Location
Between there and there
I've seen the 1st level played in person. You're a deep-cover CIA agent while this is happening.
Besides, I don't know what you're complaining about, in GTA you can walk around slaughtering whole cities, same with Mercenary and a few other games. Killing innocent civilians is hardly ground-breaking.
The only difference here is that you're pretending to be a terrorist while you do it, instead of an actual criminal or a mercenary who'll do anything for a buck.
 

clockwork

In the zone...
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
4,735
Reaction score
1,797
Location
Aphelion
Website
redzonefilm.net
There is a difference, IMO. In this game you're directly involved, (and can participate) in a shooting spree which is carried out for the sole purpose of promoting terror. It's not free-play messing around that you come up with yourself, it's a bona fide, self-confessed terrorist act which tonally, visually and thematically, is designed to be as realistic and harrowing as possible. You can do similar things in GTA IV but murdering civilians isn't as central to the level/game or as specifically rendered as it is here (at least on this one level). GTA IV, in my opinion, is also far more cartoonish and goofy. I love that game too but it's hard to take anything perpetrated in that universe seriously.

Understand, I actually don't have any problem with the COD airport level or the game whatsoever, but I do think it's reasonable to suggest that some people might. It's not the notion of killing civilians, it's the realistic portrayal, circumstances and execution :)rolleyes:) that's different. It doesn't deserve media outrage or censorship but it won't be everyone's cup of tea and I can understand why.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.