Controversial Modern Warfare 2 Opening Act

Posted on October 28 2009 Posted by Asim Tanvir Categorized Under: News

First of all just to make it clear, STOP READING THIS ARTICLE NOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE OPENING ACT OF MODERN WARFARE 2.

All the gamers with some restraint and willpower gone? Cool, then I shall continue. :)

Gaming and controversy are two things that have clashed quite often in the past, from the “sex scene” in Mass Effect to the “brutal killings” in Manhunt 2. Well now the media will have something new to latch onto; the opening act from Modern Warfare 2. As you will see from the leaked video below you take the role of a terrorist who enters an airport with a few of your “buddies” and the objective is to to cause complete chaos. This act of chaos includes brutally killing innocent civilians. Now depending on your moral standing that might not sound like a big deal but after watching the video you might just change your mind. As you and your “buddies” take out the civilians you can hear screaming and shouting in the background which is very unsettling. As the video progresses you also see the player killing people who are trying to crawl away or even trying to help others who might be injured. The fact that this whole act take place at an airport only adds to the uneasy atmosphere of the scenario.

The gameplay ends with the player actually being shot by one of his own “buddies”, which again forces home the brutality of the situation but is this something Infinity Ward intended to do or were they just looking to create some controversy? As expected internet gaming forums have been bombarded with posts regarding this controversial footage but surprisingly enough most gamers are actually condemning what Infinity Ward have done. In the past with the likes of Mass Effect and Manhunt 2 gamers have actually rallied together and stated the media has blown things out of proportion but in this case they are expecting “justified” backlash. Personally I would like to give Infinity Ward the benefit of the doubt and say that they have included this sort of scenario in the game to make the player realise what sort of “evil” they are up against and actually invoke a strong emotional response from the player. However the only people who would know the reasons for the inclusion of this brutal gameplay would be Infinity Ward themselves and I really do hope they haven’t done this just to cause a stir for the sake of it.

What do you guys think? Is this no big deal? Have Infinity Ward crossed a line? As always please let us know via the comments section.

  • L_Vanguard
    One point I think everyone seems to be missing in this discussion is this: why, if you are playing as a CIA agent undercover, who is (or should be) currently aware that these are terrorists that you are with, who will soon be shooting people en masse, why not just, oh you know SHOOT THE TERRORISTS FIRST. The whole "they are kill innocent civilians jazz" isn't what gets to me, its the fact that, the CIA agent (you), seeing that these guys are obviously terrorists (the whole shooting civilians would be a good indicator) doesn't shoot these terrorists!

    This is probably just a plot device - as the only reason why this would happen is to ensure that the villian lives to the end (as he is present at the scene), because it would be kinda anti-climatic to kill him in the beginning. I get that the point of this intro is to stir up hate for the bad guys, but I just can't bring myself to feel it knowing that the character I am controlling isn't one of them, but rather a "good guy" in disguise (who misses an opportunity to get them). And the (possible) counter-argument "he didn't want to blow his cover" is bull****, as your character is the last to leave the elevator and has a chance to shoot the rest of them while their backs are turned.
  • Nacho Libre
    Yeah, teach players how to be like terrorists? I don't see any good in that, too. Using the scene as a plot device as an excuse is bs. There are other ways to tell the story rather than experiencing it in First Person perspective. Just one more inspirational tool for would be Columbine wanna-be's, and I bet this game will be popularly pirated in terrorist states for this scene alone. As a FPS game player this is not acceptable. Good thing Activision has already put me off with the $10 price increase on PC games and the ommission of Dedicated Servers.
  • CLD
    Waaaa fuckin Waaaaaaa its a game you over pacified pussies. Welcome to the real world. This shit happens every day. Deal with it.
  • You make some valid point guys (Nacho Libre and L_Vanguard). I guess it is just a plot device at the end of the day but one which puts you in the shoes of the "terrorist". If Infinity Ward wanted to, they could have just made that whole section into a flashback cut-scene to save the "hassle" of the controversy. Infact the better idea probably would have been to put the player in the shoes of a person experiencing this terrorist act at the airport. They could of made the player be a CIA agent at the airport at that moment experiencing the chaos at the airport, it would have been like the part from Call of Duty 4 where the soldier dies and you view it from his perspective.

    Hmm the more I think about it, the more I think Infinity Ward could have made the player feel emotion and hatred towards the terrorists in many different ways rather than the one they ultimately went with. They clearly have a talented bunch of people working there but I can't help but think they went with the "any publicity is good publicity" angle.
  • nimz
    I don't get why everyone is getting up in arms about this, some of the best cinema in the world depicts some of the worst atrocities committed by human kind without restraint or apology, why should games be any different?

    It isn't glorifying killing innocent people or terrorism in any way and is just being used as a very powerful plot device to draw the player in to the plot and have some compassion for the people fighting against this.

    Perhaps if you were required to throw a grenade in to a group of children to be met with a "MMMOONSSSTTEERRRRRRRRR KKILLLLL" from the airports PA system I would feel different, but there is no glorification there, only a realistic depiction of war and the innocent casualties that it inevitably creates.
  • Dont be a tard
    I don't know why so many people are complaining about this. They act like they are being forced to watch these videos on the net and that they are being forced to spend the money and install and play this game. If people don't like it so much then they shouldn't type it into there Google search. I think a level like this would be awesome nothing like spraying down a bunch of unarmed noob civilians. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT DON'T BUY IT. Doesn't matter anyway everyone knows that theirs going to be a zombie apocalypse sometime in the future. Then what are you going to do be afraid of mowing down a bunch of unarmed civilians/family/friends.
  • Extron
    I believe that this is way too far. People can compare this to thinks like GTA and stuff, but there is a subtle and important difference. In GTA, regardless of who you attack, they will fight back, as with most games, regardless of who you are attacking. With this, you are shooting civilians that do not fight back, instead trying to get to safety, even helping other injured people. Including the fact that you are committing a massacre in an airport, this has just crossed the line. I would not be bothered if this scene took place in third person, or at least if this section was not playable, like the third level of Call of Duty 4, where some similar stuff goes on. But actually participating in the murders of unarmed civilians that won't fight back? Anyone who is looking forward to this is just disturbed.
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