Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Murderous Mess

[DarkArtist81]

I think that actually playing the scene is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and to understand fully the horrible nature of the villain. If it were a cutscene you would not know how it would feel to be an undercover agent who cannot blow his cover and must actually act as though he were a terrorist.

Throughout the scene I was quiet and my stomach was in knots, as it should have been. I felt horrible about it, and it made the end of that scene even worse... Because you did it for nothing really..

I think that it was a genius move on Infinity Ward's part, because it immerses the player in the moment. The game hammers home the cruelty and the shock of a terrorist attack on civilians.

The game hinges on the scene as well, so it's necessary for the story. The entire conflict is caused by the botched undercover op, so it seems only natural that you would be a part of it as a player.

It reminded me of a more interactive version of the execution scene in the first game. Only it was a bit more gut wrenching because you had control.

 

[plasmid303]

I think that actually playing the scene is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and to understand fully the horrible nature of the villain. If it were a cutscene you would not know how it would feel to be an undercover agent who cannot blow his cover and must actually act as though he were a terrorist.

Throughout the scene I was quiet and my stomach was in knots, as it should have been. I felt horrible about it, and it made the end of that scene even worse... Because you did it for nothing really..

I think that it was a genius move on Infinity Ward's part, because it immerses the player in the moment. The game hammers home the cruelty and the shock of a terrorist attack on civilians.

The game hinges on the scene as well, so it's necessary for the story. The entire conflict is caused by the botched undercover op, so it seems only natural that you would be a part of it as a player.

It reminded me of a more interactive version of the execution scene in the first game. Only it was a bit more gut wrenching because you had control.

Oh! That's a good point. Still, I think they could have done so much more with the story overall to bolster that scene.

I dunno, I don't think this story sequence will be remembered down the line for anything except being the first of its kind in a video game, and that is debatable in and of itself.

 

[DarkArtist81]

I know I won't forget it.... It stuck with me all day, I couldn't NOT think about how crazy a sequence that was. It made you feel bad, and that in and of itself is a monumental achievement for a game.

I left the scene feeling a bit shell shocked.... And that feeling carried into the following levels, really hammered it home for me.

 

[plasmid303]

I don't feel the same way. It's a very guided sequence, leaving no real choice to the player. You don't really have control. I didn't feel bad killing those innocent people, because it didn't involve me. I wasn't the person making a moral decision. I just played the part of another character. Just like watching a violent film. Strip away choice from an experience, it loses its personal meaning. I won't remember this sequence the same way I still think about the choices I made in a game like Bioshock, [ spoiler ahead] in which I felt horrible for essentially killing a little girl to absorb her energy (I'm simplifying the terms). Why did I feel that way? Because I did. I made that choice.

Modern Warfare 2 takes advantage of a shared cultural memory of a very similar and very terrible event and capitalizes upon our fears and paranoia to make us feel uncomfortable. It's the easy way to shock and awe.

 

[Kabukiman]

God forbid a video game developer tries to transcend killing for the sake of killing and makes you actually feel something. Yes, let's get outraged.

 

[mfoga]

well, it's also what the whole plot of the rest of the game is based on. Without that part there wouldn't be the rest of the game.

But like I said before there is no need for the player to play this level. It could have easily been an movie type thing and had the same effect on the story.

Dont get me wrong I have no problem with this part, I gladly mowed them down but I still dont think it was needed.

They knew what they were doing adding it as playable level. They were creating controversy which got them tons of free advertising.

 

[BadMoon]

Can anyone tell me if

Spoiler

I still would have gotten killed had I shot the civilians?

 

[uscmhicks]

Can anyone tell me if

Spoiler

I still would have gotten killed had I shot the civilians?

Spoiler

If you mean in the third mission in the airport then yes. I shot everyone I could and still got shot. I think the idea is is that they know about you before your even at the airport.

 

[BadMoon]

Spoiler

If you mean in the third mission in the airport then yes. I shot everyone I could and still got shot. I think the idea is is that they know about you before your even at the airport.

Thanks!

 

[Fritz]

...I still think about the choices I made in a game like Bioshock, [ spoiler ahead] in which I felt horrible for essentially killing a little girl to absorb her energy (I'm simplifying the terms). Why did I feel that way? Because I did. I made that choice...

I never harvested any Adam from any little sister. Not even one to try. Game or not, if the game wouldn't have let me continue or if I couldn't have completed it until I did, I never would have finished it.

I haven't got to this scene in this game yet to see how I feel. If they're all adults, I probably won't care.

For those that played Gears 2, can you compare or does this relate at all to the way you felt when Dom found Maria? I know it's not apples to apples since Dom/Maria was a cut scene.

 

[mfoga]

For those that played Gears 2, can you compare or does this relate at all to the way you felt when Dom found Maria? I know it's not apples to apples since Dom/Maria was a cut scene.

Not even the same really. You will see once you play.

 

[kain4521]

I never harvested any Adam from any little sister. Not even one to try. Game or not, if the game wouldn't have let me continue or if I couldn't have completed it until I did, I never would have finished it.

I haven't got to this scene in this game yet to see how I feel. If they're all adults, I probably won't care.

For those that played Gears 2, can you compare or does this relate at all to the way you felt when Dom found Maria? I know it's not apples to apples since Dom/Maria was a cut scene.

I played it last night and it didnt bother me. People are getting riled up over this game but see no problem yanking someone out of their car and shooting them or going on killing rampages in GTA. People can sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch their favorite action movie with people getting shot left and right but if its in a video game the ???? hits the fan.

 

[The ill Jedi]

I played it last night and it didnt bother me. People are getting riled up over this game but see no problem yanking someone out of their car and shooting them or going on killing rampages in GTA. People can sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch their favorite action movie with people getting shot left and right but if its in a video game the ???? hits the fan.

Well said brother. :

 

[THX-182]

I played it last night and it didnt bother me. People are getting riled up over this game but see no problem yanking someone out of their car and shooting them or going on killing rampages in GTA. People can sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch their favorite action movie with people getting shot left and right but if its in a video game the ???? hits the fan.

That's what I said.

 

[Karma]

Well said brother. :

STFU ILL

I SHOT EVERY CIVILIAN THERE

 

[dr_teng]

I played it last night and it didnt bother me. People are getting riled up over this game but see no problem yanking someone out of their car and shooting them or going on killing rampages in GTA. People can sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch their favorite action movie with people getting shot left and right but if its in a video game the ???? hits the fan.

The difference in that case is you aren't the one doing that (in movies), you're watching other people doing that. Rampages and what not in GTA aren't terribly serious, although I guess GTA4 started making things more serious than silly.

It didn't bother me either, but I can see why it WOULD bother people. After all, you're not shooting "bad guys", you're shooting hundreds of innocent civilians and a few cops.

Whether they did it for controversy or artistic effect, I'd say it was fairly successful. It was a bold level and while I probably won't play that level again (found it a little slow and don't enjoy killing civilians in an innocent setting), it was worth playing at least once.

 

[Deckard]

Yea no ones outraged, you didn't read back two pages I guess, you would have gotten your answer. We just chose not to do it.

Your movie arguement doesn't work.

It's just willful participation vs being an observer.

IW puts you into a posistion where you should be able to make a moral choice, but if you do, you fail the mission, which is fine but then the game cannot continue, so really they take away your ability to choose. Which is why they have to have an option to opt out all togeather. So they themselves screwed what bold step they were trying to take, making it there for nothing more then shock value. Its kind of like the torture porn level of the game.

Its like the FMJ dilemma, you have Joker who doesn't feel murder is justified, and then you have that guy in the chopper that guns down women and children for fun. At the end of the day, their both on the same team but I'm probably going to avoid chopper guy's company.

 

[BadMoon]

Yea no ones outraged, you didn't read back two pages I guess, you would have gotten your answer. We just chose not to do it.

Your movie arguement doesn't work.

It's just willful participation vs being an observer.

I think the movie arguement certainly is valid. You can be an observer to a murder and still be convicted of murder if you want to get technical. So if you willingly go into a movie knowing darn well ahead of time what you are there to see, how is that different? Sure you are not behind the wheel but you are still observing because you want to see it. If you didn't want to see it naturally you wouldn't go to the movie or would walk out.

 

[p!tu]

Was the Level essential to the Game? I think Yes. We see Makarov Killing everybody in that airport. You know you are CIA yet you have to do it cause you dont want to blow you cover. You think thats ????ed up. Makarov Kills you at the end of the stage. Which means he knew you were under cover which mean he had you kill those people knowing that everything inside you was telling you not to. Thats how ????ed up Makarov is. and im glad they show it! thats why i want that ????er dead!

Spoiler

Hopefully in MW3 we get ti kill that ????er!

 

[kain4521]

Was the Level essential to the Game? I think Yes. We see Makarov Killing everybody in that airport. You know you are CIA yet you have to do it cause you dont want to blow you cover. You think thats ????ed up. Makarov Kills you at the end of the stage. Which means he knew you were under cover which mean he had you kill those people know that everything inside was telling you not to. Thats how ????ed up Makarov is. and im glad they show it! thats why i want that ????er dead!

Spoiler

Hopefully in MW3 we get ti kill that ????er!

Revenge will be sweet too bad we have to wait a couple of years for it.