Modern Warfare 2 Russian Airport Level Massacre Is Shock Jock B.S.

2:33 am EST November 20th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 10 Comments

SPOILERS.

One of the writers for Modern Warfare 2 defends the airport massacre scene in the game. He is wrong. The scene is indefensible.

I really love Modern Warfare 2, it is one of the best games I have played in years, and I highly recommend it. But the scene in which your character, as an undercover CIA agent with a Russian terrorist walks into a hotel and massacres hundreds of people, is simply a gratuituous shock scene. The level doesn’t make sense within the story, because even with some of the shady things CIA agents are required to do, mowing down people in broad daylight at an airport isn’t one of them.

It may seem silly in a game that’s major selling point is its graphic violence, but this scene feels tacked on and disconnected from the rest of the game. The relative free range you are given in the rest of the game dissolves in this scene, and it essentially works like one of those scenes in Saw: Wow, that was shocking. What’s next.

It’s pure marketing schtick and a blight on an otherwise beyond excellent game. Just dumb.

Topic: Video Games

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10 Responses to “Modern Warfare 2 Russian Airport Level Massacre Is Shock Jock B.S.”

Seth 4:10 says:

November 20, 2009 at 8:59 am

Spoilers follow

The events of the mission in question are a key part of the narrative and the catalyst for the events of the game’s second act, and those who’ve played the game through realize that the airport massacre was a setup from the beginning.

The only criticism I have is that the Allen character wasn’t developed enough to invest the scene with any kind of drama or gravitas. (Like if Allen’s brother died in the nuke blast in the first MW game, think how a ‘how far would of go to get revenge’ subplot would improve the level’s impact).

Personally, I’m so squishy that it takes a concerted effort on my part to commit any ‘evil’ act even in a video game (including games like GTA, which if one notices, 90% of the crimes you commit are against other criminals). In the airport massacre level, I got away with just shooting over everyone’s heads, at least until the cops showed up, and then I had to engage or Zachev takes you out himself.
kiphampton says:

November 20, 2009 at 9:07 am

Sorry, O, I have to disagree on this one.

First, every segment of MW2– not just the “No Russian” segment– underscores the dubious moral choices of war in general and of war in the 21st century in particular. Allies become enemies (and vise versa), heroes become traitors (and vise versa). You help to capture a “bad guy” only to see one of the key members of your “good guy” team torture him; you help your buddy (former hero, now declared a war criminal) bust out of prison, only to help him launch a low earth orbit nuke at the U.S. to knock out communications over Washington DC. There’s no doubt that “No Russian” is the most viscerally disturbing of the segments, but a) it fits the theme and b) what happens there is the catalyst for the rest of the story– neither point supports the idea that it was somehow tacked on.

Finally, the “shock jock” motive is only plausible if Infinity Ward/Activision needed to gin up controversy to move sales. They really didn’t. Everyone knew that MW2 was going to be a juggernaut. Hell, most of the rest of the industry moved their release calendars around just to avoid having their titles crushed during the stampede.
Cargo says:

November 20, 2009 at 11:51 am

I was unnerved and discomfited by the brutality of the airport level in MW2 but I don’t think it was at all gratuitous. The whole game is about betrayal and not knowing who your friends are. (spoiler) I thought the flip side mission Boneyard near the end of the game was also just as disturbing, it referenced airports and air travel too being among all the wrecked planes, and shooting your own countrymen in the back felt just as bad as shooting civilians. MW2′s single player campaign had its share of heartbreaking moments, it was too short but well told in the few levels it had.
Dave says:

November 20, 2009 at 2:59 pm

I don’t play video games because they don’t appeal to me. I just watched the video clip, and I will just say that anyone who gleans any enjoyment from a game like that is well and truly a psychopath.

I know I sound like a prude, amd maybe it’s because I come from outside the gaming culture, but I find it horrific that something like that video is considered entertainment to anyone.
salvage says:

November 20, 2009 at 4:23 pm

>the level doesn’t make sense within the story, because even with some of the shady things CIA agents are required to do, mowing down people in broad daylight at an airport isn’t one of them.

Have you finished the whole game? You do understand what the massacre triggers the invasion of the US and that the CIA guy was set up by (SPOILER) Sheppard? He probably gave some the CIA guy some BS about how killing a few innocent people will save millions more. Or perhaps he was kept in the dark as to the nature of the operation until it was too late.

The limited control of that level I thought was a pretty good representation of how the CIA agent, a pawn, was trapped. It just added to the drama of how far undercover do you go to stop evil?

As for a marketing stunt, please, that game was going to break record sales regardless of any hype generating outrage.
Oliver Willis says:

November 20, 2009 at 7:53 pm

I understand the story point, but it could have been done without the useless splatter.
Dkelsmith says:

November 21, 2009 at 1:26 pm

My computer hiccuped when I tried to post the first time. I think the “outrage” about this is much ado about nothing. This is a game. On top of that, this is a game called Modern Warfare…..if you watch the news, scenes like this and car bombings and suicide bombings are commonplace in modern warfare. There is no linear battlefield anywhere in this world any more.

I don’t see the big deal. Additionally, the squeamish have a choice in opting out of it.
Jeff says:

November 21, 2009 at 3:55 pm

I agree with Oliver. Gah, I mean at least the GTA games merely gave you free will to act in such a way, like you aren’t forced to kill innocents, you just can.

To have a game that REQUIRES you to shoot innocent people? That’s unsettling as hell, and very, very unnecessary and inappropriate for the children that will inevitably get this game, M rating or not.

And yeah, some of you may be right. Modern Warfare is just a game.

Birth of a Nation is just a movie.

Blackface is just theater.

The Constitution is just a piece of parchment.

Or maybe we can have ideals bigger than the items they hold and maybe we can realize when a dangerous line has been crossed (even more dangerous than the utilization of video games, toys, etc. as military recruitment tools.)
joe says:

November 21, 2009 at 10:15 pm

stop being fucking pussys about it, it’s a god dam game
Joey says:

November 26, 2009 at 3:56 am

you are a fucking idiot. What about GTA? All you do is kill innocent people but when one other game kills civilians it’s all, OH MY GOD ITS TERRIBLE! It’s just a game and you need to learn to deal with that. It’s not giving people ideas to kill because people who play games are smarter than you apparently.