Modern Warfare 2 + Spoilers

[JKTrix]

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the game as soon as it comes out, but I'm more interested in it now than I have ever been.

As a general warning though, If You Are At All Interested In Not Being Spoiled About Modern Warfare 2, Do Not Look At ANYTHING New (related to the game) On The Internet.

Just a few minutes ago, I haphazardly clicked a video link. And what a piece of dynamite it was. I'll post the link and describe it in spoilers for anyone who doesn't really care, because I would be interested to see what people think about what happens. This is related to events that happen within the single-player game, not any of the other hogwash that's been happening outside of that. I will preface it by saying that Activision has balls.

Videohttp://www.destructoid.com/is-this-a-modern-warfare-2-level-about-spoiler--153300.phtml
DescriptionJust to make sure...
This is *really* a spoilerSo, at one point (some are saying at the very beginning of the game), you perform a terrorist attack in an airport, mowing down mere civilians in the process. You are an undercover CIA agent when it happens.

For those that did watch it or read the description, I would be interested to see what you think about it. Both fans of the franchise and non-fans (which I expect there are more of here). Once the mass media gets wind of this, I think there will be another ignorant anti-videogame meltdown that GTA couldn't hold a candle to.

Edit: And it's already gone! haha. If you do want to find it elsewhere, or if you come past it in the game itself, I'm talking about a mission that takes place in the Airport.

Edit Edit: Found the video somewhere else.

[Slothy]

And to think I was already salivating when I saw that the fight would be taken to Washington D.C. Haven't seen this new video but it sounds cool to me from what you've described. Wouldn't be the first time Infinity Ward gave the player a front row seat to some pretty crazy stuff. Being hauled off and executed on live TV as well as dying of radiation poisoning after a nuke went off were pretty powerful moments in COD4. As long as something like this is handled well (and with Infinity Ward behind it I'm sure it will be) then we can probably expect some more stuff that's mature in all the right ways.

[JKTrix]

Found it somewhere else. It's about 8 minutes long and in French. In the spoiler in the first post.

[Bolivar]

Here's a new link for it (again, don't watch it if you don't want spoilers):

Its all about the Game!

(SPOILER)He's clearly killing innocent people on the ground wounded.

I guess I have to put my thoughts in spoiler tags as well, so:

(SPOILER)This is really bad taste. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I feel this way. I loved every minute of Killzone 2 - the game with the deepest hit detection and death animations possibly of all time. And I've killed tons of civilians in GTA, most for no reason at all, probably while I was fleeing another atrocity I've caused.

But this is different, and I don't know why. It just reeks of being controversial for the sake of being controversial. There's a difference between this and GTA. GTA is controversial for the sake of gamers having a good time, over-the-top, black comedy experience. That's actually an aesthetic.

But this.... sorry. I wasn't going to buy this game b/c the multiplayer is the same 4-5 generic FPS game modes I've been playing for the last fifteen years. I planned on renting it to play the campaign. I probably still will, I want to give this a fair shake. But my first impression is not good.

Funny how whoever's playing this is gettiong PSN friend invites as he's doing it lol.

[JKTrix]

(SPOILER)On one hand, I have played CoD 4 and am familiar with Infinity Ward's method of story telling. So I have faith that they will do something to explain why that sequence is necessary. On the other hand, if this is done just for the sake of shock, then they will lose a lot of respect from those--like me--who might appreciate their prior works.

Still, I'm sure that had to go through a chain of approval from within Infinity Ward *and* Activision--maybe the biggest game company in the US--so there must be something more to it. They are really sticking their necks out.

I think the video was taken from a stream, so people were sending him PSN messages while he was playing. I've seen it many times, people just want their name to show up on the screen :P

[Slothy]

(SPOILER)This is really bad taste. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I feel this way. I loved every minute of Killzone 2 - the game with the deepest hit detection and death animations possibly of all time. And I've killed tons of civilians in GTA, most for no reason at all, probably while I was fleeing another atrocity I've caused.

But this is different, and I don't know why. It just reeks of being controversial for the sake of being controversial. There's a difference between this and GTA. GTA is controversial for the sake of gamers having a good time, over-the-top, black comedy experience. That's actually an aesthetic.

But this.... sorry. I wasn't going to buy this game b/c the multiplayer is the same 4-5 generic FPS game modes I've been playing for the last fifteen years. I planned on renting it to play the campaign. I probably still will, I want to give this a fair shake. But my first impression is not good.

I may as well use spoilers as well just in case.

(SPOILER)I don't see it as in bad taste necessarily. Is the thought of mowing down innocent civilians horrific? Of course, but I'm pretty sure that's what Infinity Ward is going for. They didn't shy away from putting us in the middle of televised executions and nuclear fallout before. Both were horrifying moments that were presented in such a way that it really made you feel at least some of what it may feel like to be in that position. It's horrifying yes, but making people realize that is part of the point because crap like that happens every day in many parts of the world. I see it as Infinity Ward sort of putting the player in the middle of it to make a statement: that this stuff is terrible and shouldn't happen or be ignored ever.

GTA features violence for the sake of entertainment. It's supposed to be fun because you can do whatever you want consequence free. Infinity Ward is showing the more horrifying reality of such violence though. It may not change how you feel, but if you find it appalling then good. My bet is that that was their intent.

[Bolivar]

I may as well use spoilers as well just in case.

(SPOILER)I don't see it as in bad taste necessarily. Is the thought of mowing down innocent civilians horrific? Of course, but I'm pretty sure that's what Infinity Ward is going for. They didn't shy away from putting us in the middle of televised executions and nuclear fallout before. Both were horrifying moments that were presented in such a way that it really made you feel at least some of what it may feel like to be in that position. It's horrifying yes, but making people realize that is part of the point because crap like that happens every day in many parts of the world. I see it as Infinity Ward sort of putting the player in the middle of it to make a statement: that this stuff is terrible and shouldn't happen or be ignored ever.

GTA features violence for the sake of entertainment. It's supposed to be fun because you can do whatever you want consequence free. Infinity Ward is showing the more horrifying reality of such violence though. It may not change how you feel, but if you find it appalling then good. My bet is that that was their intent.

I guess we have a trend going, so:

(SPOILER)I don't know, man. There's a million and one mediums and methods to get that message across, but video games are probably the most juvenile and ineffective way to do it. This isn't going to change voting behavior or increase communal awareness. It's going to give something for homophobic racists on XBox Live to high five their friends about. For kids who get picked on at school, this is going to be their fantasy and solace. I know we're on the precipice of video games emerging as a recognized form of art, but there will always be, as in movies, and music, things that go towards pretentious, under the guise of having a message. Far Cry 2 got a similar message across that you mentioned, and that's a game where you play as a guy with a gun, and you have to make some pretty tough decisions that are, like you say, horrific. But I still feel like that game was done in good taste, and I came away from it like you would from a good book. This, I don't know.

Like I said, I have to give it a fair shake, but they have a lot to prove.

[Shattered Dreamer]

This is kinda the reason why I've got sick of play FPS games altogether. The FPS genre has sought to glamorize war as of late & the COD are especially guilty of this. The better that graphics become the more these games games become like VR simulations. If your willing to pull the trigger on something that looks 99% real & feel no remorse then your type cast immediate for some proxy war. GTA is harmless cartoon Tom & Jerry type violence but FPS's like COD focus on realism i.e. making needless murder look glamorous.

I normally don't kick up a fuss about violence in video games but that video of Modern Warfare 2 shows developers are maybe going too far

[Rocket Edge]

^some people I've come across on COD boards feel the same as you. It does to some extent romanticize war.

This is the game I've been waiting for most since I got World at War last year. I've followed it closely and everything looks awesome! Even little things like being able to customise your own kill-streak slots, and switching hosts in the middle of an online game are neat. N00bs will no doubt be there in numbers like COD only can bring, but I'll be there with my Bolty no-scope ready to snipe them down.

We should get an EoFF Clan going if everyone's game (I'm PS3). Thoughts?

[JKTrix]

As an extra prerequisite, I would like people to say whether or not they have played CoD4's single player. Not necessarily to completion, but at least on the two different occasions where your player character perishes.

That would help clarify your perspective as well. I'll assume Shattered Dreamer and Bolivar did not.

[Rocket Edge]

I never played COD before WaW. A friend introducted me to the series when the latter was released last year and I got hooked to the online multiplayer matches. If it's a case It's necessary to learn the history of the game before I dive into Mw2 I will.

[JKTrix]

I don't think it's necessary to play prior games, as far as the content of the story. I think if you have played through CoD4 though, you might have a very different perspective on the 'controversial scene' we're discussing in MW2.

[Bolivar]

I haven't played the full campaign but I have seen the two scenes Vivi22 mentioned. I'm not sure how they would change my perspective on (SPOILER)gunning down civilians at an airport.

[Depression Moon]

I don't think i've played a single FPS this generation unless Team Fortress 2 counts, but y'all probably don't count it. There's too many games this year and I have limited money. I will try and get to it sometime next year., but Blockbuster is super expensive now on renting games. I remember back in the SNES days when game rentals were only $4 for a week now they're $9.66 for 5 days.

Hrmm, I might not be getting that game then.

[JKTrix]

Gamefly.For $16 a month, you can rent one game at a time for as long as you want. There are other packages where you can rent more games at once for higher costs. You can also 'keep' games you rent for a 'used' price if you really want to. Only real downside is you have to wait for shipping (Tekken 6 probably won't get to me until Friday, for example).
TF2 is a FPS.

@Bolivar, 'experiencing' those events in CoD4 (and maybe others...I've only played 2 and 4) gets you familiar with the fact that Infinity Ward likes to have these emotional setpieces. Trying to make you feel something. This instance in MW2 is definitely morally heinous, but is in line with what they have done before in the sense of trying to get you to feel something. Perspective is more than just what you see in front of you. So while what you see in front of you is "THAT," you have the context of prior experience which should allow you to can kind of see where they are coming from. Even if what is actually happening is horrible, you would have a good idea that there should be something more to it. (I'm saying 'you', but I'm not exactly directing it at 'you'.)

Whereas, if you hadn't experienced any of that before from the creators, all you see is what's actually happening in front of you. Which is absolutely horrible.