Leaked Modern Warfare 2 Opening Will Be Controversial

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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Leaked Modern Warfare 2 Opening Will Be Controversial

Judging by a leaked gameplay video of the opening to Modern Warfare 2, the game's biggest controversy may be yet to come. (Warning: Spoilers!)

*Spoiler Warning. Not kidding!*
(If the video in question is taken down, follow the links in the post.)


The above video is reportedly the opening scene in Infinity Ward's hugely anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and while it could be a hoax, I'm going to go out on a limb here and venture that this is the real deal. If the two previous warnings haven't convinced you to read further at your own risk, I'm going to do this one last time: Here there be spoilers. You have no one to blame but yourself!

All right, are you still with me? Good.

The above sequence shows the player in control of what is presumably a terrorist figure, attacking an airport and mercilessly killing unarmed civilians en masse. While this might make some gamers uncomfortable, I doubt that there will be any real controversy over this in gamer circles (at least, not on the level of that dedicated servers thing [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95584-No-Dedicated-Servers-for-Modern-Warfare-2-PC-Fans-Freak-Out]).

But this is exactly the sort of thing that is poised to spark a wave of controversy that makes the "This trailer went too far!" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95279-Modern-Warfare-2-Trailer-Criticized-For-Going-Too-Far] hubbub look like irritated grumbling at worst. Playing as a terrorist, gunning down civilians who are scrambling for their lives? Tell me that this doesn't have "moral outrage" written all over it, particularly in the post-9/11 world (well okay, mainly just the US).

I confess that I'm curious as to how this sequence will play into the game's overall plot. My best guess is that this is a temporary sequence, and the attack will be repelled by a group consisting of the "real" main characters. Okay, that's actually my only guess, but there could be something else going on, right?

The actual controversy might not hit until the actual game does and Joe Q. Public learns about it (being the type who doesn't, say, go to gaming websites all that often), but I can't see this flying under the media radar. In other words - brace for impact, people.

Update: The videos on channels like YouTube keep being taken down, but unless this is one of the best videogame hoaxes ever made - certainly the best I've ever seen - I'm pretty convinced that this is the real deal. Looks like the team in question is ... Russian, actually. There are more videos - with actual sound here [http://www.gamedat.blogspot.com/], but as always, be spoiled at your own risk.

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T-Bone24

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Dec 29, 2008
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The video is not working. But from what I read, I can only assume this will be blamed for "encouraging and training terrorists". I can see the headline now:

"NEW TERROR GAME ALLOWS YOUR CHILD TO MURDER AND TERRORISE"
 

Amnestic

High Priest of Haruhi
Aug 22, 2008
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T-Bone24 said:
The video is not working. But from what I read, I can only assume this will be blamed for "encouraging and training terrorists". I can see the headline now:

"NEW TERROR GAME ALLOWS YOUR CHILD TO MURDER AND TERRORISE"
Video's working fine for me here.

I'm sure the MSM will pick up on this soon enough and spin their respective stories out of it. Not an issue for me, but some people will probably object.

They always do.
 

Goldeneye1989

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Mar 9, 2009
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Oh dear god i am awaiting Faux news to say that this game is a terrorist training unit and the "Death-box" is where terrorists go to meet to set up planned attacks..... also 4chan

Edit: Ok more on topic, i think that it's going to hit a little to close to home for most people in america (im aussie, "land of the dear god thing of the children" ratings) however after all it is what it is, just a game, however get the flack jackets ready... conversly i also see a screaming amount of soaring crying eagles when you control an american troop, that beats back the foul deamons on their home soil ect.ect. so... it will be interesting
 

rknight718

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May 3, 2009
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Just speaking from the other side of the fence, but while this could indeed be the opening maybe you don't have any control? Like the car scene in the beginning of COD:MW? Instead of just looking around, you're in the body of a terrorist and you have to watch the horrible acts firsthand. I know it looks like someone is controlling the character but that COULD be pre-recorded. Just a thought.
 

T-Bone24

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Dec 29, 2008
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Amnestic said:
T-Bone24 said:
The video is not working. But from what I read, I can only assume this will be blamed for "encouraging and training terrorists". I can see the headline now:

"NEW TERROR GAME ALLOWS YOUR CHILD TO MURDER AND TERRORISE"
Video's working fine for me here.
When I saw it, the video did not work, they took it down just after I hit post, then put it back up again. I'm just fast like that.
 

Paulrus_Keaton

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Apr 23, 2009
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Oh dear... I don't know what to make of this.

What can be said that hasn't already been said? Watching this leaked footage is like standing on a beach watching as a CGI killer tsunami comes barreling towards the coast. Infinity Ward is going to have their hands full here.

EDIT: Also, the commentator disturbs me a little.
 

Amnestic

High Priest of Haruhi
Aug 22, 2008
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T-Bone24 said:
Amnestic said:
T-Bone24 said:
The video is not working. But from what I read, I can only assume this will be blamed for "encouraging and training terrorists". I can see the headline now:

"NEW TERROR GAME ALLOWS YOUR CHILD TO MURDER AND TERRORISE"
Video's working fine for me here.
When I saw it, the video did not work, they took it down just after I hit post, then put it back up again. I'm just fast like that.
So your girlfriend said. Hurr hurr hurr. [http://www.instantrimshot.com/]
 

Terramax

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Jan 11, 2008
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If it is true, Infinity Ward will have no-one to blame but themselves when some crazy American does shoot up a shopping mall and the media starts pointing the finger at them.
 

Xan Krieger

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Feb 11, 2009
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Wow, I suddenly want Modern Warfare 2 even without the whole dedicated server option. Just this level looks to be one of the funnest and funniest things of the year.
 

scotth266

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Jan 10, 2009
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CantFaketheFunk said:

(Also, watch with the sound off: Annoying commentary)
You ain't joking. That's gotta be one of the most annoying things I've heard in a while.

But to be honest: replace "airport" with "subway" and "shooting" with "bombing" and you'd likely achieve the same level of controversy in some European nations.

Heck, this still might achieve a good level of controversy across the pond simply to the subject matter.

Goldeneye1989 said:
Oh dear god i am awaiting Faux news to say that this game is a terrorist training unit and the "Death-box" is where terrorists go to meet to set up planned attacks..... also 4chan
Uh... it's not just Fox News that indulges in called videogames bad names. ABC in particular takes great pains to defame the industry at every possible turn, even when it's not the videogame maker's fault, but some retailer breaking sales laws.
 

Good morning blues

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Sep 24, 2008
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Looks like Infinity Ward has been listening to the people wanting to play a Nazi campaign.

This is brilliant. This, more than anything else, makes me excited to play this game. I would have been (slightly, not profoundly) more trepidatious if this was another game, but it's the new Modern Warfare, and the first was the closest thing to an anti-war game I've ever played. What a ballsy move.
 

GamerLuck

Questionably Opinionated
Jul 13, 2009
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By the Gods.... i can imagine a lot of the news on this site being thrown wildly out of proportion by the media (Fox news especially, may they all rot back in what ever ditch they crawled out of in the first place) but this is the first i think I am actually gonna get to see play out... and frankly I am a little bit terrified. Though, thinking back on the first teaser (You know, that thing in radar-o-vision) I think we should be just a little less surprised by this then we are... or at the very least, finally be able to make sense of that 20 seconds or so of confusion.

All in all, i think this can all be sumed up in one neat little fraise, very along the lines of the final words of the newspost...

HIT THE DECK!! SHIELD YOUR (insert gaming devise of choice here)!!!
 

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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Psychosocial said:
Wow, the game has finally got one not fully generic part. My stepfathers buying it, might just test this part, if it turns out to be real!

But I doubt Activision would ever allow such a thing, because we all know how high hopes they have in this game, and this is just the thing that could potentially ruin it.
Negative publicity is still free publicity. Besides, IW is one of Activision's two golden boys; it probably gives the IW team a lot more free rein than the others.
 

samsonguy920

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Mar 24, 2009
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rknight718 said:
Just speaking from the other side of the fence, but while this could indeed be the opening maybe you don't have any control? Like the car scene in the beginning of COD:MW? Instead of just looking around, you're in the body of a terrorist and you have to watch the horrible acts firsthand. I know it looks like someone is controlling the character but that COULD be pre-recorded. Just a thought.
This would be the only way to make such an act work. Watching this, I just would not be able to wait until I got into my character's shoes, to blow these people away. It would be excellent plot build, and emotion buildup. However if it does allow you to control a terrorist....Why? It defeats the main gambit of the story, that you are supposed to be fighting these people, not being them. A lot of people will find it morally objectionable, I just find it stupid. If I want to play terrorist, I'll just play Counterstrike. CS doesn't make me want to throw up a little.