Leaked Modern Warfare 2 Opening Will Be Controversial
- Thread starter John Funk
- Start date
Haven't read the whole thread, but I do want to mention that I think one of the shacknews interviews has an IW rep talking about how this is a trashed concept and that it won't actually be in the game.
Looks real enough to me, especially after watching the video with the original game sounds. You can clearly see weapon drops pop up on screen, has weapons not seen in the first Modern Warfare, and other action popups I didn't see in MW. Might be a mod, but it's a very high quality mod if it is. The fact that the guy dies in the tarmac area then comes back and finishes the level makes it rather apparent it's not just a controlled sequence. I think it's probably pushing it a bit far. Modern Warfare is fine because even in multiplayer when you can play as the terrorists, it's still military combatants fighting each other. Throwing in massive amounts of screaming, crying civilians try to drag people to safety and being able to shoot them in the head as they do so is a bit over the top. I'll still play it, but it seems like a major shot in the foot for Infinity Ward, the amount of controversy this will cause will be close to unparalleled. After seeing what happened with Six Days in Fallujah, the wholesale slaughter of civilians in an airport seems like it might boil more than a few biscuits.
Here's my opinion, for anyone who cares after 5 pages:
I played many so-called controversial Games, like Manhunt or the Columbine thing, and had no qualms with it...but this crosses a line for me.
Why? Because not only the game wants you to do something disgusting, but because it MAKES NO SENSE!
Of course, i haven't played the full game and that one might provide enough context to rethink my opinion, but as i see it, that is just something that wants to show you how evil the evil guys are...by making you one of them.
That might be actually something interesting and deep if it is woven in the story narrative in a way that the terrorist are made sympathetic until this point where you just slaughter innocents, but as a standalone chapter, that is just controversy for controversy's sake. I can't blame anyone misunderstanding the purpose of that sequence because, in the end, this is essentially a terrorist sim.
Until Infinity Ward, through the game, cannot answer me the following questions, i consider this opening dumb and disgusting, and won't, for the first time ever, play this game despite wanting it due to morale issues:
1) Why can't this chapter be played through the eyes of one of the civilians, running away without a chance to fight back, and eventually get killed at the end?
THAT would show MUCH better what makes your enemies something that must be stopped.
2) How are you supposed to really want to fight the bad guys through a "emotional" motivation if you first play one and then just "change team"?
3) And most importantly: How do such mature and dark themes weave into a game that is essentially MICHAEL BAY'S WAR!! and puts you later in very hollywood-esque snowmobile chases and lacks overall real depth?? (not that this is a bad thing, but it just does not fit with the things shown in the opening)
I played many so-called controversial Games, like Manhunt or the Columbine thing, and had no qualms with it...but this crosses a line for me.
Why? Because not only the game wants you to do something disgusting, but because it MAKES NO SENSE!
Of course, i haven't played the full game and that one might provide enough context to rethink my opinion, but as i see it, that is just something that wants to show you how evil the evil guys are...by making you one of them.
That might be actually something interesting and deep if it is woven in the story narrative in a way that the terrorist are made sympathetic until this point where you just slaughter innocents, but as a standalone chapter, that is just controversy for controversy's sake. I can't blame anyone misunderstanding the purpose of that sequence because, in the end, this is essentially a terrorist sim.
Until Infinity Ward, through the game, cannot answer me the following questions, i consider this opening dumb and disgusting, and won't, for the first time ever, play this game despite wanting it due to morale issues:
1) Why can't this chapter be played through the eyes of one of the civilians, running away without a chance to fight back, and eventually get killed at the end?
THAT would show MUCH better what makes your enemies something that must be stopped.
2) How are you supposed to really want to fight the bad guys through a "emotional" motivation if you first play one and then just "change team"?
3) And most importantly: How do such mature and dark themes weave into a game that is essentially MICHAEL BAY'S WAR!! and puts you later in very hollywood-esque snowmobile chases and lacks overall real depth?? (not that this is a bad thing, but it just does not fit with the things shown in the opening)
watched the video you linked to
i wonder how this guy thinks hes going to get away with it when YOU CAN SEE HIS REFLECTION very clearly
hilarious
OT:
the only even close possible reason, is that its a tutorial level, where people cant attack back, then you move on to security guards with pistols, etc.
but its doing something new, so i dont mind really
also, this is gonna sound weird, but if im stressed i would not mind holding down the trigger and seing loads of pink things go "fwoop"
but then again, i have L4D for that, so maybe it is the wow factor, like manhunt, making sales by people wondering why its controversial
i wonder how this guy thinks hes going to get away with it when YOU CAN SEE HIS REFLECTION very clearly
hilarious
OT:
im not a whiney "hey thats baad person", but it does seem to be harshFrybird said:
the only even close possible reason, is that its a tutorial level, where people cant attack back, then you move on to security guards with pistols, etc.
but its doing something new, so i dont mind really
also, this is gonna sound weird, but if im stressed i would not mind holding down the trigger and seing loads of pink things go "fwoop"
but then again, i have L4D for that, so maybe it is the wow factor, like manhunt, making sales by people wondering why its controversial
Okay, I don't think this is real. I really really think this is either a hoax, or a misrepresentation. Sure it looks good, but FFS this would cost them so many buyers, after all there is a subtle and distinct difference between having dark subject matter, and just being a shithead. But just to be clear no one would actually do it, and let me list the reason's why.
Sales: Bobby Kotick might be evil, but he also know what sells, and I doubt he would have a game that forced you to play as a terrorist killing INNOCENT civillians be released cause people wouldn't buy a game where you shoot up an airport.
Playability: Now I am pretty sure that Activision's big release of the year had something called Beta testing and I think that at some point one of the testers commented that this was truly fucked up, cause you know while I do love my achievements I honestly don't think I would go through and play the game, and that would impact my view of it pretty negatively.
So I doubt this is real, and if it is it certainly isn't playable.
Sales: Bobby Kotick might be evil, but he also know what sells, and I doubt he would have a game that forced you to play as a terrorist killing INNOCENT civillians be released cause people wouldn't buy a game where you shoot up an airport.
Playability: Now I am pretty sure that Activision's big release of the year had something called Beta testing and I think that at some point one of the testers commented that this was truly fucked up, cause you know while I do love my achievements I honestly don't think I would go through and play the game, and that would impact my view of it pretty negatively.
So I doubt this is real, and if it is it certainly isn't playable.
While I do not believe this to be real, (Probably some clever modder stirring up controversy) I do believe that your first idea would work a hell of a lot better. So sir I award you an internet. and thank you for coming up with a good idea.Frybird said:
Thanks ^^kotorfan04 said:
Unfortunately, Eurogamer.de (German Branch of Eurogamer) just posted some information regarding the footage and stated that the source is apperantly the same one as the leaked footage of the "3rd Person Mode" that was since then confirmed by IW, giving it further evidence that this is indeed real.
Also, they translated the mission briefing: It seems like you are playing an Undercover-Agent while participating in that massacre.
While it does add SOME context, it certainly isn't enough to change my above opinion
This looks fantastic, but not in the medium of "Wahey, gunning down innocents," but because of the emotional build up it'll create. Remember how pissed you were when the nuke went off in COD MW and you controlled the dying Paul Jackson? I was pissed off. I spent much of the next level angrily killing the people responsible. Infinity Ward successfully got a rise out of me, and here it looks like they're gunning for something similar. Controlling a mass murderer, witnesssing the atrocities they commit first hand, and even participating? It's gonna paint a pretty bad image of the guys you'll be fighting the rest of the game.
It won't bother me, afterall IT'S JUST A GAME... I'm not going to go out and do it in real life just because I saw it in MW2. Personally I think it's a pretty good move, MW1 had some amazing set pieces like the guy in the car on way to his execution, the crashed US chopper with you on, the entire sniper level and the very last sequence on the bridge... MW1 is one of the most cinematic feeling games I've ever played and I've been playing games for over 20 years and started on the Amiga 500+ :-D
It'll just be the sterotypical American knee-jerk reaction, your fine with showing other countries, real and not, blown up but the moment it's your own you get all shouty
It'll just be the sterotypical American knee-jerk reaction, your fine with showing other countries, real and not, blown up but the moment it's your own you get all shouty
I personally don't see the problem with casting a character as a terrorist. You can kill nazi's, play as psychopaths and do generally anything else but crash an aeroplane now. End of the day it's a game and the way games like this get your attention is to make you do something or experience something that pulls on your emotions. It wont be the first or last game to make you kill civilians.
UPDATE
This scene is now confirmed to be real, however, if you want to, you can skip the scene beforehand
http://www.vg247.com/2009/10/28/confirmed-leaked-mw2-civilians-vid-as-real-skippable-through-checkpoints/
"Showing the cold-bloodedness" sounds like a rather weak justification for adding so much shock value, but i am definitely relieved that the game gives you the choice if you actually want to play something like this.
However, i don't know yet if i want to play it...
This scene is now confirmed to be real, however, if you want to, you can skip the scene beforehand
http://www.vg247.com/2009/10/28/confirmed-leaked-mw2-civilians-vid-as-real-skippable-through-checkpoints/
"Showing the cold-bloodedness" sounds like a rather weak justification for adding so much shock value, but i am definitely relieved that the game gives you the choice if you actually want to play something like this.
However, i don't know yet if i want to play it...
