Modern Warfare 2 Writer Claims Controversy Was Worth the Risk

[KaiRai]

That's interesting that everyone in the test group opened fire. I wonder how many opened fire on the terrorists first (one of my first thoughts). I am looking forward to playing through the campaign though.

I opened fire on the terrorists at first, but not through some moral system. One of the fuckers called Ley kept shooting me, so I did it back and apparently I'm the traitor!

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

What controversy? The killing of innocent civilians at an airport? I can do that in every GTA and Saints Row. Probably several other games. I just cannot see why this move should be praised as anything really. If you don't feel bad mowing down civilians in GTA, then you shouldn't feel bad for shooting civilians in that level. If you do, then you do so because they say you should. You know, those who say this is so damn controversial. Which it really isn't.

 

[Tiamat666]

The script-writer of Modern Warfare 2 says that the airport mission was needed to push the game to the next level.

And in order to push the next game to "the next level" in MW3 Earth will be invaded by an evil alien force that plants a huge thermonuclear device in the center of the planet. In order to save humanity the player will be required to perform a satanic ritual by raping 13 underage girls and then executing them infront of their parents by cutting their heads off with a spoon.

Yay! Let's push the limits and be really creative and take huge risks to advance gaming as an art form.
Of course it has nothing at all to do with the hype and sales created by controversy.

Every single person in testing opened fire on the crowd, which is human nature. It feels so real but at the same time it's a video game and the response to it has been fascinating. I never really knew you could elicit such a deep feeling from a video game, but [that level] has.

I'm sorry, but that is not human nature. That is gamer-nature. Gamers have been conditioned to shoot at everything that moves once they have a gun in their hands.

 

[Sovvolf]

Given that Kevin McBride, the actor who voices "Soap" MacTavish

??? I think you mean Kevin Mckidd... you know the guy from Rome... next to Ray Stevenson...

 

[LTK_70]

Worth the risk? Oh, give me a break. If there was any chance that the airport scene had even the slightest negative impact on sales, they wouldn't have put it in. They know damn well that it just gives them even more publicity that gets people buying their game. Controversial introduction gameplay, okay, I can buy that, but don't pretend like this could have been a deal-breaker for MW2.

 

[ablac]

i think there may be another cause for everyone in the test opening fire
because they thought they had to
just a thought
i dont see the big deal the scene is pretty brutal if you overlook certain flaws like repeated skins for npc's but the same sort of thing has been done in films and people have never said it was a massive risk but its still powerful stuff

 

[Captain Pancake]

NCIS eh? I love that show.

 

[mrcoolfs]

I don't understand the controvercy around this "Oh so risky and original idea"

Three words:
GRAND THEFT AUTO

 

[300lb. Samoan]

When one game has this risky of a scene and has set such amazing first week sales records, it seems like a sure bet that most mainstream developers will take note and start really pushing themselves.

What? MW2 didn't sell because of the airport scene, or in spite of it. It has nothing to do with the game's success. I doubt most developers are stupid enough to think that they can make a similiar hit just by adding EDGY GRIMDARK content.

I didn't say it sold because or despite this scene (which, we get it, you didn't like it. I haven't played it yet so I'm looking at it just from a script perspective). GTA:IV got pulled from shelves just for having a half-developed sex-scene buried in its code. What's amazing is that despite this controversy, this scene is still intact in the released game and now nearly 8 million people will have played through it (my guess is less than 1% will skip it every time). This means that, thanks to MW2's success, other developers will have the freedom to build an EDGY/GRIMDARK HUR DUR scene into their games - maybe one that you will actually like.

EDIT: Keep in mind, the controversy and the quality of the scene are COMPLETELY SEPARATE. The press was sinking their teeth into this one long before it was available for play, and I'm willing to bet that most of the people who crafted that news event haven't played the game.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

[small]Ummm....probably dead from the russian invasion or evacuated the city because they saw what happened in Red Dawn, and did'nt want to get shot to bloody ribbons maybe?

Also, WOLVERINES![/small]

Also, WOLVERINES!

<..>
[HEADING=1]GO BUCKS[/HEADING]
I don't care if 68 was a wrestler, taking out our boys ain't gonna get that goose-egg off the scoreboard! O-H

 

[300lb. Samoan]

Also, WOLVERINES!

<..>
[HEADING=1]GO BUCKS[/HEADING]
I don't care if 68 was a wrestler, taking out our boys ain't gonna get that goose-egg off the scoreboard! O-H[/quote]

I'm talking about the group of teenaged guerilla's in Red Dawn. After the russians invaded in that movie, they decided to name their group after the football team of the local highschool, the wolverines.[/quote]

oh.

I-O!

 

[TheEnglishman]

Good, take risks, risks are the only way to progress the gaming industry rather than just being stuck with the same bog standard 1st person shooters.

As for the airport sequence, I'm hoping that Yahtzee reviews the game so I can hear what he did.

Can you not just shoot the legs and wound them?