COD4:MW2: The "Terrorist levels"

[Generic_Dave]

Why did you want to "get some kills", there's no bonus to it, I just played through that level really, got pretty hard towards the end on veteran.

Because I wanted to.

 

[CerealKiller]

I don't know.Violence in videogames is just that for me no matter the game and i don't mind it all.I don't understand why others do but i don't care either.

Oh well.

 

[Seydaman]

I think you may have confused "Modern Warfare 2" with "Postal 2". It's an easy mistake to make, after all they both have "2" in the name. But seriously, why did you want to go and murder civilians?

I actually give the game props for that level. It's been a long time since a game shocked me like that.

And you can't compare it to GTA. The GTA bystanders were simple little hive minds. The bystanders in MW2 felt real, running and pleading for their lives, trying to drag themselves or other people out of harms way.

I think it's the most impressive part of the single-player.

This seems to be the major issue with it, because they arn't just idiots that walk around on the streets, like you said it is immensely different from killing mindless citizens to citizens who had a great deal of work put into them to look and feel real

 

[Wandrecanada]

If you haven't figured out the difference between MW2 and GTA4 I'll spell it out real simple.

GTA4 gives you the option to play as you like without forcing it on you. It's your choice to act as good or bad as you will.

MW2 requires you participate in an atrocity, while saying it's not required for the story, just so they can make you angry at the big bad foreign dude.

This is often referred to in movies as bad writing. If you can't tell a story that draws a person in because you can't think of an engaging plot simply show shocking atrocities on the screen and people will come in droves. I'm almost certain everyone who is impressed with this will also think that the Saw series of films was a masterwork too.

 

[wax88]

I think you may have confused "Modern Warfare 2" with "Postal 2". It's an easy mistake to make, after all they both have "2" in the name. But seriously, why did you want to go and murder civilians?

Why do people have no problem with mowing down innocents in a GTA game, but when its a level in a Cod game everyone goes batshit insane with the idea of being a souless prick?

my guess is the kind of mindset that you take on when you play the game. COD has traditionally been about military action, soldiers fighting other soldiers or terrorist, naturally one would like to take on the role of a hero or the righteous in this scenario.
however, GTA series, has always been about being a criminal, killing other gang members, the police or just general members of the public. you play GTA expecting to be a criminal, therefore having no issues with mowing down random people.

but personally, i think IW has done a good job in this case. the level is a good expression of the new face of warfare and puts you into a new mindset of what war has become. black and white is very hard to define, rather everything is in shades of grey and i guess the designers wanted to pull that point across.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Was anyone else really disappointed by the way the "terrorist" level restricted your movement? I wanted to be able to run out and gun all those civvies down, run ahead, get lots of kills etc...

But no, you're restricted by the movement of your compadres, it was as if Infinity Ward were afraid to give you too much freedom. I just think that with GTA letting us gun, run down and slaughter civvies to our hearts content, this was a bit tame, despite the "outrage".

OH GOD THE SPOILERS!

 

[Grayjack]

I liked it. Too bad

Spoiler

Makarov kills you at the end.

Yea, that surprised me.

OT: I didn't mind it. I was shot by my team mates alot if i went in front of them.

What bothered me the most was the fact that

Spoiler

he basically started WWIII.

 

[WeirdNeville]

Was anyone else really disappointed by the way the "terrorist" level restricted your movement? I wanted to be able to run out and gun all those civvies down, run ahead, get lots of kills etc...

But no, you're restricted by the movement of your compadres, it was as if Infinity Ward were afraid to give you too much freedom. I just think that with GTA letting us gun, run down and slaughter civvies to our hearts content, this was a bit tame, despite the "outrage".

What was the problem specifically? Not enough babies to shoot? Perhaps they should have chucked in some kittens and war veterans too just to drive home the horror.

It was a plot device. The whole slowing of motion was to force you to participate, emotionally at least if not actually, in what was going on. It also emulates the feeling of time slowing down when we experience traumatic events. I thought it was well handled and interesting, playing that role.

It's a shame it caused outrage. It's 18 rated and I can think of many films that show much nastier events for much less effect, not to mention pointless sexual violence. Politicians and parents see "computer game" and think "pacman". They need to inform themselves that the average gamer is approaching 30, and that games can be a powerful (and upsetting) storytelling medium. Buy little johnny Halo 8 so e can blast aliens, and let me enjoy something a bit more mature without having to justify it.

And on a parting note: GTA allows the slaughter of innocents without so much as an emotional twinge. What is scarier? The use of civilian lives to make a point, or simply awarding points for their death?

 

[Sassafrass]

I didn't mind it.
It suited the level.

 

[Grayjack]

I liked it. Too bad

Spoiler

Makarov kills you at the end.

Yea, that surprised me.

OT: I didn't mind it. I was shot by my team mates alot if i went in front of them.

What bothered me the most was the fact that

Spoiler

he basically started WWIII.

Have you played the rest of the story? I found one thing that some people didn't notice

Yes, I beat the game already.

 

[dkeck]

Was anyone else really disappointed by the way the "terrorist" level restricted your movement? I wanted to be able to run out and gun all those civvies down, run ahead, get lots of kills etc...

But no, you're restricted by the movement of your compadres, it was as if Infinity Ward were afraid to give you too much freedom. I just think that with GTA letting us gun, run down and slaughter civvies to our hearts content, this was a bit tame, despite the "outrage".

What was the problem specifically? Not enough babies to shoot? Perhaps they should have chucked in some kittens and war veterans too just to drive home the horror.

It was a plot device. The whole slowing of motion was to force you to participate, emotionally at least if not actually, in what was going on. It also emulates the feeling of time slowing down when we experience traumatic events. I thought it was well handled and interesting, playing that role.

It's a shame it caused outrage. It's 18 rated and I can think of many films that show much nastier events for much less effect, not to mention pointless sexual violence. Politicians and parents see "computer game" and think "pacman". They need to inform themselves that the average gamer is approaching 30, and that games can be a powerful (and upsetting) storytelling medium. Buy little johnny Halo 8 so e can blast aliens, and let me enjoy something a bit more mature without having to justify it.

And on a parting note: GTA allows the slaughter of innocents without so much as an emotional twinge. What is scarier? The use of civilian lives to make a point, or simply awarding points for their death?

it's not 18+ down here, you probally know from Yahtzee's show, that we don't have a 18+ rating in australia because of one guy that wont let it pass, and so it's 15+

 

[Grayjack]

-Snip-

Well, did you notice that

Spoiler

That Shepherd is the one to cause of this? He was angry that more people did not help America after the Nuke in CoD4 killed 30,000 of his troops. He wanted a scapegoat, and someone to start it all. He choose Makarov. He told him Allen was a spy, so he would be killed and America blamed for the attack. Thus the war starts. Then Shepherd makes Makarov a scapegoat, and tries to blame him for the attack on D.C. Then, when Ghost and Roach go to the safehouse, for the "intel", he kills them, as he had them collect any info that could link him. Then he tries to kill Price and Soap, to finish of TF-141.

Then he becomes seen as a war hero, the person who killed Makarov and saved D.C. "History is written by the victor". As it is. When Soap and Price do kill him, no-one else knows of it all. So, really, Shepherd starts it all

Spoiler

I knew that Shepard was the cause of it, but I never really gave it any thought.

 

[Wandrecanada]

If you haven't figured out the difference between MW2 and GTA4 I'll spell it out real simple.

GTA4 gives you the option to play as you like without forcing it on you. It's your choice to act as good or bad as you will.

MW2 requires you participate in an atrocity, while saying it's not required for the story, just so they can make you angry at the big bad foreign dude.

This is often referred to in movies as bad writing. If you can't tell a story that draws a person in because you can't think of an engaging plot simply show shocking atrocities on the screen and people will come in droves. I'm almost certain everyone who is impressed with this will also think that the Saw series of films was a masterwork too.

Like I said before, you dont need to do the Terrorist mission, you have 3 warnings before you accept to play it. It is not required, that arguement is invalid.

First off the warnings in no way tell you what is going to happen so chances are no one will heed them. Secondly, if that particular level is skippable and the player in no way loses any part of the narrative by skipping it, why have the level at all? The company devalued the terrorist level so far that they give you three warnings on how worthless to the story it is. They might as well have put this message up:

"Warning; The following sequence contains graphic human atrocities for the sake of shocking you. It doesn't really affect the plot of the story in any way and we just put it there because we were too bad at storytelling to connect the players to the main character on an emotional level. Feel free to skip this part if you want your friends to call you a ***."