No Russian - How did you play through it? - SPOILERS for Modern Warfare 2

[Xanadu84]

I am apperently the only person in the world who took away something artistic from it.

First of, sure, its just a game. I murdered civvys in Postal 2 for the giggles, im not squeemish about mindless violence. But in context of MW2, it presented itself as a somewhat believable and serious, if over the top and unrealistic, game about being a hero fighting the bad guy, and being forced to do bad things was an interesting twist. I was expecting to think of it as a shameless cash in for controversy, mixed with a plot device to make Makarov even more one-sidedly evil, but in reality, it gave me a genuinely artistic moment. I started shooting civvys left and right to blend in, and quickly realized that I wouldn't be penalized for not shooting the civvys. However, in FPS mode, I naturally kept shooting. Then, I pointed my gun at a civilian crawling to safty, was about to shoot...and stopped. I realized that there was no benefit to shooting. If anything, it was a waste of ammunition to do something both inconsequential and distasteful. Simple context was stronger then a doctor in a white coat in the Milgram study. That was actually a very enlightening moment. How easy it is to commit yourself you evil, simply because you're capable of removing responsibility. I played through the rest of the level (Until I reached the police) not shooting anyone, and it was really strange. Logic told me I didn't have to shoot, but hard wiring said I should. It actually functioned as a surprisingly deep commentary on the motivation of evil. Maybe this was an accident on the developers part, but the artistry was still there.

If you just shot up all civvys for the fun of it, I don't have a grudge against you. I know it's just a game, and it doesn't reflect on you as a person. But I think you missed out on a moment which was genuinely unique. I think its pretty amazing that a mainstream, straight forward run and gun game managed an artistic moment that matched even art games like "September 12th" or "Lose/Lose".

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

I see topics on whether or not you have played the level but I'm interested in what you did when you played it. Step by step how you reacted to playing the level.

MY EXPERIENCE
I didn't shot at all. I looked around, quite shocked, waiting for someone to ask me why I wasn't shooting. By the time when went down to the ground level I shot at some guy who was crawling away. It was a instinctive reaction from playing too many FPS games but the shot didn't kill him, so I stopped firing.

When the police arrived I tried to shoot the terrorists in the back. I was killed instantly. Upon restarting I noticed the police managed to kill a few of terrorists so I waited until there was only a couple left and tried to shoot them in the back again. I died instantly again. I tried to run back into the building and shot them from inside but I was killed again (I realised I might have some explosives strapped to me). So I just completed the mission as it was laid out.

I have to say, because my way of playing the level wasn't allowed, I felt a little manipulated. But it was very affective. I hadn't felt that disturbed playing a game since the first time I saw Sub-Zero rip off a head with the spine still attached.

So what did you do? Shoot and love it? Hide in a corner? Not shoot at all? Not judging, it is just a game, but it's interesting to see how people react to it. And how they contextualise what they're doing.

i shot everything in sight. even the other terrorists when they got in the way of the spam coming from my 240. i even played different music to see if it would affect it at all. it did. its quite demented, and fun.

 

[AplChild]

I didn't shoot at all...
I'm ashamed why though: I wanted to see if there was an achievement for not killing anyone.
It's not like me, Gamerscore means nothing to me... I felt dirty...
Haha.

 

[Saul B]

A game's a game. Its not real life. I shot everyone and it didn't change the world. Why shouldn't I? Its in the game for crying out loud!

 

[jamesworkshop]

My only disapointment was not having the option of having a flamethrower to do the job so i killed in anger for that and the general public just got in the way

 

[Xcelsior]

I shot everyone, it's part of the game after all. Although what I've failed to understand is the GTA series has allowed you to gun down innocent, unnarmed civilians for a long time, and there was not near as much commotion about those games as there was this one level.

 

[ultracheeser]

boy did I kill some folk.
I really liked the level. I thought it was vital to understand who you're fighting and why you're fighting.

 

[IamQ]

Killed them all of course. Who just walks along when you've got a LMG and an Assault Rifle, ready to be fired?

 

[crow114]

I was one of the people who went ape-shit crazy and shot everyone I could find, I found it rather cathartic, furthermore they wer just little pixel people, not like their pixel family is gonna go to a pixel funeral...and if they did I'd shoot that up too.

I'm also one of the people who does not understand why people are making such a big deal out of a level where you shoot people, is it better that in grand theft auto I ram their spines into a concrete divider and then unload several shotgun shells into their face before lighting them on fire?

 

[JohnReaper]

oh for gods sake if you can't see why this level is offensive then you don't rember 9-11

Not saying any thing but it perplexs me no one sees the offense here its an american Killing Russians as a terroist No big deal

But havign a CIA agent killing innocents and acting like a terroist is quite creepy , this is what MW2 wanted the level to be played as

 

[Hazz_11]

to behonest i was shocked at first by the level but i had to think it was an undercover operation some times for the greater good horrible things need to be done i know abit deep thinking for a fps so i just shot in the air and at the glass ceilings also at any one who fired at me

 

[Caradinist]

Of course when i heard General Shepherd say "You will lose a piece of yourself" and remembering the teaser trailers, i knew what i was going to do.

At FIRST i felt pretty bad about shooting some of the folk, including those who had the "looking at the gaping hole in their chest" animation and all, and i stopped shooting at a few of them. I suppose the idea was for the screaming to get into your head so you would have some doubt about what you are doing.

Of course, a minute later into the slaughter, they might notice me not shooting at anything! If it all meant that i would get closer into the organization, then i had to do what i had to do. Alot of good THAT did.


I was literally speechless and my jaw dropped when your American character died in a nuclear explosion in the first game (by that i mean Call of Duty 4), and i was still thinking about it in the next mission where you had to find Al Asad.

I felt vengeful over the new few character deaths in the latest installment, but nowhere even near as much as the first.

 

[Moosebomber]

I raped everything in sight. Especially those crawling away, I would stab them in the back.

 

[FolkLikePanda]

I just sprayed and prayed and grenade.

 

[Davey Woo]

I opened fire when the rest of them opened fire, and I shot a few stragglers. I didn't think it that much of a big deal.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

I played through it no less than 107 times. Seriously. It was so much fun
That has to be some kind of world record.
Can i have some money now?

 

[Connosaurus Rex]

I killed more people than the terrorist did. I knew what was gonna happen even though I didn't read any online articles so I just rolled with it.
It was fun to be that detached but disturbing