News MW2 writer discusses airport level

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2009/11/20/mw2-writer-discusses-airport-level/1

Jesse Stern, Modern Warfare 2's scriptwriter, has talked about That Level.

 

"every single tester who played the game opened fire on the crowd at some point, which he says is just human nature."

And in the game.

 

Hurm no, I shot the bad guy and had to restart the level

 

It's a work of fiction. Would the same people who are bitching about this have been as up in arms were the scene in a book, film or TV show??

 

I shot in that scene, I don't know anyone that didn't. It's no different than going on a rampage in GTA.

 

"every single tester who played the game opened fire on the crowd at some point, which he says is just human nature."

Nope I didnt. I put a few injured stragglers out of their misery as a mercy kill but I just walked through the level trying my best not to put a bullet in the back of "my comrades" heads.

 

I shot above people's heads as warning, I also tried to kill the terrorist and failed the mission, I felt that they should of rewarded you at that point that you stopped the whole war but yet not and that was distasteful.

As an undercover agent you should of had the choice to save those people but yet they did not allow that!

They could of build a different path into the story where you shot the terrorists but yet the war still continued due to misinterpreted media info, and added a mission in to save the agent that saved all those people.

It is a good game but some shortcomings as I mentioned!

 

I didn't shot. I may sound ridiculous but I was really disturbed by that scene and I did regret not disabling it.
I even try to shot the bad guys and had to restart as well.

I was surprised to learn that none of my clan mates were disturbed by that level.

 

Why were there no crying children? Where were the prams/pushchairs with howling babies? Not very realistic, is it?

It's all I could do to restrain myself from shooting the bad dudes in the back, too! Tbh, I enjoyed taking the scenery out more, seeing what could be blown up.

 

Me too.

 

I didn't fire a single shot until you have to fight your way past the police/SWAT team.

 

I was more disturbed by

Spoiler

being set on fire while i was still alive

later one.

 

mah, i didn't really think anything of this scene, mainly due to the lack of context it places itself in. If it hadn't been for the media hype no one would even be discussing this, everyone would have just played it though. I've killed thousands of innocent civilians in hundreds of games as have most gamers I'd imagine and yet because its MW2 everyone has to go on about it.

Anyway Joe, i thought you didn't want to mention anything to do with MW2 again? TBH I'm starting to get sick of it.

 

Most people are capable of understanding the the 'people' in the game aren't real... so I don't see anything wrong with shooting them. I was just annoyed makarov kept stealing my kills.

 

I shot. Not because I like the idea of killing civilians. But because I was playing a game, in which I was playing the role of CIA agent Joseph Allen who for whatever reason has standing orders to affiliate himself with the terrorists. Your CO makes it clear that even if you need to commit atrocities, thats the price you need to pay to get this evil man Makarov to justice. In the end of course it becomes clear things aren't as clear as that (note how on completion of that level you get the achievement 'the pawn') but really overall I can't think of a clearer way to give a perspective of Joseph Allen's actions - which in all honesty in a tv series like 24 you get the good guys doing nearly as bad (greater good and all that) - and I think in a computer game the best way to give that perspective is have you play out the actions. There is no moral choice, its the inevitability of it all which is so strong. In some ways the helplessness is again mirrored in the ISS scene where you can't do anything except watch. This mirrors the nuke scene from CoD4 in the futility of war sometimes in that the good guys don't always win and walk away unharmed - and I think IW should be applauded for approaching that issue.

Of course you will always have the games where you are the superhero and everything goes fantastically, but really I think the more gritty approach really gives a unique appeal to call of duty modern warfare 2.

 

@Bursar

same here... i knew what was coming and knew i could opt out but i went ahead with the level anyway

when i replay the game i will just skip that level from now on

i don't find it distasteful though that this level was created and feel that it was done in a very clever way to make you feel uneasy with slow motions and only being able to walk slowly through the airport.
@Kenco uk - not sure if anyone would agree to code a game where you can shoot up a pram... that would be a lot further over the line than this already crept

 

I opened fire before the other terrorists did, I also hunted out all the civys that were hiding or begging for mercy and shot them in the face. If that level disturbs you then maybe you should have listened to the warning before the game started. like Veles says I'm sure you've all done much worse in GTA4 or Fallout3.

Also like kenco_uk said why do games never let you kill children? Will it turn us all into pedophiles or something? Fallout3 really pissed me off with that, you could kill everyone you wanted but if you put a shotgun to that annoying kids face naff all happened, why?

Also to finish with, I agree with Da_Rude_Baboon, I found that to be more disturbing as well.

 

Spot on

I was 'in character' as it were, so I sprayed like I imagined any self-respecting terrorist would.

 

ditto - that scene was bloody brutal, and, I must say, totally unexpected.

 

Acts of gratuitous violence against children is something that the certification authorities like the BBFC are very very opposed to. If a game included them it'd never get certified for release.