Modern Warfare 2 - No Russian

Published 10 November, 2009 Duration 3:20

The fourth mission of Modern Warfare 2 has already incited the Daily Mail and brought the game to Parliament's attention. Judge for yourself. Also: SPOILER, somewhat obviously.

Comments (58) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • mode7 #1 2 years ago

    I have played videogames for the past 30 years and i have to say that i find this section a bit harrowing.

    Killing a butt-load of innocents as part of a mission sends a chill down my spine.

  • 52pickup #2 2 years ago

    I took this mission in the context of "it's just a game". Though i can see some people being offended by it. Which i, or many other gamers probably wouldn't be, especially those who know what they are getting with a CoD game.

  • mode7 #3 2 years ago

    I guess it earns that "18" certificate.

  • paul_haine #4 2 years ago

    Yes, but is it art?

  • CARL05 #5 2 years ago

    Wow! Just Wow! That takes some balls by IW!

  • ejstyles #6 2 years ago

    It isn't fun. At all. You don't have to fire a single round, but you DO have to push forward and witness the carnage. I found myself aiming high and trying not to shoot people...

    The weirdest part is how out of step it is with a pretty jingoistic and overblown Hollywood storyline. I mean, they even have the now-obligatory 'shower scene' from the Rock in there.

    I think it takes an atrocity of this scale to justify what follows...

  • kangarootoo #7 2 years ago

    Hmmm. It didn't quite have the "terrible reality" feel that I was expecting.

    The brightly lit textures, the visible gunfire projectiles, the huge blood splatters whenever anyone was shot, and the ridiculous "walking through bodies" at the end just made it look "gamey".

    If it had been film, I could have believed it. But I couldn't escape the feeling throughout that what I was seeing was a scene from an FPS game.

    Even the part where one of the terrorists throws a grenade into a lift, and the lift crashes down the shaft. That moment in particular didn't feel even remotely realistic or gritty. I just can't imagine that happening outside of a video game or a Die Hard movie.

    The opening moments were quite shocking, and if the scene had really made me believe it and made an emotional connection, it might have set me up for the following levels where no doubt I get to right the wrongs.

    But I didn't believe it. It simply felt like a scene from a first person shooter video game, so the emotional connection wasn't really there.

    It was a bold attempt, and I don't disagree with the inclusion of the scene, but me I think it missed the target (if only by a little).

  • Genji #8 2 years ago

    I'm surprised more people weren't able to escape. Did the terrorists block all of the exits or something?

  • Xeopuppy #9 2 years ago

    That is very disturbing in so many ways, I got very upset by that, imagine when you actually play it, I wouldn't want to...

  • penhalion #10 2 years ago

    Having finally played the game I can say that there is zero reason for this scene to be in it. It adds nothing and seems to have been added for cheap controversial publicity. The rest of the story doesn't even make any reference to it!

  • Tomo #11 2 years ago

    :o

    I think that's the first time I've been genuinely shocked by a computer game. Fucking hell. The very first bit where they step out of the lift is incredibly harrowing.

    Not quite sure how I feel about it yet.

  • linea #12 2 years ago

    I could imagine a game in which something like this was justifiable, but it doesn't seem to be this game.

    It's still not quite as inappropriate as the real-life footage of atrocities which kicks off that thoughtful analysis of the Burma situation which is 'John Rambo' though... that really did make me feel a bit weird.

  • grogson #13 2 years ago

    Considering children will be getting there hands on this game, its quite worrying.

  • MrJoeSnow #14 2 years ago

    When I watch a movie or play a video game I suspend my disbelief and really get into it. If I saw this scene in a movie I would probably really enjoy it for all the over the top silly blood and guts violence, after all it's only a movie. This scene however doesn't have that affect on me. It needs to be taken in context mind you. Saying that, it made me feel sick having recently made some oversees trips and spent a lot of time in airports.

  • Skurmedel #15 2 years ago

    I'm wondering why they felt you needed to be able to shoot the civilians at all, surely there must be a reason. Not saying it's right or wrong, but it's kind of odd.

  • Tomo #16 2 years ago

    I think that's more to do with the player's morality than anything else. If you're cold enough to shoot the civilians then that makes you a bit of a bastard.

  • kangarootoo #17 2 years ago

    "I think that's more to do with the player's morality than anything else. If you're cold enough to shoot the civilians then that makes you a bit of a bastard."

    That assumes the experience is completely immersive though. A player might equally shoot civilians because they don't feel the civilians are real (which of course, they aren't).

    Essentially, disbelief must be suspended. If it isn't, the situation is unreal (like the civilians) and the player isn't a bastard just 'cos he/she shoots a few animated character models.

  • Skurmedel #18 2 years ago

    Yeah, there are no interactivity in a movie, so you'll have to judge the characters by their actions, but this particular section is a bit ambivalent. Do they want you to join in "because you have too" (which would be a likely situation in a movie) or not? I mean, since you don't actually have to shoot anybody what's the incentive - and need - for you to shoot anybody? Maybe it would've elevated the suspense a bit if there was a real conflict of interest for the player.

  • Embra #19 2 years ago

    Context please! What's the gameplay here? From what I've read elsewhere, you're undercover in a terrorist cell or something. If that's the case, why aren't you shooting? Where's the repercussion of not acting like a terrorist? Is there a benefit to doing so, to shooting? It's difficult to judge the sequence when it's taken out of context, and even harder to judge the game as a whole from this one piece of footage. Yes, it made me very uncomfortable. Yes, this will hand a lot of ammo to the anti-games lobby. Will I buy the game - not sure, but if I do or don't it won't just be because of this level.

  • Avaloner #20 2 years ago

    I cannot understand the negative reaction to this part being in the game. The developers tried to elicit your emotions in that scene and judging by the responses here mostly they succeeded. People felt disgust or apprehension playing this part. I believe this is a big step forward for a medium which has till lately struggled to bring about the full spectrum of human emotions. Movies can do it, books can do it. It is time for games to be able to do it.

    Also I do not see why this is so controversial. Compare it to GTAIV where you can do exactly the same thing JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO not because the game asks you to.

    I am not a big MW fan but I congratulate IW for having the balls to think of an idea and go through with it.

  • Skurmedel #21 2 years ago

    I don't see anybody in particular being against the scene?

  • kangarootoo #22 2 years ago

    @gungrave

    You are apparently an agent undercover, so you aren't playing the role of a "bad guy".

  • Bigglesworth #23 2 years ago

    @avaloner
    Compare it to GTAIV where you can do exactly the same thing JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO not because the game asks you to.

    I think that's the point right there; this time you're specifically being required to participate in events (to a greater or lesser degree).

    I'd agree that the sequence is unsettling, mostly because its realistic enough for me to project the events into the real world. I can also objectively criticise several things that I don't think are implemented particularly well. Swings and roundabouts.

    To be honest I'm equally unsettled by the choice of Eminem's 'Till I Collapse' as the soundtrack on the advert =/

  • 3william56 #24 2 years ago

    Graphic, for sure, but graphically not that impressive - unless you have immobile plastic arms, a plastic gun and can step through statues of dead people and mirror polish blood pools.

    But let's face it - vid game players have been murdering innocents (or at least folks who do not deserve a bullet in the face for their crimes) by the bucketload for ever - unless being a guard in some rival organisation somehow carries a death sentence.

    What is really worrying is the common disconnect between animated massacres here being naughty because some "bad" guy does it, but blasting the shit out of scores of folks on some thin plot pretext cos they're branded as "baddies" being OK. And the lack of any other resolutions in games. Disagreement = justification for killing, and no-one blinks an eye. Uncharted2, for example, is happy to let you wade in guns blazing against folk who never even looked at you wrong because you *know* they'll shoot if they see you. But it's OK - they're Russians.

    PS. Why is everyone in an FPS right handed? And what is it with Russian bad guys this year.

  • gorjohnston #25 2 years ago

    Are you all taking the piss here? It's a computer GAME. Dress it up any way you want, make it photo realistic, and I am still not crazy enough in the head to think I am killing real people. I didn't feel sorry for the mushrooms I ate, or the koopas I de-shelled in Mario games back in the 80's? I also didn't cry watching Alien, Predator, Hellraiser movies, etc, etc....and to think its this GAME that gets media attention! I also didn't see anyone once shed a tear in this post for the poor 'enemies' I can kill in this game - terrorists or no - who all have families, perhaps they had kids...like its polygons in a fucking computer game for Christ's sake - GET A GRIP!?!?! If you cant tell the difference you may want to stop playing games and/or watching movies in general because you may indeed be a psychopath of some sort! Fucking hell, I really cant believe some of you people. If you are bothered or "harrowed" by this (what games have YOU been playing for the last 30 years?) you are a) braindead, and b) a fairy. Go play with your fucking Barbies or something or another ten hours pretending you are a wizard in WOW or something. Fucking losers...

    Eurogamer, I blame you in part. What is with the game reviews? You are hiring game reviewers (more like site owners perhaps?) who are getting more and more like failed Art Exhibition journalists rather than acting like game players - look at the clientelle you have attracted to your site in this post! What ever happened to "gameplay/graphics/sound/how good is the game" breakdown in game reviews, instead of your MW2 review which seems like an exercise in trying to write something profound - again - about a fucking computer game. Seriously, go write a novel in your spare time and tell us if the game is good or not like the good old days...
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 15:03

  • Slabbathepave #26 2 years ago



    *PS. Why is everyone in an FPS right handed? And what is it with Russian bad guys this year. *

    It's thier turn. God bless America etc.

    Its a very impactful moment. I'd have to play it in context to get a handle on it. As it stands i think its important that games be given room to breath and be as fucked up as they can or want to be. Freedom of expression is important, reagrdless of whether i personally agree or disagree.

  • cobaltfram #27 2 years ago

    I would be upset by it, but it looks so artificial; this sounds sick, but there's so little blood spatter on walls and floors, so few moments that feel like actual people in an airport than just, like people have already said, animated models in a video game.

    And something tells me that Infinity Ward will completely mishandle this scene; instead of there being consequences for shooting or not shooting people, it'll just be a scene you walk through and nothing really comes from it.

    And if what people have said above is true, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the game, then it just feels silly to me, or needless shock value that isn't even that shocking.

  • TheRankinator #28 2 years ago

    Considering the fact they give EVERY SINGLE PERSON the option to skip this level, fuck you to anyone who thinks it shouldn't be included.

    I rather enjoyed mowing people down who weren't gonna shoot me back, yeah, even the guys crawling along the floor or helping others which my russian "buddies" forgot to shoot (More like IW wanting to see if you're head is really fucked up). I even replayed it again later that night

  • Lord_Gremlin #29 2 years ago

    Damn Nazi motherfuckers from Infinity Ward. At least this game is censored in my country.

    Before you ask - YES, I'm Russian!

  • hayisforhorses #30 2 years ago

    I think the impetus for this scene is somewhat odd. Surely it would justify its inclusion if the other participants take offence to your lack of involvement and turned on you, forcing you to actively take part. As it is it just seems a bit crass, i shall wait till i have at least played it to make my mind up £26 thankyou very much sainsbury's.

  • cardboardMonster #31 2 years ago

    I don't really see any problem with the scene being in there. It's shocking, regardless of how unrealistic the blood splatters are or how easily you can walk through the polygon corpses of fallen innocents. It's the concept itself and its inclusion in an otherwise jingoistic and over-simplified take on "modern warfare" that makes it somewhat unsettling. If you aren't able to engage with it on that level and at least perceive the difference between it and films like Predator and The Terminator, then you're probably missing the point.

    It goes back to that argument about whether or not video games need to be enjoyable at all times. This reminds me of United 93 or Saving Private Ryan and is clearly a sequence designed to resonate with the player on an emotional level, rather than test their macho-ness; finding it enjoyable does not make you more of a man.

  • YourMessageHere #32 2 years ago

    Oddly enough I pretty much agree exactly with Kangarootoo on this. When the crappy leaked footage of this first surfaced I was all for respecting the integrity of IW's storytelling ideas and giving them the chance to make something that makes you feel strongly and ask questions.

    However, having just seen that, it just comes off as egregious and superficial to me - it's as if it's designed to be not quite immersive enough to actually work as intended. It reminded me, oddly enough, of Doom 3 and that game's habit of creating totally obvious ambushes, where you know exactly what's going to happen before it does, indeed, happen. It's just too damn much like a scripted sequence, and a predictable one at that. Add in the fact (according to the EG review anyway) that this comes between a snowmobile stunt level and a saccarine US patriotism level, and this just seems like something that's a good concept if done well, except not done well.

    Given that I could hardly make out any detail at all on the blurrycam leak version it's not that I've seen it before. Then again, maybe the simple knowledge of what basically happens in the scene is enough to mess this up. Perhaps we've all taken critical spoiler damage.

  • ST.. #33 2 years ago

    What were they THINKING?!?!

  • Nephirion #34 2 years ago

    omg they killed kenny x 100

  • up_the_ante #35 2 years ago

    Cue Prince song "Controversy". Good song BTW

  • 57th_FoX #36 2 years ago

    if it was in a movie with an 18 cert nowadays people would bother about it.......

    games aren't just for kids anymore

  • 57th_FoX #37 2 years ago

    you get punished at the end of the level tho...

  • Korpers #38 2 years ago

    I was deeply effected by this scene - it made me instantly want to go...on holiday...yes, go to an aiport!

    Guy's its just a scene in a Hollywood style cinematic experience - except you are seeing it through one of the characters eyes. This scene is neccessary to get you to hate Malakov - i thought it was bold and clever. I don't remember Die Hard 2 being all over the news when they shot an airport up or CRASHED A FUCKING PLANE INTO A RUNWAY.

    Personally I shot the shit out of everything - and yes it was fun watching polygons react.

    Pffffffft.

  • 3william56 #39 2 years ago

    Something was bugging me about this and it clicked a while after I watched - even in the context of CoD it makes no sense no matter the plot. What possible motive could an undercover operative have to let this happen? I haven't counted, but there must be over a hundred civilians killed here. What could he possibly gain from going along with this (as opposed to machine gunning the lot of them at the start when they have their backs turned and claiming the security forces did it). Oh, so he could get to the bigger bad guy? Over a couple of hundred corpses, vs someone else penetrating the enemy organisation which they've obviously already done once? Even the Nixon era CIA would have a hard time explaining how one of their agents stood by with a big f**king machine gun in his hand and let this go on.

    To my mind, right there is where it crosses the line from an intense but plot-necessary event a la Schindler's List, into bullsh*t exploitation and media baiting.

    But come on: "no Russian" - it's OK - I'm not in a hurry... ba-dum-tish.

  • Adey #40 2 years ago

    To whom ever said they dont get the reason for this scene in the game then you probably need to stick to something simpler.

    The WHOLE ENTIRE POINT of this was to show such a brutal and downright evil atrocity and then to provoke the reaction that is shown in the next couple of chapters. It was whole sale slaughter whether you shot first or sat and watched and it was brutal. That was the point of the scene. it had to be that way. i think IW did capture this very well. kudos to the writers.

    The only way i could ever let seeing something like this affect me is either A through my own two eyes first hand or B. through a credible factual news source or otherwise and know that it HAD happened in real life. Beyond that its simply a piece of fiction.

    Some of you guys really do need to get a little more of a clue before sounding off about everything like you are on here.

    As for the folks who said its just a game. Amen to that. to me it was worse later on in the game where you get to meet shepherd face to face. that bit had more of an impact on me than the airport.

    At the guy who said i want to go on holiday. I lolled. didnt you see the flights all booked up :)

    PS. the title of the mission No russian. It could also be construed as No rushing as in take your time. its a grim way to look at it but funny in a way.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/09 @ 13:39

  • Dyce3 #41 2 years ago

    That's hard to watch. Playing it must be twice as hard.

  • Mercatoria #42 2 years ago

    Playing the chapter is easy. Its not shocking at all. The character you play in this chapter dies at the end. Justice is served.

  • IronsGrasp #43 2 years ago

    I've played this particular mission, and while I do find it a little scary that some of you get some kind of amusement from watching innocents (virtual or not) being killed, I do think some of you are taking this way too far.

    This is a game people, a form of escapism, where you take a little break from your own life and step into someone else's for a while.

    Also, despite what several posts are claiming, this is vital to the plot, as it fuels the rest of the aforementioned part of the game.
    Without this particular attack, and the following death of the U.S. operative, the rest of the game wouldn't take place.

    I'm also with some of the reviews that state the following:
    One of the purposes of this mission is to get you to despise Makarov with a burning passion. He's willing to slaughter hundreds upon thousands of civilians, and then pin it on someone else.

    While I think it was appropriate for Infinity Ward to add in a question when the disc is first loaded asking if the player would like to skip the level, I still maintain the belief that some of us have carried this way too far in both directions.

  • sanctusmortis #44 2 years ago

    Look, pull out the "only a game" defense all you want - so were the Manhunt games, both of which required serious changes before release.

    Everything I've heard is that it lacks context, seems out of place and really isn't that great. It's the exact opposite of the counter-scene in the original MW, ie the trying to crawl away after the nuke goes off. THAT was a poignant, well thought out scene with a lot of emotional power. This is stiff, characterless journo-bait, there to get controversy. Lowest common denominator stuff. Judging by the comments in here and on YouTube, that's exactly who it attracted.

  • Tyronne #45 2 years ago

    I share the same sentiment as many on here and found this particular level one of the most cold and unsettling things I have ever played.

    I can understand the context and even understand why it takes place (admittedly all of this could have taken place in a cut scene but by adding the players input , it takes it to a entirely different level)

    Out of the thousands of games I have played over the past 27 years , it takes something truly unique to stick in my mind and this part of MW2 now joins its ranks.

  • Niteperson #46 2 years ago

    The level is called "No Russian" because Makarov wants everyone to think Americans are responsible, and speaking Russian would jeopardize that.

  • snake-017 #47 2 years ago

    It took me a couple of days to see why this mission was in the game no dought this is a sick and twisted mission you may agree our disagree on this mission everyone says this mission has no purpose in the game it does makorov finds out you are an american then kills you this makes it look like the americans killed the people in the airport thats why they go to the US.

  • Happyhammer7 #48 2 years ago

    Come on, own up. He got out their grenades and grenade launcher?

  • mrpon #49 2 years ago

    Interesting.