Bad JuJu

Posted by Bryan on 12 November 2009 | 0 Comments

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"No Russian." Not a lot needs to be said after that. But I will.

In the wake of the newest "highly anticipated" game, which the reviewing sites will likely get paid to put it at the "game of the year" level, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is getting quite the hype, both good and bad.

The "good" relates to the graphics and immersion in detail. I can't say it's not the next generation of graphics, but I can't say it is either. It does have detail enough to put another notch above some of the other games out there.

The "bad". "No Russian." No, really, if you haven't seen the video for it on Destructoid, do so now. I'll wait.

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Yeah. My reaction? My moral sensors went off like a fire alarm; unexpected, loud, and clear. This was wrong. That's just from watching the video, not actually playing it. Yes, I realize that Modern Warfare 2 sold 7 million copies between the Xbox 260 and PS3 versions, and that it probably will sell quite well for a while, and mostly for it's online Player vs Player (Team Deathmatch) and the fans loyal to the Call of Duty franchise.

From reading reactions by other reviewers (in particular Kyle Orland at CrispyGamer), it seems players do not have to pull the trigger in the first scene, but will have to watch on as the civilians and airport security are gunned down as the team makes its way to the tarmac. From there, players HAVE to open fire on the police in order to advance in the mission. Anyone else feel this is wrong?

Grand Theft Auto could be argued as being just as bad, yes. But, to my recollection, players are not forced to kill anyone who is wholly innocent, nor are they forced to go weapons free on police (they can just run like a bat outa hell, and hope they don't get caught). GTA4 does not start you off as a terrorist; it starts you off as an immigrant just trying to make it big.

Of course, according to the IGN review, it's a 9.5 out of 10. Their readers tell a different story, giving it a 1.6 (as of this writing). We'll see what happens over time, but I have the feeling that there's going to be a Fox News report on this game, as well as the other major news stations. Which, if they do it right, will actually be completely truthful.