Call of Duty4: Modern Warfare 2

I hear there is a scene in LAX where you are acting as a terrorist and must gun down people at random. I also heard that this scene is extremely violent. Fact?

As usual, I expected it to not really be nearly as bad as the hype makes it sound, but in this case I have to say it is quite shocking. We have seen other games portray the same violence but in more of a comical or artificial setting. As for Call of Duty, it has a more realistic approach which makes the scene very disturbing and somewhat offensive.


But I'm not here to bash the game, from a personal opinion I don't find anything wrong with such content. When a video gets leaked like this it does not portray the game very well for multiple reasons, from the video it seemed as if the game is almost a terrorist simulator. But a closer look tells a different story, quoted from IGN:


“From what we can gather from the dialogue and gritty video, the role of the playable character is that of a C.I.A. operative who has infiltrated the group in order to gather intel. The loading screen, which reveals the transition between playable characters and factions, begins with a C.I.A. logo and morphs into the logo of the Russian ultranationalist organization which the game's antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, leads. The graphical transition is accompanied by an alteration to the C.I.A. text directly below the logo, which is then extended and followed by illegible words, presumably identifying the official title of the ultranationalist faction. Clues
after the loading screen are hard to identify, however, the theory is later reaffirmed when Makarov shoots your character as you attempt to climb into the getaway van, and says "Here's your message," almost teasing your character for the presumption that your infiltration had gone unrecognized.”


Now this seems to make a bit more sense, its not a blood-lust killing game but simply a wrong place wrong time type thing. The footage was confirmed and Activision did respond, Activisons response on IGN:


“The leaked footage was taken from a copy of game that was obtained illegally and is not representative of the overall gameplay experience in Modern Warfare 2," an Activision spokesperson told IGN. "Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 features a deep and gripping storyline in which players face off against a terrorist threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse," the spokesperson added. "The game includes a plot involving a mission carried out by a Russian villain who wants to trigger a global war. In order to defeat him, the player infiltrates his inner circle. The scene is designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism." Right now, Activision is saying players may choose not to "not to engage in the gameplay." That could mean choosing not to fire your weapon or the possibility "opt-out" of the level entirely. We won't know until we play for ourselves. "At the beginning of the game, players encounter a mandatory "checkpoint" in which they are warned that an upcoming segment may contain disturbing elements and they can choose not to engage in the gameplay that involves this scene," Activision says. "Consistent with its content, the game has been given an "M" for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. The rating is prominently displayed on the front and back of the packaging, as well as in all advertising.”

Thanks To Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Video Game Industry Takes Hollywood Out To The Woodshed
11/12/09 at 6:45 PM

Each and every Sunday, you hear the likes of world-famous number comparer Paul Dergarabedian cooing about the latest weekend grosses of films churned out by Hollywood. And when a movie like The Dark Knight rakes in $155.4 million over the course of three days, well, the echo chamber rings with the brazen sounds of self-congratulatory backpatting for months and months on end. However, we have yet to see many major mainstream outlets bending over backwards to label the executives at Activision as marketing genuises after the news came out today that their latest release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, hauled in $310 million (!) in the US and UK on Tuesday (!!). Nearly five million people shelled out $60 a piece for the game on its first day of release, setting a new record for entertainment product. Let this be a warning to the constantly crowning James Cameron: Your self-bestowed title as "King of the World" is officially in jeopardy.

Activision says "Call of Duty" sets launch record [Reuters]

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" might be a traditional, hardcore shooter game, but its marketing didn't treat it as such. The result was the biggest entertainment launch ever, according to publisher Activison Blizzard. It claims "MW2" brought in $550 million in software sales worldwide, enough to best the previous five-day global sales record holders from both the movie and gaming industries: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" grossed $394 million in global box-office sales and "Grand Theft Auto IV" snared $500 million.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has been making bullish statements following the generation of $3 billion in sales since flagship title Modern Warfare 2 was released on November 10. The Call of Duty franchise, he said, "is likely to be one of the most viewed of all entertainment experiences in modern history."

Call of Duty creators sue Activision for $40m
March 5, 2010 - 11:59AM

Activision Blizzard was sued by the executives who created the Call of Duty video game franchise over claims the company used “false” insubordination charges to fire them and avoid paying royalties.

Jason West and Vince Zampella, who co-founded Activision's Infinity Ward studio, sued the company in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday, claiming breach of contract and wrongful termination. They seek at least $US36 million ($40 million) and control over Modern Warfare, a subset of the “Call of Duty” combat games, according to a copy of the complaint.

Activision, the world's largest video-game publisher, conducted a “pretextual” investigation to fire the Infinity Ward co-heads and avoid making a royalty payment due on March 31, according to the complaint.

Horizons

The Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Map Pack release time approaches
Ready for more Modern Warfare 2? The Resurgence Map Pack release time is imminent.

Sales of Activision's "Call of Duty: Black Ops" reached approximately $360 million in North America and the UK in the first 24 hours, the company announced Thursday.

November 18, 2010 9:42 AM PST
COD: Black Ops obliterates MW2 sales record
by Don Reisinger

Activision announced today that the latest release in the venerable franchise tallied over $650 million in worldwide revenue, according to internal figures, easily besting the previous record set by predecessor Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 of $550 million.