Modern Warfare 2 Trailer Criticized For "Going Too Far"

The Christian Science Monitor has taken issue with the shocking imagery of the "Infamy" trailer for Modern Warfare 2, suggesting that the events depicted in the video and the game might be going too far.

(If you haven't seen the video and want your Modern Warfare 2 experience to be completely unspoiled, you may want to stop reading now. Consider yourself warned.)

As expected, the Modern Warfare 2 trailer that debuted on Sunday night was gorgeous and action-packed; somewhat less expected, I would guess, was the depiction of a blasted and burning Washington D.C. as a battleground upon which U.S. forces were struggling against an unknown foe. To me, as a gamer (and a confessed non-American), it was frikkin' awesome, but Andrew Heining of the Christian Science Monitor has a somewhat less enthusiastic take on it.

"In the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2... the gallant mansion reduced to rubble doesn't belong to some crazed separatist dictator hellbent on all kinds of nefarious acts. Instead, it's the White House," he wrote. "The scenes of post-apocalyptic scenes of carnage play out not in some fictional town in eastern Europe, but in Washington D.C. itself."

He admits that this isn't the first time that D.C. has been blown up in the name of entertainment and, with an obligatory swipe at Grand Theft Auto IV, suggests that Modern Warfare 2 may not actually be any worse than anything else put out by the gaming industry these days. "But this is one of the first times such striking imagery has surfaced since 9/11, when the idea of widespread destruction on US soil was suddenly thrust into reality," he added.

"Games based on current events are seeing something of a surge," he continued. "But something tells this writer there's something of a difference between a cartoonish Flash game where the object is to try to hit George W. Bush with a shoe, and one in which the destruction of a major U.S. city - in near photo-realistic detail - plays a central role."

Of course, this isn't the first time the U.S. capital has been blown up in "near photo-realistic detail" in a videogame, either; as numerous people have pointed out, Fallout 3 let players tromp all over the "Capital Wasteland," including a lead-n-lasers quickie tour through the crumbling remains of the White House. But Fallout 3 was set in the aftermath; only Modern Warfare 2 will, presumably, let you fight in the city as it burns. Is that going too far? Is the depiction of Washington D.C. in the throes of destruction inappropriate or is it merely, as the author himself put it, "striking?"

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Jeez, a bit quick to complain before we even know anything about the game...?

Trailers can be pretty deceiving. Besides which, why is it ok to let players engage in realistic battles in "photo-realistic" world war 2 fights, but not ok to produce a modern replica of a fictional battle?

EDIT : 4444 th post =)

The imagery is definitely striking, but the CSM author is over-reacting. I don't see why it would be more acceptable to depict "some fictional town in eastern Europe" as a bombed out wasteland, perhaps because that imagery isn't pulling on your American heartstrings?

Too far? No, people just want to censor any and all media they don't like.

Hits a little close to home? Ever read "Sum of All Fears" by Tom Clancy? Old book, similar results to DC.

People need to grow some thicker skin.

What would he say if it was say, London burning or other big european countrys.

Urgh... Can't do anything in this world anymore without someone complaning about it.

It's a story, and it's not likely to happen, unless shit goes down, which it wont. If anything, we'll just end in another Cold War for a while, until agreements have been made.

D_987:

EDIT : 4444 th post =)

Well done on the nice number

OT: As long as nothing is done about it they can whine all they want, we can just point and laugh at their inability to enjoy something great

Personally I'd love to play a game that took place in a post-apocalyptic (or just plain apocalyptic :P) version of my home town.

I'm amused that there are people out there who think there's something wrong with that.

They're probably patriots, too: the scum of humanity.

bullshit. this just proves that the man is a nationalistic jerkass. i dont care if they threw a dozen nukes in there too, as well as a clip of the Senators slowly dying of radioactive poisoning.

this man is just trying to cock up a game that has a potential to be fantastic.

"Christian Science Monitor"?? not too long ago christians murdered hundreds of scientists most of who were devout christians.

What about nuking Seattle or Air striking the Statue of liberty in WiC.

Bandwagon much?

Who cares? It looks cool.

Everyone here wants to fight for the White House! I love games with the President in, no matter who's side he's on.

Even though you've spoiled things for me again IW! Bullies!

poncho14:
What would he say if it was say, London burning or other big european countrys.

He'd say nothing, but it'll still look cool. I'd love to fight for London even more.

You might've noticed that he said it wasn't just some Eastern European country this time. Sounds a bit nationalist if you ask me. Eastern Europe is fine but DC isn't?

Dunno what they're on about. I burned the Whitehouse in Red Alert 2, I slaughtered hundreds of American soldiers. I even kidnapped and mind controlled the President. In fact, I burned pretty much every famous DC landmark. Washington Monument? Rubble. Lincoln Memorial? Trashed. Smithsonian Museum? Little more than dust in the wind of a nuclear explosion that rocked the city.

Also, as someone above said: Why is it okay for books and films to describe crazy 'traumatic' events with the incineration of our cities but when a game does it, suddenly it's 'striking'?

Sorry Mr. CSM, I think you're talking a load of codswallop.

poncho14:
What would he say if it was say, London burning or other big european countrys.

They wouldn't care. If it isn't happening to America, they don't care.

Andrew Heining can fuck off. I'm sick of this "IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO AMERICA!" bullshit. Just to make it perfectly clear, he has pointed out he'd be fine if it happened in Eastern Europe. Because that is far away. And because Eastern Europeans aren't allowed to think the same back. Because that would make them terrorists.

Malygris:
"In the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2... the gallant mansion reduced to rubble doesn't belong to some crazed separatist dictator hellbent on all kinds of nefarious acts. Instead, it's the White House," he wrote. "The scenes of post-apocalyptic scenes of carnage play out not in some fictional town in eastern Europe, but in Washington D.C. itself."

"And America is speshul, 'cuz it's, like, America." Note, class, that this is American Exceptionalism in one of its purer forms.

Guess what? Americans are human too, and what applies to humans in other countries applies to humans in the U S of A. Please deal with this in a more responsible fashion, because the rest of the planet is tired of dealing with its fallout. (Indeed, actually listening to the dialog in the CoD:MW2 trailer spells out in no uncertain terms that it's that sort of exceptionalism driving one of the voice-over characters.)

(I should note, I suppose, I've seen others take the same stance in the case of the live-action Halo trailers claiming that they demean real veterans and/or diminish the importance or solemnity of real-life memorials... this sort of defensiveness isn't exclusively American. The phrasing in the CSM article, the "it can't happen here" mentality apparently behind it, just triggered a long-standing beef of mine.)

-- Steve

And yet it is fine to bomb the hell out of any foreign (Read: Middle-Eastern) country.

Actually, I was wondering when people would go nuts on this. I guess I'm a prophet.

Wow, hypocrisy much.

It's ok for some town full of screaming reds or towel faces to go up in smoke, but not DC?
Blimey, maybe he should look at the positive of brave American (and several not American) soldiers frantically defening their homeland from a pervasive evil.

I don't get the 'destruction ok, so long as it's not our backyard' attitude that so many have (any nationality here), it's a very detached way of thinking and it inevitably comes back to haunt you in the most horrific ways (see Pearl Harbour, Northern Ireland, Algeria, Iran, 9/11, Madrid etc). It also seems an incredibly petty thing to get wound up over.

Malygris:
...the gallant mansion reduced to rubble doesn't belong to some crazed separatist dictator hellbent on all kinds of nefarious acts...

I could make a joke in really poor taste here, but I won't.

It's not inappropriate at all. Every country is vulnerable to invasion, so the US shouldn't think itself impenetrable.

The trailer was great. The concept sounds awesome. The guy criticizing it is an overreacting git.

Oh so a village burning in eastern Europe in which women are murdered and raped, and children used as... god i can't even say it it's okay, but god forbid a bullet is fired by an other military force different from the US army on American soil and that's just too far....

Sons'a'bitches like that are the reason the rest of the world sees the US as we see it.... if i were american i'd linch those bloody bastards.....

He's overreacting. Besides, if this game takes place in 2016 then we got a lot of time to live.

poncho14:
What would he say if it was say, London burning or other big european countrys.

Or smaller European country. Or any city at all. People still die. But apparently it doesnt matter as long as they are not American.

And no form of entertainment has never ever blown up American cities at all. I am stunned by the sickness of the developers. They must have serious issues with their life for playing and developing video games.

Malygris:

The Christian Science Monitor [...]

Aaaaaaaand, I stopped caring here.

It's kind of like posing a highly difficult quantum physics problem to a 3rd grade "special needs" class and expecting anything useful to come out of it...

The Christian Science Monitor.

Their name alone is reason not to listen to them.

Also, if it was any other place getting attacked they would have no problem with it.

JediMB:
Personally I'd love to play a game that took place in a post-apocalyptic (or just plain apocalyptic :P) version of my home town.

Oh my gosh! So would I. Thats why I'm waiting for I am Alive to be released. Apocalyptic Chicago = Awesome.

Samuel_of_Saruan:
And yet it is fine to bomb the hell out of any foreign (Read: Middle-Eastern) country.

Looks like Andrew Heining thinks: It's fine to bomb and destroy other places as long as it isn't his.

Samuel_of_Saruan:
And yet it is fine to bomb the hell out of any foreign (Read: Middle-Eastern) country.

My thoughts exactly.
besides, why are we taking the thoughts of christian science mointor seriously? What do they have to do with this game?

A group moaning about a game, that really new in our world??

Simply put, no.

So it's alright for mass carnage to take place as long as it's in some shanty town then?

Hypocritical nob head.

Besides, you play as the people defending Washington. Religious idiots like this and people who equate to a Fox News 'reporter' fuck me off so bad.

This nob's both.

All of America was in ruins in all of Fallout games, with the player actually in a pretty accurate (post-apocalyptic) Washington DC. I can't tell you how many times I have destroyed America in the Civilization games (I like playing as the Romans and Germans).
Numerous strategy games have conflicts in America, WiC, EndWar, Red Alert, etc.
And besides, would it be a big loss if DC blew up?

DVSAurion:

poncho14:
What would he say if it was say, London burning or other big european countrys.

Or smaller European country. Or any city at all. People still die. But apparently it doesnt matter as long as they are not American.

True. He's really overreacting. Hell, I'm German, so I've seen my capital city in ruins often enough. Who cares. Work of fiction and all.

looks bloody good that trailer

no one ranted about the other COD games, where Berlin, or Stalingrad were being shelled out and fought over, I think Zarhs right, probably is some major screaming red neck patriot

Caliostro:

Malygris:

The Christian Science Monitor [...]

Aaaaaaaand, I stopped caring here.

Beat me to it.

But seriously, I'd expect nothing less, which is why I hate living here.

j0z:

And besides, would it be a big loss if DC blew up?

Well, considering there are probably at least two politicians there, I'd say it'd be a net gain.