#MW2 Airport Level

[octopimpostor]

I'm going to go off in a little tangent to ask whether people were supprised by the end of the level. I know for me hat it was a huge WTF moment, but I've heard a lot of people say that they saw it comming. I want to hear from you guys.

[rickgolec]

I'm with you, octopimposter - I didn't see it coming at all (though I think after the intensity of the level, some willful blindness came into play about what was happening next).

WTF indeed.

[Genghis Ares]

It was definitely WTF, more than OMG. I was more pissed than surprised though.

[Metcarfre]

Is it weird that I didn't realize until this thread appeared that the Airport level was the one that was supposed to disturb me?

[octopimpostor]

yeah, metcarfre, it is.

[Nevrmore]

I was surprised, too (though I heard of it before this thread). I remember wondering what was so bad about it. You were undercover with a bunch of Russian terrorists, and they decided to terrorize people by attacking an airport terminal. What were you expecting to happen when you were introduced to that narrative thread? That they were going to decide to take the day off of extremism and have a disco dance?

[ThrashJazzAssassin]

Well, that's what I would have written.

[wedrinkritalin]

Wow, badger put it best, I never thought about it in the way of challenging the macho beliefs of most gamers, trouble is I have a bunch of idiotic halo playing friends who laughed during the level, I didn't like the level and found it difficult, I ended up not shooting civilians while they chuckeled, it should be challenging peoples views, but people are idiots.

[Roguey]

When I played it, I felt kind of sick and had to move away from my computer... and that’s why I think it was a great scene. I didn’t fire my gun and pretty much sat there, jaw open.
Thinking back there has been a lot of civilian NPC that have been murdered by a character I'm playing (especially the Grand Theft Auto series) and this was the first game I’ve played where I have felt this is wrong and not just thought this should be wrong.

The only problem I had with that level is there’s no cause and effect for shooting Makarov. I understand that it’s the whole "sacrifice a minority for the good of the majority", but a cut scene where a major city or something is blown up in retaliation to Makarov's death would have made me allow the slaughter to continue easier rather than a message saying "You've blown your cover."

But of course that is the problem with linear storylines.

[octopimpostor]

When I played it, I felt kind of sick and had to move away from my computer... and that’s why I think it was a great scene. I didn’t fire my gun and pretty much sat there, jaw open.
Thinking back there has been a lot of civilian NPC that have been murdered by a character I'm playing (especially the Grand Theft Auto series) and this was the first game I’ve played where I have felt this is wrong and not just thought this should be wrong.

The only problem I had with that level is there’s no cause and effect for shooting Makarov. I understand that it’s the whole "sacrifice a minority for the good of the majority", but a cut scene where a major city or something is blown up in retaliation to Makarov's death would have made me allow the slaughter to continue easier rather than a message saying "You've blown your cover."

But of course that is the problem with linear storylines.

WOW, dont scare me like that dude. when you said that was the first game that made killing feel wrong, that freaked me out, till i read the enxt sentence. and i agree, i would liked to have been able to kill makarov... why couldn't we again? what was his part in the whole story?

[Niko88]

Also from a plot perspective it had to happen. You, an american are found dead with a high power assault rifle after a massacre. Tensions between the US and Russia were high to begin with and this was the excuse needed to force a war.

Now, I agree that video games are an art form n the same way that movies are. This is a war video game that is not for children. If you wouldn't let your 8 year old watch Apocalypse Now then you probably shouldn't let them play Modern Warfare 2. That being said, unlike movies Video games are interactive. The civilians die when you pull the trigger. Still, I believe that everyone here on the forum has the mental capacity to understand that it wouldn't be a good idea to go out and shoot up an airport

[FFN]

I tried to go through it, but in the end I quit and skipped it. Yes, I had the option of doing so, but I wanted to give it a chance, because I really dislike the media's treatment of games as a strawman (if that is the correct term) and because I knew this sort of horrible scene would be the set up for you to hate Makarov.

Since I don't really like being "the bad guy" in games, I made up my mind not to shoot anybody during this mission. Except when the Russian police arrived, the game forced me to do so. So I quit.

It disturbed me, but it would disturb me if it was in a film as well. But MW2 has plenty of disturbing moments such as Matt's example of the Red Dawn-inspired scenes where you see warfare brought into American suburbia (which for me isn't so different to Australian suburbia).


Of course, on that last point, I still question the whole "Russia somehow invades the United States and does a good job at it despite the fact the US totally outguns them in planes and ships even without satellite surveillance" aspect of the storyline.

[octopimpostor]

FFN, i was able to get through the leve without shooting. what i did was grabbed a riot shield and was able to crouch in the middle of the fight and let them kill them, albeit it took forever, but i didn't have to shoot anyone. and as far as makarov, i want to know why we can't shoot him right there.

[Roguey]

FFN, i was able to get through the leve without shooting. what i did was grabbed a riot shield and was able to crouch in the middle of the fight and let them kill them, albeit it took forever, but i didn't have to shoot anyone. and as far as makarov, i want to know why we can't shoot him right there.

I did it the exact same way, but had to skip the level when I went back and did it on veteran. Even while crouching with the riot shield near cover I did a whole lot of dying.

It would make sense to shoot Makarov then and there, but then the whole chain of events that follow would never happen. And don't forget a certain someone would still be imprisoned

[octopimpostor]

yeah, im on the first level in veterin, just got done with hardened and started playing veterin. but got bored so i started playing madden 10.

[gcninja]

I was like "hmm... what are we doing here?" at first when the elevator doors opened then i was like HOLY SHIT ON A SHINGLE. I only killed those who were squirming on the ground as i felt sorry for them, albiet, i chuckled at the whole security guard elevator thing. I was kinda ticked at the end when i got shot, i was at first like, "YOU SHOT ME!" then i saw the other guys running (russian police) and i was like, "ok, im okay" then it said "KIA" i was like "DAMN U MAKAROV"

the really gruelling part was the next level where when you crouch, in the car you just see your dead buddy next to you. and if thats not the worst, its when you play roach and get the info to sheppard, you WATCH YOURSELF BURN as soap calls your through your earwig

[octopimpostor]

the really gruelling part was the next level where when you crouch, in the car you just see your dead buddy next to you. and if thats not the worst, its when you play roach and get the info to sheppard, you WATCH YOURSELF BURN as soap calls your through your earwig

OMFG I KNOW!!! I was like A WHAAAAA?!?!?!!? I wanted them to kill him or get out of the way or something. I was really mad at that part because I died at the hill a bunch of times, and knowing that i was going to die anyways a few feet further made me mad... plus, you can't kill off the main characters like that

[Jaredin]

It was definitely WTF, more than OMG. I was more pissed than surprised though.

Im with you in that respect at the end of the level. We had just played through the whole thing! Next thing we know is we area bout to escape after committing the 'atrocity' and then, BANG, dead.

When I first saw it I was like "Oooook. What just happened?". Could call it Karma I suppose? I mean throughout the level we (The player) did kill a whle bunch of innocenet people?

The whole level though, I had lost interest in it for the most part by the time I played it. After all the hype, and all the media attention it got before I played it...it was just another level for me. Just wanted to complete it, move on, and do more in the game.

[FFN]

I still don't get the whole "American found at the scene of the crime" thing. As we saw during the intro of the mission, the America soldier guy who became a CIA operative and apparently learned a flawless russian accent in record time was covered in Russian ultranationalist tattoos, as were the actual ultranationalists who died during the course of the mission. I find it hard to believe that even with rising tensions between Russia and the United States Russia would ultimately conclude that the corpses of two Russians + an American covered in ultranationalist tattoos = elaborate American plot to kill Russians X pin it on the ultranationalists for some reason = launch a sneak attack on the United States and somehow (magically) get past the US Navy and Air Force's technological and numerical superiority.

And what exactly was your being on that mission supposed to accomplish, anyway? Well, other than shock value for a game.

[Genghis Ares]

Also, there were the dead bodies of those two other Ultranationalists. How does one American = American War.

[octopimpostor]

yeah, it was a little fishy about that now that i think about it. it really doesn't make much sense.

[Matt]

WWhen did the other two die? I don't remember that at all.

As far as the american war side of it - all of the terorists were posing as americans during the mission, and you were an american posing as an ultranationalist posing as an american.

The reason you're told, right at the beginning of the level, in english, "Remember, no Russian" is because Makarov wanted any survivors or escapees to think (and report to the authorities) that the attack was perpetrated by americans.

If you take the leap that the team that attacked the airport was composed of mercenaries hired by makarov, or at the very least weren't known to the russian government, then you've got a situation where you have 2 bodies of unknown attackers, coupled with dozens of reports that they were americans.

Add to the mix that perhaps the government somehow identifies your character's body as American, and you've got enough evidence to conclude that the attack was american.

It's a jump, but it's not as big a jump as you'd think.

-m

[InsaneFool]

The way I understood it, after the whole Zakhaev thing wherein he somehow came out as a national hero US/Russian relations were on thin ice already, and finding an American agent dead in the aftermath of the attack on the Airport was simply the reason Russia needed to attack the US without incurring international backlash.

As for what your reason for even being there Shepherd orchestrated the whole thing as a way of getting the world to acknowledge what happened to his troops that got nuked in the first game...so it stands to reason he sent the Agent there just so that he could sell him out to Makarov that is what I got out of it anyways.

[FFN]

WWhen did the other two die? I don't remember that at all.

IIRC, 2 of them are scripted to die during the police counter-attack. When one goes down, Makarov responds that he should be left behind.

As far as the american war side of it - all of the terorists were posing as americans during the mission, and you were an american posing as an ultranationalist posing as an american.

The reason you're told, right at the beginning of the level, in english, "Remember, no Russian" is because Makarov wanted any survivors or escapees to think (and report to the authorities) that the attack was perpetrated by americans.

If you take the leap that the team that attacked the airport was composed of mercenaries hired by makarov, or at the very least weren't known to the russian government, then you've got a situation where you have 2 bodies of unknown attackers, coupled with dozens of reports that they were americans.

Add to the mix that perhaps the government somehow identifies your character's body as American, and you've got enough evidence to conclude that the attack was american.

It's a jump, but it's not as big a jump as you'd think.

-m

Okay, assuming that ultranationalist elements of the Russian military, police, intelligence and government provide the info that the American guy was really American and not, as he appears, a Russian ultranationalist pretending to be American, I still have a hard time seeing how that leads to war.

What possible tactical, political or strategic advantage would America gain from sending a couple of blokes around to massacre civilians?

The way I understood it, after the whole Zakhaev thing wherein he somehow came out as a national hero US/Russian relations were on thin ice already, and finding an American agent dead in the aftermath of the attack on the Airport was simply the reason Russia needed to attack the US without incurring international backlash.

That entire Russian reinterpretation of Zakhaev smacks of a contrived plot device to "make" the Russians the bad guys in this game. Make us get all angry that they're no longer our friends even though we did their dirty work for them in the last game.

*They* wanted us to help fight the ultranationalists, who were killing Russian civilians and soldiers.

[Matt]

WWhen did the other two die? I don't remember that at all.

IIRC, 2 of them are scripted to die during the police counter-attack. When one goes down, Makarov responds that he should be left behind.

As far as the american war side of it - all of the terorists were posing as americans during the mission, and you were an american posing as an ultranationalist posing as an american.

The reason you're told, right at the beginning of the level, in english, "Remember, no Russian" is because Makarov wanted any survivors or escapees to think (and report to the authorities) that the attack was perpetrated by americans.

If you take the leap that the team that attacked the airport was composed of mercenaries hired by makarov, or at the very least weren't known to the russian government, then you've got a situation where you have 2 bodies of unknown attackers, coupled with dozens of reports that they were americans.

Add to the mix that perhaps the government somehow identifies your character's body as American, and you've got enough evidence to conclude that the attack was american.

It's a jump, but it's not as big a jump as you'd think.

-m

Okay, assuming that ultranationalist elements of the Russian military, police, intelligence and government provide the info that the American guy was really American and not, as he appears, a Russian ultranationalist pretending to be American, I still have a hard time seeing how that leads to war.

What possible tactical, political or strategic advantage would America gain from sending a couple of blokes around to massacre civilians? It doesn't bear scrutiny, because even (non-crazed) critics of America know the US doesn't go around *intentionally* causing havoc and mayhem to civilians.

The Afghani government didn't SEND a bunch of people to fly planes into the world trade centre and pentagon, either. America is still at war with (well, in, but that's a technicality) Afghanistan.

Besides, if it came to light that the american was a CIA agent working a government authorized operation - that probably WOULD lead to war. because that is straight up, the US government, authorizing an american to slaughter Russian citizens as part of an operation to further american ends.

-m