Comments on: Who’da Thunk It? It’s Only Modern Warfare 2

By: Anhvu

Anhvu — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:13:50 +0000

Well We can’t rule out that possibility that not all of the members on board could have been combatants. Particularily there was something cold about shooting someone in the sleep but eh I not too bothered it just a game. I do however work shipping in a local port of mine and generally if we have guests on board we keep to ourselves. sometimes people hire their own crews.

Besides, Price clearly states that there is a security detail (probably the Ultranationlists guardind their nuke) and small crew (undetermined)on board. I’d say we were mostly fighting that “security detail” while the (possibly affiliated or nonaffliated) crew unfortunately got caught in the midst. Perhaps some didn’t know what was going down with them shipping a nuke and were either ” I’ll mind my own business” or paid not to ask questions. As for the migs once we roped down perhaps somebody on the ship knew they were done for and ordered the strike. Of course, this is mere conjecture.

Gaz: Rules of engagement, Sir?
Captain Price: Crew expendable.

By: cyberdaemon

cyberdaemon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:42:24 +0000

These “civilians” in Crew Expendable were wearing a uniforms and had machineguns in theyr hand.I dont know many civilians like that.Besides the cargo ship carried a nuclear weapons on the board.It seems also that the crew called in a Mig strike on the same ship in order to sink it before anyone finds out what its carrying.

By: underproseductor

underproseductor — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:54:22 +0000

Ah, Estonians are always up to something. They have a good ice-cream though.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:24:04 +0000

Jesus, I didn’t think people actually thought about the game this much.

Honestly, for me it was one of the best FPS games I’ve ever played. I never found myself wanting to over-analyse the thing, though me and my friends found the detached humour of the gunship crew somewhat creepy but likely realistic.

By: Dracko

Dracko — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:17:56 +0000

Helm, again, note the kind of people you’re playing throughout the game.

It opens with you gunning down sleeping sailors for fuck’s sake.

Also, good to know counter-terrorism means so little to you. Doubtlessly, you’d probably justify it being vague and trivial even if a car bomb went off on your street.

But ah, society does despise the monsters it requires to further extend and feed itself. You’re not the slightest bit better. And being born into it is no excuse.

By: Dracko

Dracko — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:14:21 +0000

The line is “Remember, no Russian”. As in, don’t speak it. Sounds like asymmetric warfare to me. And if they can’t deal with current situations directly, Infinity Ward have already proven they can tackle contemporary themes nonetheless. I am hopeful.

Erlam, I’m not sure what game you played, but enemies went down with three shots, tops.

Calling this a pro-war work is hilariously misguided and, well, stupid. For one, anti-war works do not exist. Because violence is fun. Watching violence is exciting. Why do you think people join the army? Or, you know, kick other people’s heads in?

Or play video games?

Besides anything else, you’re also missing out on the fact that the Yanks are portrayed as psychopathic hooligans who fuck up so bad it literally blows up in their faces and the SAS as sociopathic killers with a wide streak of gallows humour and who will only tolerate people as far as they are useful to them.

Now, if you’re bitching because it all comes off as entertainment mainly, well, you’re obviously in the wrong medium.

SPOILERS: You won’t get Hemingways because modern games *gasp* require large teams to make. You can’t sit down at a table and write one up over years and years.

You know what I think? I think we should stop demanding that visual artforms imitate literary ones. There’s an idea! You don’t ask an oil portrait to sing. How about we let games be games and explore themselves as such. Developers should do more of this, and Infinity Ward seem to be aware of this to the core of their being, and with such ease, it could only be deliberate.

By: OJ287

OJ287 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:22:18 +0000

“What the fuck were they thinking?”

By: TheDood

TheDood — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:49:44 +0000

Is it wrong? Seems a little bad taste in the wake of the Mubai attacks. I don’t know, after reading so much about false-flag terrorism it’s difficult for me to look at the subject without feeling like I’m being propagandised.

By: Fitzgeralds Reno

Fitzgeralds Reno — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:14:33 +0000

Looking good!

By: Cunningbeef

Cunningbeef — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:11:46 +0000

I actually thought that the “Remember, they’re Russian” line seemed like a humourous extension of the extremism seen in the days of the cold war.

But maybe I just misheard the line.

By: Helm

Helm — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:39:42 +0000

“Not that I’m comparing a rather mainstream video games storytelling abilities to a high Modernist work, mind you, but you get the idea.”

But you just did. It’s not that brave. I know we get ‘a little’ quite more often than ‘a lot’ in videogames when it comes to writing bravely but that shouldn’t suggest we should adjust our expectations so much. Perhaps a war game will come out in the future that dissects the nature of warfare for real and if we go to hyperbole for conservative games like MW then what words will we use for that then? As a commentary on war, MW was in my opinion rather tame considering how many people get killed gruesomely in the name of a vague and exploitative cause like ‘counter-terrorism’ in its duration. In the scale between Hemingway and Clancy it’s still off in the far end I mean. I acknowledge your point (and the point of others in this thread) that it’s not so bereft of critique but there’s really too little there to say this game is attempting lucid commentary on the nature of war or anything. We should desire more than this before we reach for the Hemingways! Still futuretech military pulp novel level writing and ethos.

By: Christian

Christian — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:22:44 +0000

On the offical website, you can “analyze” the trailer. (Pause the video and zoom in on stuff.) I was able to spot a few things.
scuba gear
submarine
oilrig.
That stuff points to playing as units like the US Navy SEALs or the British SBS.
I also spotted a MH6 Littlebird helicopter, with US soldiers wearing protec-style helmets, which screams Delta Force. Mayabe we’ll being playing as several militaries from around the world? That would be neat, jumping from one nation’s forces to another’s.