Reply to: What a sado !

[Board Game Geek]

*****SPOILER ALERT******

What are your thoughts on the airport scene? I'm not sure it was entirely necessary to have it play out the way it did? I certainly wasn't comfortable playing it. Apparently the German version has it included but has a different outcome should you decide to go along with your comrades, I can't see why that wouldn't work for every version?

I can't help but think it was included to deliberately court controversy as there's no such thing as bad publicity when it comes to sales figures, IMO it doesn't help much to promote gaming as a mature media though.

I'd like to consider the airport scene from a number of perspectives.

In the context of the game, it exists to explain that you need to win the confidence of the leader, and that sacrifices have to be made. In other words, it's a moral conundrum that demonstrates that not everything in life is in black and white, and neither is it in the game either.

The game doesn't, and could never, say whether it's morally right or wrong to murder hundreds of innocents, in order to potentially save millions. There's no easy answer to that one.

What the game does do, is put you in this situation, and leave you, the player, to make the decision yourself.

I decided in the context of the game, and the story, that I would do what was asked of me.

I rationalised that the few would have to be sacrificed to save the many.

All I could do, was ensure that the suffering was kept to an absolute minimum, and go for kill shots each time.

It didn't feel "good", during the episode, and I felt "uncomfortable", but neither was I morally outraged or appalled.

It opened my eyes to the harsh brutality of war in our modern age, and I applaud the game makers for introducing more nitty-gritty elements to the game that provoke thought.

On the other hand, I know of a few other gamers who have played that scene, and they joked and laughed about it, saying how cool it was to chase injured people and shoot them slowly.

That sickened me. They completely missed the point of the scene. I suspect they also play GTA and run over grannies for laughs as well.

For me, there was nothing humourous in that scene. It was sad, but the only way to get through it was to suppress all emotion, wear a "different mask", kill mercifully, and think "1 innocent dead, but another 1000 saved" over and over again.

I don't think they were out to court controversy, seeing as they warned the owners of the game several times about the content, and gave them plenty of chances to cut out the scene.

[TimberWolf]

*****SPOILER ALERT******

What are your thoughts on the airport scene? I'm not sure it was entirely necessary to have it play out the way it did? I certainly wasn't comfortable playing it. Apparently the German version has it included but has a different outcome should you decide to go along with your comrades, I can't see why that wouldn't work for every version?

I can't help but think it was included to deliberately court controversy as there's no such thing as bad publicity when it comes to sales figures, IMO it doesn't help much to promote gaming as a mature media though.

Is the gameplay that immersive and realistic?

[gingerjedi]

Aye, did that this morning. Without giving out any spoilers, it's all gone to hell in a handbasket, hasn't it ?

Oh, and it gets worse.

A lot worse.

Happy gaming !

*****SPOILER ALERT******

What are your thoughts on the airport scene? I'm not sure it was entirely necessary to have it play out the way it did? I certainly wasn't comfortable playing it. Apparently the German version has it included but has a different outcome should you decide to go along with your comrades, I can't see why that wouldn't work for every version?

I can't help but think it was included to deliberately court controversy as there's no such thing as bad publicity when it comes to sales figures, IMO it doesn't help much to promote gaming as a mature media though.

[NickFitz]

well I never saw him.

See that bin?

[Board Game Geek]

As for MW2 I've just finished a mission where I was fighting through various burger and taco restaurants in some out of town shopping district, it was pure adrenalin start to finish without leaving the sofa... I'm bloody knackered!

Aye, did that this morning. Without giving out any spoilers, it's all gone to hell in a handbasket, hasn't it ?

Oh, and it gets worse.

A lot worse.

Happy gaming !

[gingerjedi]

I missed out on the Call Of Duty series. Should I get Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2, or start with an earlier and cheaper version? Bearing in mind I have a decent PC and graphics card, but not extreme high end.

Get CoD2 first, even though the others are excellent it would be a shame to miss out on the WWII setting.

As for MW2 I've just finished a mission where I was fighting through various burger and taco restaurants in some out of town shopping district, it was pure adrenalin start to finish without leaving the sofa... I'm bloody knackered!

[Board Game Geek]

Timberwolf : Go for the previous Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare first, since the story line in Modern Warfare 2 continues on, albeit a few years later.

Plus the previous version is less graphics card intensive. Even my 2 year old rig, with 4GB RAM and a 768MB overclocked GPU struggles with the new version at times.

[TimberWolf]

I missed out on the Call Of Duty series. Should I get Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2, or start with an earlier and cheaper version? Bearing in mind I have a decent PC and graphics card, but not extreme high end.

[Ruse]

I was in the good old US of A some years ago, in Penn State and my host asked me if I wanted to go hunting with him in the forest to bag some deer.

He showed me the "gun cabinet". More like a blimming armoury store (he was ex-mil).

I declined, as I didn't really see a need to go shooting bambi's just for the sake of it.

He wouldn't take no for an answer however, and tried to goad me to play out in the yard with the Magnum to "feel the power".

I refused, saying I had a shocking headache and needed to get back to the hotel for work the next day.

Gun's may be fun virtually, but IRL they are blimming dangerous and not toys, not even for "sport".

Now swords...that's a different story....<looks up at the collection on the walls>

Yes those good old Yankee boys really like their guns, don't they. But I think I would have been happy to fire off a few rounds at a safe target, can't see the harm in that.

I used to go out with my Dad from a very young age, he'd just grab the shotgun, stick the Red Setter in the car boot and we'd drive off to spend a few hours walking around the countryside with him taking the odd pot shot at a pheasant or two.

[Board Game Geek]

I probably am, but if you read my original post it is about a guy who dresses up in camouflage gear and helmet and waits for 23 hours outside a shop in Picadilly Circus to buy a disc. So I'm not talking here about an average gamer who plays for a couple of hours at a time...

Fair point.

Credit to the fella though. There is not enough eccentricity about in this dull day and age. We need to encourage it, not censure it.

[Board Game Geek]

I was in the good old US of A some years ago, in Penn State and my host asked me if I wanted to go hunting with him in the forest to bag some deer.

He showed me the "gun cabinet". More like a blimming armoury store (he was ex-mil).

I declined, as I didn't really see a need to go shooting bambi's just for the sake of it.

He wouldn't take no for an answer however, and tried to goad me to play out in the yard with the Magnum to "feel the power".

I refused, saying I had a shocking headache and needed to get back to the hotel for work the next day.

Gun's may be fun virtually, but IRL they are blimming dangerous and not toys, not even for "sport".

Now swords...that's a different story....<looks up at the collection on the walls>

[rhubarb]

But each to their own.

Yes, exactly.

[Ruse]

Are you stereotyping gamers? I manage to ride bikes, cook, change nappies, and use a .50 cal to headshot from 400m... 733t skillz.

I probably am, but if you read my original post it is about a guy who dresses up in camouflage gear and helmet and waits for 23 hours outside a shop in Picadilly Circus to buy a disc. So I'm not talking here about an average gamer who plays for a couple of hours at a time...

[Board Game Geek]

Are you stereotyping gamers? I manage to ride bikes, cook, change nappies, and use a .50 cal to headshot from 400m... 733t skillz.

It did appear to be.

The irony is, that gamers could be justified in seeing others in the same way, eg, men crying at football matches.

[Churchill]

Are you stereotyping gamers? I manage to ride bikes, cook, change nappies, and use a .50 cal to headshot from 400m... 733t skillz.

All this from the comfort of your armchair, eh?