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Footage leaked from the game (and since removed from a variety of Web sites) reveals that players can shoot innocent civilians in an airport in a realistic rendering of a terrorist attack.![Modern Warfare]()
In a statement, game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. said the footage was taken illegally and is not representative of the game's overall experience. Instead, the scene is designed to evoke the "atrocities of terrorism," Activision said in an e-mailed statement.![Modern Warfare]()
The game follows players as they "face off against a terrorist threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse," the Santa Monica, Calif. company said. This includes a plot line in which the player infiltrates a Russian villain's inner circle to defeat him. Presumably the airport attack is one of the scenes in which the player acts as part of the villain's group.![Modern Warfare]()
In an interview before the footage was leaked, Vince Zampella, head of the game's developer, Infinity Ward, said studio intended for its game to startle players.![Modern Warfare]()
"We push the story," he said. "We want the player to be emotionally attached. We want them to be emotionally shocked."![Modern Warfare]()
Gamers are warned that the scene may be disturbing, and they can choose not to play through the part. It's unclear, though, how many gamers will heed the warning for fear of missing part of the game's intricate story. Activision says the game is designed so the part can be skipped over without losing any of the story.![Modern Warfare]()
The game's makers said before the leak that they strive for "real world" authenticity in weapon types, military tactics and locations, but the plot is more James Bond action movie than ripped-from-the-headlines.![Modern Warfare]()
"As far as the story goes, Makarov is this super villain and you are this task force," Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling said in a recent interview. "And it's good versus evil. So we really like to be cinematic but also not let that ruin the fun."![Modern Warfare]()
Infinity Ward hasn't shied away from disturbing imagery in the past. "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" begins with a character being driven through an occupied city, dragged out of the car, tied to a pole and then executed — all from the victim's point of view. The player controls other characters throughout that game, including one who perishes in a nuclear blast.![Modern Warfare]()
But what's different in the upcoming game is that people can play from the perspective of someone inside a terrorist group, similar to how gamers can play criminal in the "Grand Theft Auto" titles. The gamer can play a CIA agent who infiltrates a rogue group and appears to be a double agent.![Modern Warfare]()
"It's a very cinematic experience," Bowling said of "Modern Warfare 2" in the interview. "You get to play from multiple perspectives and get a broader picture of what this conflict is, and see that it's much more than just winning a war with a bullet."Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare has received praise for its graphics and seamless action sequences, but the game has also been condemned for being too violent. In one scene the player must decide whether to kill unarmed civilians at a Russian airport in order to infiltrate a terrorist group. Game publisher Activision has pulled leaked game footage from the Internet that allowed the gamer to play as a terrorist. You decide: Based on these official screenshots, does Call of Duty 2 look too violent?
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