Modern Warfare 2 opening level revealed, controversy imminent

Strap yourselves in for this one, especially if you happen to live in the United States. The opening level of Modern Warfare 2 has made its way onto the internet (via the means of hilariously lo-fi camcorder footage), shedding more light on the direction Infinity Ward are taking the series. And boy, it’s quite an opening. Arriving at a rammed civilian airport, you and your band of armed-to-the-teeth chums then storm through the terminal and concourse blasting all and sundry. Pretty much everyone else is unarmed, and the level of callousness displayed by the rest of your crew is pretty harrowing as you progress through the level, blasting crawling civilians and people trying to pull their wounded to safety.

SWAT eventually arrive and force a brief shootout with your team, who escape into the back of a getaway vehicle, shortly before your buddies shoot you point blank and leave you for dead. Following this you appear to be apprehended by the police, at which point the footage ends.

That the opening is shocking is a given, but context is king here. The player is not obliged to shoot anyone directly, and indeed given the events at the end of the level it would appear that not everything is as black and white as it seems. Still, time for various newspapers to flip back the ‘arm’ switch and fire the ‘Ban this Sick Filth’ warhead. I can’t wait to see Fox News tonight.