Skip to main content
review

At the heart of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , the latest entry in Infinity Ward's best-selling military-themed action series, is a strange and unexpected dichotomy. On one hand it's a rousing and sensational first-person shooter, while on the other it instills fear of war and its horrific consequences. Its film equivalent would be a Michael Bay blockbuster with a pacifistic premise, and if such a thing seems irreconcilable then it's all the more impressive that the game's developers actually manage to carry it off.

Of course, its chief intent is to entertain, and it succeeds wildly in this endeavour. The brief six-hour campaign, which involves a mad international hunt for a terrorist who sets up the United States as the culprit of a massive terrorist attack in Russia - and a subsequent Russian invasion and occupation of Washington D.C. - is threadbare and convoluted, but the actual play is frenetic, fast paced and thrilling.



One mission, in which I had to clamber through the corridors and over the rooftops of claustrophobic Rio De Janeiro, ranks among the most difficult - yet enthralling - gaming experiences I've ever had. Enemies swarmed through the maze of alleys and buildings, quickly killing my team-mates and making it almost impossible for me to find a safe place to stop, reload, and catch my breath. All the while my captain was urgently yelling over the com that our target was escaping. My heart pounded from start to finish.







But the most riveting sequences are set in and around the Russian-held U.S. capital. A couple of these missions had me hoofing it through suburban neighbourhoods, stopping to hole up in family restaurants and houses along the way. Other games have imagined an America invaded, but never in such authentic and familiar settings.

It was during these levels that the horror of modern war began to creep up my spine. Watching enemy infantry crawl through the sort of homes many of us inhabit was chilling - as was seeing armoured vehicles tear these buildings to tatters. At one point I watched a car driven by a scared civilian move through a street-cum-combat zone and was startled by the level of real fear I felt for its digital driver.



For further discussion about this game, including its multiplayer element, visit the Globe and Mail's game blog, Controller Freak





As disturbing as these missions can be, the game's most disquieting scene is set in a Russian airport. The player's character is inserted covertly into a group of terrorists who stroll through the terminal killing scores of unarmed civilians.

Make no mistake; we are intended to feel aghast, not excited, by what we see. So unsettling is this part of the game that Infinity Ward warns players about it and even provides the opportunity to skip it outright - the first time I've seen such an option.

In truth, it's more like a scene in a movie than a level in a game. There is no challenge or goal; it's simply a massacre that the character (and player) has to endure in hopes that he will be taken deeper into the terrorist cell so he can stave off even greater disasters.

Spoiler alert follows: The tragedy is our soldier doesn't survive the slaughter. It ends up a wasted effort, and is all the more tragic and sickening for it. In fact, several of the noble warriors whose shoes we inhabit meet with heartbreaking ends. This is a fitting way to counter the notion fostered in most shooters that war is something that can be escaped unscathed.

The message is unambiguous: Combat may be exhilarating and capable of satisfying our deepest, most animalistic cravings, but it is also chaotic, terrifying, and something few of us would ever want to aspire to outside the safety of a video game.

It's also a good reminder of what the men and women currently serving our country are going through, which makes its Remembrance week release all the more fitting.



Watch the Launch Trailer Watch Infinity Ward's launch trailer for the recently release blockbuster

Interact with The Globe