In Germany, Russians Don’t Shoot
MW2's infamous 'nasty' level gets secret censorship.Published 12/01/2010 at 9:30 by nofi
TSA Modern Warfare Master Results [23]
‘MW Duo’ sign to Hollywood Agency. [6]
TSA Modern Warfare Master Participants [29]
I didn’t know about this, so it might not be new news at all, but it appears that if you buy the German version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 you’re not allowed to shoot any civilians in the infamous “No Russian” level. TSA forum member gernboes alerted us to this bizarre switcheroo and has filmed the scene, complete with the on-screen fail message (which says “You hit a civilian – watch where you shoot”) should you get trigger happy.
Spoilers, naturally, if you’re one of the seven people who haven’t played the game yet. Seems like Activision censored the scene without really telling anyone, and although it’s not really going to change the game’s story that much it does kind of make the scene a bit pointless – surely the terrorists would be more than a little suspicious? Seems like in Germany you can’t shoot the good guys – perhaps that’s the way it should have been anyway for every version of the game, Activision, huh?
Comments
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.
MUKARKAR | 12/01/2010 09:35
Member
1222 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2009
this game getting too much attention, its only a game.
morning nofi.
Baz the great | 12/01/2010 09:46
Member
61 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
When I first played this level I thought the idea was to fake being a bad guy so I opened fire over the heads of the civilians without shooting at them. Only when the police turned up and my Russian friends were too useless to deal with them did I shoot the cops, even then I was aiming to wound not kill.
MUKARKAR | 12/01/2010 09:52
Member
1222 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2009
lol same here, i thought that we were like a back up team, but when they started shooting i was like what!!!. so i started shooting like after 1 min from the seine.
3shirts | 12/01/2010 10:20
Member
2490 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
And me. I knew about the scene but wanted to go with my feelings which were ‘don’t shoot the innocent civilians’ and see how the game handled it so I only shot people that were trying to kill me.
Really I was wondering if you would HAVE to shoot the innocents to keep the terrorists on side cos that would be a new world of controversy!
Apnomis | 12/01/2010 11:02
Member
743 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
Ditto, I enjoyed shooting up the windows and displays and shooting around the civilians without actually shooting a civilian, it made much more sense within the context of the character and would have made the scene better if there was some kind of morale dilema like a different cut scene at the end of the level (spoilers) where instead of just shooting you he holds a gun to your head and asks you to shoot a civilian – you can either refuse or agree, but either way you end up dead, just with a different cutscene (or even, the game doesn’t continue until you refuse and get shot for being a spy)…
Personally it was enough to witness the shootings and there was no reason in the plot to get involved (other than for Daily Mail shock value), it would have been enough to pretend to shoot – and it would also make better sense in the plot as to the reason why he shot you at the end. I think all regions should have been like this, it could have even had an Assassins Creed II style ’suspicion’ gauge over the terrorists heads that indicated if they were believing your pretend shooting – you then have to be convincing enough to fool them, but careful enough not to kill and civilians. It would have given a lot more meaning to the level…
3shirts | 12/01/2010 11:19
Member
2490 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
I don’t think all versions should force you NOT to shoot them but I like the idea of a different cutscene (albeit with the same outcome).
Amphlett | 12/01/2010 16:04
Member
1248 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
You big girls! I shot at the civilians intentionally and even lobbed some grenades!
DSJoKeR | 12/01/2010 10:09
Member
108 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2009
I shot the people like everyone did. It’s a game keep thta in mind. The video let’s you see what happens when you shoot the civillians but doesn’t show how to clear the part should you jjust walk by or something?
Deathbrin | 12/01/2010 10:13
Member
946 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2009
You probably just walk slowly with your gun loaded until the police arrives then you have to shoot them.
3shirts | 12/01/2010 10:22
Member
2490 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
Don’t judge everyone by your own standards friend. I played this section without killing any innocents because a) I wanted to see if you could and b) I have free will and enjoy excercising it!
It’s fairly hollow anyway becasue if you don’t kill them, the other terrorists do but at least you do have the option.
And yes, you do just walk slowly through the airport until the police arrive
dirtyhabit | 12/01/2010 10:49
Member
1445 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
But they’re not ‘innocents’.
They’re tourists…. Bastards….. I hate tourists.
Kill ‘em, kill ‘em all
3shirts | 12/01/2010 11:21
Member
2490 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
Plus if they’d upgraded their tickets they would have been safely tucked away in the first class lounge. An important lesson there
Amphlett | 12/01/2010 16:07
Member
1248 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
3shirts – Are you saying that the paupers deserved to be killed but the well off deserved to live? If so, I agree with you. My and Angelina walked through standard class on a plane, never again!
hazelam | 12/01/2010 10:23
Member
3950 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
i just had a thought, if they did localised versions of this game, how would that affect the russian version of the no russian level?
if the rest of the game’s in russian and then in this level the character is told, no russian, do they suddenly start speaking english or something?
or have they just taken that level out altogether.
hazelam | 12/01/2010 10:30
Member
3950 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
and anyway, back on topic, i think this is how the game should have been at the very least, talking about the storyline, no law enforcement officer would gun down dozens of innocents just to keep their cover, i can’t imagine there are many that could stand to watch the terrorists do it either, well, maybe judge dredd but other than that.
3shirts | 12/01/2010 11:28
Member
2490 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
@hazelam – Actually you do find quite morally ambiguous specialists in law enforcement. Those who are willing to break the law and step well beyond most peoples moral limits if they believe the ends justify the means.
You get serial killers who have no moral problems killing innocents. Scale that immorality back and somewhere between them and the likes of you and me, you have the people who do deep cover work!
Deathbrin | 12/01/2010 10:52
Member
946 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2009
The level is cut off the game by using a Steam update on the PC before you start the game for the first time. It was not released on consoles so far afaik. The street talk is the copies were printed but never shipped and are destroyed/are going to be destroyed soon. Some people claim they have got for sale a few console localised copies that had avoided such terrible fate, but those who were intended for a neighbor country.
carlosfilippsen | 12/01/2010 10:26
Member
1316 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
People still not over this scene? Its a game..
cc_star | 12/01/2010 10:28
Team TSA: Writer
7874 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
It’s only in the game in the first place to create hype, it adds nothing to the story, the outcome is the same whether you shoot anyone or not!
One for teenage playground talk I think
Deathbrin | 12/01/2010 11:02
Member
946 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2009
I for one disagree with the people who say it has nothing to do with the story and the game at all. Excuse me, but that is complete bs. The level is what starts the whole story, and the events occurring there are being used as a reason to ignite the war itself. As for those who say – it should’ve been a cut scene – it’s not a Call of Duty style to give you a 10-minute cutscene. CoD series, or rather, MW series (i’ve only played CoD4 and MW2) aim to place you there so you see it happening with your own eyes, be it (spoiler alert!) crawling out of the airplane in pain and looking at a mushroom cloud (end of spoiler), or be placed in a group where you have to shoot civilians to pretend you’re one with the same beliefs that the group has – it’s all your own experience and that is the way MW is.
Apnomis | 12/01/2010 11:14
Member
743 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
I have to agree, I can never understand why people say the scene is pointless and could have been removed – the plot is daft enough as it is without Russia suddenly launching an attack in the US with no provocation, that is the whole reason they don’t speak Russian and setup the US spy – to make it look that the US attacked Russia first.
To make a real world analogy it would be like having a game based on the invasion of Afghanistan/Iraq without first showing the bombing of the Twin Towers, to make you see what triggered it…
dirtyhabit | 12/01/2010 11:42
Member
1445 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
To make a real world analogy it would be like having a game based on the invasion of Afghanistan/Iraq without first showing HOW MUCH OIL THEY HAVE, AND HOW MUCH U.S CONTRACTORS MAKE FROM REBUILDING IT AFTERWARDS to make you see what triggered it…
Sorry……..couldn’t resist
cc_star | 12/01/2010 12:05
Team TSA: Writer
7874 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
If it is to do with story then why in the hell does it make absolutely no difference if you shoot anyone or not, surely if it was for the story one of terrorists would put a gun to your head if you didn’t shoot anyone? Happens to Bauer all the time in 24
A Russian attack on US could have been just as easily explained by making a story for that to happen, not a gratuitous scene designed only to provide controversy
It’s purely there for kids who think violence in movies/games/whatever is cool, and to provide controversy do it gains column inches. Nothing sells a product as well as controversy or a fear of it being banned.
Apnomis | 12/01/2010 13:01
Member
743 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
@ dirtyhabit, I didn’t say there wasn’t another angenda, just like there was another agenda for the MW2 Russian invasion (from what I remember of the plot), but the point is they needed a ’smoking gun’ and in the real-world that was the Twin Towers attack and in MW2 it was the Airport shootings – something to win over public support/sympathy for their governments chosen course of action…
Yes it was gratuitous and attracted a lot of (bad) publicity, but I can understand from a narrative point of view why it was included, it’s just that because it’s a game it was blown out of proportion – a film for example would have probably been appaulded for it’s gritty and uncomfortable portrayal of the motivations behind the characters on both sides of the conflict. It could have been handled better perhaps, but I still think it’s a valid level worthy of inclusion in the game…
shields_t | 12/01/2010 11:19
Member
1646 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
There’s a story? Must’ve missed that one, is it about a forlorn fast food worker caught in a firefight in his place of work and forced to quit his McJob to grow some crazy facial hair and join the marine corps?
3shirts | 12/01/2010 11:30
Member
2490 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
No but if you write that, i’ll buy it!
Amphlett | 12/01/2010 16:09
Member
1248 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
You could call it ‘McWarfare – With Fries’.
shields_t | 12/01/2010 16:10
Member
1646 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
……paging mr Kotick, they could even bundle a special edition with a pewter five mcstars badge and a fake beard.
andytorr | 12/01/2010 13:51
Member
567 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2008
I 1000000% agree with you cc. It’s not just this mission that makes no sense, I hate everything about the single player.
Crazy_Del | 12/01/2010 10:49
Member
478 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Yeah it is a game after all but still I think Infinity Ward went a bit too far on this though. Quote from the Simpsons “Think of the children” (Reverend’s wife) I think lol.
Parkerchu | 12/01/2010 11:05
Member
44 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
Dont see what the big deal is about this scene. Jeeze we’ve been killing innocent victims in games for years. GTA anyone.
carlosfilippsen | 12/01/2010 12:45
Member
1316 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Agreed.
zillah | 12/01/2010 14:49
Member
233 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
this is no suprise to me at all. there are heaps of games, movies, etc, that are cut here. some even branded with a 100% uncut sticker and guess what, they’re still cut. that’s why i like to order the english copies of things from play or game. well that, and my german is total rubbish.
Dexter17 | 12/01/2010 16:13
Member
3279 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009
Regarding the massive conversation up there, the story is practically non-existant and confusing, so I personally don’t think that it makes a difference to the story whether you shoot them or not.
deadwelsh | 12/01/2010 16:13
Member
321 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009
I killed as many as possible.
I use games as escapism, so whether its mowing people down in Liberty City, killing soldiers on Helghan or racking up bad Karma on Fallout 3, makes no difference – its only a fucking game, get over it.
BIGAL-1992 | 12/01/2010 18:56
Member
1257 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2009
I always suspected that MW2 WAS somehow censored in that level for Germans.
gernboes | 12/01/2010 20:55
Member
283 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
Yay, Front Page!
And as somebody asked how the rest of the level plays, just like the uncut version if you choose not to shoot… you watch your terrorist-friends shoot the place up while walking slowly to the point the police arrives, whom you are allowed to kill…
davidjmclare | 12/01/2010 21:32
always on easy
1094 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
those seven people are going to pay a lot less for the game ill have you know! the launch and current pricing is ridiculous!