COD:MW2 - 'No Russian' Mission

Wikipedia is my friend.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a 2009 first-person shooter developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.

The 'no Russian' level is one in which you, the player, can participate in a mass shooting at a Russian airport in order to gain the trust of Russian terrorist Vladimir Makarov. The level was somewhat inspired by air travel safety concerns following the 9/11 attacks.

Activision decided to remove the mission from the game in its Russian release, leading to some Media outlets incorrectly reporting on it being banned or recalled. Japanese and German releases saw the player punished with a 'game over' screen if they were to shoot any civilians.

The uncensored version of the game received an 18 rating from PEGI specifically due to the mission. Some game testers were initially angry at the level before growing more comfortable as it went on. Before the release, video footage of the level was leaked online, causing game reviewers to be divided. When the game released, it received critical acclaim despite the high amount of criticism of the 'No Russian' level. Some, such as Jim Sterling of Destructiod, saw it as a positive, saying that it was a statement that video games could discuss controversial topics, which they felt many developers would often shy away from. They felt if the level was able to make players question whether the deaths of innocent civilians were justifiable, then video games could finally be considered an art form.

There's also an argument to be had that it's an integral part of the overall game, and the point of the level is to be morally challenging.

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