Electronic Arts might be shamelessly copying Modern Warfare 2 with Medal of Honor: Reboot, but that doesn’t mean the publisher is willing to follow Infinity Ward blindly. The company has stated that it would not have done the controversial “airport scene” found in the latest Call of Duty, saying that it went too far.
“We wouldn’t have done it, we didn’t do it”, explains Army of Two producer Matt Turner. “For me personally I think the alarm bells went off in a big way on that one because it was out of context. When the footage got leaked thousands upon thousands of people saw it on a clip not knowing what it was.
“… It’s designed to show the atrocities … it’s pretty awful and if you fail to see that side of it than you’re not getting the whole picture. That being said, I thought it took it a little far; it was pretty out there. But I like seeing that they have guts like that.”
The Modern Warfare 2 No Russian level is something that will doubtless be discussed for many years to come, and in that regard, Infinity Ward should be commended for creating something that can be debated so heavily. Whether the studio went too far or not, it did something that other games have no had the balls to do.
There’s a lot of talk and bluster about games being “artistic.” Part of art is pushing boundaries, and if you worry too much about towing the line and restricting yourself, you’re not really doing much to drive games forward as a unique and compelling medium.
