The original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 shocked players with its infamous “No Russian” mission. However, the 2023 sequel, Modern Warfare 3, introduces two missions that may be even more disturbing. These missions surpass the airport scenes from 14 years ago in terms of their sickening impact.
Spoilers for those who haven’t played the MW3 campaign are ahead, but I need to discuss how deeply disturbed I felt by the missions I experienced. They somehow manage to be even more unsettling than the airport scenes from years ago.
The first shocking mission, titled “Passenger,” occurs in the first half of the campaign and continues from the cliffhanger ending of MW2. In this mission, players assume the role of a woman named Samara on a plane bound for Sochi, Russia. She discovers that she is sitting next to the same man from the MW2 ending cutscene, who accuses her of being a member of Farah’s liberation army from Modern Warfare 2019.
This man pulls out a pistol, but Samara manages to disarm him. However, the situation quickly escalates when air marshals witness the altercation and aim their weapons at her. Despite her pleas, terrorists storm the plane from the front, killing the air marshals. Samara fights back and eliminates the terrorists.
Unfortunately, Samara is knocked unconscious by a flashbang and wakes up to find Vladimir Makarov, the main antagonist, strapping a bomb to her chest. Makarov then flees the scene, leaving Samara to take the blame for the impending disaster.
One of the hijackers, with a disturbing grin, questions Samara about her affiliation with terrorism. She denies any involvement, but he dismisses her, saying, “you look like a terrorist.” The chilling impact of those words is hard to imagine.
Desperate for help, Samara tries to retrieve the detonator phone that was thrown into the plane, pleading with the passengers. However, instead of assistance, she is attacked by a man who notices the bomb strapped to her chest. The bomb detonates, killing everyone on board.
I sat in shock, recounting the events to my co-workers in Slack. But the horror was far from over. In fact, this was only the first half of the disturbing experiences that the campaign had in store.
The second shocking mission, “Flashpoint,” takes place four years prior to the events of MW3 in the city of Verdansk, known from the first Warzone game. Captain Price and Soap MacTavish urgently rush to the soccer stadium, which is under attack orchestrated by Makarov—the first encounter between Task Force 141 and him.
The imagery in this mission is particularly horrifying, resembling scenes one might witness on the news any day. Terrorists disguised as police openly gun down civilians attempting to flee. They use innocent people as human shields and execute them at every turn. As I made my way through the area, trying to avoid harming civilians while engaging the terrorists, I felt a nauseating sensation rising in my throat.
It all felt too real, reminiscent of events we witness in the real world far too often, especially recently. The mission’s impact was intensified by its resemblance to current events covered in the news.
Eventually, Price and Soap manage to locate Makarov, the mastermind behind the attack, and escape with him. However, the horrifying images from the mission lingered long after.
Art imitates life, and sometimes life imitates art. Call of Duty has always drawn inspiration from real-world events, but for some reason, this particular installment is not sitting well with me like the others I’ve played.
I shudder at the thought of the scenes I just witnessed. I needed to take a break midway through the campaign to process the terror I had experienced. There may be more disturbing content later on, but I might need to step away and decompress for a while.
I implore you to heed the content warning that appears at the beginning of the game. While many CoD players are aware of what they are getting into, this installment hits harder than most, especially considering recent real-world events. So, carefully consider whether you are prepared to witness what unfolds.
Some of the images depicted in the campaign are brutal, resembling the harsh realities we see in the world every day. I only wish that this bombastic, high-budget, seemingly frivolous video game didn’t feel so eerily true to life nowadays.
Source: DOTESPORTS
