Sales To Die For

Now, one may read that intro paragraph and think that it’s the addiction aspect of Modern Warfare 2 that makes it bad. That, in fact, is one of the game’s greatest strengths. As a vet of MMO’s like World of Warcraft and Everquest, I don’t think MW2 quite gets up to that aspect when it comes to addictive gameplay, but it’s much easier to sit for an hour and shoot people when you only intended to play one match (Just one more round!)

But no, that’s not why Modern Warfare 2 is bad for video games. One of the problems lie in it absolutely dominating the market. The first day it came out, it sold SEVEN million copies across all platforms, an unheard-of amount of software moving in one day, for one game. That may have you asking “but why is that bad for video games?”

Well, first of all, it took a heavy toll on the games that had to go up against it, as Assassin’s Creed II sold only 480k copies its first week, and Dragon Age: Origins only sold 400k copies – two titles released in the same week as Modern Warfare 2, the former many critic’s pick as game of the year – I haven’t played it yet… because of the aforementioned shooting spree. The latter is one of the most original and critically acclaimed RPGs released this decade. But those are just the games that chose to go up against it.

Several blockbuster games opted to delay their titles to not go up against Infinity Ward’s juggernaut. Bioshock II, Bayonetta, Final Fantasy XIII, Mass Effect 2 – all of these games were hotly anticipated in their own right, but publishers of those titles didn’t want their sales hurt because of the massive launch of Modern Warfare 2. It could be argued that it’s better for the consumer to have these titles cascaded to maximize their sales potential and give everyone ample time to enjoy these titles… But who the hell wants to play an engrossing RPG like Mass Effect or Final Fantasy as spring is blooming outside and the weather is finally getting nice? Now those two titles have to go up against each other, and we’re still waiting for Bioshock II to officially be released.

But I digress, there’s other cultural and disturbing problems with Modern Warfare 2. Much has been made about the “No Russian” mission, but in the context of the game and the story that Infinity Ward is trying to represent, there’s nothing more controversial about that than, say, the oft-maligned movie Basketball Diaries. That’s not the problem with the content.

Homophobia?

The real problem with this title is the homophobic slurs that the developer uses in the TRAINING MISSION (!). After the training mission is over and the player has no guns equipped, a trooper walks over to the player and asks if he “has ever seen a grown man naked.” After the player’s character laughs off the accusation he fires back at the soldier, saying “hey man, are you still gay?”  The player’s character quickly recants the statement saying he’s kidding, but the soldier looks at him and says “don’t ask don’t tell.”

It could be argued that this was a social commentary on the American policy on gays in the military, but I disagree, based on this video. It’s a mock PSA against people aimlessly throwing grenades. It features a digital version of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels calling out random grenade throwers, calling them “pussies.” The title of the PSA is “Fight Against Grenade Spam” or FAGS for short. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Infinity Ward has already been pressed on the issue, but has yet to release an official statement. They also won’t return my phone calls. You bastards.

- Smola

What one will find is reviews from all ranges of systems and generations, gaming editorials, etc.

-Smola