Two years ago, I was first in line to praise the mature sentiment of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Things have changed.

(The following contains strong spoilers for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.)

Almost two years ago, I wrote in praise of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The game was, I suggested, about as close to an anti-war first-person shooter a videogame could get. Despite its surface of gung-ho militarism, there was a definite undercurrent of thoughtfulness.

Modern Warfare illustrated clear motivations for terrorists. It was hardly a simple case of ‘us versus them’. Things were difficult, things were complex. Our modern lexicon of images relating to the War on Terrorism was invoked, and twisted into a clever alternate meaning. War, said Modern Warfare, is not good. War, said Infinity Ward, is never good.

And despite the consequence-less appeal of multiplayer, and the cries of Infinity Ward wanting to have their non-violent cake and eat their violent fun too, I was able to argue that Modern Warfare held deeper meaning. In short, I was able to reconcile myself with the game; I was able to accept the images presented on the assumption that a greater and more important point lay underneath.

I am unable to do this with Modern Warfare 2. Continue reading →