Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Results in Sales, Controversy

"Call of Duty" has consistently been among the most popular video games made, with "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" winning a number of awards upon its release in 2007 and selling over 14 million copies around the globe. The sequel to that game, much anticipated in the gaming world, came out yesterday. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" seemingly is seeking to push the limits of what is considered acceptable in a video game with the release. Among the controversial elements is the ability by players to engage in terrorist attacks on civilians and a destroyed version depiction of Washington, DC.

The game is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and for PCs, rated "M" for ages 17 and up, and costs $60. Says creative director Jason West, "The coolest thing is you don’t exactly know who is going to win. It’s actually scary. The setting allows it to be more real and, I hope, resonate with people more than the rah-rah good vs. evil stuff of the past." Film composer Hans Zimmer was called in to offer their opinion. According to Zimmer, the game "takes you to lots of exotic locales and has an emotional darkness to it, where sometimes you go, 'I just can't believe they are going to do this now,' and then they do it. It's full of those sort of moments where it just takes things further than anyone would expect. I think it is less a geographic journey than an emotional one."

Adam Sessler, co-host of the TV series "X-Play," expects that the terrorist scenes will cause quite a bit of controversy. Says Sessler, "I’m not going to go so far as to say it is right or wrong. I feel that is really in the eyes of the beholder. What I do feel is defensible is it is within Infinity Ward’s right to be creative and move into kind of a taboo area for video games."