Summary

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 brings back the controversial "No Russian" mission, where players participate in a mass shooting in a Russian airport, regardless of whether they shoot civilians or not.
  • Modern Warfare 3's "Passenger" mission puts a fresh twist on the concept, as players take control of an Urzikstan citizen on a plane who is forced into a suicide-bomb vest, resulting in a personal and harrowing act of violence.
  • The game's actual content, particularly the controversial missions, fuels public discourse and keeps fans arguing, overshadowing other controversies surrounding the franchise's design and release schedule.

The Call of Duty franchise has had its fair share of controversies over the last 20 years. From awful last-gen ports that leave out huge portions of the game, to arguments about loot boxes, to the never-ending criticism of the series' annual release schedule, Call of Duty has no shortage of discourse. But while controversies surrounding each entry's design are usually what keeps fans arguing, it's each game's actual content that stokes the flames of the public mainstream, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 could end up doing just that.

While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 tries to forge its own narrative path, its story does borrow a lot of the same elements present in the original Modern Warfare series, just like Infinity Ward's last two reboots have. One of the most important elements that Modern Warfare 3 brings over from the original series is the long-awaited return of the antagonist Makarov, and along with him comes a new version of the most controversial mission in Call of Duty history.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's "Passenger" Puts a New Spin on No Russian

No Russian Is Still One of Call of Duty's Most Infamous Missions

The original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 "No Russian" mission is still widely considered to be the most controversial thing the franchise has ever done, and for good reason too. Taking place just four missions into the game, No Russian sees players take control of an undercover U.S. Army Ranger as they try to infiltrate Makarov's Ultranationalist cell. In order to gain favor with Makarov, players participate in a mass shooting in a Russian airport.

While players aren't forced to shoot any civilians, Makarov and his men waste no time in brutally cutting down every single person in their way, whether the player shoots or not. Even just walking through the mission without taking a shot is incredibly harrowing, with countless innocent lives being slaughtered in front of them. Of course, No Russian would quickly become a major point of contention in mainstream news outlets, and even well over a decade later, it's still pretty controversial.

Modern Warfare 3's Passenger Puts a More Personal Twist on Things

While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's "Passenger" mission doesn't quite live up to the horrific legacy of No Russian, it definitely comes close, with Sledgehammer making the smart decision to put a fresh spin on the general concept. Passenger sees players take control of an Urzikstan citizen on a plane to Russia. The start of the mission sees her texting with her husband, and her phone lock screen shows that she has a whole family.

A man in the next seat asks about the woman's family, and things turn sinister very quickly, with him revealing that he knows her children's names. The man draws a gun on her, and explains that he knows she was once part of the ULF who fought against the Russians in Urzikstan. The woman's forced to grab the gun and shoot down a few terrorists before being apprehended once again. This time, she's taken to the front of the plane, where she's greeted by Makarov.

Makarov details his plan to the woman, saying that he's going to make her look like a ULF freedom fighter, furthering her cause by blowing up this plane of Russian citizens and thus stoking the flames of Makarov's war. The woman is forced into a suicide-bomb vest, and thrown into the back of the plane. Here's where the real emotional twist of Modern Warfare 3's Passenger comes into play. Seeing her as an immediate threat, the passengers refuse to listen to her explanations and jump on her without hesitation, causing them all to die in the explosion. While No Russian showed players a horrific and shocking slaughter, Passenger delivers a more personal, smaller-scale act of violence that's easily just as heinous, and potentially even more harrowing.

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Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) Tag Page Cover Art
6 /10

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III
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First-Person Shooter
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 58 /100 Critics Rec: 14%
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Released
November 10, 2023
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
Developer(s)
Sledgehammer Games
Publisher(s)
Activision
Engine
iw 9.0
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Genre(s)
First-Person Shooter