10 Intense Shifts In Gameplay That Came Out Of Nowhere
2. No Russian - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Much like The Last of Us Part II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 could've just been more of the same cinematic FPS mayhem and ultra-addictive multiplayer and won easy, inoffensive acclaim from critics.
Instead, Infinity Ward dared to inflict "No Russian" upon the world.
Early on in the game's single-player campaign after a couple of entertainingly breezy missions, you'll end up going undercover with a gang of Russian terrorists as they carry out a mass shooting at an airport.
Due to the shocking level of violence, players are able to skip it entirely should they wish, and the player is also not obliged to fire a single bullet at the civilians as they move through the airport.
Unsurprisingly No Russian was immediately controversial and remains so today, but almost as jarring as its questions about player agency was the fact that it was a brutal mic drop in a game that otherwise felt like an escapist thrill-ride.
The mission's infamy caused Activision to include similarly provocative missions in many subsequent Call of Duty games, but none ever matched the jaw-dropping realness of No Russian.