I was a little nervous last week when I launched the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" campaign and was immediately asked to "understand" that there would be scenes with "graphic and intense content" before I played. The first time I digitally agreed to be traumatized by a video game was with the original "Modern Warfare 2," released in 2009. At the time of its release, the infamous mass shooting mission "No Russian" (opens in new tab) was the talk of the world.

No Russian was criticized at the time for being empty and unnecessary shock value, but the modern climate of constant fear of gun violence in America makes the level of the original particularly hard to see.Infinity Ward's new "Modern Warfare" The reboot is a very different story from the late 2000s original, but given that the first reboot reimagined the characters and events of Call of Duty 4 for the campaign, I chose the trailer for "Modern Warfare 2" for possible "No Russian 2" I chose to fear the possibility. If you haven't finished the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" campaign, do not proceed any further as you will be diving into the spoiler zone.

Modern Warfare 2 ends with Captain Price and his posse of less iconic brothers preventing the destruction of the White House by disarming a missile from a Chicago skyscraper. The story travels through Amsterdam, Spain, the Middle East, and settles in a fictional Mexican city, but has little or nothing to do with 2009's Modern Warfare. The main similarity is that General Shepard, who betrays Team Price and ultimately takes a throwing knife to the face, betrays Team Price again for other reasons (and without killing anyone).

It is not until the final cutscene of the campaign that CIA handler Laswell convinces Price that Vladimir Makarov (the villain in the original MW2 version and the culprit in the No Russia case) is the next bounty hunter. Then we cut to the credits. If you're not comfortable skipping the lengthy credits sequence (or, like me, just go back to the cinematics section of the campaign menu), you're greeted by a post-credits scene. A faceless figure on an airplane begins assembling a pistol from parts hidden on the body and 3D printed plastic.

"M" (presumably Makarov) "Ready?" is followed by the text "No Russian." The terrorist gets up and walks away, gun drawn, and the scene ends.

So it seems that Infinity Ward is interested in reintroducing Makarov as a villain, possibly a central figure in next year's rumored "Modern Warfare 2" story expansion. I don't care about Makarov or his plans to dominate the West, but I'm glad we don't have more playable civilian massacres. That said, "Modern Warfare 2" is not without its moments of military frenzy (open in new tab) that are tiresome.