MW3 rating suggests 'No Russian' is back & more disturbing than ever
The controversial 'No Russian' mission is coming back to Call of Duty in Modern Warfare 3 and early ESRB ratings suggest it will be more disturbing than before.
21st Sep 2023 11:50
Activision
MW3 rating suggests 'No Russian' is back & more disturbing than ever
The controversial 'No Russian' mission is coming back to Call of Duty in Modern Warfare 3 and early ESRB ratings suggest it will be more disturbing than before.
21st Sep 2023 11:50
Activision
The "No Russian" mission is Call of Duty's most controversial talking point of all time. The fourteen-year-old mission saw players act as terrorists by massacring civilians in an airport back in Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and caused a huge stir with its political propaganda between Russia and the USA.
It's not the first time we've seen propaganda supposedly be used in the CoD series, and it's likely that it won't be the last time either, as the rebooted series that began in 2019 is now revisiting the No Russian storyline in a new way as the menacing puppetmaster Vladimir Makarov will be coming to Modern Warfare 3.
Now, Call of Duty has teed up and marketed a second controversial 'No Russian' mission in Modern Warfare 3 and early ESRB ratings suggest it will be more troublesome than before.
Modern Warfare 3's No Russian mission given a disturbing ESRB rating
The Modern Warfare 3 campaign has already been teased for the tantalising return of Makarov and his twisted ways, but before we get to what will likely be a massive showdown between himself and our beloved Task Force 141 leader Captain Price, there are already two missions in which the character will be at his usual worst.
The MW2 campaign spurred one cutscene where Makarov hijacks a plane, and the MW3 campaign reveal also shows how the No Russian mission will take place in Verdansk Stadium.
With this in mind, the official ESRB rating website has MW3 listed as being Mature-rated for "blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, and use of drugs".
But to pinpoint some of the monstrosities, the ESRB website offered up some damning details of Makarov's behaviour, which might prove too much for Call of Duty fans, especially those of a younger nature.
"A handful of sequences depict more intense acts of violence: terrorists taking over an aeroplane; terrorists (dressed as police officers and paramedics) shooting/killing fleeing civilians inside a stadium concourse; airline passengers getting shot on a plane; prisoners shot inside a cell," ESRB says.
Modern Warfare 3 is set for twice as much No Russian action
What's most surprising about these statements is that the ESRB claim it's a "handful of sequences" which indicates that the aeroplane hijack and the Verdansk shootings will be separate missions, otherwise, the wording may have been phrased as "one mission", or something of that token.
The ESRB ratings also do not mention any notion of a "skip mission" probe, akin to the one that pops up before Modern Warfare 2's brutalities.
On a lighter note, the ESRB also constitute MW3 as mature because of some Mary-Jane action, as one finishing move includes marijuana smoke from a bong being blown into an opponent's face.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
