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Alice Caldwell-Kelly (Trashfuture/Kill James Bond!/Well There’s Your Problem) recruits the lads into the International Organization of Bros (IOB) as they take on Iran, Russia, and the Mexican Cartel in Infinity Ward’s 2022 sequel/remake/propaganda fever dream Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Topics include the infamous Al Qaeda district of Amsterdam, the internet’s obsession with Valeria, and the dangerous messages at the core of one of the best-selling games of 2022.

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Alice Caldwell-Kelly: Twitter / Instagram / Patreon

Trashfuture is a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism.

Kill James Bond! is a comedy film review/pop culture commentary podcast about the eponymous English spy, James Bond. Alice Caldwell-Kelly, Abigail Thorn, and Devon watch a different Bond movie every fortnight in an attempt to give 007 the socialist, feminist comeuppance he so richly deserves. Free episodes are released every fortnight on all major podcast platforms and bonus episodes are released for supporters on Patreon on the interstitial weeks.

Well There’s Your Problem is a podcast about engineering disasters and systemic failures, from a leftist perspective, with jokes.

Media Referenced in this Episode:

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2022)
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2019)
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2009)
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2007)

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Commercial: “Eagle McGee’s Male Murder Cream”


Files

Comments

Elaine Åhlfeldt

During the "No Russian" discussion, I totally get the vibe of that mission feeling like someone wanted to imitate surface elements of Spec Ops: The Line. However, that game came out three years after Modern Warfare Arabic Numerals Two. I bring that up not (only) to be an annoying pedant, but also because it reminded me of how the decision to make that level came across for me back when I first played it, which I find to be even more cynical. CoD4 had The Nuke Scene, which was so impactful in presentation that it earned a lot of buzz and praise even from people who were otherwise critical of the campaign. Pre-release press whispers about MW2 having a level so shocking you had the option to skip it, the disclaimer box, and the level itself, all struck me as trying to repeat and one-up the good press generated by the nuke scene. In other words, as if someone wanted to imitate surface elements of the last game made by Infinity Ward. MW3 tried to do this yet again with another disclaimer-skippable scene, but that time you were passively observing a (white) family vacation in London through the dad's camcorder, and end up seeing all of them, child included, killed in a chemical bomb terrorist attack. At that point I remember just being fucking tired of the gimmick and completely disaffected.

Elaine Åhlfeldt

Also: "Hold right mouse button to de-escalate" is so on-the-nose that it got me wondering if that part wasn't literally taken directly from Spec Ops. I eventually realized the thing I was thinking of from SOTL was actually slightly more subtle: There's a shocking scene late in the game where a button prompt says something like "press [fire button] to disperse crowd", and you're free to interpret that as warning shots in the air or civilian massacre. Either way they start running for their lives, allowing you to progress, and either decision makes sense for that point in Walker's derangement and the context of the scene. So... yeah. Call of Duty would eventually do something so self-parodic it made Spec Ops look subtle by comparison.

vercingix

What if a Dutch Al-Qaeda man was Mexican?

Dergon

Modern Warfare 2 Modern Warfare 2 Remake Modern Warfare II Modern Twofare 2 Modern 2 War The Fate of the Modern (Untitled Spin-off Staring The Rock)

Addison Stumpf

you get into a podcast, and don't even realize that it's changing you, until one day you hear "immigration policy Goku" and it just makes straightforward sense to you

Uncle Jam Wants You

I shot faygo out of my nose while grocery shopping in a meijer this morning when someone mentioned the drunk guy asking pronouns. gives me hope and warms my heart

Uncle Jam Wants You

also Love that you used "Cultist Base" by Mick Gordon for the promo

Cam

"Soap, under this mask I'm a 10/10 smoke show baddie but I'm still not comfortable with my past enough to be comfortable enough with my present to formally be myself"

Cam

Well, at least the crushing and tiring transphobia of the UK does mean we don't get op eds about how transitioning made someone a better death squad coordinator

Grouchiest Marxiest

"Paint your face like it's Dutch Christmas" is going right in the vernacular thank you

murt pie

The Babylon Bee identifies as a humor site.

Bruce

the people responsible for this title collision must answer for their crimes

W. W. Wiklund

I haven't finished the episode so you might mention it, but the mentions of Blackwater reminded me that there is in fact an official Blackwater game for the Xbox 360. It has "Better with Kinect™ sensor" on the cover, and a Metacritic score of 37, lol.

Aysha U. Farah

All I know about this game is that the two British guys always sound like they’re having phone sex when they talk to each other

Elah

thwarfaretwos. three. modern warfare twos.

Ezra Knickelbine

I think When You Were Young just attracts the weirdos and freaks (affectionate) at a karaoke bar, I sang it once and one dude stood up, walked over to the stage, and started fist-pumping while staring me dead in the eyes. It was a haunting experience.

IHateBrianAlflord

I enjoy this episode simply because I am an Alice Caldwell Kelly fanboy

Elizabeth Power

I know nothing about call of duty, but I am so glad for the karaoke bar story, glad it went in a positive direction for all involved! Happy pride!

im so daddy i havent slept in a year

Definitely going to checkout the Austin Power's live episodes! As a child every time I introduced myself people would say "Austin? Like Austin Powers!". It still hurts.

Jeff Martin

I didn't even know that there were multiple games with the Modern Warfare and MW2 titles so this whole episode was a wild trip through some truly bizarre game development decisions.

Langolier

These games give me Red Dawn vibes. In all the bad ways.