A CPU consumes more Watts per mm2 than a GPU, sometimes more than twice as much, no wonder they'll run hotter too.

Even with great cooling, you'll be bottlenecked by how fast the heat can dissipate from the front end to the heatsink, which is why CPU temps spike and all of that.

Crazy that a 3070 is 50% faster than a PS5 using the same settings. I don't think we have seen a gap like that before. I wonder if it's because the PS5 uses Vertex shaders where as 3070 uses Mesh shaders. The game also uses software Ray Tracing in Raster mode which then goes to hardware Ray Tracing when you enable it.

Suffices to say tho, most GPUs that are RTX or RDNA 2 and newer will run the game just fine and Remedy was maybe a bit too harsh on those recommended settings.

Yeah seen a few Youtube deep dives and it doesn't look as demanding as the recommended settings suggest. As in most recent GPU can run the game, its just the quality of settings need to be reigned in for more modest PC's. Only for Pascal owners and earlier it very isn't playable due to lack of support for mesh shaders sadly.

On another note, it runs quite okay on my 4070Ti. About on par with CP2077 with overdrive when things are turned up. Looks a little soft at 1440P and no option to adjust sharpness is annoying and does come really close to hitting VRAM limit at native 1440P with FG. And there's some hickups.. so I'll probably just stick to 1440 DLSS Quality with PT medium which gets around 74-82 fps, mostly maxed out. Tried DLDSR 4K>1080P and 720P sadly was too much for my poor GPU.. does look great in those settings though lol.

Early in game screenshot, not really spoilerly but yeah, the game looks gorgeous!

It looks like there are some issues with PT/RR in AW2, at least according to the Techpowerup review. Some missing shadows and distant flickering stuff.

There is a factor of GPU heatsinks have gone like 2-3x the size in last couple of gens yet CPU coolers are still the same size tower coolers or 360mm AIO

Well, look at the size of the coolers. 10 years ago, most high-end GPU still used dual-slot coolers, maybe 3-slot coolers for special overclocked versions. Now 3.5-4-slot coolers are the norm for those, and the cards have also become a lot longer. Just try to fit a current high-end card into a case from before 2010...

Qualcomm Unveils Even More Snapdragon X Elite PC CPU Benchmarks: 23W & 80W Reference Laptops Tested

https://wccftech.com/qualcomm-unveils-more-snapdragon-x-elite-pc-cpu-benchmarks-23w-80w-reference-laptops-tested/

These numbers are genuinely impressive if legit.

AMD HYPR-RX with Fluid Motion Frames support added to ASUS ROG Ally handheld

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-hypr-rx-with-fluid-motion-frames-support-added-to-asus-rog-ally-handheld

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti mobile GPU turned desktop has been tested in 3DMark

https://videocardz.com/newz/geforce-rtx-3080-ti-mobile-gpu-turned-desktop-has-been-tested-in-3dmark

Intel Core Ultra 9 185H “Meteor Lake” 5.1 GHz CPU Shows Strong Multi-Core Performance In Leaked Benchmark

https://wccftech.com/intel-core-ultra-9-185h-meteor-lake-5-1-ghz-cpu-strong-multi-core-performance-leak/

The Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Itch.io's new Games for Gaza bundle is raising funds for medical care for Palestinians
https://www.pcgamer.com/itchios-new-games-for-gaza-bundle-is-raising-funds-for-medical-care-for-palestinians/
Itch.io has put together a new bundle of more than 250 games to raise funds in support of Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK-based charity founded in 1982 that "works in partnership with Palestinian communities to uphold their rights to health and dignity."
(...)
As with most Itch.io bundles, the Games for Gaze bundle is very indie, which is to say that most of the games in it are unknown to me. But that's part of the attraction: For a very low entry fee I get an avalanche of stuff from 140 different developers, the sheer volume of which pretty much guarantees that I'm going to find something interesting. I say "stuff" because it's not just videogames: There are also physical games (card games, tabletop RPGs, that sort of thing), game assets, and music collections in the bundle.
Which isn't to say it's all deep esoterica. A couple of relatively well-known games in the bundle include Nuts, the squirrel spy thriller we never knew we wanted, and Hyper Gunsport, a game that was unexpectedly orphaned just prior to release by last year's Stadia shutdown. Each of those games alone costs at least twice as much as the whole bundle. There's also something called Not the Robots, which self-describes as "this year's most exciting roguelike stealth furniture eating simulator." I don't know about you, but I am intrigued.

GOG has a new Deal of the Day and two sales, but more importantly, there's also...

• ... a new GIVEAWAY: The Whisperer will be free to get during the next 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_whisperer https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_whisperer
• The new DotD is The Whispering Valley, 40% off also during 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_whispering_valley
• Publisher Fellow Traveler puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/fellow_traveller_publisher_sale
• And there's also a new Weekly Sale, featuring up to 95% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/weekly_deals_1_november

Steam has a new deal: Knights of Honor II: Sovereign will be 50% off until the 5th of November: https://store.steampowered.com/app/736820/Knights_of_Honor_II_Sovereign/.

Humble Bundle has launched the WB 100 Play the Legends Bundle, with up to 12 games to get during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/wb-100-play-legends.

And Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a bundle:

• The Star Deal is Soulstice, 88% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/soulstice
• The BYO Rebirth Bundle comes with 20 titles to choose from for your 2, 5 or 10 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-rebirth-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Someone is working on a faithful remake of Resident Evil 2 in Unreal Engine 4
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/someone-is-working-on-a-faithful-remake-of-resident-evil-2-in-unreal-engine-4/
Now here’s something amazing for all you Resident Evil 2 fans out there. Modder ‘Guyue’ is currently working on a cool remake of the classic Resident Evil 2 game using Unreal Engine 4.
Although there isn’t any ETA on when this fan remake (or even a demo of it) will come out, you can check out its first screenshots. These screenshots will give you an idea of what you can expect from it. That is of course if the project ever sees the light of day.
The Resident Evil 2 HD Reprint will keep the original 3D models and stick to the same gameplay style. In other words, it will have fixed camera angles. Right now, the modder is recreating the original maps in Unreal Engine 4, and the first scenes he has shown look just like you remember them.

You can now download a free 3D remake of The Legend of Zelda NES in Unreal Engine 4
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/you-can-now-download-a-free-3d-remake-of-the-legend-of-zelda-nes-in-unreal-engine-4/
Now here is something that passed under my radar. Shame on me, I know. But anyway, it appears that someone has remade and shared a beta version of the classic The Legend of Zelda NES game in Unreal Engine 4.
The Legend of Zelda Era Of Decline Project is a faithful remake of the first Zelda game that came out on NES. This project retains the top-down viewpoint, but it features new 3D models for Link and all of his enemies. It also has re-designed environments and new/custom assets. In short, this is exactly what we’d be getting from a faithful remake of this Zelda game. And, in a way, it reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
I also don’t expect Nintendo to shut it down. At least I hope not. After all, this project has been live for over a year. So, unless it passed under its radar, this project should be safe. Still, I suggest downloading it while you still can. I mean, this is Nintendo we’re talking about so you never know.
>> The article has a couple of videos, and it looks great. Too bad Nintendo seemed to notice it a couple weeks ago and went for it. But there's a download link in the comments at the game's site.

Fallout 3 gets a mind-blowing mod that overhauls the lighting of all interiors
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/fallout-3-gets-a-mind-blowing-mod-that-overhauls-the-lighting-of-all-interiors/
Modder ‘TheKetzku’ has created an amazing mod for Fallout 3 that improves the lighting inside all buildings. If you’re planning to play Fallout 3 again, you should definitely get this mod – it’s a must-have. It’s one of those mods you must use for this classic Fallout game.
The modder says that ATMOS – Interior Lighting Overhaul adds special improvements to the lighting in the game. It makes the lighting look better by adding things like global illumination, bloom, and emissive tweaks to the game’s environments. This means that the insides of buildings in the game now have twice as much lighting nodes.
Here’s what exactly TheKetzku did with this mod. He split the lights into two types: one is the main light, and the other is an indirect bounce light. This makes the game look even better with new static global illumination. The modder also changed the colors in the game to match the lighting in different places. Plus, he made sure special effects like mist and light rays look just right.
>> The article has some screenshots and a roughly 2 minutes video.

Half-Life: Alyx NoVR Mod Animation Update #1 is now available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/half-life-alyx-novr-mod-animation-update-1-is-now-available-for-download/
The team behind the NoVR Mod for Half-Life: Alyx has just dropped a brand-new update for it. This update brings some awesome animation improvements to the mod, so make sure to grab it and check it out.
For those unaware, the No VR Mod for Half-Life Alyx allows you to play the game on non-VR devices. This is a must-have mod for those who want to experience this latest Half-Life game on a non-VR device.
In this Animation Update, GB_2 Development Team has included proper animations for Alyx’s arms, hands, and weapons. Keep in mind, though, that this is just the start of several animation updates. This initial version focuses on the most crucial animations and viewmodels that impact the minute-to-minute gameplay.
>> There's a 1:28 video showing the improvements.

An unofficial PC port of Nintendo 64’s Perfect Dark is available for download, featuring mouselook, widescreen, FOV & 60fps support
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/an-unofficial-pc-port-of-nintendo-64s-perfect-dark-is-available-for-download-featuring-mouselook-widescreen-fov-60fps-support/
Perfect Dark is a classic FPS from Rare, the folks behind other awesome Nintendo games like Donkey Kong Country, Battletoads, and Banjo-Kazooie. It’s kind of like a follow-up to Goldeneye 007, which was a big deal for console shooters. And guess what? You can now grab an unofficial PC version of it for free.
This unofficial PC version of Perfect Dark is mostly working well. There are some bugs, but not any game-breaking issues. What’s most important though is that It has both the single-player and split-screen multiplayer modes up and running. Thus, you can enjoy the whole game without any major issues.
So, what does this PC version of Perfect Dark offer? Well, it’s got a lot to offer. Perfect Dark for PC lets you use your mouse to look around, works on widescreen monitors, allows for basic mods, and you can even change the field of view (FOV). Plus it runs smoothly at 60fps.
In order to play Perfect Dark PC, you’ll need its original Nintendo 64 ROM file. (...)
>> The article has an almost 2 minutes video of it.

Metal Gear Solid 2 & Metal Gear Solid 3 just got HD Texture Packs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/metal-gear-solid-2-metal-gear-solid-3-got-hd-texture-packs/
Modder ‘liqMix’ has released two must-have HD Texture Packs for the PC versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
With the help of AI tools, liqMix boosted the quality of all textures in these two games. And, since Konami didn’t bring any improvements at all in these re-releases, we strongly suggest getting them. After all, they will greatly enhance your gaming experience.
>> There are four screenshots, but they're enough to show how less blurry are the new ones from this mod.

New Starfield Mod adds landscape discovery quests to the Leaning Tower Of Pisa, NASA & The Face On Mars
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/new-starfield-mod-landscape-discovery-quests-leaning-tower-of-pisa-nasa-the-face-on-mars/
Starfield fans, here’s something for you today. Modder “ConnerRia” shared a cool new mod for Bethesda’s RPG. This mod adds quests to explore the Leaning Tower of Pisa, NASA, and the Face on Mars. And, since this is a free mod, we really think you should give it a try.
According to its description, the mod brings back content that was cut from the game. Thus, it will let you explore the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Face on Mars. It also introduces new quests that take you to the NASA Launch Tower, Nova Galactic Research Station, and the Mars Rover.
ConnerRia pointed out that in the game, there’s a Pisa Landmark with a snow globe, but strangely, there’s no quest for it. The same goes for The Face on Mars – there’s no quest. So, this mod adds proper landmark discovery quests for Pisa and The Face on Mars. It also creates new quests for places that you couldn’t access without progressing in the main quest, Unearthed.
>> There's a roughly three and a half minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

RoboCop: Rogue City gets an official story trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/robocop-rogue-city-gets-an-official-story-trailer/
NACON has released the official story trailer for Teyon’s upcoming RoboCop game, RoboCop: Rogue City. According to the publisher, the game will have an intriguing new plot incorporating plenty of references to delight die-hard fans.

Battlefield 2042 Update 6.1 releases on October 31st and here are all its fixes, tweaks & changes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/battlefield-2042-update-6-1-released-on-october-31st-and-here-are-all-its-fixes-tweaks-changes/
DICE has announced that Update 6.1 for Battlefield 2042 will release on October 31st on all platforms, and shared its full changelog.
According to the release notes, Patch 6.1 will bring improvements to the End of Round Screen. Moreover, it will improve EMKV90-TOR, and the latest Limited Time Event, Dark Protocol, which will take place between October 31 – November 14.

Blizzard will release a massive patch for Diablo 4 on October 31st, and here are all its fixes, tweaks, changes and improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/blizzard-will-release-a-massive-patch-for-diablo-4-on-october-31st-and-here-are-all-its-fixes-tweaks-changes-and-improvements/
Blizzard has announced that it will release a new massive update for Diablo 4 on October 31st, and shared its complete changelog. So, let’s dive in and see what the team has in store for us.

The second part of the Monday news:

Disney Dreamlight Valley ditches free-to-play plan at the last minute, will launch in December as a premium game
https://www.pcgamer.com/disney-dreamlight-valley-ditches-free-to-play-plan-at-the-last-minute-will-launch-in-december-as-a-premium-game/
Less than two months ahead of Disney Dreamight Valley's full release, developer Gameloft has announced that it won't be a free-to-play game after all. Instead, the studio said that based on its "learnings" from a year in early access, "we've made the decision to remain a paid game for the foreseeable future."
>> I guess people aren't as interested in throwing loads of money at it as they thought.

Fallout co-creator settles over two decades of fan debate about who nuked who with a single off-hand comment
https://www.pcgamer.com/fallout-co-creator-settles-over-two-decades-of-fan-debate-about-who-nuked-who-with-a-single-off-hand-comment-on-a-podcast/
Tim Cain is a storied man. Fallout co-creator, Arcanum maker, owner and proprietor of the best channel on YouTube, Cain's accolades stretch beyond counting, and there are more game design secrets locked up in his head than we'll probably ever know. But hey, we can know some of them, and thanks to Cain's recent appearance on gaming documentary channel TKs-Mantis (via GamesRadar), we know one about Fallout specifically: Who was it that dropped the first bomb?

We ask Valve if Counter-Strike 2 will introduce new weapons: 'Yes'
https://www.pcgamer.com/we-asked-valve-if-counter-strike-2-will-introduce-new-weapons-yes/
Counter-Strike 2, the first direct sequel to one of the most important games in PC history, released on September 27 after roughly six months in a limited test period. PC Gamer recently had the chance to ask the Counter-Strike 2 development team at Valve a wide-ranging bunch of questions about the game, its history, and its future: and one of those was about the in-game hardware. Does Valve have plans to introduce new weapons over the game's lifespan?
>> This comes from an interview they had with Valve that you can read here.

On NFTs, Valve says it's only interested in 'things our players care about'
https://www.pcgamer.com/counter-strike-has-delivered-on-the-promise-of-transferring-valuable-items-from-one-game-to-another-but-dont-mention-nfts-valves-only-interested-in-things-our-players-care-about/
(...)
"From the start of development we knew that CS2 would ultimately replace CS:GO," says the CS2 dev team, "and we wanted to ensure that players could keep as many of their CS:GO skills and items as possible. So, early into the process we started the work to support all of the CS:GO weapons, stickers, agents, and music in CS2.
"There were non-trivial challenges in getting older items to fit into the look and feel of the new game, but the feature was something we knew would be very important to players. For us, bringing the items forward is just the customer-centered way to bridge between a game and its successor. Sometimes people talk about NFTs in the context of Counter-Strike items, but to be honest we don't know enough about NFTs to weigh in on that conversation. We just try to make the best decisions we can about the things our players care about."

Counter-Strike 2 doesn't have Arms Race and others yet, but Valve says relax: 'those modes haven't been forgotten!'
https://www.pcgamer.com/counter-strike-2-doesnt-have-arms-race-and-others-yet-but-valve-says-relax-those-modes-havent-been-forgotten/
Counter-Strike 2, the first direct sequel to one of the most important games in PC history, released on September 27 after roughly six months in a limited test period. PC Gamer recently had the chance to ask the Counter-Strike 2 development team at Valve wide-ranging questions about the game, and one of those was about the modes CS2 doesn't have.
(...)
"Those modes haven't been forgotten! We have plans to re-introduce popular game modes and explore others," says the CS2 dev team. "That being said, all game modes, regardless of their rules, fundamentally depend on solid core gameplay. So in the short term we have been keeping our development focused on the spaces where players spend the overwhelming amount of their collective time.

My favorite survival game of 2023 just cooked up a new way to destroy me: with an army of killer robots
https://www.pcgamer.com/my-favorite-survival-game-of-2023-just-cooked-up-a-new-way-to-destroy-me-with-an-army-of-killer-robots/
This year colony survival sim Stranded: Alien Dawn left early access, but that doesn't mean it's done. Not content to wipe out your colony of hard-working survivors with giant alien bugs, debilitating injuries and illnesses, and deadly weather events, developer Haemimont Games is throwing something new at you next month: killer robots.

One of the most-played games on Steam right now is a highly-destructible FPS in open beta
https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-the-most-played-games-on-steam-right-now-is-a-highly-destructible-fps-in-open-beta/
In what's proven to be a monster month for the multiplayer FPS, another challenger has entered the scene. The Finals, the highly destructible competitive FPS led by ex-DICE developers at Embark Studios, is running its first open beta, and the people are interested.

Our favorite horror game of 2022 is on sale for Steam's horror sale and just fixed our biggest issue
https://www.pcgamer.com/our-favorite-horror-game-of-2022-is-on-sale-for-steams-horror-sale-and-just-fixed-our-biggest-issue-with-it/
There are almost no excuses left to skip Signalis, our favorite horror game of 2022. It's 20% off for the Steam horror sale and it just received a patch that lets you bypass our biggest problem with it.
(...) In our review of Signalis, Dominic Tarason said it "takes a hundred familiar elements, inspirations and references and weaves them into something entirely new, and thoroughly worthwhile."
Tarason's only issue was its tedious inventory management, which developer Rose Engine just addressed in a patch this week. Update 1.2 adds a list of changes to the game (and some juicy unwritten changes) as well as an option to increase the size of your inventory and prevents your flashlight and camera tool from taking up slots by default. While it might water down the homage to Signalis' classic horror game influences, the option will save you from having to return to a safe room every few hours to clean out your pockets.

One of Alan Wake 2's expansions sounds like it's going to take us back to Control
https://www.pcgamer.com/one-of-alan-wake-2s-expansions-sounds-like-its-going-to-take-us-back-to-control/
Alan Wake 2 is out today, and despite some trepidation about its daunting system requirements on PC (which fortunately appears to be misplaced), it's going very well: Early reviews, for the most part, are positively glowing. (We'll have our own review up soon.) With the new tale of the struggling author now out the door, Remedy has offered the world some insight into what it has in mind for future chapters.

Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 overhaul was inspired by the 'old school design' of Diablo 2's skill trees and Doom's 'relentless' combat
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-2077s-20-overhaul-was-inspired-by-the-old-school-design-of-diablo-2s-skill-trees-and-dooms-relentless-combat/
Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update changed so much about the game, it'd probably be quicker to list things it didn't touch than the systems it tweaked or wholesale refinished. (...)
"After we discussed what improvements we wanted regarding perks in update 2.0, the team investigated progression systems of various games, including Dying Light, Borderlands, and even Dota 2," gameplay design lead Karol Matyasik said in an interview with PC Gamer. Those are popular games, and I can see why Dying Light and Borderlands 2, especially, would be useful reference points for Cyberpunk 2.0. But what Matyasik said next really makes sense when you look at how CD Projekt changed things up.
"When it comes to the structure of 2.0 perks, I think the old school design of Diablo 2 skill trees, with their clear paths and progressively more powerful (and fun!) abilities, is what we often referred to in our discussions."

And yes, the guys at PCGamer worked a lot during the weekend and that means that there's a part three of the news:

Fly hard, fly fast, drop nukes in this accessible near-future flight combat sim
https://www.pcgamer.com/fly-hard-fly-fast-drop-nukes-in-this-accessible-near-future-flight-combat-sim/
A new flight sim from an indie studio is picking up attention: In Nuclear Option you're piloting tough, diverse aircraft on a near-future battlefield in singleplayer, cooperative, and competitive scenarios. It boasts realistic flight systems but isn't slavishly devoted to realism, falling somewhere nearer a more arcade flight sim in its objectives but still caring about g-forces and a damage model with lots of parts on your planes to break.

Cities: Skylines 2 has 8 packs of regional buildings on the way, for free
https://www.pcgamer.com/cities-skylines-2-has-8-packs-of-regional-buildings-on-the-way-for-free/
Cities: Skylines 2 has announced that eight new regional building themes will come to the city builder via the Paradox Mods distribution platform. Created by a variety of well-known modders from the Cities Skylines modeling scene, the new packs will be Japan, UK, East-coast USA, West-coast USA, China, France, East Europe, and Germany
>> By the way, the citizens have teeth, but that's not the reason for its performance problems.

Enter an abandoned amusement park to solve a horror mystery in this upcoming bit of indie psychological horror
https://www.pcgamer.com/enter-an-abandoned-amusement-park-to-solve-a-horror-mystery-in-this-upcoming-bit-of-indie-psychological-horror/
Players that devour games like Resident Evil and Control alike, not to mention the just-released Alan Wake 2, should keep their eyes on an indie that popped up on Steam recently: Crow Country. It's an indie horror game with that vague aesthetic of the PSX era that channels the likes of not just the early survival horror like Resident Evil, but the more esoterically strange and scientific scares of games like Parasite Eve.

Here's a cute, free economic real-time strategy about colonizing and defending a solar system
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-a-cute-free-economic-real-time-strategy-about-colonizing-and-defending-a-solar-system/
A free passion project from a team of game devs has released on Steam after a few years in Early Access, and it's entirely free. Planet S is a game where you're dropped, with your single colony ship, into an uninhabited solar system either alone or alongside others with their own ships. From there, it's your job to try and expand to get the resources you need to survive and thrive.

Your new co-op survival horror obsession is about being underpaid and overworked space scavengers
https://www.pcgamer.com/your-new-co-op-survival-horror-obsession-is-about-being-underpaid-and-overworked-space-scavengers/
Newly released cooperative horror indie game Lethal Company is getting a lot of buzz from early players. It's a simple setup: You and your crew of three other scavengers drop on to an abandoned moon station, get as many valuables as you can, and get out. If that seems simple, well, there are a lot of ways for it to go wrong, and a lot of them have way more legs than I prefer anything larger than a thumbnail to have.

If Cities: Skylines 2 didn't float your boat, Anno 1800 is free for a week
https://www.pcgamer.com/if-cities-skylines-2-didnt-float-your-boat-anno-1800-is-free-for-a-week/
Anno 1800 gained an impressive score of 84 from us back when it was reviewed in April 2019. Reviewer Rick Lane said this "rich and sumptuous city-builder" was "comfortably the most engrossing city-builder I’ve played since Cities Skylines", but If you've not had the chance to try it then the Anno 1800 Free Week event is an opportunity to find out for yourself. The free week runs from November 2, 4PM UTC, to November 6, 8AM UTC, on PC through Ubisoft Connect, Epic, and Steam.

In Call of Duty's most infamous mission, Infinity Ward was 'basically just trying to think of the most atrocious things that could happen'
https://www.pcgamer.com/in-call-of-dutys-most-infamous-mission-infinity-ward-was-basically-just-trying-to-think-of-the-most-atrocious-things-that-could-happen/
October 28 marked 20 years of the Call of Duty series, as part of which some of the key designers have been talking about the greatest moments. (...)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 contained what is still the most polarising level in any of the games. No Russian is an early campaign mission in which an attack is carried out at a fictional Russian airport (Zakhaev International), with civilians being shot by a terrorist group that includes the player character. (...)
(...)
Although the setting of the mission changed from its initial concept of a mall, the core of the idea was always to make the player complicit in an attack on civilians. "I often got questions," says Alavi. "'Did you mean to make something controversial?' And I was like, 'No. That actually wasn't my intention. What I meant to make was something memorable.'"