Modern Warfare 3 offers new locales while revisiting old ones across 15 missions. One specific mission, titled Passenger, is MW3’s take on the classic No Russian mission that fans will recognize from MW2 2009. Let’s take a look at Activision’s revitalized attempt.
MoW 3 No Russian 2.0 Missions, Explained
Modern Warfare 3’s version of No Russian takes some liberties and changes while keeping the general essence and objective the same.
The mission ‘Passenger’ is the remastered version of No Russian, but with a drastic twist on how the mission plays out. You start in our seat aboard a passenger plane. Your identity is of Samara, and you are a freedom fighter who fought with Farah in 2019. Suddenly, a hooded man in the seat beside us begins commenting on the family photo on Samara’s phone, and this conversation turns sinister as the man draws a gun and threatens the woman’s family.
Using Samara’s training and experience, you disarm the gunman and shoot him dead. Then, chaos ensues. Makarov’s men come out of nowhere while the air marshals are screaming at Samara. Taking down a few terrorists results in your immediate capture by way of a flashbang.
Bound and held, you are then face-to-face with Makarov himself. Strapped to Samara is a bomb vest armed by a mobile phone. Makarov intends to use her as a False Flag Operation; a terrorist attack on his own country to blame others and start a global conflict. Their current flight to Sochi, Russia is the perfect delivery system for his plans. Samara was chosen specifically due to her involvement with Farah and her freedom fighters in Urzikstan, and he intends to blame their people for the attack.
The mission ends with Samara’s frantic attempt to retrieve the mobile device that is thrown at a host of innocent civilians. While Makarov and his men parachute to safety, Samara has to deal with people attempting to attack her as she yells at them to no avail.
Ultimately, the plan is successful and Samara and all other passengers are killed with Urzikstan blamed in the process.
Modern Warfare 3 Passenger Vs No Russian Differences
The differences between the new Passenger mission and the original No Russian are striking, but neither terrorist mission wastes its potential.
Makarov in the original 2009 Modern Warfare was a different kind of genius, and his intent during No Russian was the same False Flag Operation in today’s MW3. This is why Makarov reminds each member of his team ‘No Russian’ at the beginning of the mission — so that no one accidentally spoke their language.
Makarov and the others go so far as to use fake American accents when calling out positions, reloading, and using American weapons. On the surface, his plan was very shaky, to say the least. But once you realize that he had it all planned to a T, you may be blown away.
Makarov’s plan was cemented as perfect the moment you realize you brought him EXACTLY what he needed: a real American. You play as an American spy who was sent to befriend Makarov and report on his activities, but he used you in the most perfect way possible. You’re forced to gun down Russian civilians with no remorse in the terminal before Makarov revealed he knew you were a traitor and shot you.
That was exactly why the original mission was so impactful. Not only was it a shocking event that stays with all players to this day, but it had true narrative implications from a villain who had the entire ordeal planned before you realized it.
Sadly, in comparison, this No Russian 2.0 mission doesn’t hit the same notes as the original. It has significance in the plot and the ordeal makes sense while being orchestrated by Makarov himself. But the small details weren’t there. Since everything was destroyed thanks to the bomb and subsequent crash, there aren’t any small details to add.
On the plus side, it features an extremely realistic representation of terrorists on a plane, and even throws a few would-be heroes in the mix. The scenario is tense and very quick, but the fast-paced nature of the mission helps deliver the tension. To top off the changes, we are instead a victim of this terrorist act while in the original we were the perpetrator. This new change of perspective is the perfect way to recreate the iconic mission without it feeling cheap or mishandled.
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