Osama Bin Laden was killed this week and to mark the occasion, a list of the Top 5 assassinations in modern day shooters has been compiled. The list takes into account who gets killed, how they get killed, and how cool it was to kill them. When I put it like that it sounds a bit demented, but if you’ve played through these games, you know how awesome the moments are. This list does contain spoilers, so reader beware. With that in mind, read on to see if your favorite assassination has landed on this list.
5. Battlefield: Bad Company 2: During the final mission of the game, you and your squad are in a burning plane that is going down fast. The villain, Kirilenko, steals your parachute and leaps from the cargo hold. Your only chance of survival is jumping out of this flaming airplane, without a parachute on, shoot Kirilenko during your freefall, take back the parachute, and deploy it. Playing through this scene is one hell of an adrenaline rush, one that leaves Kirilenko dead WAY before he hits the ground.
4. Army of Two: From your first mission in Somalia, it is evident that you are going to hate this Phillip Clyde guy. He’s cocky, he’s condescending, and he takes all of your credit. He’s the kind of guy you want to roundhouse kick out of a high-rise window. When you finally get that opportunity it is extremely satisfying. The only letdown is that you don’t get to spray him with bullets from your pimped out, gold plated mini-gun as he falls to his death.
3. Modern Warfare 2: It would be wrong to put out this list without including an installment from Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. There are a few memorable assassinations in this game, but the one that always stands out is YOUR assassination. You’re Joseph Allen, an undercover CIA operative, forced to participate in the mass murders of hundreds of innocent lives at the Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow. It’s a struggle of ethics and morality, but this is what you have been assigned to do. Then, after the brutal slayings, you find out it was all for not. Marakov knows you’re an operative. He puts a gun to your skull and pulls the trigger. It’s an eerie moment and it sets the tone for the rest of the game.
2. Grand Theft Auto IV: It feels like it was such a long time ago since GTA IV was released, but the memory of cornering Dimitri in the cargo ship is still present. This guy had made Niko Bellic’s life hell, so when Niko shoots Dimitri in each knee before landing one in his head, you feel Niko’s anger. It is a bittersweet affair. Niko is not much better off than where he once was, but at least he got his revenge. Now if he could just get rid of that tracksuit!
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: The Modern Warfare franchise is just too good. The car chase at the end of the game delivers a high-anxiety experience, because you know everything you’ve been working toward throughout the whole game depends on the outcome of this chaotic moment. After becoming shell-shocked by a helicopter attack, Soap’s world plays in slow motion as he watches his friends die, in addition to the terrorist Zakhaev approaching him. Captain Price slides a handgun to Soap, and you take the shot. It’s a gratifying experience and a great way to cap off the first Modern Warfare installment.
