This story contains spoilers. Don't read past this line if you don't want to be spoiled.

Infinity Ward’s blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is only a week away from release and there’s no reason to believe the game isn’t going to make a huge explosion, pun intended, when it arrives on November 10th. We shared with you the super secret 3rd person mode feature as well as the Fight Against Grenade Spam campaign which has stirred up a bit of controversy.

Now, Activision has verified that leaked footage of a playable single-player mission where gamers take the role of an undercover C.I.A. operative within a Russian Ultranationalists terrorist cell and shoot civilians in an airport, is in fact the official opening scene of Modern Warfare 2. The footage originally appeared on mapmodnews.com as well as a now defunct CNN iReport page.

The controversy joins the ongoing number of complaints the game has faced by critics and fans of the franchise including concerns over the game’s premium pricing in certain markets, imagery of a burning Washington D.C. aired during Monday Night Football, the viral ad “Fight Against Grenade Spam” (or F.A.G.S. campaign), as well as the PC version’s lack of user-run dedicated servers.

Initially, the massacre footage was tagged with the title “Forced Killing Civilians in Modern Warfare 2” and drew large-scale criticism from political leaders, as well as video entertainment industry heads. Activision responded by offering an official statement that clarifies a number of points: playing the scene is not mandatory in order to progress in the game, players do not assume the role of terrorists, the massacre scene is not intended to glorify terrorism or loss of innocent life; rather, it was included in order to communicate the horror of the wartime climate in the game.

The official press release:

The leaked footage was taken from a copy of game that was obtained illegally and is not representative of the overall gameplay experience in Modern Warfare 2.

Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 features a deep and gripping storyline in which players face off against a terrorist threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse.  The game includes a plot involving a mission carried out by a Russian villain who wants to trigger a global war.  In order to defeat him, the player infiltrates his inner circle.  The scene is designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism.

At the beginning of the game, players encounter a mandatory “checkpoint” in which they are warned that an upcoming segment may contain disturbing elements and they can choose not to engage in the gameplay that involves this scene.  Consistent with its content, the game has been given an “M” for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.  The rating is prominently displayed on the front and back of the packaging, as well as in all advertising.

I think we can all agree this isn’t the only game that encourages the killing of innocent civilians — we’re looking at you Grand Theft Auto series, with all of your tempting pedestrians loaded with glowing money and weaponry; though the GTA series certainly doesn't have the market cornered either. Gunning unsuspecting civilians down first person-style in COD is undoubtedly going to be more immersive, and potentially more disturbing, than beating hookers to death over Niko Bellic's shoulder, but in the context of the greater Modern Warfare 2 story, the option to kill these innocent civilians, to truly put yourself in the shoes of your C.I.A. persona, is at least tied to an emotional purpose.

We at Game Rant admit these choices, as they’re made by game developers, can be a slippery slope. Games shouldn’t be censored, but it doesn’t mean developers should take these highly controversial gameplay choices lightly. In the case of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, players will just have to let us know, once they’ve played through the game, whether Activision and Infinity Ward created something emotive or just controversial. Is it virtual-killing for the sake of killing or does this level of playable violence help uncover a deeper-insight into our world?

Check out the footage on mapmodnews.com and let us know what you think? Does the airport massacre scene go to far?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be released Tuesday, November 10th.