The 2nd DLC, Resurgence Pack, will be out on 3rd of June and will be an Xbox 360 exclusive for 30 days, just like the Stimulus Package. It will follow on the PS3 and PC sometime in July.
The Resurgence Pack will cost Modern Warfare 2 fans 15 USD (same as its predecessor) and will include five maps, of which three are new ones and the rest Call of Duty 4 remakes.
If the DLC isn't your thing, prepare for Call of Duty 7: Black Ops which will be out on 9th of November.
The next Call of Duty game, which is being made by Treyarch, has been revealed. The game is called Black Ops, in which you are an elite soldier with orders to get the job done under any circumstances.
Press Release
Prepare for the follow-up to the biggest entertainment launch in history: on November 9th Call of Duty 7 will introduce fans to the elite world of Black Ops. Activision Publishing, Inc. and award-winning developer Treyarch will take players behind enemy lines in an entirely new chapter in the groundbreaking and record-setting, No. 1 first-person action series of all-time.
"We can't wait for our community to experience Call of Duty 7: Black Ops," said Mark Lamia (Treyarch). "We have focused our entire studio on this game, with dedicated multiplayer, single-player and co-op teams creating the most intense, gripping and riveting experience possible for our fans on all fronts."
Black Ops will have an amazing single-player story that will see you fight across the globe in locations such as Cuba, Vietnam and the Arctic. PC gamers will also be pleased since COD7 will have dedicated servers, unlike Modern Warfare 2. Many of the Black Ops weapons will have alternate ammo, which can be changed on the fly. Perks will also be making a return, but at this time most of the Black Ops perks are unknown. The new Create-A-Class 2.0 will allow for more customization than ever.
Call of Duty 7: Black Ops will be released on 9th of November and will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Nintendo Wii.
The Stimulus Package is now available for all three formats: Xbox 360 (Xbox LIVE), PlayStation 3 (PSN) and PC (Steam). The DLC was an Xbox 360 exclusive for 30 days, but during that time Infinity Ward's first map pack had over 1 million downloads within 24 hours of its release. Within a week the DLC was downloaded over 2,5 million times!
The Stimulus Package consists of five multiplayer maps - three totally new ones and two brought back from Call of Duty 4:
If you play Modern Warfare 2 regularly the Stimulus Package is totally worth the price, as the maps offer quite a bit of variety.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's launch was a huge success, the game generated $550 million during its first five days on the market. MW2 actually broke Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince's five-day global box-office record of $394 million.
Modern Warfare 2 also dominated last week's game charts in the United Kingdom, with the Xbox 360 version selling over 1 million copies. The NPD sales figures for the United States should be available in a couple of weeks.
Despite the boycott, the PC versions first-week sales topped COD4 and COD5: World at War.
Robert Bowling - "The PC version of Modern Warfare 2 has actually outsold the PC version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in it's first week.
Essentially, all this percentage proves is that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions sold great, not that the PC version sold poorly, because that's actually not the case. The PC version has done tremendous in it's first week, better than our previous game."
On a side note, Modern Warfare 2 had over 2 million concurrent users on Xbox Live last Wednesday, which overtook Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 with ease. Over 5 million hours of multiplayer matches were played through Xbox Live on that day. Sony has not revealed how many PS3 users are playing the game over the PlayStation Network.
Hidden Game Modes
Modern Warfare 2's developer console has been hacked, thus allowing modders to access many of the games hidden 'features'. It seems that MW2 has 4 hidden game modes that didn't make it in time for the games release.
Arena - Round based capture the flag, with one flag in the middle of the map.
Global Thermonuclear War - There is a nuke in the middle of the map, and both teams have to get to it and set it off.
OneFlag - Just like capture the flag, but one team defends the flag and the other tries to capture it.
VIP - One team tries to get the VIP to the extraction zone, while the other team tries to kill the VIP.
It's unknown if these game modes will be available later as DLCs for the Xbox 360 and PS3 users.
The multiplayer maps have been updated with general layouts and previews of each map. Callsigns are now also available with 41 country flags, 254 emblems, and 123 title images.
New Multiplayer Game Modes Available
With the recent game update, there are now 3 new game modes available:
Team Deathmatch Express (Just like TDM, but with a shorter time between matches)
3rd Person Team Tactical
Mosh Pit (Mixture of different game modes)
With Modern Warfare 2 being out, Infinity Ward is already working on the "next instalment" of the series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, where you take on the role of PVT. Keeshon Lewis.
There will also be a Wii version of the game that includes a 17-pound controller, that's shaped like a M-249 Machine Gun. Check out the video for some "gameplay" footage.
Edit: It seems that this video has confused many people, so to clarify, this is just a joke. There will be a Modern Warfare 3 in the distant future, but before that Treyarch will be releasing the next COD game, just like after COD4 (Call of Duty 4).
It's likely that the next game by Treyarch will take place in Vietnam.
It seems that Microsoft is on a banning spree. It's being reported that Microsoft has banned up to one million players from Xbox Live, because they have been playing on modded Xbox 360 consoles.
"All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty, and result in a ban from Xbox Live."
"We can assure you that if an Xbox Live member follows the Xbox Live terms of use, purchased a retail copy of 'Modern Warfare 2' and played the game on an unmodified Xbox 360, no action will be taken.”
Call of Duty MW2 was pirated to hell and back a couple of weeks ago by Xbox 360 users. Because of that, it's most likely that Activision has been pressuring Microsoft to ban all modified Xbox 360 consoles in time for the games release.
Those who aren't banned, there should be a Xbox 360 Dashboard update coming on 17th of November that contains Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune video.
Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has broken all previous records for day-one game sales. According to the sales figures released by Activision, the game sold 4.7 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in its first 24 hours. This exceeds Grand Theft Auto IV's record by 1.1 million units. Mike Griffith - "The Call of Duty franchise has become a cultural phenomenon showing the power of video games as an entertainment medium. The shattering of these entertainment records is a testament to the compelling, cinematic and uniquely engaging experience that the Call of Duty brand delivers. Modern Warfare 2 has taken interactive experience to unprecedented heights setting a new standard for entertainment." COD4 (Call of Duty 4) sold 7 million units in 2 months, so MW2 is doing really well. At this point it's unknown how many units each version of the game sold, but it's pretty clear that the Xbox 360 version is on top.
It seems that the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 has already been hacked, with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions being unaffected, for now. These hacks seem to be VAC secure, so they won't be banned anytime soon. Since Infinity Ward decided to remove dedicated servers from MW2, there is no way to kick these cheaters off the game.
IWNET was supposed to make MW2 more secure, but that didn't work out, now did it? Call of Duty 4 and World at War did have the same problems, but dedicated servers allowed admins to kick/ban cheaters. Hopefully Infinity Ward and Activision will come to their senses soon.
Reviews are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. In short, Modern Warfare 2 is being praised for its graphics and audio, which are up to par with Uncharted 2. The single player campaign is short, but sweet, and multiplayer is stronger than ever: "It's one of the best experiences in the industry."
If you still haven't bought the game, here are the latest reviews to change your mind:
1UP - "Mixing real-world locations with bombastic set-pieces MW2 continues the guided, thrill-ride experiences of its predecessor, and adds even more depth to its multiplayer offerings." (10 / 10)
Eurogamer - "Modern Warfare 2 balances the spectacle and silliness of its single-player campaign with a deep, enduring multiplayer core, carefully covering its bases for players of all persuasions." (9 / 10)
G4TV - "Intense single player campaign with great characters and shocking twists. Tons of co-op missions with high level challenge. Multiplayer polished and improved with more options and unlocks." (5 / 5)
GameSpy - "Highly entertaining single-player; intense, memorable action; new Spec Ops mode lots of fun; multiplayer improved quite a bit." - (5 / 5)
Gametrailers.com Video Review: SD Version | HD Version (9.5 / 10)
IGN - "When you look at the total package, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is hands-down one of the best first-person shooters out there, and a truly amazing offering across any system." (9.5 / 10)
TeamXbox (Xbox 360) - "Infinity Ward has outdone itself, with some of the nicest visuals and animation of this console generation. You’ll marvel at its clean presentation and tech. The Hans Zimmer score is a wonderful enhancement to the gameplay." (9.7 / 10)
