Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Message Board older than one year ago

#guns Firearms enthusiasts. Video gamers. They sound like two completely different groups of people, but both have one thing in common: everyone else thinks they're crazy. More »

#spoof When Battlefield: Bad Company 2 riffed on rival Modern Warfare 2's "Mapathy" promo last week, it could be seen as a playful poke. This, however - a comprehensive parody of October's infamous "F.A.G.S." video - is a straight-up nutshot. More »

#screengrab "Super Mario Warfare" by the talented and regularly featured Agent Scarlet, as seen at DeviantArt via GameFreaks. (Thanks, Morris!) More »

#modernwarfare The team from Britain's FiveFWD gadget show were feeling crafty the other day, so went and built themselves a full-scale replica of "The Pit", Modern Warfare 2's training area. More »

We've read all the available info about the new Modern Warfare 2 map collection "Stimulus Package," but we still didn't have an answer to the big question on everyone's mind: "Is that the game with a bunch of guys or the one with the beards?" That, we still don't know. However, we've gotten an answer to the second biggest question from Xbox Live's Major Nelson: The five maps (three new, two remakes) will run you 1200 MS points or $15.

As a basis for comparison, the "Variety" map pack for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ran 800 points ($10) for four new maps. Whether or not the new offering is a stimulating enough value is a decision you'll have to make for yourself when it arrives on March 30.

#callofduty Capping off a fairly terrible fortnight of news surrounding Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward comes word this morning that Modern Warfare 2's map pack is one of the most over-priced pieces of downloadable content we've ever seen. More »

Upcoming map pack contains five maps total, two from Call of Duty 4.

Upcoming map pack contains five maps total, two from Call of Duty 4.

#hollywood When you've built a zillion-dollar video game brand, you're not going to be hurting for future opportunities no matter how hard your former employer fires you. That said, Call of Duty's creators have signed with Hollywood's biggest talent agency. More »

#rumor With studio heads at Infinity Ward, the developer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its sequel, no longer employed, you'd think all those remaining at the company would be leaving in mass exodus. They're not, apparently, and here's why. More »

#mapathy Battlefield: Bad Company 2 joins Infinity Ward's fight against "mapathy" on March 30, unlocking its second set of VIP maps on the same day that Modern Warfare 2's first map pack drops - only Battlefield's maps are free. More »

Electronic Arts' John Schappert calls the situation "dissapointing."

#dlc Acknowledging that as many as 20 million (of its 25 million players) "no longer [derive] pleasure from blowing up people hiding in the cockpit or on top of the crane," Modern Warfare 2's creators say new map help is OTW. More »

Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling has pointed us toward a new self-help website filled with good news: new maps are coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on March 30th. While the powers that be at Activision might have ousted the creators of the game, they haven't affected the delivery of eagerly awaited new maps.

People afflicted with mapathy, your cure is on the way. PS3 owners ... well, you'll have to suffer a bit longer. Have you spoken to your FAMAS-ist about a prescription?

[Thanks, Legion!]

#cosplay When a pair of U.S. soldiers and Modern Warfare 2 fans get bored while stationed in Afghanistan, there can be only one outcome - spontaneous cover art cosplay. Doesn't cosplay fall under don't ask, don't tell? More »

It's not so surprising, really, that Modern Warfare 2, arguably the world's most popular video game, would recruit such a staggering amount of bodies for its perpetual online war. But, there it is: 25 million unique players, as revealed in a tweet from Infinity Ward's community guy-at-large, Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling. We've contacted Infinity Ward for specific platform numbers, but in the meantime, Bowling offers a bit more to chew on:

He confirms the majority of players are taking the fight to Xbox Live, but he says the PS3 comes in at "a close" second. That puts the PC space in third, though it's still enlisted "millions," according to Bowling. But, what about that boycott? Oh, right.

Now, it should be noted that Modern Warfare 2's reported 25 million players aren't necessarily all on active duty. Surely, more than a few steadfast soldiers have taken up positions in DICE's Battlefield: Bad Company 2. No rest for the weary, eh?

#modernwarfare Robert Bowling, community manager for Modern Warfare developers Infinity Ward, has returned to his Tweeting ways after a week's well-deserved silence. More »

#clips Michael Barnes is the man to thank for this incredible piece of Modern Warfare 2 machinima, which recreates the game's controversial "No Russian" mission in a manner fit for prime-time TV. More »

Multiplayer map pack release date expected this week.

#feature Billions of dollars? Got it. "Astonishing arrogance and unbridled greed"? Alleged. Video games are so close to being Hollywood, that we must celebrate a breakthrough: A possibly boring contract dispute that could be as juicy as Leno vs. Conan. More »

[bloomsberries]
Beyond a statement released by ex-Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella's lawyer yesterday detailing the lawsuit the two are filing against Activision, we've seen little in the way of back history on the various events that lead us to the debacle we're seeing this week. This morning, though, Joystiq obtained the entire 16-page court document (gallery-ized below for you) that details, among many other things, the ex-employees' complaints about Activision in the wake of their untimely departure.

The initial claim of unpaid royalties is represented in the documents, even going as far as to claim that the publisher fired West and Zampella just weeks before having to pay out said royalties. "Activision fired them in hope that by doing so, it could avoid paying them what they had rightfully earned, and to seize control of the Infinity Ward studio, to which Activision had previously granted creative control over all Modern Warfare branded games," the document reads. In the history lesson portion of the complaint, it's revealed that Activision allegedly purchased the studio for just $5 million originally (in two different chunks), and the Call of Duty franchise (including Treyarch-developed titles) has earned over $3 billion since 2003.

Finally, the complaint claims that, before Infinity Ward agreed to develop Modern Warfare 2, the then-studio heads "were not eager to extend their employment" as Activision had apparently begun demanding a more constant development pace at the studio. "Despite assurances by Activision that West and Zampella would have complete freedom to run Infinity Ward as an independent studio, Activision had begun to intrude upon Infinity Ward's ability to create quality games. For example, Activision forced Infinity Ward's employees to continue producing the games at a breakneck pace under aggressive schedules, and West and Zampella were concerned that Activision was emphasizing quantity over quality."

Regardless of the veracity of these allegations, it would certainly appear that the gloves have come all the way off. We'll have a more thorough breakdown of the entire document later today, but for now you can see it in its entirety below.

[Source: The Tech Game -- in case you couldn't already tell.]
With a pair of Modern Warfare 2 DLC packs set to deploy on the Xbox 360 and PS3 this year, talk around the DMZ has everybody wondering what new stomping grounds will get added. Well, according to The Tech Game, the first pack (due this spring) will be titled "Stimulus Package" and includes five new locales.

The images and accompanying video (the latter posted past the break) look legitimate enough, though we've sent word to Activision for confirmation. We doubt we'll hear back, considering the company has a lot on its plate right now, but don't say we didn't try!

#activision The world's biggest video game publisher doesn't take allegations of "Orwellian" investigations and unfair dismissals in silence. Activision has responded to the lawsuit filed by Jason West and Vince Zampella, the ousted former heads of Monder Warfare 2-maker Infinity Ward. More »

#activision The lawsuit filed against Activision by two ex-Infinity Ward leads alleges that the publisher of its Modern Warfare games carried out an "Orwellian," "pre-ordained" investigation designed to "manufacture a basis to fire" them in order to avoid paying them bonuses. More »

#legal Read the 16-page complaint filed by the founders of Modern Warfare 2 development studio Infinity Ward against Activision, the company that ousted them on Monday. Jason West and Vince Zampella, dismissed by Activision for "insubordination" sued. Lots of details here. More »

The editors compete in Spec Ops mode.

We've never been great counters, but we'd say there are three studios working on major Call of Duty games now. A recent internal memo (as reported by G4) apparently confirms that Infinity Ward -- despite all of the recent stuff going down there -- will remain "central" to the franchise. So, counting that studio and Treyarch, along with Sledgehammer Games and its own Call of Duty title, that's ... four three! The Count would be so proud of us!

This internal memo reportedly comes from CEO of Activision Publishing Mike Griffith, who said, "Infinity Ward remains central to Call of Duty's future" and that Activision would continue to "rely on the combined talent, expertise and leadership of the team there for [Call of Duty's] success."

#callofduty While something rotten has definitely gone down between publishers Activision and the bossmen of Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward, it seems the studio itself is still a key part of the franchise moving forward. More »

While not quite the 94 review average that Modern Warfare 2 eventually ended up with, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is off to a generous start on Metacritic, averaging a 90 as of this writing. The developers at DICE have certainly kicked up some dust in challenging the monolithic multiplayer of MW2, but it remains to be seen what will eventually shake out online. For now, we've got the single-player reviews for you, just below:

• GamePro (5/5 Stars): "Bad Company 2's unexpected emphasis on survival skills caught me completely off guard ... The radical change in pace forced me to think and react differently to the situation than I normally would, and it made for an incredible experience. Bad Company 2 definitely has the necessary chops to give the current king of, well, modern warfare, a run for its money.."
• GameDaily (9/10): "Combat is both intense and exhilarating. Nothing beats unloading a few grenades at a house and watching the ammo tear chunks from it while dead bodies sail through the air. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an immensely entertaining shooter that demands your attention"
• Official Xbox Magazine UK (8.0/10): "While the likes of Call of Duty and Gears of War lead you into bottlenecks where they can dazzle you with explosions and special effects, Bad Company 2 feels more like a diluted sprawl of ideas across a large canvas. This variety ensures things stay interesting but it makes it a solid rather than spectacular effort. You'll enjoy it, but will find that you struggle to recall any standout moments once the credits finally roll."
• Totally Video Games: (7/10): "While Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (on previous-gen machines) and the original Bad Company both featured standalone single-player campaigns, both fell well short of the kind of gameplay we've come to expect of the Master Chief or Sergeant 'Soap' MacTavish. Unfortunately, DICE still hasn't turned the corner with its single-player design in Bad Company 2."

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