forgetfoo.

Modern Warfare 2 By the Xbox Live Numbers

More than 2.2 million gamers logged more than 5.2 million multiplayer hours playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone, a new one-day Xbox Live record. Those gamers managed to unlock more than 11 million achievements in that day as well.

Pretty crazy.

If you missed Luke's excellent article comparing Modern Warfare 2 to other entertainment properties, you should go have a read. Today Activision says that their game pulled in an estimated $550 million in its first five days.

That's compared to:
The largest reported five-day opening worldwide box office gross figures, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394 million)

The largest reported five-day opening domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($203.8 million)

The largest reported five-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (6 million units, $500 million)

The largest reported opening first-day domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($66.4 million)

The largest reported first-day book sales in dollars, held by Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows ($220 million)

The largest reported first-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (3.6 million units, $310 million)

Pretty impressive.

wow, that's pretty damn impressive indeed... a video game pulling in those kinds of numbers, in the first week alone? holy shit.

Review: Assassin's Creed II Is the Ultimate Killer App

You can't see me. I'm there in the shadows, crouched down on the roof above you, dangling on the ledge below you. Maybe you know I'm nearby. Maybe you're afraid for your life. You should be. Because by the time you realize where I am, you'll be dead.

That's the promise of Assassin's Creed, a promise the original 2007 game failed to keep in nearly every way.

Assassin's Creed II, released Tuesday for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (reviewed), totally fulfills that promise. The sequel is as vibrant as the first game was repetitive, as compelling as the original was boring. The gameplay is rich and varied, blending assassinations with puzzles, acrobatics and stealth. It has a fantastic original story and setting — a tale of family, conspiracy and betrayal in 15th-century Italy. Assassin's Creed II finally delivers everything the original promised and then some.

it's out in stores today, and definitely one of the games i'm looking forward to playing at some point... actually, i believe it's already on jayden's christmas list.

for today, i'm looking forward to picking up the God of War: Colletion for the PS3 -- updated with 720p graphics and a demo for God of War III..? oh hell yeah, count me in.

also might stop and grab a copy of the new Star Trek movie on blu-ray.

from what i've heard, microsoft will be rolling out that Xbox 360 update today that adds new social features to the dashboard -- Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm -- all are pretty nice features, i guess... can't really see myself using it, with the exception of Last.fm

i'll still download the update and check it out later when i get home, though... more out of simple curiosity than anything else.

it took me a few nights, mostly because i only have a few hours a night to play and that's if nothing else is going on... but i've been playing through the single player campaign for the last couple evenings and finished it up lastnight -- and though it's kind of on the short side, as far as campaigns go, it was a hellulva ride.

the overall story was a little "meh", and seemed to wander all over the place... but to be honest, i wasn't really playing that close attention to the story and was just curious about the next level for the most part -- kind of a spoiler here, but if you liked the snowmobile part (effin awesome) then you'll probably like the boat racing part near the end... that was a lot of fun, though i still want to go back and replay that snowmobile level again. heh.

will probably go back and replay it on Hardened mode, and eventually maybe Veteran to unlock some of those tasty achievements.

p.s. most people i know jumped straight to multiplayer, and i haven't even touched it yet.

i stopped and picked up a copy of Modern Warfare 2 lastnight on my way home, and quickly fired it up to check it out... ended up playing for a good 2-3 hours, and g'damn that game is rediculously awesome... not sure what all the hubbub is about concerning the "violence" of the game, i mean... it's a war-based FPS for cry'n out loud.

i will say that the part where you're running around with the russian terrorist mowing down innocent people fleeing from you in the airport was pretty damn graphic... speaking of graphics, the game looks really damn good... wow... i was impressed with the sense of immersion, too -- really felt like i was clinging for dear life on the ice wall.

my favorite part of the game so far is the part with the snowmobile's... fuck, that was sweeeeet!

haven't played any multiplayer yet, but i'm sure it's just as great as i expect it to be... have to check out these "Special Ops" missions once they're unlocked after completing the single player campaign.

all the hype and media over the new Call of Duty game, Modern Warefare 2, has been pretty crazy... videos of the game projected onto the ground at Times Square, gaming kiosks and tents setup around the country for people to get a taste of the game... raving reviews and legions of people taking the day off to chill at home with buddies to play the game -- something i was sorely tempted to do today, believe me.

haven't picked up my copy yet, but will certainly be making a pitstop on my way home to snag a copy... was waffle'n a bit between getting it for the Xbox 360 or the PS3, but think i'll be getting it for the 360 since i know more people playing it there -- also kept seeing reports online about the graphics just looking better on the 360 version.

so, have you already picked up your copy of MW2?

p.s. New Onion Video Parodies Modern Warfare Video Game

Venezuela bans violent video games: a first-person guest essay

These games are a cherished part of my life, they helped to shape my young mind, they gave me challenges and vastly improved my English, opening the door to a whole new world of literature, music and people from all around the world. What I have achieved, all my research, how I have been able to travel even though I'm always broke, the hard work I've done to convince people to fund a start up for cheap biotech for developing countries and regular folks, none of that would have been possible hadn't I learned English through video games.

Now, thanks to the tiny horizons of the cast of morons who govern me, thanks to the stupidity and ham-fisted authoritarianism of the local authorities, so beloved of so many liberals, my 7 year old brother's chances to do the same could be greatly impacted.

man, that really sucks... i'd probably go a little ape-shit myself if a couple dumbass politicians decided for me that i couldn't play some video games... or what i could and could not play... ugh, fuck that.

if you're into video games and are one of millions, like me, that's looking forward to playing the new Modern Warfare 2 game when it comes out in november... then chances are you've probably already seen this one, but if not, then here's the latest game trailer.

i've got a few games on my list, and COD:MW2 is definitely one of them... didn't get too caught up in the online play like everybody else, but COD4 was pretty damn awesome... and the second one should be even better.

p.s. my next game just might be Brutal Legend -- played the demo this past weekend and thought it was great, and funny as hell... had both me and jayden chuckle'n like kids, man.

so i finished my first playthrough of the campaign lastnight, and i have to say that part of me loved the game... while another part felt a bit disappointed... the game was pretty short, but i already knew about that before i bought and played the game -- i really liked the visual style of the game, though the facial models could've used some work.

i guess i mostly felt a little shafted by the whole Firefight (aka "horde mode") not having matchmaking, meaning you basically have to have four friends all online playing ODST to get it going... can't really play it by yourself, and not everybody on my friends list is even playing it, so what the hell? i'm also bummed that i couldn't fire up the Reach beta and have to wait until that's released sometime in 2010 -- don't remember hearing about that little detail, so felt a little shafted on that particular point.

i dunno... game was fun and had some cool parts, but they really should've added matchmaking to the Firefight mode, at the very least... not sure what they were thinking on that one. *shakes head*

got home lastnight armed with my copy of Halo 3: ODST and fired up the xbox... downloaded some video, got a drink, and settled in for some game'age -- i'm usually not into that much of a rush, since i kind of like to enjoy and savor the moment.. hey man, i've been waiting months for this game to hit the shelves, so why the hell not, right? heh.

i know, crappy pic from my iphone... haven't played too much, just the first section of the single player campaign with "The Rookie"... but i'm liking the overall style of the game, it's definitely a lot darker than the previous Halo games, but that's okay... just adds a little atmosphere to it all... oh, and i'm loving the pistol, but damned if i don't keep running out of bullets and then have to scrounge around for a damn covenant weapon.

Halo Reach Beta
at the very beginning of the game, it has a blurb about it and mentions the Halo Reach beta... when i read it lastnight, it said something about it coming in 2010... ummm, WTF? i thought i'd be able to hop in and actually play the Halo Reach beta like right now.

i'll have to pop in the multiplayer disc later and check that out... anybody else pickup their copy and played it yet?

just in case you missed it, here's the latest Halo 3: ODST trailer that's been making the rounds... and holy shit, if this is a trailer for the video game, can you just imagine what the Halo movie might've looked like with Peter Jackson producing it? *blink*

i think the movie studios and Microsoft really dropped the ball on that one, and i doubt they'll ever come to some kind of agreement about the whole mess -- which means the likelihood of a good Halo movie ever hitting the big screen is pretty much nil.... so sad.

it looks like Courtney Love is going to sue Activision for it's shamless inclusion of Kurt Cobain in it's new Guitar Hero game... been a lot of press and coverage about this one, at least around the gaming blogs and whatnot -- and it's probably one of the few times that i think she totally should sue their asses.

anywho, this is what she had to say on twitter about it:

"For the record this Guitar Hero shit is breach of contract on a Bullys part and there will be a proper addressing of this and retraction,” she tweeted. “WE are going to sue the shit out of ACtivision we being the Trust the Estate the LLC the various LLCs Cobain Enterprises."

go get 'em, courtney!