Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Release Sets Records

If you have any kind of passing interest in video games then you've more than likely heard of Call of Duty. The series has been around since 2003, and including sequels, spin-off/expansions has released 12 different games. The latest title is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) and looks to be the best selling yet.

Modern Warfare 2 could be on the Top 20 best selling games of all time list before the year ends. You thought Twilight knocked the ball out of the park with a $142 million opening weekend? Modern Warfare 2 raked in over $310 million in it's first 24 hours and sold 4.7 million units, setting a launch day media record. The previous record holder was Grand Theft Auto IV which  sold 3.6 million units.

The Modern Warfare 2 craze not only spawned record breaking sales, but set records on the Xbox Live Service. The first day of release saw around 2.2 million gamers logon to play Modern Warfare 2 online. Coupled with the statistic is 5.2 million online multiplayer hours were logged during the game's first day.

Have you played Modern Warfare 2 yet? Let Us Know.

Leading up to release, Modern Warfare 2 had a couple of minor speed bumps. First, the PC community was up in arms about Infinity Ward's decision to do away with dedicated servers from the multiplayer service. Dedicated servers are the tried and true method of allowing multiplayer gameplay in first person shooters. The reason dedicated servers are so loved by the PC community is they allow players to monitor and police gameplay sessions, and allow for open customization by the server admin.

Instead of going the traditional 'dedicated' route, Infinity Ward launched their IWNet service. They decided to scrap dedicated servers altogether, stating the overall quality of online multiplayer would improve with IWNet. This led the PC community to petition, and some to even boycott MW2. Currently, there are over 226,000 signatures for the online petition.



*spoilers ahead*

What had greater potential to spoil the MW2 party was the backlash coming from a particular gameplay element which sparked some controversy. There's a mission included in the game which has you working undercover in a terrorist cell, who's gunning down civilians in a Russian airport. The game provides an option to engage in the shooting to help bolster your undercover image. I haven't played the game personally, but reports on all fronts state the level is played out very cinematically and is meant to pull the emotional strings of the player.

What are your thoughts on the Modern Warfare 2 controversy? Talk to ArisYulianta and Friends....

The controversy has stemmed from a wide variety of places. The most prevelant is from Australia, where classification of the game was put under much higher scrutiny than the US release. The events of the Ft. Hood tragedy only added fuel to the fire, and led many people to be upset at the images shown in MW2. Stephen Totilo an editor of Kotaku.com, a popular video game blog, spoke with MSNBC and provided some insight into what brought the level to the media forefront:




*spoilers end*

The dedicated server protest, and terrorist level couldn't keep Modern Warfare 2 from reaching mammoth sales. If anything the added media coverage only helped hype the game even further. VGChartz, a company based around video game sales figures is projecting Modern Warfare 2 to sell 14.5 million copies by the turn of the new year.

Word Of Mouth Has The Most Influence On Gamers

Among gamers, 41 percent report that they rely on word of mouth to get information on video games, according to a new report from the NPD Group.

While this varies from one platform to another, all current platforms, including portables, rely on word of mouth above all other information sources. Followed by hands on play at friends or relatives friends homes at 31 percent. Magazines and online ads, along with incentives/coupons and social networking sites have the least influence on gamers at five percent.

"When it comes to developing successful games and targeting marketing and promotions, each gaming platform has its own unique challenges and opportunities to consider," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group.

Among Wii owners in the U.S. (who represent 32% of all gamers), 14 percent also own a PlayStation 3, and 26 percent own an Xbox 360. Among PlayStation 3 owners (who account for 10 % of all gamers), 42 percent own a Wii and 34 percent own an Xbox 360. Among Xbox 360 owners (20% of all gamers), 42 percent own a Wii, but only 18 percent own a PlayStation 3.

Broken down by demographics, 56 percent are male and 44 percent are female, with the largest percentage of gamers being in the 2-to-12 year old age group (24%), followed by the 25-to-34 year old group at 20 percent, and the 35-to-44 year old group at 17 percent.

The three current consoles follow the same gaming trend in online play by genre, with 51 percent of Wii users saying card/puzzle/arcade/word games is their most commonly played genre. This genre of game is also popular with Xbox 360 and PS3 online gamers (39% and 42%, respectively), but shooters ranks as the most commonly played for online gameplay among 360 and PS3 users, at 59 percent and 57 percent, respectively.

Offline gaming is different for all three platforms, with family-oriented games topping the list for the Wii, followed by racing and sports games. For Xbox 360, family-oriented and action/adventure tie at number one as the most commonly played genres for offline gameplay. For PlayStation 3 gamers, action/adventure and racing top the of the most commonly played games offline.

"This report helps to debunk the commonly held belief that casual-type genre games are primarily enjoyed by less serious gamers.  This clearly shows that PS3 and 360 users also participate with these genres quite often, even if shooters remain the most commonly played online genre," said Frazier.