New videogame : Modern Warfare 2

By  Saudi Ali

Blowing away terrorists, apparently, never gets old.
The new videogame Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, set to hit stores Tuesday, is a sequel spawned by sequels. But rather than following the frequent pattern of franchises fading as they age, Modern Warfare 2 is the most highly anticipated game of the season.

"It's the biggest launch in our history, bigger than Halo 3," said Tony Bartel, merchandising and marketing chief for videogame retailer GameStop, which has been taking pre-orders since April.
The manufacturer, Activision Blizzard Inc., has been advertising the first-person shooter game since March. Wal-Mart and Amazon are offering special deals. Analysts say rivals have postponed the release of other big games to steer clear of Call of Duty, although the companies won't admit it. Hopes are high that its sales will provide a much-needed boost to the whole industry.
The first three Call of Duty games, beginning in 2003, took place during World War II. They were well-received but didn't stand out. But two years ago, when the setting was changed to current times, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare took off, selling six million units in its first quarter of sales, according to Wedbush Morgan. This week's sequel could double that, says analyst Michael Pachter.
The original Modern Warfare was like an action movie, and followed the story of Russian ultranationalists who are trying to trigger a global war. Players took on different roles throughout the game, such as an American or British soldier. In one gritty surprise, a character that players played for part of the game is killed.
"We constantly want you to never have a moment to sit back and do something for the sake of doing it," said Robert Bowling, creative strategist at Infinity Ward, the game's developer. "You never know what to expect next."
Details are under wraps, but Infinity Ward says it has loaded its latest game with new experiences, including new weapons, battlegrounds and a special ops feature that allows two-player cooperative play. A recent trailer revealed that part of a battle against the terrorists would take place in Washington, D.C. A separate sequence takes the players through a civilian slaughter scene.
Write to  Saudi Ali at saudimohdali@gmail.com