[source]

Next, an older series that has been around for over a decade will be getting a fresh start and this year as well. Some may remember back in 2006 that Ubisoft bought the rights to the Driver series from Atari. Well, they are finally bringing that deal to fruition and the series developer Reflections has been at work since 2008 and is planning for a release in the same timeframe as Assassin’s Creed III.

Other titles on the way are a new Ghost Recon (rumored to be called ‘Predator’), Raving Rabbids 4, and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Ubisoft has not stated the current situation of Beyond Good & Evil 2.

The 1,000th episode will have appearances by:

-Will Wright – Founder of Maxis Games and creator of The Sims and Sim City

-Cliff Blieszinski (Cliffy B) – Founder of Epic Games and Creator of Gears of War

-Todd Howard – Executive Producer and Designer for Bethesda Softworks (Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3)

-Tim Schafer – Founder of Double Fine Productions (Brutal Legend, Psychonauts)

-Ted Price – President and CEO of Insomniac Games (Resistance and Ratchet & Clank games)

In addition to these guests, the 1,000th episode will also include:

-Brand new comedy from a surprise guest

-The most brutal game reviews to come from X-Play

-The first X-Play episode with Adam and Morgan, and Morgan’s first television appearance on The Screen Savers

-Adam Sessler’s first appearance on Gamespot TV and Extended Play

-An homage to Morgan’s many hair styles

-A “Where are they now?” of X-Play’s most beloved characters

The 1,000th episode will air on February 1st, 2010 at 6 PM ET/PT on G4TV.

Games Radar - Platinum Chalice Awards 2009

Gamespot – The GameSpot Best Games of 2009

Cheat CC – Cheat Code Central’s Best of 2009

Game Trailers – GT Game of the Year Awards 2009

Gamer Limit – Gamer Limit 2009 Game of the Year

Gamer Node – 2009 Nodie Awards

Extreme Gamer – Game of the Year Awards 2009

Play.tm – Top 20 Games of 2009

IGN  - Best of 09 Awards

GamePro – GamePro’s Best Games of 2009

Gamer Vision – Best Ever 2009 Awards

Giant Bomb – Giant Bomb’s Game of the Year 2009

GameSpy – Best Games of 2009

Middle Eastern Gamers – Best Games of 2009

Action Trip – 2009: Game of the Year

PALGN – PALGN Game of the Year Awards 2009

Gaming Target – Gaming Target’s Best of 2009 Awards

GamePlanet – GamePlanet’s Best of 2009 Awards

Game Critics – Game of the Year and Best/Worst of 2009

Destructoid – Destructoid Game of the Year 2009

Spike TV – Video Game Awards 2009

News picked up in a huge way at E3 2009 during May and June First of all, the famous games industry convention had been scaled back for the last two years, and was much less entertaining than normal. The Entertainment Software Association (the group that organizes and runs E3) decided having a full and more spectacular E3 was the better route to go in 2009, much to the benefit of gamers everywhere. It seemed as though every major publisher had big news at E3, and especially the big 3 (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo).

Nintendo’s show centered on forward looking sales figures, with the Wii poised to surpass total Playstation 2 sales. Nintendo also detailed information on their recently released MotionPlus Wii Remote accessory. Perhaps the most interesting story from Nintendo’s E3 2009 was that the next Metroid, titled Project Metroid: The Other M would be developed in conjuction with Team Ninja, a third-party studio. Nintendo is well-known for keeping their system exclusives in-house and developing them theirselves.

Sony’s E3 2009 was big for many reasons and made sure their presence at the refreshed expo was remembered. Most of Sony’s big announcements were related to exclusive titles. Prior to E3 09, a teaser video from Team Ico featured a weird dog-eagle thing which was announced at the expo to be ‘Project Trico’. Sony also announced another Rockstar Games exclusive title, currently titled ‘Spy’, which will be an espionage game set in the cold war. Rockstar Games already has one PS3 exclusive title in development called LA Noire. Final Fantasy XIV was revealed to be a Playstation 3 exclusive and another Sony exclusive, Gran Turismo, was announced to officially be in development for the handheld PSP. Still reading the wave of appraisal from 2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4, Hideo Kojima made multiple MGS announcements (more on that later), with one being that he is developing the PSP-exclusive Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker. Speaking of the PSP, Sony also revealed their plans for yet another version of the PSP, called the PSP Go (which is now out).

Although Nintendo and Sony had respectable shows, Microsoft probably had the biggest one of all. First of all, Microsoft announced a sequel to Halo for 2010, Halo Reach. Hideo Kojima announced Metal Gear Solid Rising as an Xbox 360 exclusive and that he will not be development lead for the game, as he trusts his team to do a good job. Microsoft’s biggest announcement though was Project Natal, a motion sensing technology accessory that will release next year. If you play video games regularly or even watch TV regularly, you have probably caught wind of the scoop on Natal so I’ll save my breath. This announcement has generated even more attention to the industry and might even topple the Wii commercial juggernaut.

The rest of the summer was less memorable, with everybody still reeling from the mega event of E3 being back and in full force. Perhaps the biggest news in the post-E3 summer was the mass exodus of releases being moved to Spring 2010, to dedicate more time for development and to avoid the sales force of Modern Warfare 2.

During the holiday game release season, publishers delivered big releases Brutal Legend, Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Dragon Age Origins, Forza Motorsport 3, Madden NFL 10, and last but not least, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Throughout the year, hype and anticipation for Modern Warfare 2 was a steadily growing snowball headed for November 11th. Whenever that day came, Modern Warfare 2 was met with the biggest release day sales in entertainment history.

2009 is nearly over now, but 2010 looks like it will be far bigger, with games like Mass Effect 2, BioShock 2, Final Fantasy XIII, and Red Dead Redemption arriving right out of the gate throughout Spring. Another Halo, Fallout, and Metal Gear Solid will come out later but everyone’s eyes are pointed towards what Project Natal will bring to the living room. The 2000’s brought many new ideas to gaming, and we can only imagine what the next decade will include.

This year is an interesting one in the game industry, considering that many AAA games will still be released soon after Christmas and throughout the Spring (Mass Effect 2, BioShock 2, Mafia II). Because of this, be sure to keep an eye out for post-Christmas/Winter sales.

If you catch any good deals throughout the next few weeks, drop a tip here or on our Twitter.

Comparatively, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold 1.78 million units its first week in the UK.

Nick Earl, Senior VP and Group General Manager at EA, “We are very excited to announce a new instalment in the popular Mercenaries series because it demonstrates our continued commitment to Pandemic’s rich catalogue of intellectual properties. From the studio at EALA, a core creative team is forging new ground and conceptualizing new ideas for this exciting franchise.”

Stay posted for more info on this game.

While we could only guess and speculate on the nature of any Call of Duty MMO, Activision has the help of the greatest MMO developer out there- Blizzard. If Activision decides to head in that direction, we’re sure Blizzard can guide them.

To be honest, none of our previous launch guide games like Gears of War 2 or Halo 3: ODST had nearly as much hype surrounding them.  After all, this is already the most pre-ordered game in GameStop history and looks to be the biggest entertainment release of all time (predicted to sell 11 million copies in first two months).  Spike, FX, and Comedy Central have been jamming it down our throats with commercials.  Then again so has the NBA and NFL.  We have been tracking this game even before Robert Bowling and Infinity Ward publicly acknowledged it and eventually announced the release date at GDC 09 – even when it wasn’t going to be part of the Call of Duty franchise.  Finally now it is almost time to drop an airstrike on some noobs!

So without further ado, here is all the intel you need to know before you hop in line on Monday night.  If you have anything to add or know of any specials we don’t know about, please leave them in the comments or send them to as on Twitter @PWN_or_DIE.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Editions

Which version should I buy?

First of all, you likely know by now that Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 comes in three editions – Standard, Hardened, and most famously, Prestige. It will be made available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on November 10, 2009.  The PC version is in-stores and as well but in some cases the digital download will follow on the 12th.  Here we will outline what each of the console versions offer.

Standard Game: The no-frills, normal copy of the game. No extra goodies, just the manual and a copy of the game to play. Will run you $59.99.

Hardened Edition: The Hardened Edition of the game comes in a steel game case, a Modern Warfare 2 art book, Call of Duty Classic (the very first Call of Duty, which was not released on consoles) on Xbox Live Arcade or Playstation Network, and a copy of the game. The Hardened Edition is priced at $79.99 USD.

Prestige Edition: The Prestige Edition comes with the all of the same gear as the Hardened Edition PLUS some awesome night vision goggles.  They actually really work too! The goggles also feature a molded plastic Soap MacTavish head to mount them when you aren’t out cosplaying Splinter Cell. Don’t think you are going to get it cheap though- the Prestige Edition costs $149.99 USD.  In fact the Prestige Edition will likely be extremely hard to find if you haven’t secured one with a pre-order.

Pre-Order Bonuses

Before you make the big purchase, know that various locations have been running their own pre-order bonuses for the game. Any vendor selling the game will want your business and are offering some pretty sweet deals for this reason. In addition, many retail locations have in-store deals if you choose to pick up the game in person.

GameStop – Pre-order customers at GameStop will receive a voucher code for the “Surprize Attack” Sweepstakes. The prizes being given away in this sweepstakes include an H2 Hummer, a Ducati Motorcycle, a snowmobile, and a ton of other Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2-branded gear. Those that reserve the game can go here and enter their code twice a day until the end of the offer (hurry, it does not last much longer). Additionally, if you reserve the game online at GameStop’s website, you will be guaranteed a $40 value in you trade it in by December 13th of this year.  Some of you may have cashed in on the replica signed poster from Infinity Ward, but that promotion is long over.

Best Buy – $10 gift card in-store pre-order, or a price of $49.99 online (unfortunately, this promotion has since expired).  If you pre-order the PC version online you can save $60 on select video cards.

Amazon.com – Pre-order the Standard or Hardened Edition and get a $20 game credit for a later purchase. Pre-ordering the Prestige Edition will give you a $10 game credit online. Those that belong to Amazon Prime will get the game on delivery day.

Wal-Mart.com – Buying Modern Warfare 2 at Wal-Mart’s website now will get you a $20 eGift Card to use at the site.

In-Store Deals

Wal-Mart – The first 20 customers in line at any 24-hour Wal-Mart store to pick up Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will get an autographed copy of the game, signed by the development team.  The game will be on sale at midnight in these 2600 stores.  It looks like there are also posters that feature the cover of the game on-hand to hand out as well.

GameStop – Any GameStop stores staying open past midnight for the game will also be holding a release party, where every gamer in the store will get a Hitman energy drink.  Also for those that subscribe to their email list, there is a coupon that offers 20% the purchase of one used game when bought with MW2.

Toys-R-US – If you belong to the Rewards R Us club, picking up Modern Warfare 2 between 10-2 on release day will net you $20 on a gift card.

Best Buy – Members of the Gamer’s Club will receive a $10 gift card along with their purchase.  Additionally some Best Buy stores will be opening at midnight to release the game, here are the locations listed in the promotion.

GameFly – Not really a store, but they offer the rental price of $8.95 and their “keep” price is $49.99 for both PS3 and Xbox 360.

Fry’s – The game will be $49.89 in stores according to the leaked ad.

K-Mart - The big K is offering a $10 gift card according to their ad today.

We will also keep an eye on the forums at cheapassgamer.com for any other deals that users find over the rest of the weekend.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Gear

Even though the game is not out, plenty of other products have jumped on the Modern Warfare 2 bandwagon. If you want to express your love for the game, here is some MW2-branded gear.

Xbox 360 Modern Warfare Limited Edition Console – On the day of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2’s release, Microsoft will be selling an Xbox 360 covered in a MW2 design. It will come with all of the features of an Xbox 360 Elite, a 250 GB hard drive, two wireless controllers, and of course a copy of Modern Warfare 2.

MadCatz has a series of licensed MW2 gear including the backlit Modern Warfare 2 “Combat Controller”, keyboards, wireless headsets, throat communicator, console skins, and more.  Included are accessories for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

If you need to renew your Xbox Live account, Best Buy has a 12 month subscription card for $49.99 that includes a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 t-shirt.  Also the “collector’s edition” strategy guide that is priced at $34.99 will be $19.99. Both of these deals will be in the Best Buy circular in tomorrow’s newspapers.  You can save 15% on the guide online when you buy it with the game.

“Assault” Monster Energy Drink – Just because Modern Warfare 2 is a game does not mean you will not see it outside of gaming. Monster Energy Drinks recently introduced a Modern Warfare 2 branded drink named “Assault” in September. To sweeten the deal, those that buy a 4-pack of the drink will have a chance to win the Hardened Edition, future map packs, premium themes for both PS3 and Xbox 360, and Monster beverages. If you snag a 6-pack of the drink (only found at Sam’s Club), you will have access to an exclusive online event this month to be held at Infinity Ward “The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Training Experience.”

Xbox Live Avatar Items – Just this weekend, Activision and Infinity Ward put a collection of Modern Warfare 2 goods on Xbox Live. Deck out your avatar ahead of the release for some of your hard earned MS Points.

Even though you have likely seen a few of the Modern Warfare 2 commercials (like the official launch trailer or the Infamy trailer), stay posted because we might soon have some you have not seen before.

More Fun with MW2

• We came up with some suggestions for 5 new perks we wanted to see in Modern Warfare 2.
• How about comparing the sticky grenades in Halo 3 to the ones now in Modern Warfare 2?
• A graphical representation of the top features wanted by Juggernauts and why they use the perk with an added bonus showing their favorite things.
• Will girlfriends and wives pick up on quoting this COD game too?
• Dick Cheney thinks President Barack Obama is scared of Modern Warfare 2.