Modern Warfare 2

Release Date: November 10, 2009

I found a list of information on Modern Warfare 2 finally. Apparently it's leaked from a play tester's twitter. No proof of it's legitimacy, but it seems pretty legit.

• Vehicles will be in MW2
• M16 will return, using stopping power will only be OHK at head, neck, and torso (abdomen, limbs, and hands/feet will not)
• Ak47 and M4 will return, unknown if there are any changes
• M40 will return, ACOG damage boost will be fixed
• Scorpion, P90, M21, R700, G3, G360 will not return
• There are more unknown weapons that will not return
• New sniper rifle: SR25M (United states forces)
• New Assault rifle: Diemeco C8 (Canadian forces M4 equivalent)
• New Assault rifle: L85A2 (United Kingdom forces)
• Total weapons in multi player are said to be around 35
• Favourite Modern warfare 1 maps will return
• Helicopters, air strikes, UAV will return
• Red dot sightings will come in different shapes for multiplayer (circular, square, original)
• Snipers will have special grass camouflage (As seen in Modern warfare 1's campaign)
• All perks will return from MW except eavesdrop and others will be altered
• All game types will return from MW and all will have hardcore versions
• New game type: Secure (Call of duty version of capture the flag, however you capture the enemy's Intel)
• New game type unconfirmed name, similar to search and destroy, however instead of trying to plant a bomb, you try to kill a specified enemy
• Solider customization for each class (and each country)
• Sniper with silencers will NOT be in multiplayer
• There are NO bots in local multiplayer
• Similar version to Nazi Zombies, however details are unknown
• NO guest players online, 1 player per console
• Killcam save feature
• There is blood and gore
• Offline/Online Co-op
• Story takes place in the Middle East
• Role as US marines return
• Ken Lally voice work in campaign
• Release is set for sometime in November
• New army tags will be available to add different elements in campaign (similar to halo skulls)
• Campaign-only weapons

If this info is correct, there's finally going to be an online co-op mode, and quite a bit more customization. No need to say this, but I think we have a VERY good game coming out this November. It'll be offered in a normal edition and a "prestige" edition, which will include a special casing and art book, along with "Fully Functioning Night Vision Goggles" with alternating modes and the MW2 branding. But, it also comes with a rather hefty $149.99 price tag, compared to $59.99 for the normal edition.

August 11, 2009 Xbox Live Update

On August 11, 2009 the new update for Xbox Live was released to some mixed reviews. The ability to rate marketplace games and sort by said rating will make using the Xbox Live Marketplace much more user friendly. The update also brought along a new Avatar Marketplace, where you can buy items for your avatar with Microsoft points. Video playback with Netflix also runs smoother. A few unannounced things were added as well, such as a logo saying how long you or anyone else have been an Xbox Live subscriber. An Avatar awards page was also added, but as of now, is unused. It's said that some games will start offering these Avatar Awards that you can wear or use with your avatar, much like the Avatar marketplace.
Games on Demand is where the criticism comes in. You can now download full Xbox 360 games right from the Internet. These 6GB+ games will take over an hour to download at speeds of true 1MB/S. Pretty convenient, right? If you don't mind spending more than twice as much per game, then have at it. But Oblivion from Games on Demand is 39.99, a game you can find for 14.99 in stores. This being said, you don't even get the physical copy of the game, you get a digital copy fully playable from your Xbox 360 Hard Drive. You get bored of the game, there is no trading it in or selling, because it's a Digital Copy of the game, not a physical copy. Microsoft doesn't seem to understand this. They justify the pricing system by stating that they're adding a lot of convenience by making the games available from home 24/7. But a lot of gamers (like myself) would much rather have a physical copy. It looks better in a collection and you retain some of the games value. I personally believe Games on Demand will be a waste of time, space, and money, unless Microsoft changes their pricing.