On walls around me hung a Wii bowling ball controller attachment, a Wii pool cue, Wii pom poms, and more.

Who makes this stuff? Two amiable Orthodox Jewish brothers — black pants, white shirts, beards, and an offer to their guest of some kosher pastries — sat across from me, cheerful about what they've built and the amazing gizmos surrounding us.

I was at the second floor offices of CTA Digital, a block from where Brooklyn, New York touches the East River, in a short, aged office building, up an elevator painted with an old yellow floor ad for Domino sugar. I was in the spotless show room where Leo and Sol Markowitz's line of sometimes-ridiculous, sometimes-useful — and apparently hot-selling — attachments for the Wii and other electronics line the walls. (See their offerings online, then imagine that a lot of that is hanging on the walls of one room that's also big enough for a couple of couches and a big-screen TV.)

The brothers Markowitz are some of the guys who saw in the Wii not just a gamer revolution but a chance to make money selling people things to attach to their Wii remote.

And 200,000 units of their Wii bowling ball controller sold worldwide later, they say, they were pleased to be surrounded by the plastic products of that opportunity.

"We smelled it right away," Leo told me, recalling his first sensations of the Wii's imminent success.

The Wii peripheral market is big and, despite other industry slumps, growing. Of the 58.4 million gaming peripherals sold so far this year in the United States, the NPD group reports that 18.4 million of those are for the Wii. That's up a million from the same date last year.

So even though Sol, an avowed Kotaku reader, playfully cut his brother off early in our meeting about Wii add-ons to remind him that "real gamers don't like the Wii," enough people do like these attachments. They like the tennis rackets and the baseball bats, the imitation light sabers and shotguns. Maybe not the pom-poms — a weak seller — but people like buying Wii peripherals and business is no joke at all. It's good.

CTA has more than 30 employees, a warehouse in upstate New York and design and development teams in Asia. Maybe most importantly, Leo noted, "We have five people who think of things to make 24-7."

They think of things like... the bowling ball. "Why wouldn't you buy it?" Leo said to me, when I ask him what the point is. I argued that people had been Wii-bowling with no ball-shaped shell around their controller just fine.

It makes the game fun for plenty of people, Sol said. "It makes it more exciting." He knows that "real gamers" won't care as much.

This bowling ball was a dream project, a year in the making and spurred by research that showed them that Wii Sports bowling is the most popular activity on Nintendo's console.

"We all knew that whoever comes out with bowling, it's going to be huge," Leo recalled.

Those CTA engineers got to work, trying to craft a bowling ball something-or-other that could fit around a Wii Remote. They didn't want people to chuck a bowling ball controller through their TV, so they tried to design a bowling ball shell that wouldn't function if you didn't wear the shell's wrist strap. Couldn't get it to work right, Sol said. They settled on a design that has two wrist straps and  is sealed with a sticker that must be broken in order to first encase a Wii remote in it. You rip that, you assume the risks.

The bowling ball's good, though it's holes are positioned only for right-handed bowlers. An ambidextrous design hadn't worked. But have no fear, fellow southpaws. "We probably will get into the left-handed business," Leo told me.

I met with the Markowitz men and a helpful colleague for over an hour. Leo repeatedly bounded from his seat on a couch across from me to grab secret prototype after secret prototype of CTA gaming add-ons that will make the bowling ball seem pedestrian. They're secret still, but they're wild.

CTA's been in this business for 16 years, Sol explained. They started with cell-phone add-ons, then moved on to iPod attachments. Now they do gaming add-ons too, like PlayStation 3 chat pads, Xbox 360 cooling devices and iPhone steering wheels. The Wii's been the big one for them lately, and gaming's up to a quarter of their business, though they won't say how much money CTA makes. They sell their attachments worldwide, to electronics stores that once ignored them or shunned gaming.

They say that even Bed Bath & Beyond is on board now. The brothers recalled that the retailer — not exactly a gaming powerhouse — consented last Christmas season to trying to sell 30,000 of CTA's Wii add-ons, simple things like controller charge stations, and sold almost all of them. The retailer asked for more — asked for the top sellers, even. So, the brothers told Kotaku, CTA has sold Beth Bath & Beyond Wii Sports kits to sell and even a Wii controller shotgun. No word if it's sold next to shower curtains.

Leo showed me a smart one: A belt and holster designed to hold a Wii Remote for users of Wii Fit. He rightly pointed out that the game requires players to use the Remote to start their exercising but then forces them to either put it down or needlessly hold it as they work out on the Wii Balance Board. The holster holds the Remote, freeing the user's hands. And it swivels, letting someone point the Remote to navigate menus without having to un-holster it. That seemed to address a Wii Fit user interface issue.

I asked the brothers if they saw themselves as being in the problem-solving business, the fun business or — gesturing to the Wii Music Kit that lets you embed the Wii remote into shells shaped like a violin, a trumpet, a dog paw — the novelty business.

"We see what the problem is [with a game] and figure out what we can make for it," Leo began.

"We are in the fun business," Sol cut in.

Leo laughed. "We're in the business to sell and make money."

CTA's bowling ball controller may make the company stand out, but they are not the only creators of imaginative Wii add-ons. Mad Catz makes controller shells shaped like Ubisoft's Rabbids characters. Nyko director of marketing Chris Arbogast told Kotaku that one of his company's most creative Wii add-ons was going to be their Party Station: "a combination charging station / beverage container / chip bowl." It's not coming out. "Although it generated a lot of buzz and consumer response, it was not cost effective to produce and was tabled."

Arbogast noted that some of the more imaginative controllers, while fun or aesthetically pleasing don't fit his company's strategy. "We decided on particular accessories that allowed us to incorporate new technology or offer features that were not previously available, like button relocation on our Action Pak pistol grip or rumble in our Kama." Their next big product is their new Charge Base IC.

CTA is well aware that some of this wilder stuff doesn't work. The Wii Music kit has been a slow seller, not helped by relatively slow sales of the Wii Music.

The brothers seem undeterred. They say that their new Wii Sports Resort kit, which includes a bow-and-arrow add-on, a Jet-Ski-style handlebar and even a frisbee shell, is selling great.

And don't worry, those of you who might feel you're too cool for these kinds of attachments. Leo and Sol are making some products for you in mind too. Just wait. Brooklyn's keeping busy.

1) What did you think of the training level? Did it train you? How did it set the scene of the game for you?

2) The game's first big action comes in the second level, Team Player. You're fighting in war-torn Afghanistan, yet most of us playing have not fought in war-torn Afghanistan. What did it feel like to "be there"?

3) Cliffhanger is the first full-sized level and brings back the Hollywood-style set-piece / thrill-ride style of Infinity Ward's most-loved games. Do you like your war games this fantastical?

Ok... GO! (We're doing this for an hour)

I spent yesterday and today taking the Playstation 3 Combat Wireless headset for a spin. It looks nice, and with few official Playstation headsets to choose from, there's certainly a gap to fill. But is this the one for your in-game chat needs?

Loved
Look: The diminutive Bluetooth headset is lightweight and features a subtle design that hints at Modern Warfare 2 support without screaming that you're all about the military shooter. I'd be OK using this headset out and about with my cell phone without worrying about people thinking that I was a bit too gaming-minded.

Hated
Pain in My Ear: After about 20 minutes of gameplay, the in-ear headset started feeling really uncomfortable. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of these sort of headsets, but I was surprised how quickly this particular one went from unnoticeable to down-right painful.

Clicks and Pops: Not sure what was going on, but during my time with the headset I kept hearing little clicks and pops. Nothing super loud and when people were talking it went away. But it was a little annoying to hear during the often-silent battles fought online in Uncharted 2.

The Bluetooth headset is quite nice looking and, according to those I chatted with, the 2.0 technology sounded pretty good too. But the combination of the occasional noises and the uncomfortable feel means I won't be using this headset for my nights of gaming.

What I came away with after hours spent using the headset is a much greater appreciation for the Throat Communicator that Mad Catz is selling for the Xbox 360. Comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, that's the sort of headset I'd love to make my peripheral of choice for the Playstation 3. I realize there are some issues in trying to come up with a working system for the Throat Communicator on the PS3, but I'd like to think Mad Catz can over come them. Until then, I'll be without a voice on this console.

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Wireless Headset was developed and produced by Mad Catz for the Playstation 3 on Nov. 10. Retails for $39.99 USD. A headset was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several games for several hours with the headset.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Call in using your phone or Skype to (347) 857-3782, starting at 11am Kotaku time, 1 pm eastern.

Listen to the show here.

The mischievous Bui Bui have interrupted the LocoRoco's slumber and sent them into a midnight maze. While the previous LocoRoco games had players roll and bounce, the new mechanic in Midnight Carnival is boing — a type of super jump that can be strung together as combos as the LocoRoco boing off walls and out of the midnight carnival.

But is it worth staying up for LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival?

Loved
Presentation: Like its predecessors, LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival is a visual treat. The Halloween look is a feast for the eyes, and Sony's Japan Studio has really outdone themselves with the crisp lines and smooth frame rates. The game's artistic flare is a pleasing take on a familiar look.

Music: A close second behind the way the game looks is the way it sounds. The music, while not as annoyingly catchy as the first game, is, well, annoyingly catchy — but in a good way! LocoRoco has always been a fine example of showing off the PSP's strengths (visual and audio) and Midnight Carnival once again proves why.

Bui Bui Crane: Midnight Carnival has a couple of mini-games, and this one is a doozy. It's a crane game where the object is to snag LocoRocos. The catch? The LocoRocos are afraid of the crane and try to move out of the way, causing them to bunch up in the corner. A clever homage to arcade crane games and endlessly entertaining.

Hated
Difficulty Curve: The game starts off pleasantly enough, and then suddenly gets nasty and mean. LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival? More like Nightmare Carnival. The stages are short and should take a couple of minutes to finish — yet, I found myself playing some stages for upwards of thirty minutes to an hour, dying over and over and over again. It feels like the difficulty was increased to pad out the game length.

Boing: Hate it, hate it, hate it. Bring back rolling and regular bounce. The controls didn't feel exactly precise, making some of the jump combinations players are expected to do seem unreasonable — if not horribly sadistic, at times. The screen rotating mechanic is not fast, but the boing mechanic is, making for gameplay that doesn't quite seem to fit together.

Midnight Carnival is an interesting experiment for Sony's Japan Studio — it tried out some new things, some worked and some did not. But, let's go back to the LocoRoco games we know and love: You know, the ones which let players actually relax while playing them and even crack a smile, instead of hair-pulling frustration.

For those who like to be challenged or want to try their hand at a hard platformer, may we recommend LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival. For those who want to play a LocoRoco game, may we recommend LocoRoco or LocoRoco 2.

LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival was developed by Sony's Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PSP on October 29. Retails for $14.99 USD on the PSP and PSN. A digital copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played game to completion.

The source tells the site, "It's a new take on the modern warfare idea — and will really help give the series the kick up the arse it needs." The game is apparently slated for February/March 2010 on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. An announcement is expected before Christmas.

The modern era is nice and all, but when is someone going to set their war game during the Civil War. You know, 30-second reloading mini-game, sawing off legs, whiskey power-ups and unlockable mustaches. Bayonetting, cannons and toothless Southern men. SOMEONE MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

Medal Of Honor: Modern Warfare incoming [MCVUK]

The details apparently leaked during a round of developer visits in the UK, in which Microsoft toured studios showing off the technology.

The same sources reckon 14 games will be available at launch, with 5 million cameras ready for sale on day 1, spread between standalone cameras and 360/Natal bundles.

Most interesting of all, however, is word on the price Microsoft are hoping to charge, with an expected price of £50 in the UK, which is USD$80. One source, however, indicated Microsoft may go even cheaper in an effort to make Natal an "impulse buy", and price it as low as £30 (USD$50).

Natal launch details leak from secret Microsoft tour [MCV]

You may have noticed. Last night, Activision and Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 was officially released, a game that will easily be the biggest game of 2009, if not of all time. Thousands of stores across the planet opened their doors at midnight to greet an unprecedented number of gamers, all eager to catch up on the adventures of some Allied special forces and some guy called "Soap".

Now, it's far too early to get hold of actual sales numbers for the game. Ditto for the actual number of people braving the elements, and the ungodly hour, to secure a copy of the game. But one look at the sheer number of stores open at midnight - over 10,000 in the United States alone - and the number of consumers it must have taken to secure such an event, and it's quickly becoming clear this was one of the largest launches of the decade.

Yet there's something funny about the whole thing. Where did this hype come from? Anyone even casually following the games business over the past few years will have remembered the launches of juggernauts like Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Marketing machines kicked in months before those games were due for release, bombarding us with expensive TV ads, countdown clocks, inescapable street advertising and celebrity endorsement.

But Modern Warfare 2? We all knew it was coming, sure, and everyone knew it was going to be popular - the first Modern Warfare, after all, has sold well over 10 million copies - but I don't think many people realised it was going to "maybe biggest game of all time" big. There were some game trailers, and some press "controversy" surrounding one of the game's earlier levels, but nothing on the scale of Microsoft or Rockstar's big bashes. There was no "Soap" flavoured Mountain Dew.

It's almost as if the only people truly prepared for how massive it was going to be was were the publishers of other games, who saw MW2 was coming in November, picked up their own titles due for release around the same time and, in an unprecedented move, pushed them back into 2010. Not out of respect, but out of fear, and a knowledge on the part of those publishers that people were going to be buying one game in November, and it wasn't going to be theirs.

How did they see what we didn't?

I've got a theory. It's almost as if it took the night of the game's launch for several different types of gamer to realise they were all interested in the same game. As someone who is, on a daily basis, ass-deep in video games, I know of a lot of other people who play video games. Yet they're all different people. Some only really play sports games. Some only play online. Some prefer shooters, some only buy one or two games a year, and some only buy one or two games a year for their kids.

Yet, and I am serious, every single one of my friends - or even acquaintances/former friends/wife's friends - that owns a video game console not only wanted to buy Modern Warfare 2, but has it already. Which I find simply astonishing. They either got it at midnight, downloaded it beforehand, or went into a game store on launch day in their lunch break to pick it up.

Funniest part? To many of us, this was a surprise. "Oh, you got it too?" has been a common question over the past couple of days.

And thats the beauty of it. Modern Warfare 2 didn't need to bore us to death with months of advertising, or obnoxious countdowns. It (well, its makers) already knew it was an instant purchase for millions of people, and whether out of prudence or sheer arrogance, spared us the over-exposure that nearly soured the release of games like Halo 3 and GTAIV. They simply stuck to a tasteful, on-target campaign restricted to well-timed and exciting trailers, and let the product itself do the talking.

It's a tactic I wish more publishers of major titles would employ.

The wired Xbox 360 controllers include assignable macro buttons, LED lighting and a digital camo design, but are they worth picking up?

Loved
Triggers: The controllers buttons are snappier and the d-pad feels a bit more responsive, but the biggest win for me on this controller are the thinner, slightly curved triggers. They feel like gun triggers and seem to be a touch more responsive. I love these things.

Macro Buttons: Being able to assign the always-awkward thumbstick buttons to macro buttons located on the back of the controller is fantastic. If pushing in the thumbstick to do stuff isn't as annoying to you as it is to me, you can also choose to assign those tiny twin, back of controller buttons to by the X, Y, A or B buttons.

Hated
Plugged In: There is no amount of cool, no design or art work that can make me accept the fact that in this day and age I need to have a cable stretched from my controller to my Xbox 360 while I play games. I don't care whose fault it is or why it was done. I'm having none of it.

There are a lot of things to like about the Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 controllers. The grey on white camo design is a nice, subtle touch. The LED light thumbstick sockets add a nice flare to the controllers, and the thinner design makes holding it for long periods of time more pleasant.

If you can get over needing to plug this controller into your Xbox 360, it's probably worth the upgrade.

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller Camo was developed and produced by Mad Catz for the Xbox 360 on Nov. 10. Retails for $49.99 USD. A white controller was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several games for several hours with the controller.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

so here we are. It's the next installment of Infinity Ward's s***. We could drone on and on about Modern Warfare 2's controversial terrorist level, or the fact that this could very well be the bestselling game of the year and possibly all-time. We could talk about robust multiplayer, the new cooperative missions, and the fact that Soap MacTavish is at least one of our writers' personal hero.

We won't do that, however. Instead, we give you the assembled game critics' responses to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Eurogamer
Twice, Infinity Ward asks if you're absolutely sure you want to see it. The scene, the fourth you'll encounter in the most widely anticipated game of the year, could be "disturbing" or "offensive", repeats the warning. You smile and agree that, yes, you are sure you want to see it. This is a videogame. They give them 18 certificates, but only to appease people who don't really understand what's going on. Sure, the images of violence and bloodshed on Modern Warfare's battlefields can be disturbing to an onlooker, but death in a first-person shooter is a five-second setback, a micro-reincarnation designed to provide challenge and an impetus to improve, not distress.

Strategy Informer
Of course there will be a significant chunk of the audience that end up wondering what all the fuss was about; and for those of you of that persuasion, MW2's action beat and constant assault on the senses will prove the primary draw. It's here that Infinity Ward steps above and beyond criticism with superlative gunplay and a visual panache that – at times – borders on best-in-show. Enemies crumple realistically under fire, set-piece animation is integrated in an almost seamless fashion within the level design, and you'll be hard-pushed to spot a single respawning set of foes - which is about bloody time, even if early reports of nerfed veteran difficulty as a direct consequence are to be believed.

IGN
Thankfully many of the glaring issues from last time around have been fixed. You won't find unlimited enemy spawns in areas, there's always a waypoint icon on-screen showing you where to go or who to follow, and the amount of in-game chatter from your team is simply astounding. It isn't often in games that you'll hear your squad call out specific areas on the map and have it mean anything. When your friend shouts, "Two tangos behind the yellow station wagon!" you'll actually see two enemies behind a yellow station wagon. It's a pretty engaging experience. You'll still have random issues with friendly AI, specifically with blocking your movement or deciding to walk in front of you mid-firefight, but for the most part it's a better experience than the first Modern Warfare.

Game Informer
Modern Warfare 2's competitive multiplayer offering is the soul of iterative design. New ideas arise like third-person play and death streaks, but nothing substantially affects the core gameplay. On the other hand, the tweaks are almost uniformly great. Weapon-specific unlocks, cosmetic titles and callsigns, and upgraded "pro" perks contribute to a dramatic increase in the depth and breadth of persistent progression. The strategic variance of each map invites hours of study and experimentation. Included due to the mountain of feedback, the playlists (preset rotations of maps and modes for groups to play through) offer delightful bouquets of varied-yet-similar gametypes for all tastes.

Telegraph
The game's new mode is Special Ops which can be played solo or in co-op, both local and online. It's unlocked by completing the campaign mode, and is essentially a series of mini-missions; their design is similar to the epilogue mission in COD4's campaign mode, "Mile High Club". They're divided into four groups – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta – and are based on sections within the campaign's levels. They include scenarios such as defending a raised platform in a snow-covered shipyard, racing snowmobiles across tundra and taking out guerrillas in a favela in Rio de Janeiro while avoiding civilian casualties. A couple of fan-favourites from COD4 are also included, such as the chilling Death From Above mission in AC-130 Spectre Gunship. Special Ops range from one to three stars in their level of difficulty, and players can use the stars they earn to unlock more challenges. There are 23 missions in all, and a lot of them are highly addictive; the temptation to better one's time in the snowmobile race is particularly compelling.

Kotaku
Modern Warfare 2 may not innovate or raise the bar as impressively as Call of Duty 4 did in order to grant it automatic game of the year consideration. The better praise it may deserve is that it's likely the game that many will be playing well into next year.

Anyone surprised?

Here's why. We'll have Rock Band and DJ Hero up on stage for all to play, a free console arcade set up on the second floor, a GIANT disco ball under which people could dance if they so choose, silent auction items to bid on, a mountain of swag to win and..

AND one of the door prizes will be a copy of the limited edition, impossible-to-buy Uncharted 2: Fortune Hunter's Edition for the Playstation 3.

It's just a minimum $10 donation to get in the doors and you need to 16 or older, though you'll need to be 21 to buy drinks. The party runs from 6 p.m. to midnight on Nov. 19 at the grand old Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in downtown Denver.

People will be there and most, if not all of them, will not be square.

Do you want to be square? I don't think so.

You know what to do!

The adapter, which shows official Microsoft packaging and uses model number PHD-00001, is said to increase the speed, range and wireless security features of the Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter.

Here are the specs:
Dual Band
5GHz: 1x2 (802.11a & 802.11n)
2.4GHz: 2x2
2(Tx)x 2(Rx)
7x faster than 'G'
2x the range of 'G

With the official pictures, model number and the roll-out of more HD movies, I can't imagine this release date isn't true.

Microsoft XBOX 360 Wireless N Networking Adaptor [NewEgg, thanks S ]

As we posted previously, announced that it and 54 software game companies were filing a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against companies that import "R4 Revolution"-type devices, using the Unfair Competition Prevention Law as the legal grounding.

According to Nintendo, such devices hurts the growth of the entire game industry and steps must be taken regarding the legality of R4 carts. It's important to note that this legal injunction is for Japan only.

Nintendo is asking for the cease of marketing, sales and importation of these Chinese-made devices. The R4 allows easy software piracy by fitting right into the DS's cartridge slot. Data is stored on a Micro SD and downloaded from websites via a flash drive, and the R4 has a small slot that the Micro SD card goes into.

In addition to the suit, Nintendo launched a website devoted to collecting information about R4 sellers. "It's getting increasingly difficult to track down R4 sellers as day by day they get more ingenious, flourishing online and complicating matters," said Nintendo in a written statement. Because of this, Nintendo is calling on the strength of the masses to eradicate the sale of these devices.

The website Nintendo has set up has an anonymous form that can be filled out. Selectable choices include retail stores, internet shops, online auctions selling R4 devices. Another choice includes "game software uploads" - or those sites or individuals making DS games available online. There's also spaces for dates and time, a box for details and another box for the shop's address or home page.

Today, Nintendo announces that the information collected by this website has been "extremely useful".

"We would like to say that the information we have collected from so many individuals has been extremely useful and offer our sincere gratitude for everyone's cooperation." Nintendo goes on to say that with the cooperation of all, the legality of this issue will be concretely resolved.

[Pic]

Modern Warfare 2's single-player campaign picks up five years after the events of the previous game, telling the bloody story of a new conflict between multinational military squad Task Force 141 and Russian Ultranationalists under the leadership of terrorist Vladimir Makarov. It's a relatively short ride, a package fleshed out by the longer-term draw of Modern Warfare 2's expansive—and destined for popularity—multiplayer suite as well as the cooperative two-player Spec Ops mission mode.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been billed as the "most anticipated game of the year" by its publisher. The PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game has been pegged as the year's biggest, bestselling blockbuster by analysts. But is the game good? And is it a worthy successor to the multi-million selling Call of Duty 4?

Loved
A Thrilling Single-player Campaign: Like Infinity Ward's previous Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 is an explosive roller coaster ride of an action game. It peaks with frenetic chases and bottoms out with slow, steady sniper mission and, with a campaign length on par with Call of Duty 4, never overstays its welcome. On my first playthrough on Hardened difficulty—one notch higher than standard challenge—it took me just over 7 hours to complete. That may be brief in comparison to Modern Warfare 2's peers, but the pacing is tight, with regular doses of hyper-violent spectacle. That said, the single-player campaign has its faults, mostly from a storytelling perspective.

Awesome Presentation: Modern Warfare 2's globe-spanning adventure features some awesome sights and sounds. From the game's amazing voice over work to its booming audio to its well-designed set pieces, the game's single-player levels—and the multiplayer maps built upon their foundation—feature impressive attention to detail. Levels set in the exotic favelas of Brazil and in familiar suburban streets present the player with locations they've likely never done battle in, a fine contrast to the bleak and barren environments of Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. The game doesn't waste much time expounding upon plot or reason, mostly barking orders at the player between missions as intel swoops by on a mostly black screen. It just does it with top notch voice talent. Character modeling has made an impressive leap, with character faces now having... character.

Spec Ops: If you're not quite ready to venture into the foulmouthed multiplayer noob-slaying frenzy that is Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer mode, the cooperative multiplayer Spec Ops mode offers a stellar two-player experience. Most missions can be played solo—not that you'd really want to—but a few require a buddy. And they're the best of the lot, putting one on the ground, the other in hovering aircraft—an AC-130 in one, an attack helicopter in the other—raining down gunfire upon swarms of computer-controlled foes as the ground-based player works his way across a map. Some of the later Spec Ops challenges can be painfully hard, particularly on Hardened or Veteran difficulty, but most of the challenges are a treat to play with a friend.

A Massive Multiplayer Buffet: Fourteen multiplayer modes may sounds like option overkill, but most of Modern Warfare 2's game types are variations on the familiar, including Capture The Flag, Team Deathmatch, the bomb-planting/bomb-defusing Demolition and the base-capturing Domination. The most enjoyable of these modes, personally, was the Headquarters Pro mode, which spawns capture points throughout the round, targets that teams must hold and defend. It's a mode that requires, for better or worse, active communication among teammates, making for a thrilling and sometimes frustrating experience. Layered on top of the broad game type offering are 16 multiplayer maps, dozens of unlockable weapons and attachments, per-weapon, per-perk and per-item Challenges (that will take dozens of hours to fully complete) and a level progression system that's incredibly addictive.

Streaks & Perks 2.0: Adding to the variety of Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer are expanded attribute enhancing Perks, which can be unlocked as players progress and the second-tier "Pro" versions of Perks that make players even better. For example, the Sleight Of Hand Perk, which lets players reload quicker, adds the ability to aim faster via scope or sight with Sleight Of Hand Pro. Also expanded are the rewards players can deploy from racking up kill streaks, which included UAV radar detectors, counter-UAV radar jammers and randomized, air-dropped care packages. At the higher, more ridiculous end of the kill streak reward scale are EMP blasts, stealth bomber strikes and game-ending tactical nukes. New to Modern Warfare are death streaks, which give players on the losing side an opportunity to level the playing field. Player-created custom classes let players define almost everything about their online personality and play style, letting you choose which perks, streaks, weapons, and equipment suit you best.

Its Zimmerific: It's not often that I'll take notice of a game's musical score to the point where it sticks with me, where upon revisiting a level I relish the musical accompaniment as I did with Modern Warfare 2. Beyond the pumped up fanfare, the game's soundtrack ranges from a brooding, disturbing drone to a sweet, somber ballad, the drama solidified by the musical efforts of Hans Zimmer and Infinity Ward's audio team.

Host Migration Is One Thing: Modern Warfare 2 brings with it a strong multiplayer backbone—at least on the console side—featuring ample game set up options and speedy entry into populated games. But it's the multiplayer mode's host migration that saves the game, keeping multiplayer matches going when a host bails. In our experience with host migration, upon losing a multiplayer match host, we were back into the action within seconds, not dumped into a lobby from which everyone quits. From our real-world experience, games have been mostly lag-free affairs, though some experiences were unmistakably spotty.

Hated
What Just Happened? Brush up on your Call of Duty 4 single-player if you care about the story-driven events of the sequel, because the delivery of Modern Warfare 2's plot assumes you know it well. The game's single-player campaign can be scattershot and confusing, mostly as a result of the game's hastily delivered orders via intermission and comm transmissions. At the end of the campaign, I was left wondering what the hell just went down and how the key players in Modern Warfare 2 got wrapped up in this conflict. The game's campaign mode also suffers from treading on territory that feels familiar to the first, with some storytelling tricks feeling recycled or just plain overdone. Just how many times can we sprint to an escape helicopter anyway?

Makarov: Modern Warfare 2's antagonist Vladimir Makarov puts the player in a very uncomfortable, disturbingly violent situation that may offend or upset some players—probably a very tiny fraction of the blood-lustful Call of Duty playing population. This can be skipped from the get-go without punishing the player, but... who's going to do that? While in context the level that made me hate Makarov helps to justify the events of the game, it doesn't make it enjoyable.

Abandon All Hope Ye Noobs: Call of Duty fans new to the multiplayer landscape of Modern Warfare 2 may want to find some skilled, friendly teammates to play with. Public multiplayer matches can be a bloodbath for the low-ranking noob, a frustrating, sharp learning curve that's made more punishing by some of the game's killstreak rewards and higher-level unlocks. Spending much of a round being liquefied by AC-130 rounds, Predator missiles or Pave Low fire from above is not uncommon, something that may sour one's enjoyment while playing online. Players may be rightfully concerned about the balance of the game's killstreaks, which, if you're not well-versed in Modern Warfare multiplayer, can be intimidating. Fortunately, options for setting up private matches that disable killstreaks and perks, are easy to access. New users may find it similarly frustrating to not have total access to all of the game's multiplayer modes from the get-go.

Modern Warfare 2's single-player storyline doesn't deliver the same highly charged thrill of its predecessor, despite offering memorable cinematic moments and a massive spike in collateral damage. But Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was a tough act to follow, an uncommonly taut campaign delivered in less time and with a then-fresher modern coat of paint. The variety of environments in which one plays through Modern Warfare 2's campaign adds wondrous distinction to the game, even if some of the series' previous stand out storytelling tricks feel more like Modern Warfare tropes.

Fortunately, Infinity Ward has expanded impressively on the game's multiplayer components. Competitive multiplayer is flooded with content, a deep collection of well-crafted modes, maps and unlockable goods that will likely keep players committed to Modern Warfare 2 online well into level 70 and beyond. Spec Ops mode offers an outstanding bite-sized mix of mission-based levels and two-person multiplayer, a cooperative mode that both rewards and challenges. Together, the three pillars of Modern Warfare 2's package make for an impressive experience.

Modern Warfare 2 may not innovate or raise the bar as impressively as Call of Duty 4 did in order to grant it automatic game of the year consideration. The better praise it may deserve is that it's likely the game that many will be playing well into next year.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on November 10. Retails for $59.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played through single-player campaign on Hardened difficulty, through 80% of Spec Ops cooperative mode and tested multiple online game types on Xbox 360 at an Activision sponsored event over the course of two days. Additional time was spent with a retail copy of the title at home, dedicating additional time to the game's online mode.

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Don't let my indifference deflate you, instead take pictures of whatever launch event you attend and post them here in comments.

And if you're really indifferent, you can always view this Modern Warfare 2 free version of Kotaku.

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"Activision is disappointed to learn that some retail locations have released ahead of schedule," a company spokesperson told Kotaku in a statement before reiterating comments from the weekend that the company has given no retailer permission to sell the game prior to November 10.

Activision's disappointment comes at an awkward hour as, this evening, a GameStop in New York City's Union Square is co-hosting a Modern Warfare 2 launch event with Activision and Microsoft.

A GameStop representative declined to offer any further comment about the company's move beyond company comments from the weekend confirming it had officially greenlit the early sale in some regions of the county.

A representative for Microsoft, which is producing a special Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle, referred all comment to Activision.

But Activision peer Capcom did sound a note of caution about the whole situation.

"Street dates are broken all the time," Capcom director of communications and industry veteran Chris Kramer told Kotaku. "But I've never seen the decision made at a corporate level before. Launching a new game is an incredibly complicated process for the publisher at a level of Capcom or Activision, a process that makes publishers rely heavily on partners at many levels. That one of those partners – especially a partner that still is a significant part of a publisher's business – could just decide to change a roll-out of a game is more than a bit distressing."

The early breaking of the street date for Modern Warfare 2, which seemed to be spurred by copies of the game sent to retailers mid-week going on sale early in mom-and-pop stores.

GameStop's move would seem to strain the company's relationship with publishers, but none indicated to Kotaku that they plan to take action.

Activision reps did not address specific Kotaku queries about whether the company would take any action against GameStop or change any of its practices involving shipping games early to retailers.

Capcom's Kramer said he did not think the Modern Warfare 2 incident would not change his company's policies about product delivery and street dates. A country the geographic size of the U.S. needs product to be spread early in preparation for a big launch he said.

PlayStation maker Sony Computer Entertainment of America also doesn't plan changes. "If GameStop broke any street on MW2, that's between GameStop and Activision," SCEA director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold, told Kotaku. This won't impact the way we work with GameStop or other retailers."


Representatives from some other major publishers, including EA, Take Two and Warner Brothers declined to comment for this story.

Mad Catz has rolled out an entire line of third-party peripherals, including PC keyboards and mice, controllers, headsets and, most intriguing of all, a nifty Xbox 360 throat communicator.

Does Mad Catz deliver with the military-inspired microphone or is the Throat Communicator a waste of time and space?

Loved
Comfort: The lightweight throat communicator gently hugs your neck, making it easy to forget it's there within minutes of putting it on. The attached in-ear earpiece features soft rubber that fills your ear canal without any strain or pain. No more ear or scalp irritation for you.

Isolated: These aren't military quality, so to use the throat communicator you will have to speak at normal levels. That kills off my dream of whispering to team mates during late night gaming sessions. But the microphone, which presses up against your neck, does a great job of cutting down outside noise. That means less echoes and less noisy roommates and music. I even tested eating with it, though to Fahey's disgust, he could hear what he swears was the sound of my mastication and swallowing.

Hated
Muting and volume controls: With the fancy behind-the-neck design, it would have been nice if Mad Catz came up with a better system for earpiece volume control and muting. The dangling, rather small piece of plastic features a tiny switch to mute and a dial for volume which works just fine. But the extra plastic sort of kills the whole "I'm a cut-throat mercenary" feeling, leaning more towards the "I'm a douchey walk-and-talk businessman" vibe.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Throat Communicator. In my time spent using it, the communicator was very comfortable and did an admirable job of doing what it says it will do. The volume dongle is a little off-putting but not a deal breaker. When it comes to inexpensive microphone upgrades for Xbox 360 Live, this seems like one of the best deals around.

Mad Catz Throat Communicator for the Xbox 360 was developed by Mad Catz for the Xbox 360 and released on Nov. 10. Retails for $29.99 USD. A Throat Communicator was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several hours of Halo ODST and on Xbox Live with the communicator. Ate, cranked up the volume and had my son yell to test isolating effects.

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The "Cost Reduction Plan" detailed in the EA release involves the closure of several facilities and a huge reduction in workforce in order to "narrow its product portfolio to provide greater focus on titles with higher margin opportunities."

"This action will result in the closure of several facilities and a headcount reduction of approximately 1,500 positions, of which 1,300 are included in a restructuring plan. The majority of these actions will be completed by March 31, 2010. This plan will result in annual cost savings of at least $100 million and restructuring charges of $130 to $150 million."

News of the reductions comes in the same press release that reports record non-GAAP revenue for the 2nd quarter, with $1.147 billion up 2 percent from the same time last year, surpassing street expectations.

The release also mentions EA's $300 million acquisition of social network games developer Playfish, which we reported on earlier today. One could assume this means that Facebook games have "higher margin opportunities."

The release did not name which facilities would be seeing cuts, though rumors indicate that EA Tiburon, Black Box, Redwood Shores, and Mythic are among those seeing layoffs today.

I'm pleased to say that, for the first time since the PlayStation 2 era, significant changes have been made to Konami's long-running series. But are they enough to help the genre's former powerhouse win back some of the ground lost to FIFA over the past few seasons? Let's find out.

Loved
Welcome To 2009 - Konami finally worked out that games released on current generation hardware need to look like current generation games, and have given the game's graphics a serious overhaul. While animation is still a little clunky, the lighting, stadiums and especially player kits and likenesses have seen massive improvements, to the point where they stand well ahead of FIFA's.

Front And Centre - Another of Pro Evo's more archaic elements — the game's front end and menu system — has also been overhauled. It's now simpler, more attractive, and most important of all, quicker, meaning you can get in, make your necessary adjustments and get back into the action.

Online Play - Hooray! Online play now works. Die-hard Pro Evo fans will no doubt be both shocked and overjoyed to hear this.

Hated
Poor Man's Game - You'd think by now that Konami would realise that one of the chief areas that they're falling behind EA Sports is in securing the rights to use real team names and real team kits. Yet whether through lack of intent or simply a lack of resources, Pro Evo is still sorely lacking in official teams, particularly when it comes to international sides and, more importantly, the English Premier League, where only two teams — Liverpool and Man United — are available. Where five years ago it was "cute" going through and editing every team's name and kit to reflect their actual real-world appearance, now, it's just a pain in the ass.

Stiff As A Board - While faster than previous editions, Pro Evo is still far too slow. And I don't mean in the pace of the game, I mean in the pace of the players, who take far too long to take possession of the ball and take far too long to get rid of it. Football can often be a slow, methodical game, yes, but at times it also needs to be fast and fluid, something Pro Evo is still unable to really capture.

Be A Pro? We're Trying... - Much like FIFA, Pro Evo has a mode where you can create a player and assume control over just that player throughout their career, playing games not as an all-seeing football God, but just one of the lads. In FIFA, it's a joy to play, with constant feedback allowing you to both gauge your progress and revel in being a superstar. In Pro Evo, you're dropped into your career and just... left there, rarely knowing if you've had a good game or not. Without those trimmings, the game mode is simply 1v11, and that's no fun at all.

I like to think of the battle between FIFA and Pro Evo as one between Chelsea and Liverpool. FIFA is Chelsea. Once also-rans, enough money has been poured into them over enough time to simply guarantee success. They're brimming with talent all over the park, boast a large supporter base, and at the moment, are top of the table.

Pro Evo, meanwhile, is Liverpool. A series with a proud history and a willingness to compete, but in the modern era, they simply lack the resources to present the kind of depth and year-in, year-out challenge Chelsea can muster. Sure, in some areas they can pull level, and on the odd weekend (or even season) could overcome the Londoners, but overall, and in the long term, they're simply no longer in the same league.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 was developed and published by Konami for the Xbox 360 (version reviewed), PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PC, Wii and PSP. Released on October 23, retails for $59.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played all game modes in single-player, and several matches in multiplayer, both locally and online.

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