14 DAY TRIAL // Activision has launched a demo version of its best selling shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on both the Xbox Live service from Microsoft and on the PlayStation Network from Sony. The demo is free to pick up for all those interested in seeing what the first person shooter from Infinity Ward has to offer and uses the entire Cliffhanger level, the one which was heavily featured in promotional material for the video game and which opens the single player experience. It involves some ice climbing, battles in poor visibility, a showdown against superior Russian forces, a mad snow mobile dash through the forest and a few revelations about the narrative that players can get in the full version of Modern Warfare 2.
the timing for the new demo is a bit odd. After all Modern Warfare 2 was initially launched on the Xbox 360 and on the PlayStation 3 way back in November of last year and managed to quickly become the best selling title of the year. Since them Activision and Infinity Ward managed to also put out two map packs for the game, both arriving initially only on the Xbox 360, and Treyarch has been hard at work on the new game in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops, which moves the action to the covert battlefields of the Cold War.
It's unlikely that there are fans of the first person shooter genre who have not yet played Modern Warfare 2 themselves or have not seen other playing it for long enough in order to form an opinion on the game. The single player element of the game is also not the strongest piece of the game, with the still very much active multiplayer making a much better showcase. A stronger promotion for Modern Warfare 2 would be for Activision but make the game free to play in multiplayer for a weekend or two.