Developer Infinity Ward today took the stage at Microsoft's E309 Media Briefing, announcing that the Xbox 360 will receive two downloadable map packs before any other platforms and walking attendees through a mission called "Cliffhanger."

The mission began on an icy ledge, with players forced to climb up the side of a mountain by manually swinging ice hooks, via the triggers on the Xbox 360 controller.

The relatively quiet mission devolved into a firefight on an airfield, with enemy troops ambushing the on foot and on snowmobiles. The player then commissioned a snowmobile, speeding through the snowy wilderness whilst shooting a gun.

Expect more details as our E3 coverage continues. The game itself is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 10.

An HD capture of the gameplay demo is now embedded below:... Read more

Here now, after a period of intense teasery, is the first trailer for Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward's sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The just-over two minute trailer offers an extended glimpse of the anticipated shooter, showing several varied environments for players to blast their way through. The video also informs on a bit of the title's story, which will see the rise of villain Makarov.

Modern Warfare 2 hits November 10, exploding castles and all. No platform confirmation has been issued yet, though PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases can be expected at least.

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A new teaser for the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 trailer has hit GameTrailers, debuting a few fresh clips of gameplay footage from the anticipated shooter sequel.

Check out the footage below. The trailer arrives May 24; the game itself on November 10.

The first in-game glimpse of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4 follow-up, Modern Warfare 2, has been provided in the following trailer--one that teases a further reveal on May 24th during the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

The apparently arctic-bound Modern Warfare 2 has been scheduled for a November 10 release. Platform specifics have yet to be announced.

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Infinity Ward's anticipated Call of Duty sequel Modern Warfare 2 will be released on November 10, the developer announced this evening at the GDC Choice Awards.

Platforms for the war-based shooter have yet to be announced, but PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions are a given at this point. A teaser trailer was also released, with the emphasis on teaser, as there's no clear gameplay footage within. Grab it from FileShack, or click through to take a quick look and a good listen... Read more

Infinity Ward community manager Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling has confirmed that the developer's next Call of Duty entry, due this fall, will be subtitled Modern Warfare 2.

"Reviewing some radio-chatter VO we just finished recording for Modern Warfare 2 today," read Bowling's Twitter. "'Cujo Two-One this is Vulture, solid copy on all.'"

Though the Modern Warfare 2 subtitle has been floating around since publisher Activision mentioned it last December, the company quickly labeled those reports speculative, despite being based on an Activision presentation attended by the press.

While a new entry in the wartime shooting series, World at War, was released last fall, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward had little to do with the title, which was instead handled by Treyarch. This strategy, dubbed leapfrog, allows Activsion to release a new title annually whilst providing studios with plenty of development time.

Platforms for Modern Warfare 2 have yet to be confirmed, though PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS releases are a safe bet given the history of the franchise.

Yesterday, Activision Blizzard revealed several of its major games for 2009, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Guitar Hero 5. Now, the studio has informed VideoGamer that reports of the games are "speculative as far as we're concerned."

The revelations were part of Activision Blizzard's presentation at a conference held by in-game advertising firm Massive Inc, during which Activision detailed its 2009 releases.

In addition to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Guitar Hero 5, the company also spoke of the next Tony Hawk game. "You're not going to be playing Tony Hawk with a controller in your hands," said an Activision executive, according to journalist N'Gai Croal.

The presentation also specified two new racing titles from Project Gotham Racing series developer Bizarre Creations: a James Bond racing game and another game billed as "Mario Kart meets Forza" by a company representative.

Along with N'Gai, MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo provided coverage, lending further credibility to the reports. Both writers are respected and considered credible. It is speculated that Activision did not expect journalists to be reporting live from the event, and presented confidential information not yet meant for public consumption.

Details on many of Activision Blizzard's upcoming titles were revealed today during a joint event with in-game advertiser Massive Inc.

According to MTV, Call of Duty 6 is now known as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and is slated to arrive in fall 2009. As previously revealed, series creator and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare veteran Infinity Ward will return for the latest entry.

Furthermore, an in-game shot of Guitar Hero 5 was shown in a demonstration of Massive's in-game advertising strategy for Activision, showing a "Burger King ad to the right of the note highway." Past Guitar Hero games have used similar in-game ads.

Activision also confirmed rumors that the next Tony Hawk title will be played using some type of peripheral rather than with a controller. The skateboarding game will hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and DS in October.

An original James Bond racing title from Project Gotham Racing developer Bizarre Creations was also announced, and is set to debut next September. Bizarre is also working on an original racing title, described by Activision as "Mario Karts meets Forza."

Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith today confirmed that Call of Duty creator Infinity Ward, which most recently handled Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, will return to the franchise next year with Call of Duty 6.

"In 2009, we expect Infinity Ward to deliver another [entry of] ground-breaking quality, Call of Duty 6," Griffith stated at today's Activision Blizzard Analyst Day. Earlier this year, the CEO revealed that a new Call of Duty game would arrive in 2009, but did not offer any other details at the time.

Confusingly, Griffith's presentation today seemed to date CoD 6 for 2010 as well. After discussing Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War, which he referred to as Call of Duty 5, the CEO said that "for calendar year 2010, Infinity Ward is already at work on the next installment in the franchise."

Following publisher Activision's "leapfrog strategy" of alternating developers, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 6 will follow up Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War, which launches on November 5 for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, and Wii. Treyarch had also developed Call of Duty 3 as a part of that strategy.