Major digital distributors Direct2Drive, GamersGate and Impulse have refused to stock Infinity Ward's highly anticipated shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on PC due to its reliance upon Valve Software's rival distribution platform Steam, Voodoo Extreme reports.

"We believe strongly that when you buy a game from us, you shouldn't be forced to install and run a 3rd party software client to be able to play the game you purchased," D2D explains in a statement masquerading as a listing for Modern Warfare 2 in its store. A representative later told Kotaku "We don't believe games should force the user to install a Trojan Horse."

Modern Warfare 2 on PC will use Steam and Valve's Steamworks framework for DRM purposes as well auto-update, achievement and anti-cheat features, among others.

However, both Direct2Drive and GamersGate sell ACE Team's Zeno Clash--which requires Steam. D2D also offers several other Steam-based titles... Read more

Eminem and Nate Dogg's "Till I Collapse" serves as the musical backdrop for Modern Warfare 2's launch trailer, which intersperses scenes of chaos with critical praise.

Practically guaranteed to be one of the year's top-sellers, Infinity Ward's controversial shooter sequel hits next Tuesday, November 10, on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

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Pre-orders for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are "the highest for any title we've ever sold in our 6,200 store network," retailer GameStop has informed USA Today.

The impending blockbuster--Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold over 13 million units, Call of Duty: World at War has now exceeded 11 million--has caused several other games to be delayed, including Call of Duty publisher Activision's own Singularity, as companies attempt to avoid going head-to-head with one of the year's biggest titles.

Infinity Ward's anticipated (and controversial) shooter sequel hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in exactly one week, on Tuesday, November 10. Various retailers are hosting midnight events to commemorate the release, including GameStop and Walmart.

Update 2: Activision has released an official comment on the video, saying that the footage is "not representative of the overall gameplay experience in Modern Warfare 2." More below.

Update: The video has been removed at the request of publisher Activision, citing copyright infringement. The rest of the story, however, remains unchanged.

Though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 isn't due out until November 10, someone out there managed to get their hands on an extremely early copy of the game. And as we live in the digital age, this means off-screen shaky cam footage of in-game antics.

The footage can be found below, along with a statement from publisher Activision. Be forewarned that the video is of low quality and spoils what is easily among the game's most surprising and controversial moments, as does the... Read more

After a slideshow masquerading as a video suggested that first-person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 could also be played from a third person perspective, Joystiq has details on the new view from developer Infinity Ward.

"This is just another cool way to play the game," noted IW's Robert 'fourzerotwo' Bowling. He explained that the alternate view is only available via dedicated playlists and private multiplayer matches. Players won't be able to swap between the views mid-match, as the camera is determined by match settings.

"It's not something you can toggle on and off in ANY game," he added. "You obviously will still have the option to play gametypes normal as well." More details and a better explanation of the new view should arrive soon via a supposedly "awesome trailer."

Modern Warfare 2 hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 10.

Activision and Valve today announced that they've hammered out an agreement to get Valve's Steamworks suite of tools onto the PC version of Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2.

"All PC versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be powered by Steamworks, providing gamers with auto-updating, anti-cheat technology, Steam Achievements, and the recently introduced Steam Cloud," reads the release.

Modern Warfare 2 PC will come loaded with 50 Steam achievements. As with other Steamworks titles, the game will also be accessible from any computer, with Steam Cloud providing persistent settings.

"Steam is the hands down leader in offering a community focused experience on PC and the inclusion of Steamworks has allowed us to deliver the most feature-rich PC version to ever come from Infinity Ward, which at the end of the day will mean the most to our fans," said Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling.

Update: Infinity Ward has sent along the official specs, which differ slightly from GameStop's list. Check them out below. The GameStop list has been left in for comparison.

OS: Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor or better supported
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT or better or... Read more

Amazon is offering a $20 voucher for future video games purchases from the retailer with copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The offer includes both the $60 regular edition and $80 'Hardened' edition--packing an art book and code for the upcoming downloadable release of the original Call of Duty.

While this offer sadly does not cover the $150 night vision goggle and plastic head-toting Prestige Edition, a $10 voucher is included with the Xbox 360 version only.

Infinity Ward's shooter sequel arrives November 10, with the PC version controversially not supporting dedicated servers. Thanks to Shacker kungfusquirrel for the tip.

Though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 maker Infinity Ward recently told us that "PC [multiplayer] will be the same as it always was," the company has now revealed that the war-torn shooter will not make use of community-run dedicated servers.

"We've been building up this system on the backend called IW Net, to allow matchmaking for our PC users just like you have on the console," Infinity Ward community manager Robert 'fourzerotwo' Bowling explained on podcast BASH 123.

"You're completely reliant on IW Net and there's no dedicated servers or server list. You rely on IW Net for your matchmaking and finding games, but then you also have the private match, much like the other platforms, where you... Read more

While the decision to branch off from World War II PC shooters and create the Modern Warfare franchise seems a no-brainer in hindsight, developer Infinity Ward now says that its owner Activision was against the idea from the start, deeming the idea "risky" and requesting more games set in the 1940s. "With Call of Duty 2, we were dead set against it being World War 2," said Infinity Ward chief Vince Zampella to Official PlayStation Magazine, according to CVG.

"But Activision really wanted it, the compromise sort of being that... Read more

With Sunday drawing to a close, developer Infinity Ward has loosed a new trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, one that ends in the flaming ruins of a rather iconic locale.

The anticipated shooter sequel hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 10--the same day the first Modern Warfare arrives on Wii and Mobilized comes to DS.

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The collaboration between publisher Activision and Monster Beverage Company brings us more than just Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2-branded energy drinks--it reveals when one of the game's downloadable content packs is due.

That map pack has a "planned release [of] Spring 2010," going by the specially marked "Monster Assault Energy" four-pack that just arrived here at Shacknews.

Whether the referenced map pack is the first downloadable add-on for the anticipated November 10-due shooter remains to be seen--developer Infinity Ward has promised "at least" two maps packs, both of which will hit Xbox 360 before PC and PlayStation 3.

During last week's Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer event, I had a chance to sit down with Infinity Ward rep Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling and question him on everything I'd just played. But while I was a Modern Warfare multiplayer junky for a couple weeks, I've been expounding on the single player campaign's brilliant levels for even longer, particularly the chilling AC-130 gunship stage. As such, I had to sneak a few campaign-oriented questions into the mix, talking up the possibility of more thought-provoking perspective shifts.

In our brief interview, Bowling and I touched on all of these details, from PC-specific multiplayer support to new grenade physics. Also discussed: how Infinity Ward feels about being the big bad bully of this holiday season. (Hint: pretty good). ... Read more

Following up on the announcement of a $400 Modern Warfare 2-themed "limited edition" Xbox 360 that comes with a 250GB HDD, Microsoft has clarified that the console's largest hard drive yet will not be sold separately.

"This hard drive is not being sold separately," Xbox Live programming director Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb noted during a video examining the bundle, embedded below.

Microsoft currently sells two different configurations of the Xbox 360 hardware--the $200 Arcade, which has 512MB of storage, and a $300 Elite that... Read more

Infinity Ward tonight unveiled the multiplayer mode for Modern Warfare 2 at a Microsoft-sponsored LA event.

The presentation began with a rundown on the Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Xbox 360 console, but quickly segued to a demonstration of several of the new multiplayer features making an appearance in the sequel.

Customizable killstreaks were the first order of the day. Users can now choose which killstreaks they want enabled, with a list of unlockable streaks available in a pre-game menu. Killstreaks bonuses included the UAV at 3 kills, a care package at 4 kills--which either includes ammo or a random killstreak bonus--and the beastly AC-130 gunship at 11 kills.

Also new to the series are death streaks, or bonuses earned after dying several times in a row. These included "copycat"--which grants you the class and weapons... Read more

Microsoft and Activision have partnered to bundle a $400 "limited edition" Xbox 360 console with two wireless controllers and a copy of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The revelation came tonight during an Activision event meant to let attendees play the game's multiplayer component for the first time.

The consoles will come bundled with a 250GB HDD--a new size for the Xbox 360, the largest yet-- and will also sport a specialized CoD-themed paint job. Pre-orders are apparently already open in the US, with other regions coming later in the week.

As for the game itself, the bundle packs the "standard edition" of Modern Warfare 2.

Modern Warfare 2 hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 10, with these limited edition bundles unsurprisingly hitting the same day. In addition to the new bundle, Xbox 360 will receive the game's first two map packs before any other platform.

While the action on display in this new Modern Warfare 2 "flag runner" clip is impressive, the more enticing bit of footage comes with the disconnect screen--or lack thereof.

Note that as the multiplayer game's host leaves near the end of the clip, the game searches for a new host and instantly reconnects the players a la Halo 3. A welcome in-game feature for anybody that's been rudely disconnected while on the verge of a glorious backstab.

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Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer has been tapped to provide the score for Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2, Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Zimmer is known for his work on such films as The Dark Knight, Gladiator, The Rock, and Cool Runnings.

Since that news is fairly low-key, let's spice this post up with some leaked Modern Warfare 2 footage from a recent GameCrazy conference:... Read more

Ever the shrinking violet, Infinity Ward has released a mere two chilly new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 chilly new screenshots as part of the Gamescom festivities.

Unless it's startled by a loud noise, bright light or unwanted attention, Modern Warfare 2 will hit PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 10, with map packs to follow.

Following a statement from publisher Activision that seemed to indicate Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would only receive two downlodable map packs post-release, developer Infinity Ward has clarified that it plans to "heavily" support the game.

"The fact that we confirmed at least two map packs doesn't mean there won't be more; honestly we plan on shaping our DLC based on community feedback from the full game, and first two DLC map packs," Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling told MTV Multiplayer. "The community will really determine what comes after that."

More details regarding the map packs--right now, all we know for sure is that the first two Xbox 360 before any other platform--are likely to remain under wraps until after the anticipated shooter hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 10.