Modern Warfare 2 in stores, selling well on Amazon.com

As many of you know - especially those of you crazy enough to hang out at GameStop during the witching hour (hello, Kyle Orland) Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is now out and it is selling briskly. But GameStop isn’t the only retailer cashing in on Infinity Ward’s and Activision’s latest modern themed first-person military shooter; Amazon.com is claiming very brisk sales of the game.

Amazon.com has gone so far as to call it “the biggest selling pre-order video game of all time,” having overtaken the previous pre-order record holder, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. The game currently holds the number one and two positions on Amazon.com’s Bestselling Video Games list for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, respectively. Amazon also claims - I assume, according to its own internal data tracking - that “Release-Date Delivery” pre-orders for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 have surpassed TOTAL orders for the previous pre-order record holder, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Amazon.com offers Release-Date Delivery for selected pre-order items it knows it can deliver on the date the item releases for ZIP codes within the continental United States.

If you don’t want to hang out at GameStop or any other traditional retailer, you can pick up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC DVD at Amazon. PC Gamers can pick the game up at Steam.

More tracks revealed for Band Hero

Activision has cracked the curtain on some of the bands that will have tracks in Band Hero, its upcoming music game that probably will face a lawsuit from Harmonix at some point for its name. The game will include such popular acts as Fall Out Boy, Hilary Duff, Boys Like Girls, The All-American Rejects and Jesse McCartney

Additional songs from both the console and Nintendo DS Lite set lists were also revealed, which can be found after the break below. When the games ship on November 3, fans can live out their music fantasies as their favorite music superstars, including singer/songwriter Taylor Swift and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, - both playable in game. Check out the set lists after the break.

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BLUR delayed to 2010

Activision announced today that its next-generation racing game, BLUR, will not make it in 2009. The game is the first title from Bizarre Creations, who you probably know better as the developers of the Project Gotham Racing series owned by Microsoft. According to published reports, the game is being delayed so the development team has more time to improve the game’s online multiplayer modes.

More information on this story as it develops.

Source: GI.biz.

Nirvana, Love weigh in on Cobain in Guitar Hero 5

Two of Nirvana’s three surviving band members are not very happy with the way Activision’s Guitar Hero 5 portrays Kurt Cobain. How displeased? Well, apparently enough to issue a joint statement sharing their disapproval.

Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, former bassist and drummer for Nirvana, respectively, have issued a statement about how the game portrays Cobain in a way that they feel is inappropriate. While both have no legal say in the matter, they said that they were dismayed and disappointed with Kurt’s avatar being used related to non-Nirvana songs and doing things uncharacteristic of his persona.

The duo have asked Activision to lock the avatar so that it can be used for only Nirvana songs. Of course, that probably won’t happen unless fans complain about it enough, because the idea of an unlockable character is that you use him or her any way you see fit. Instead, perhaps Activision should alter the animation so that it doesn’t allow him to do anything unbecoming of a grunge icon.

Meanwhile, Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, is using twitter to lambaste Activision, promising a lawsuit over the way her husband is being portrayed in the game. Obviously she didn’t show due dilligence in protecting that image when she or entities that represented her signed licensing agreements for the game.

“For the record this Guitar Hero shit is breach of contract on a Bullys part and there will be a proper addressing of this and retraction,” Love tweeted. “WE are going to sue the shit out of Activision we being the Trust the Estate the LLC the various LLCs Cobain Enterprises.”

For its part Activision has only said the following: “Guitar Hero secured the necessary licensing rights from the Cobain estate in a written agreement signed by Courtney Love to use Kurt Cobain’s likeness as a fully playable character in Guitar Hero 5.”

While Activision probably hasn’t done anything that could harm them in a court of law, it could have done a better job of respecting Cobain’s image and legacy. Having Kurt Cobain act in that manner would be like putting Jim Morrison in Guitar Hero 5 and having him moonwalk.

Source: MTV Multiplayer, Joystiq

Rapala: We Fish in late Sept.

Activision Publishing is teaming up with fishing tackle company Rapala to create and publish a brand name, Wii exclusive fishing title for the Wii called Rapala: We Fish. Set for release on September 29, Rapala: We Fish promises “over-the-top fun and action-packed fishing” and will come packaged with a Rapala fishing rod and reel peripheral, letting players cast, crank and set the hook for some nice living room fishing. With fishing time fleeting and fall looming in the not-too-distant-future, playing a fishing game on the Wii doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all - just remember to do the real thing next spring.

Oh and if you are expecting a normal fishing simulation here, then you can just forget it; this game is not like Activision’s Cabela’s line of hunting game. No sir. Rapala: We Fish takes a pick up and play approach, including comic style fish with goofy facial expressions and plenty of comic mischief. The game will offer five different game modes, including co-op tournaments, 4 player split-screen and multiplayer modes. The game also gives you five hilarious characters or the ability to play as their your Mii. The game plays out in eight locations around the world across 24 tournament events and 50 “wacky” fish species, including enormous Legendary Lunkers.

Look for it at the end of next month.

DJ Hero talent found dead in NYC apartment

Adam Goldstein, known to the music world as DJ AM, was found dead in his New York City apartment on Friday, according to a report in the New York Times. Goldstein was working with Activision on its upcoming music mash-up title, DJ Hero - a spin-off of sorts from its Guitar Hero series of music games.

The cause of death is undetermined at this time, though several conflicting reports mention hint at it being drug related. Goldstein had in the past talked about being addicted to alcohol, cocaine and crack and had attempted to commit suicide when he was in his 20’s in a 2007 interview with the NYT, but had said he was living a clean lifestyle and had turned his life around.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of DJ AM,” said Activision’s vice president of music affairs Tim Riley. “We hope that his work on the game will be a fitting tribute to his creative spirit and musical talent.”

Activision’s DJ Hero web site is currently hosting a tribute to DJ Am, featuring interviews with him talking about his music and the club scene and his passion for his art - www.djhero.com.

Image and Story Source: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images / NYT via Game | Life

Activision releases World at War iPhone app

Activision Publishing and Call of Duty: World at War developer Treyarch, have launched the first iPhone application as a companion for the popular WWII action game today via iTunes for free. The Call of Duty: World at War Companion allows those who own iPhones to remotely access news and updates to their iPhones.

Players with linked accounts on www.CoDWaW.com (Xbox 360 and PS3) will be able to see key stats from the game. The application will support unique registered player accounts for Call of Duty: World at War fans by providing stat and performance tracking, news and info about the game and the ability to monitor the activity of friends.

While this app is an interesting little bauble, fans would appreciate some kind of World at War spin-off game for iPhone. Just saying out loud what everyone else is thinking.