Video Game First: Call Of Duty Gets Premiere

The first ever premiere for a computer game has taken place in London’s Leicester Square.

Video Game First: Call Of Duty Gets Premiere

10:17am UK, Tuesday November 10, 2009

Elizabeth Scott, Sky News Online
The first ever premiere for a computer game has taken place in London’s Leicester Square.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 hosted a star-studded event ahead of the game going on sale.

Rather than the traditional red used for film premieres, the carpet was camouflage in colour.

Presenter Vernon Kay hosted the cinema screening and actors who lent their voices to the game attended, including Kevin McKidd from Grey’s Anatomy and former Eastenders and The Bill actor Bill Murray.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is expected to be the fastest selling video game of all time.

An estimated three million copies will be sold in the UK alone in its first week which would beat any box office film or music album sales.

While the game, developed by Infinity Ward, has received praise for its graphics and seamless action sequences it has also been condemned for being too violent.

In one scene the player must decide whether to kill unarmed civilians at a Russian airport in order to infiltrate a terrorist group.

The makers have included checkpoints in the game which allow players to move past some of the more brutal episodes.

Some MPs have criticised Call of Duty and the gaming industry on the day of its release.

Labour’s Keith Vaz said: “It contains such scenes of brutality that even manufacturers have put in warnings within the game.

“It’s not about censorship, it’s about protecting our children.”

Modern Warfare 2 is the sixth game in the Call Of Duty franchise, which was first launched in 2003, and has spawned several spin-off games.

The latest instalment continues the same storyline as it predecessor.

Players must hunt down Makarov, a Russian terrorist who has implicated the United States in a criminal act.

US stars including rapper 50 Cent have also provided voiceovers for this latest edition. – Sky