Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 news round-up

We'll get cracking with the news in a second. But just to note that in the fourth story, there's a mild spoiler that if you want to play the game cold, you might want to avoid.

Anyway, here's the latest round-up...

* One or two stores in the US, we understand, have been selling the game early, although this is being clamped down on quickly. Apart from an online leak of the 360 version, this has been a very tight launch from Activision. There are some UK gamers who have their copy too, apparently, as a result of retailers trying to ship out the game in time to beat the current problems with the postal service. Activision has denied giving anyone permission to break street dates.

* Those PC owners who have managed to get hold of a copy of the game that was shipped early are in for a disappointment. Thanks to the technology built into the PC version, you're still not going to be able to play it until tomorrow. That's because of the Steamworks system built into the game, which won't allow it to be unlocked until then.

* Rumours suggest that one or two big supermarkets in the UK may be selling the game for as little as £26-27 tomorrow only. Given the £55 RRP for the console version of the game, we don't expect such versions to stay on the shelves for long.

* It didn't take the Daily Mail long to slag off a game it hadn't played. Under the headline "Outrage as new video game lets players kill civilians in terror attacks", the Mail has wheeled out MP Keith Vaz, who declares that "'I am absolutely shocked by the level of violence in this game and am particularly concerned about how realistic the game itself looks."  Vaz, who, to our knowledge has never played the game, was reacting to a level where apparently you play as a terrorist, albeit in an undercover mission. It's a level that's skippable, too, as Activision has put in age warnings and such like for those who want to cut that bit out. Nonetheless, Vaz will be raising the issue in Parliament today, apparently. Sigh.

* Finally, many stores around the world are staging special midnight openings tonight for those who want to get their hands on the game as quickly as possible. Given that it's expected to be the biggest selling title of the year, we expect that there might be some queues...