Call Of Duty: Black Ops launch is a blast off
Last night's launch of the most highly anticipated computer game in the world went of with a bang at Battersea power station, south London.
Games went on sale at midnight in more than 400 shops around the UK (including 70 branches of HMV), who stayed open late due to the high demand.
Gamers had queued for hours to be among the first to get their hands on the game, which casts players as various US military special ops soldiers during the cold war era, in locations such as Russia, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam.
Many retailers offered discounts if customers either bought or traded in games in the current charts. HMV, for example, was offering Call Of Duty: Black Ops for £7.99 if you trade in a copy of the recently released Medal Of Honor, published by Activision's arch-rival, Electronic Arts
At the launch at Battersea the celebrties came out in force; N-Dubz, Alex Reid, Ashley Cole, Calum Best, Duncan James and Sophie Ellis-Bextor were all there in black in reference to its name – Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Activision's first-person shooter game has a tough act to follow as last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 holds the record for the most successful entertainment launch of all time, with first day global sales of £242.4m, comfortably beating any movie.
It went on to sell more than 20m copies worldwide, and gross more than $1bn. Activision hopes that Black Ops will outsell its predecessor, and few would accuse it of over-optimism.
Nick Parker, a games market analyst, said: "With a growing installed base of consoles in homes, especially after the recent price drops, Black Ops could very well become the best-selling Call of Duty [version]."
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