‘Call of Duty’ may set entertainment record

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NEW YORK — This holiday season’s biggest entertainment blockbuster likely will be a sequel to a popular franchise, with jarring depictions of war and an intricate story of good versus evil. It could easily rake in more than last year’s record $155 million opening weekend for "The Dark Knight.”

But this blockbuster is not a movie.

It is "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” a video game that Activision Blizzard Inc. is releasing Tuesday.

Fans worldwide are expected to spend at least half a billion dollars on the game in the first week.

The new "Call of Duty” is $60 and is available for PC, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Like the previous five "Call of Duty” games, which are all rated "M” for mature (not for children younger than 17), this one lets players shoot their way through a complex series of scenes.

A big part of the game’s appeal is in its multiplayer component.

Or a player can dive in alone and get swept into the game’s plot, which picks up where "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” left off. That game ended with victory over a Russian terrorist, but he was just part of a larger conspiracy. This time, the target is an even more vicious leader of the Russian Ultranationalist movement. Settings include a snowbound Siberian base, a leafy American suburb and the burning streets of Washington, D.C. One trailer for the game shows a glimpse of action in outer space.