If you pre-order Modern Warfare 3 through many Digital Distributors, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare free, the game that started it all.  Call of Duty 4 is a game that people are still playing today as it is a classic and will always remain a classic with it being balanced, with it being the first game to introduce the Perk system as well keeping killstreaks to a basic number of three (UAV, Airstrike & Attack Helicopter).

While there may be other Digital Retailers participating in the promotion, we know that you can take part in it by pre-ordering Modern Warfare 3 at Steam, Direct2Drive, GameStop, and the Activision Store.  This is an international promotion and you also get Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare right away after pre-ordering so you can play while you are waiting for the November 8th release of Modern Warfare 3.

A member on 360Junkies posted the video in the site’s forums, and assuming that it is not fake- it does indeed look like we may soon have to pay for the privelige of playing Call of Duty online.

The video appears to show that the subscription will be payed in Microsoft Points on the Xbox.

Update: Video is no longer available.

I was trying to join a friend’s session on MW2 the other day and had this screen pop up. It clearly says at the top of this menu: “Modern Warfare 2 Membersh”, in which we can confidently assume that the last word is “Memberships”. If you’ll notice at the bottom is an option to “Add Microsoft Points”, clearly indicating that this was intended to be a menu for purchasing different levels of Membership, presumably memberships would have been offered in a variety of durations.

The rumor isn’t without basis either- Michael Pachter recently stated that he believes subscription models should be added to online games, with Activision and Call of Duty as the pioneers.

The statements followed after the NPD results released at the beginning of July showed a 6% decrease in video game revenue.

“We think that the overall decline was due to a very large number of people playing multiplayer online games for free on PlayStation Network, and for an annual fee with unlimited game play on Xbox Live,” said Pachter.

It shall remain to be seen how the public react to pay-per-play subscriptions for their favourite online games

Whether you’re an advocate of great graphics, excellent sound effects or compelling storylines, it’s undeniably the fun factor that really makes games go down the annals of history.

From the early days of the SCUMM-based graphic adventure – such as Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max Hit The Road and The Secret of Monkey Island – to the obtuse humour of Leisure Suit Larry or cutesy comedy of today’s multitude of LEGO-branded titles, it’s a truly great moment when a game catches you off guard and you laugh out loud.

As opposed to the “comedy” featured in games like the deplorable Matt Hazard, a well placed joke can really add to the whole experience. Even the slightly sober topic of war can have its moments… Call of Duty 4, for example, got in on the act – albeit briefly on the Mile High Club level – by borrowing the “surely you can’t be serious”oneliner from the classic Airplane movie. Not the funniest joke in the world but it did catch me unawares and made me chortle.

There have been some really, really funny games over the years – Monkey Island: LeChuck’s Revenge, Simon the Sorcerer and Earthworm Jim spring to mind, as do the more recent offerings of Fable II, Ghostbusters and Saints Row 2 (with its nut shots achievement and singing along to the radio among many memorable moments). Overlord 2 is worthy or a few chuckles too… Ordering those in your charge to club a seal to death – although not particularly politically correct – is very funny! Not played it myself but friends suggest Naughty Dog’s Unchartered 2 deserves a mention too…

And what about Spy vs Spy, Cannon Fodder (notably its soundtrack), Theme Hospital, The Movies or Dead Rising? I used to love Ghouls n’ Ghosts too – and always raised a smile when my knight collided with an enemy and shed his armour to reveal his blushes and boxer shorts.

Of course, it’s all very subjective. Me, personally? I really like the way modern games subtly blend humour into a storyline; it’s far less in your face than in the old days. Although I used to have a laugh while playing the likes of Dizzy, Skool Daze, Pyjamarama or Leisure Suit Larry all those years ago, I think developers have really upped their efforts with the dialogue and scripted scenes we see today.

Perhaps the greatest example of this is the Grand Theft Auto series, which made great strides with humour. From driving over people (again, not very politically correct) in the original 1997 game to the radio broadcasts, TV shows and guest appearances by comedians RickyGervais and Frankie Boyle, that feature in its fourth incarnation…

It’s a funny old game. Anyone got any other favourites?

After the huge sucess of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare , Activision are planning to make a movie based on the developers famed series , according to Hollywood Reporter. However, prior to Thursday’s quarterly earnings conference call, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick wouldn?t comment on the status of Call of Duty becoming a film.

Kotick added that video games, especially family-friendly titles – like Guitar Hero, which will be getting its own show – are capturing leisure time away from TV and film? Evidence that Kotick might be correct was in the company’s financial report on Thursday. Revealing that Activision Blizzard’s first-quarter revenue had more than tripled to $981 million as net income swelled to $189 million from $43 million in the year-ago quarter.

Given the recent success of Activision what do you guys think about the possibility of a Call of Duty Flick?