Check this out, it’s a new type of headset for the Xbox 360 which features not a mouthpiece but microphones on your neck! Yup, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Throat Communicator by Madcatz only serves to heighten the suspension of disbelief for armchair soldiers when they engage in pitched battles on one of those Call of Duty games.

I’m not too sure what other benefits can be provided from a “military-inspired” headset (it even plugs in to just one ear!), but I’m pretty sure those who use them would feel a little cooler than the rest of the geeks not using the headset.

Anyways, don’t let me be a stumbling block, check out the picture above and if you want to order one, click here. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Throat Communicator is being sold at USD 39.90 each.

What do you call a theory, in which it can only be applied to a particular person, and not anyone else. Whatever it is supposed to be called, I do have a theory when it comes to video games and me. Out of every 5 PS# games that I can get my hands on, I would most likely finish 1. And for the past year, despite playing a considerable amount of games, I only finished 4.

Judging by that, I may be better of renting games rather than buying them.The latest game I played was God of War III which a friend lent to me and I promptly finished it in 3 days. It makes more economical sense but there are two factors that prevent me from doing so. Barring God of War III, I usually take a long time to finish a particular title and I do have a preference for open-world action RPG types which can take months to complete. And to a lesser degree, I like keeping the games I play (for this alone I intend to get a new copy of GOW III).

So renting video games may not be every gamer’s cup of tea (or bottle of Redbull), but hey, if you are the type that fits the profile (plays and completes games in a matter of days and don’t want the hassle of reselling whatever you have bought), check out the following bunch of Malaysian stores  that offer video game rentals. All of them are active on the online forum that I frequent:

1. Blackmango Games – In the business of renting games since 2007 (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=561277&hl=rent)
2. Doraemon Blu Ray & PS3 Game Rental – In the business since 2007 (http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/594198/+0)
3. Jitu.Unggul – Rental Services for PS3 Games – Big games library and delivery-to-doorstep for certain areas (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1047109&hl=rent)
4. Heavy Arm Rent & Play Gamestore – New titles, cheap rate (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1350604&hl=rent)

I always wondered whether game developers know some secret ways around their games to you know, win. Do you? Well, in the case of Battlefield Bad Company 2, you can find out by participating in a game against the developers over at EA!

This Wednesday, Battlefield Bad Company 2 Community Managers (these are the nice fellas that feed writers like me breaking news) invite you and your squad to showcase your skills against EA’s very own “Bad Company”. Team EA is looking for a good fight, so log in and prepare for some smack talk.

The event takes place over Xbox Live and you’ll need an Xbox Live Gold Subscription, a copy of the game, Internet connection and of course an Xbox 360. Here are the details:

Game With Developers – http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/calendar/gamewithdevelopers
Date: April 7, 2010
Time: 7:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M. Eastern/4:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Pacific

Look for the following Gamertags and send off an invite or friend request:

* easoulsurfer
* EA Pruitt
* EA Echo7
* EAGamers1
* eagamers2
* eagamers3
* eagamers4
* eagamers5
* eagamers6
* eagamers7

One of things about writing about video games is that I get plenty of games to review all the time. These games are either from the US iTunes store or are PS3 Region 1 (US) games. This makes it necessary for me to have both an US iTunes account and a US Sony PSN Account ID.

The downside is that when it comes to buying things, neither of the two online marketplaces accept Malaysian credit cards. So what does a guy has to do to get his game on? While I previously used Entropay, I recently discovered a site called Maximus Cards that sells PSN and iTunes top-up cards and they accept payment via Paypal!

Once payment is successful, the Top-Up card’s code/serial number is immediately e-mailed to your e-mail address, so that you can quickly top-up your credit on the respective online marketplace and start buying stuff. Pretty convenient eh? I myself bought an iTunes Music Card recently for purchases on the US iTunes App Store.

Maximus Cards carries an impressive range of top-up cards, ranging from Xbox Live Points, PSN Cards, Wii Points, iTunes Music Cards, and World of Warcraft Prepaid Cards. Click here to check it out.

Taking a break from the iPad coverage, here’s a bit of news that will delight owners of Battlefield Bad Company 2 for the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3.

Previously available only as a Pre-Order exclusive, the Squad Rush Mode for Bad Company 2 is now unlocked for all PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers. This new mode pits 2 squads of 4 players against one another in an intense infantry-only version of the Rush game mode.

Check out the following trailer to get an idea what this new gameplay mode is about:

In other news, be sure to be a fan of the Battlefield Franchise Official Facebook HQ for the latest breaking news. The page also includes a special Tips & Tactics section with some of the best fan-created strategies from all-around social media. You can view the page here: http://www.facebook.com/battlefield

Battlefield Bad Company 2 fans! Listen up! The Bad Company 2 VIP Map Pack 2 is now out for public download. This second Map Pack adds two maps upgrades – Capture strategic town positions as Arica Harbour is enhanced with Conquest mode and secure M-COM stations in Laguna Presa, updated with Rush Mode.

You can be sure of brutal door-to-door street fights to test your infantry skills to the max. Check out the action-packed trailer below:

So, how do you get the Map Pack in the first place? Each new copy of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 comes with a VIP code that can be used to redeem the map. If you purchased the console version of the game used, you can purchase the Map Pack via the in-game store. PC gamers on the other hand get the content as a game update.

Modern Warfare 2 caught some flak with the release of its ill-fated spoof video titled Fight Against Grenade Spam (a.k.a F.*.G.S). Heh, I don’t know what people have against grenade spam (I personally like doing so in Halo and Red Faction), but I guess it’s the not so P.C. acronym that became the lightning rod.

So in a pretty smart example of one-up-manship, Bad Company 2 teamed up with New York Yankees pitcher and 2009 LCS MVP C.C.  Sabathia to stand up and speak out against grenade spammers with a response video aptly titled: Friends Really Against Grenade Spam (F.R.A.G.S)

Besides obviously spoofing the MW2 video and making it look dull and uninspired at the same time, this PSA provides useful tips to gamers so we can all put an end to the shameful waste of grenades (damn, they are still talking about me..and probably you) and as a team, play together. Check it out:

What’s coming in a couple of days, costs USD 10 and lets you drive 7 exotic racing cars in over 50 racing events? It’s the Need for Speed: SHIFT Exotic Racing Series DLC!

Released for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles, you get to race some iconic cars like the McLaren MP4-12C, Gumpert Apollo and the BMW M1. I’m particularly excited over a certain “Stirling Moss” edition of a car.

Check out a couple of car shots below from the DLC and more importantly, the trailer is here too! So mark down your calendars and dust off your racing wheels as the DLC goes live this 18th of March!

Plenty of server related action over the weekend. First Ubisoft‘s DRM servers took a nose dive and caused plenty of dis-contention among its PC-based customers since they can’t play their games, particularly Assassin’s Creed II and Silent Hunter V. That’s an entire weekend wasted trying to get their games to run.

Those who own pirated versions of the two games didn’t have a problem with the dead-in-the-water servers; apparently they were having a blast playing the games over the weekend.

On the other hand, Battlefield Bad Company 2 had a field day with its North American and European servers over the weekend. Due to a high surge of traffic, these servers encountered outages. These ARE NOT DRM servers, but rather dedicated servers for multiplayer action.

Here’s an update for all 3 platforms:

• Xbox 360 was severely impacted, and the service is being restarted. It should be back online and the EA Team are monitoring closely.
• PC had an outage, but the service is offline currently and the service is being restarted. It should be back online and the EA Team are monitoring closely. The quality of the customer experience will be checked to determine possible next steps.
• PS3 appeared to have a brief outage, but has quickly recovered and the services are functioning properly at this time.

All teams are working on diagnosing and remedying the issue, including adding additional servers to help alleviate the load.  The EA team sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience and stay tuned for updates.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 is out. For those who pre-ordered, congratulations on your free upgrade to the Limited Edition copy of the game. And for all of you who purchased Bad Company 2 brand new, please don’t forget that you can download the Day 1 DLC Map Pack for free!

The Map Pack contains two new maps, Nelson Bay (Rush) and Laguna Alta (Conquest).  Console gamers who purchased used versions of Bad Company 2 which don’t include a code can purchase one via the in-game store for $15. PC gamers will get the content via game update.

If you have not checked out the Battlefield Bad Company 2 TV Spot, here’s the place to watch it:

P/S: I find it a little ironic that with the release of BFBC2, Infinity Ward (developers of Modern Warfare 2) is having a pretty serious crisis.