If there’s one thing you can say about Activision, it’s that they know how to squeeze every last dime out of their products.  The recently announced Stimulus Package DLC map pack for Modern Warfare 2 is no exception, and honestly the name couldn’t be more accurate.

It is a stimulus package.  For Activision’s bank account.  However, many MW2 players are throwing a hissy fit about the cost of the expansion – $15 for 5 maps, two of which are revamped maps from an older game – and are doing their very best to pretend like they’re not going to pay for it.

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BioWare is up to something.  Two of the company’s main game sites, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins respectively, now feature a timer counting down to Monday.  As I write this, the timer on the Mass Effect 2 site has a time of 4 days, 23 hours, 36 minutes, and 31 seconds.

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People love rocking out.  According to some rough calculations by the folks over at RockBandAide, Harmonix has grossed over $107,000 in sales on their two-week old Rock Band Network, in addition to the staggering $161,000 grossed from the traditional DLC methods.

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Maybe the guys over at Activision realized how screwed they are now that their top devs got shitcanned, because it looks like they’re trying to milk as much cash as they possibly can from the Modern Warfare franchise before it falls apart.  That’s the only justification I can think of for why a map pack, the  McDonald’s hamburger of downloadable content, could possibly be priced at 1,200 Microsoft points.  However, Activision seems to think that Modern Warfare 2 players will pay anything to cure mapathy, and I’m sad to say that they’re probably right.

Destructiod managed to get the map names before they vanished from the Live website:

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There’s a bit of a fuss going on about the recently revealed fact that BioShock 2’s downloadable content isn’t downloadable at all, and is in fact stored right on the disc.  Fans (and some blogs) are incensed that they are being made to pay additional cash for what is essentially an unlock code with no “new” content being offered for download.

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We saw Activision’s pretty great advertisement for Modern Warfare 2’s upcoming DLC map pack, in which we were promised a cure for “Mapathy.”  Now EA has tried to do their competitors one better by announcing free DLC for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with the blog title “How to avoid ‘mapathy’ without paying”:

“VIP members will be able to expand on the deep and ever changing sandbox experience, which in itself provides near endless hours of entertainment, by having new content to keep things fresh. It also plays a vital part in making sure you, the players get proper value for the money you’ve invested in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. This is why these map packs are available at no extra cost, contradicting the industry standard and what our direct competitors are doing.”

Oh snap!  You got that Activision!?  EA is done messing around!  So why don’t you take your 25 million players and….roll around in all that money….or something.  Yeah.

You didn’t think you were going to get everything for free, did you?  Destructoid has the scoop on the first paid DLC update for BioWare’s action-rpg:

“As expected, the Mass Effect 2 universe will continue to expand beyond free downloadable missions. Earlier this afternoon I watched game project director Casey Hudson plow through the game’s first chunk of paid DLC, “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory,” that looks to incorporate a new character, a new SMG, and even a unique way to play this April 6th.

The content, which can be launched at any point during the narrative, can be divided into two themed swathes. The first half is exploration-based. The space Rogue Kasumi is seeking an item of value that is tucked deep in a bent rare-item collector’s vault. To get access, Shepard must travel to the collector’s house party, mingle, and discover where exactly that vault actually is. The second half is an escalating series of battles against mechs and soldiers after discovering the object.

Kasumi is, of course, a recruit for the suicide mission (or even after). And the best part is that she hits with fresh moves — the hippest being “Shadowcloak,” the space version of a “backstab.” But  more compelling than the addition of a thief and new moves is the fresh art. The rare item collector has a host of historical items in his house and vault, each lovingly crafted by BioWare’s artists. But The mansion, even the formal wear are all newly-created assets as well.”

Start saving your pennies!

We knew that new maps were headed to Modern Warfare 2 soon, but until now we didn’t know exactly when.  However, thanks to Infinity Ward’s Fourzerotwo (Community Manager Robert Bowling), we now have access to a site that promises to deliver the cure for “Mapathy” on March 30^th.

From the Mapathy site:

“Mapathy (n.) [map-uh-thee] (often expressed as, “How the hell did you know I was there?!”) is a state of indifference to the same old maps one has been playing for the last several months.  The Mapathetic individual no longer derives pleasure from blowing up people hiding in the cockpit or on top of the crane.  More than 20 million people may be at risk for mapathy.”

Of course, it’s worth noting that DLC has been announced for Xbox 360 exclusively at the moment, and will probably trickle down to PC and PlayStation 3 users some time later.  Suckers!

See the full ad after the break.

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Face it:  You love Lady Gaga.  You don’t have to admit it to me, but you do need to admit it to yourself.  Perhaps you should start by picking up next week’s Gaga-themed Rock Band Track Pack.

Oh, and have you ever noticed that Gaga sounds exactly like Homestar Runner on Bad Romance when she yells “I DON’T WANNA BE FWIENDSS!”?

Me either.  Because I’ve never heard that song.

Full track listing after the jump.

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Good old Fourzerotwo.  He’s been relatively quiet as of late, what with all the drama, but his Twitter is alive again to let us know that yes, lots of people are playing Modern Warfare 2 and yes, there is DLC on the way:

From Twitter:

“…annnd we JUST hit 25 MILLION unique players on Modern Warfare 2. Insanity! Also, got a lot of #MW2 DLC details coming this week! FINALLY!”

I agree with the “FINALLY!” part – I’ve been aching for details on the next place in which some camping bastard will one-shot me with akimbo Rangers.