Activision and Microsoft are exploding with joy over the performance of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 "Stimulus Package" map pack, proclaiming today that the downloadable add-on "shattered Xbox LIVE records" to the tune of 2.5 million sold.

One million of those purchases and downloads occurred within the first 24 hours, according to a statement from Activision. In dollar terms, that's over $37 million USD in revenue in the map pack's first week on the market, a clear sign that 2.5 million people quickly came to grips with the Stimulus Package pricing.

Keep in mind that's just one week on a single platform, as Microsoft locked down the Modern Warfare 2 map pack as a timed exclusive for the Xbox 360. We're sure Activision will be further swimming in it when the Stimulus Package goes wider and the next collection of downloadable content comes to Call of Duty fans.

Want to see what all that Modern Warfare 2 fuss is about, PC gamers? Then play the game's multiplayer mode for free this weekend, courtesy of Activision and Valve's Steam service.

That "weekend" starts a little early, as the free Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer action starts Thursday, April 8. You can pre-load the multiplayer portion of the game through Steam as of right now to ensure maximum play time without spending anything but bandwidth.

Sorry, but you won't be able to burn through the game's compact single-player portion during your comped Call of Duty time. But free is free.

Investigative organization WikiLeaks released classified United States military video today showing the killing of more than a dozen Iraqis, including two Reuters employees, with a spokesperson for the whistle-blower group slamming the soldiers involved for their "video game" like behavior.

That video, which is incredibly disturbing and graphic, shows a group of Iraqis walking the streets of New Baghdad, identified as armed "insurgents" by military personnel. The group, which reportedly included Reuters photojournalist Namir Noor-Eldeen and assistant Saeed Chmagh, is gunned down by a pair of Apache attack helicopters. Later, a minivan that appears to come to the assistance of the wounded is fired upon.

Australian journalist and WikiLeaks advisory board member Julian Assange released the video at the National Press Club in Washington. "The behavior of the pilots is like they're playing a video game," said Assange, according to a report from Fox News. "It's like they want to get high-scores in that computer game."

Assange may be referring to the detached, casual nature of the dialogue between military personnel and the excitable language following the attack.

The gruesome video will be visually familiar to anyone who has played through Infinity Ward's most recent Call of Duty games, in which the player pilots an AC-130 gunship in an attack on ground forces. The in-game dialogue, which closely mirrors that of the WikiLeaks-released video, appears to be just as realistic in its nature as the piloting of a military aircraft.

Video Appears to Show U.S. Forces Firing on Unarmed Suspects in Baghdad [Fox News]

Investigative organization WikiLeaks released classified U.S. military video today showing the killing of more than a dozen Iraqis, including two Reuters employees, with a spokesperson for the whistle-blower group slamming the soldiers involved for their "video game" like behavior.

That video, which is incredibly disturbing and graphic, shows a group of Iraqis walking the streets of New Baghdad, identified as armed "insurgents" by military personnel. The group, which reportedly included Reuters photojournalist Namir Noor-Eldeen and assistant Saeed Chmagh, is gunned down by a pair of Apache attack helicopters. Later, a minivan that appears to come to the assistance of the wounded is fired upon.

Australian journalist and WikiLeaks advisory board member Julian Assange released the video at the National Press Club in Washington. "The behavior of the pilots is like they're playing a video game," said Assange, according to a report from Fox News. "It's like they want to get high-scores in that computer game."

Assange may be referring to the detached, casual nature of the dialogue between military personnel and the excitable language following the attack. While the comparison of real-world violence to that of video games isn't uncommon, in this case, it's perhaps accurate, if a bit inflammatory.

The gruesome video will be visually familiar to anyone who has played through Infinity Ward's most recent Call of Duty games, in which the player pilots an AC-130 gunship in an attack on ground forces. The in-game dialogue in Modern Warfare 2, which closely mirrors that of the WikiLeaks-released video, appears to be just as realistic in its nature as the piloting of a military aircraft and the destructive firepower inflicted upon human beings.

Clearly, some games like Modern Warfare and Battlefield, the aim for a high level of realism, but the unsettling video released by WikiLeaks may put that virtual violence in a new context for some viewers. Whether its appropriate to toss out a "video game" comparison in a grim story like this is up for discussion.

Video Appears to Show U.S. Forces Firing on Unarmed Suspects in Baghdad [Fox News]

When you're a world famous three-time Formula One champion, you take any rare opportunity for me-time that you get. Here Brazil's Bruno Senna combines his morning cardio with some Modern Warfare 2.

Before you dismiss this or even think "Oh hell, I should try that," realize that he's on a bicycle roller, not a stationary brace. That means Senna has to balance himself while aiming down his sights, else he'll drift off the apparatus. But then, Senna's probably demonstrated a superior ability to make decisions and keep steady at speed, so this shouldn't be surprising.

Translation from the description on the YouTube page: "Learning to multitask. Bike + roller + MW2 COD on the PS3. Good with F1 + + G-Force multi-function steering wheel!"

Bruno Senna Concentrado Entrenando MultiTarea Training Multitask [YouTube, via Twitter]

When you're a the nephew of a world famous three-time Formula One champion, you take any rare opportunity for me-time that you get. Here Brazil's Bruno Senna combines his morning cardio with some Modern Warfare 2.

Before you dismiss this or even think "Oh hell, I should try that," realize that he's on a bicycle roller, not a stationary brace. That means Senna has to balance himself while aiming down his sights, else he'll drift off the apparatus. But then, Senna's probably demonstrated a superior ability to make decisions and keep steady at speed, so this shouldn't be surprising.

Translation from the description on the YouTube page: "Learning to multitask. Bike + roller + MW2 COD on the PS3. Good with F1 + + G-Force multi-function steering wheel!"

Bruno Senna Concentrado Entrenando MultiTarea Training Multitask [YouTube, via Twitter]

So you're upset that you have to pay $15 for five maps, two of which are old, and that the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package launched broken. You know what'd cheer you up? Free night vision goggles for your avatar!

What? Does this not appease you? Perhaps you didn't understand what I was trying to communicate. Let me clarify. To celebrate the release of the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package on Xbox Live, Infinity Ward, Activision, and Microsoft are offering you free avatar night vision goggles. Simply download them from the Avatar Marketplace between now and 12AM Sunday night (Pacific), and you will not have to pay any Microsoft points for them whatsoever.

But wait? You already bought those goggles? Worry not! Microsoft will automatically credit back the purchase cost to your account by May 1.

Everything is okay now, right?

When the Modern Warfare 2 "Stimulus Pack" downloadable content launched, it did not work. Surely there had to be a reason for that. Turns out, there is.

Issues included: Multiplayer lobbies not working, images for maps not showing up and no option to play private matches. According to Xbox LIVE Operations Manager Eric Neustadter, the broken launch was the result of a "process failure".

The Stimulus Package was released on March 30, before the Title Update for Modern Warefare 2 became available. Thus, the DLC would not work properly. "For a couple of hours the result was unpredictable but most people couldn't get into a game through matchmaking," Neustadter recounted in the Xbox Live Operations Blog. "In technical terms, it was a big hairball that we had to unwind."

Hairball, gross!

Xbox Live Operations Blog : Today's Xbox LIVE issues – Modern Warfare 2, Matchmaking, and Billing. [Xbox Live Operations Blog via Eurogamer]