Warfare not fair?

Did video games get a price-hike when we weren’t looking, or is Activision merely playing on the fact that we’ll loyally fork out for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 no matter how much it costs? We suspected a combination of both when we saw the list price for the new game was an eye-watering £54.99!

We kid you not – fifty four of your British Pounds Sterling and ninety nine pennies – and we’ve treble-checked the usual online outlets just to make sure we weren’t seeing things. But no, there it is in black, white and, in some instances, an appropriate shade of bleeding wallet red.

Of course, none of the retailers we looked at are actually proposing to charge you that much. Oh no, most of them, out of sheer selfless generosity, have already lopped a tenner off the RRP. How thoughtful of them.

If you haven’t worked out what’s going on by now you’ve just been suckered into paying the regular recommended retail price for a game, all the while believing you’re getting a stunning bargain. It’s an old tactic, and it’s absolutely rife in video games retail. We’ve never seen such a lofty starting price, though – and the £54.99 suggested isn’t even for any kind of special collector’s edition!

So there it is. But have you seen the footage of Modern Warfare 2 in action? Once you have you’ll be queuing up to hand over your hard-earned, happy as Larry – just like the rest of us. Even so, ever get the feeling you’ve just been had?