The only downside to this is that I’m pretty sure the maps will only come up in matchmaking if everyone in your party has the map pack as well, just the way it worked in Call of Duty 4. I guess I can just hope my friends pick it up so we can dominate some more on Crash and Overgrown.

We gamers would like to thank you for the great products you have produced over the years. As great as your games have been, we still feel the need to bring to your attention a few glaring defects in your games regarding the online multiplayer matchmaking and party system. The Modern Warfare 2 pre-game lobby is such a glaring eyesore on what otherwise is one of the best shooter games of all time.  What makes it so much worse is the fact that other shooter games have had the whole pre-game lobby and party system mechanics down for years.  When we first put the most anticipated game ever into our systems, we expected a perfected and well polished product.  Instead, we found a broken and inept matchmaking system that makes us feel as if we’re playing an online game from the late 1990′s.

First and foremost on the list of issues we would like to see corrected is the role of party leader.  In online matchmaking where gamers go in as a party, one person is designated the party leader.  This role should provide some level of power over how the party plays the game.  When in a pre-game lobby, sometimes gamers have reasons to back out of the matchmaking system.  The way your current system works is completely wrong.  The party leader has absolutely no control over pulling the party out of matchmaking.  Instead, the only way to keep the party together is to require the party leader to back out of the matchmaking system by themselves and then have the rest of the party notice that the party leader is gone and they then need to back themselves out.  This has caused many gamers grief with having half a party back out while the other half is still in the game,  completely oblivious to the fact that their party is gone.  The party leader should also have the ability to designate a new party leader.  This prevents the entire party from being broken up just because one person needs to leave.

Another issue is that of party stability.  When we enter matchmaking as a party, we generally want to play the game as a party.  This means we want to all be in the same game and on the same team.  The current system glitches often, which causes parties to get split up and thrown into completely separate game lobbies.  The way the gamers are listed in the pre-game lobby also makes it difficult to recognize if your entire party managed to make it into the same lobby.  We would like you to fix this so that parties are kept together, no matter what the connection quality is.  We would also like you to change it so that if we do somehow manage to get into the same pre-game lobby together, that we have our party listed always together and possibly have an on screen indicator of who is in our party.  You do this during the game (with the blue/green indicators) so why can’t you do this in the pre-game lobby?

One great feature of the Call of Duty franchise is the ability to join matchmaking games in progress.  Not many other game developers put this into their games.  While it is great to be able to get into games quicker, we have a few suggestions on how to refine this.  The first thing you need to add (this goes along with the party leader powers) is the ability for a party leader to set the party status as open or closed.  A closed party should not be available to be joined in progress.  Another feature we would like to see added is that join in progress be disabled near the end of an online match.  There’s nothing worse that joining a game in progress only to be placed on the losing team with just a few seconds left in a match.  There should be some qualification measure to determine whether or not join in progress is enabled or not, such as having a certain scoring margin within the last minute or two.  If it’s a close game, join in progress can be helpful, but no one wants to join a game that they have no chance of winning.

We hope you take this into consideration and we look forward to seeing many, if not all, of these suggestions implemented in a future title update.

To all you other gamers, if you agree with this, feel free to leave your gamertag in the comments below for Infinity Ward to see.

Yes, I’m talking about the RIOT shield. This thing is beautiful, and for several reasons. One, it deflects just about ANYTHING in the game if you’re aiming it right including Air Support. Acting as a target for the enemy harrier will frustrate them to no end, if they know what is happening. Two, it usually surprises enemies if they come blitzing around the corner and see you there. And third, if you’re playing right, it will take several of them to take you down.

But there are some drawbacks too. Unless you’re running lightweight and marathon, you’re PAINFULLY slow, and even with those perks it’ll take you awhile to get to the fight. Enemies can also just hit you in the side if you’re not using terrain properly, and can also sneak some bullets to your feet if they’re smart. Lag will also let some of the more aggressive opponents “Slide-stab” you, where they run to your side and hit melee, which will auto-target you and you’ll be unable to defend due to unavoidable internet latency. Sometimes they seem to just be able to shoot through your shield. Some people roll with semtex on all of their builds, and will try and stick you. Some people get their grenade launchers/AT4/RPG out and shoot behind you negating your defensive bonus.

These drawbacks aside, nothing brings me more pleasure than hearing a lobby full of opponents complaining about how big of a noob you are for using a short-range blunt object to kill them. Also, its a different way to play than the standard “Shoot enemies” way of playing, and it isn’t like the Stabbing epidemic that seems to be running around right now. Here are some general Do’s and Don’ts, and I’ll get into specific tricks of the trade in the next section.

Do’s

Do: Crouch when you encounter an enemy from ANY distance.
Do: Face your enemy and have him in the center of your screen at all times.
Do: Be patient when engaging multiple foes.
Do: Avoid sprinting when in enemy territory.

Don’ts

Don’t: Get too aggressive and lower your shield with an enemy in your direct line of sight with a gun pointed at you
Don’t: Stay in one spot for too long
Don’t: Stand in the open. Use terrain to your advantage.
Don’t: Use smoke or Flash grenades. These take too long to use and your shield will be down during this time.

Very simple to follow! This will allow you to survive for a little longer than an unshielded opponent. Now I’ll get into some tricks that will actually allow you to go positive in K/D while Rioting.

The throwing knife is a very quick weapon, allowing you a ranged attack that will minimize the down-time of your shield, and not to mention pretty humiliating when you nail someone from a decent range with it! Also handy for hitting people that aren’t moving but you can’t get to them without exposing yourself too much. The trick is to absorb some of their fire until they get confused as to what to do about it, all the while you’re lining up your throwing knife with the center of the screen from behind your shield. When they stop to throw a semtex, or aim at your feet, you chuck the knife, then go pick it up off their body and repeat the cycle.

Semtex: Slower than the throwing knife, but more likely to net you a kill with good placement. The tradeoff is shield downtime, which is why I prefer the shield.

Stun grenades are quick. Slightly longer down-time than the knife, but the benefits are awesome. One, the enemy is slowed to a crawl, two their aim is dropped, three they can be blinded temporarily with a direct hit. A well placed stun grenade beneath the feet of a charging opponent will make them bait for anything you may want to do to them. My personal favorite is shield bashing, as they can’t get away, and they can’t lag-slide you with their knife. Flashbangs and smoke are useless as the idea is for them to see you coming, and they take too long to use anyway. Plus flashbangs will hit you through your shield, while stuns do not.

C4: I haven’t personally messed with this, but planting it on the wall and using your shield to get them to rush you and blowing it could work. Problem is having the controller out for it means no shield. An ALLIES C4 would work wonders though, they can have it planted and you could pull them into the explosion. Or you can sit on the C4 pack and just back up a bit when its time to blow it up.

Claymores: These are trickier to use alone. To pull them in and set it off, you almost have to put it where they can see it at an odd angle. This requires a stationary position, and would work better defending objectives. Make sure you are somewhat facing your claymore to protect you from as much of the explosion as possible. Pulling an enemy into a teammates claymore is better as you’re not going to take damage, and you get extra points if they shot you before they ’sploded.

Now, onto perks and builds. I’ll list my favorites then some alternatives. First is Scavenger. With the Riot, once you’re in the combat zone you’re not gonna be moving alot, so Marathon isn’t necessary unless you’re impatient and want to be in the fight quicker. Scavenger gives you full ammo for your secondary weapon (non launcher) and allows replacement of lost throwing knives, used semtex and stun grenades, and the like. VERY handy and ups your killing power quite a bit.

For the Red perks, I prefer Cold Blooded and Lightweight, depending on the map. Lightweight with Marathon for the biggest maps to get into position, and Scavenger and Cold blooded for maps where you’re in the action quickly. You can use other perks to enhance your secondary weapon if you wish, they’re not my preference however. Having the shield on your back is very unreliable.

Yellow perks, there is only one you need: Commando. As slow as you are, if you’re gonna bash them to death you need range, and commando provides. The Pro level also has the handy ability of being immune to fall damage, so you get some great shortcuts opened to you. Nothing else really compares to the benefits you see for the shield.

Section 3: Its not all about you.

Ever notice how you get “Good distraction” points when the enemy shoots your shield, then is killed by an ally? The shield was put in to help support the “Team game” concept.

Get in front, your ally does the work while you act as a bullet/grenade/everything they have magnet. Playing as a team player helps cement your victory over your opponents. When acting as a bullet sponge, make sure to keep the enemy attention, and to let your ally know to hang back a bit and watch for flankers that would hit you in the side. Have them wait behind you, and when an enemy shows up and puts lead to your shield, they should pop up and blast them while the enemy is figuring out what to do about you. This is the simplest way to deal with enemies. Getting your shot in with the melee is good too, as dealing with multiple opponents is often too much for people to deal with, much less the complication of dealing with one wielding a riot shield. This will weaken the enemy, and make their demise that much easier for your ally. Beware of stray explosives, this is what people will try to throw before they die when confronted with multiple opponents.

Defending objectives is made easier with your riot shield in hand. When the enemy is trying to rush an objective point, such as in domination, they’re planning on swinging in, grabbing it, then running off before your team can react. You not only prevent an easy capture, you delay them until you can ultimately kill them, or an ally can more efficiently put them down. Make sure you’re crouched in a common path to the objective point, avoid easily flanked locations, and wait. Your enemies will be along shortly. Then its just applying above skills to the encounter.

I hope you enjoyed this short guide to RIOT shielding for fun and profit. Good luck, and have fun pissing off your enemies!

Now that the KAA have been identified it is time to designate three Areas of Responsibility (ARs).

The three ARs have been designated AR Elevator, AR Middle, and AR Helipad.  Because all three AR are long and narrow on this map it makes sense that the AR owners should be snipers or other long range builds.  Long range builds are recommended for each AR but there are enough nooks and crannies that a camping shorter range build could do the job.  Remember, I don’t care how each man takes care of his AR so long as it is taken care of.

The major vulnerability that is not addressed by the three ARs is the Red Pit tunnel.

This is marked as a SAA but anyone who takes that route could get behind all of the AR owners if they are sniping from the building.  This weakness can be mitigated by using claymores or having the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) or the Mobile Forces (MFs) covering the tunnel.  The QRF is not a very reliable defense because the QRF will probably be called out to help one of the AR owners.  As we all know, claymores are a decent defense but they can be circumvented.  This means that it falls to everyone to keep a loose eye on that area and if the MFs want to cover that area then more power to them.

Provision to the 50/50TACDOC for Highrise or any other map:

If any AR owner is getting taken out regularly they can request that someone take their area from them.  The AR owner must watch their area until someone relieves them and then the AR owner must assume the duties of the person replacing them.  The same goes for anyone that wants to change their duty position for any reason.  If a MF wants to take an AR position he must have an AR owner agree and then go relieve the AR owner.  Changing positions is a two way street.  If the QRF wants to switch role he must wait for the person to relieve him as well.  This way is someone is having a bad game in any role they can change roles.

Applying the 50/50TACDOC to any MW2 map is a four step process.

1.      Key Avenues of Approach (KAA) must be identified.

2.     Areas of Responsibility (ARs) must be assigned along KAAs to deny OPFOR the use of KAAs to outmaneuver our forces.

3.      A Quick Reaction Force (QRF) will be created to assist any AR that is under attack

4.      Maneuver Forces (MFs) will be assigned to harass OPFOR and destroy any massed OPFOR attacks.

Now the 50/50TACDOC will be applied to the Estate Map to give you an idea of the KAAs.  Once KAAs are identified three ARs will be identified to control OPFOR movement on Estate.  After the ARs are identified the duties and responsibilities of the QRF and MF will be more fully explained as they apply to the 50/50TACDOC.

The KAAs are marked by black lines.  Teal lines mark the Secondary Avenues of Approach (SAA).  The KAAs and SAAs are not intended to mark all possible avenues of approach; only the most important or frequently used avenues of approach are marked.  Also, the KAAs and SAAs are only my opinion at the moment and are open to debate and refinement.  Here is the map with KAAs and SAAs marked.

The KAAs have been identified now the ARs need to be identified.  Before the ARs are identified the role of the ARs and how they apply to the 50/50TACDOC need to be explained further.  The AR is simply and important piece of real estate that one person is assigned to control.  The person assigned to the ARs can defend it in any way that they see fit so long as they effectively deny the area to the OPFOR.  The person assigned to the AR owns the AR and it is their baby.  If the person assigned to the AR want to sit behind the AR in an over watch position that is all good.  If the person assigned to the AR wants to camp in some nook of the AR it is all good.  The idea of assigning AR instead of a specific position is that each person plays differently and with different weapons.  As long as they can keep the OPFOR from using the AR as a maneuver route then the person controlling the AR is doing their job.

Of course, each AR is not set in stone.  Those are the ARs that I think are most important.  The particulars of each map are open to debate and refinement.  Each AR is not defensible against a massed OPFOR assault.  The person responsible for each AR is only expected to deal with one or two OPFOR at a time by himself.  The main job of the AR owner is to keep the OPFOR from getting one or two men behind the lines and into a position to flank everyone else.  It is inevitable that the OPFOR will eventually mass four or more guys to push through an AR.  If the owner of an AR gets attacked by more than he can handle he puts out a call to the QRF.  There will be one guy assigned to the QRF and it is his main job to quickly help any AR owner that needs help.  Ideally, the QRF will be enough help to take care of the OPFOR but if the OPFOR show up with their whole team two guys will not be able to hold an area.  This is where the Mobile Forces (MFs) come into play.

Ideally, the MFs will be operating in the OPFOR area and keep the OPFOR from massing to attack any one AR, but if the OPFOR can get enough of their guys together then it is the MFs job to be the cavalry and come to the rescue.  The MFs should try to attack any AR that the OPFOR have taken from the flanks or the rear because the AR owner and the QRF will be fighting to take the AR back.  The way the spawns will probably work means that the AR owner and the QRF will probably be approaching the OPFOR from the front.  This will allow the AR owner and the QRF to delay the OPFOR until the MFs can flank and catch the OPFOR in a cross fire.   Also, the AR owner and the QRF should press the attack on a lost AR so the OPFOR cannot consolidate and control the lost AR.  The one caveat to this plan is that the MFs are given carte blanche to do as they please.

The only job that the MFs have is to defeat the OPFOR in the most effective way they can.  This means that the MFs are never required to help an AR owner.  If a MF is effectively taking the OPFOR out on the other part of the map then they are free to keep doing what they are doing.  However, if all or most of the OPFOR is identified as being on one part of the map then it is expected that the MFs will head over there and kick a little ass.  The MFs are not tied to any particular part of the map and are free to camp, sneak, and outmaneuver as they see fit.  As long as the MFs are racking up the kills then they are doing their job.  Of course, the MFs are encouraged to be team players and not a bunch of mother fuckers.

That is the 50/50TACDOC in a nutshell.  Of course, there are a lot of individual Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) that we already like to use and those can be codified and added to the 50/50TACDOC.  The idea is that the 50/50TACDOC can be used to effectively unify our efforts and keep us from being flanked while allowing each of us to apply the TTPs that each individual favors.  As always, this tactical doctrine is intended to be refined over time.

1. Private – 0 – Team Deathmatch / Mercenary Team Deathmatch / Free For All / Grenadier Class / First Recon Class / Overwatch Class
2. Private I – 500 – Callsign Title / Callsign Emblem /
3. Private II – 1700 – Scout Sniper / Riot Control
4. Private First Class – 3600 – Create a Class / M4A1 / FAMAS / UMP .45 / L86 LSW / Intervention / Barrett .50 Cal / PP-2000 / SPAS-12 / USP .45 / AT4-HS / MP5k / RPD / Riot Shield / Frag Grenade / Semtex / Marathon / Sleight of Hand / Stopping Power / Lightweight / Commando / Steady Aim / Copycat / Domination / Ground War
5. Private First Class I – 6200 – Primary Weapon , Secondary Weapon, Perks and Equipment Challenges (more perk and equipment challenges become available as more perks and equipment becomes available)
6. Private First Class II – 9500 – Clan Tag / Painkiller / Basic Training Challenges Part 1
7. Specialist – 13500- Pain Killer / Throwing Knife / Basic Training Challenges Part 2 / Demolition Playlist
8. Specialist I – 18200 – SCAR-H
9. Specialist II – 23600 – Hardline
10. Corporal – 29700 – Killstreaks / Sabotage / Headquarters Pro / Operations Challenges Part 1

11. Corporal I – 36500 – Tactical Insertion / Operations Challenges Part 2
12. Corporal II – 44300 – Vector / AA-12
13. Sergeant – 53100 – Scavenger / Search and Destroy
14. Sergeant I – 62900 – Thumper x2
15. Sergeant II – 73700 – Unlock a Killstreak
16. Staff Sergeant – 85500 – MG4 / Capture the Flag / Killstreak Challenges Part 1
17. Staff Sergeant I – 98300 – Scrambler
18. Staff Sergeant II – 112100 -
19. Sergeant First Class – 126900 – Blast Shield / Hardcore Team Deathmatch / Hardcore Ricochet: SD / 3rd Person Teams / 3rd Person Cage Match
20. Sergeant First Class I – 142700 – TAR-21
21. Sergeant First Class II – 159500 – Bling / Killstreak Challenges Part 2
22. Master Sergeant – 177300 – G18
23. Master Sergeant I – 196100 – Unlock a Killstreak
24. Master Sergeant II – 215900 – P90
25. First Sergeant – 236700 – Cold-Blooded
26. First Sergeant I – 258500 – .44 Magnum / Precision Challenges Part 1
27. First Sergeant II – 281300 – Martyrdom
28. Sergeant Major – 305100 – FAL / Ninja
29. Sergeant Major I – 329900 -
30. Sergeant Major II – 355700 – Stinger
31. Command Sergeant Major – 382700 – Claymores / Precision Challenges Part 2
32. Command Sergeant Major I – 410900 – AUG HBAR
33. Command Sergeant Major II – 440300 – Danger Close
34. 2nd Lieutenant – 470900 – Striker
35. 2nd Lieutenant I – 502700 – Finishing Moves Challenges Part 1 / Unlock a Killstreak

36. 2nd Lieutenant II – 535700 – WA2000
37. 1st Lieutenant – 569900 – SitRep / Finishing Moves Challenges Part 2
38. 1st Lieutenant I – 605300 – M93 Raffica
39. 1st Lieutenant II – 641900 – Final Stand
40. Captain – 679700 – M16A4
41. Captain I – 718700 – Last Stand / Humiliation Challenges Part 1
42. Captain II – 758900 – Ranger
43. Major – 800300 – C4 / Humiliation Challenges Part 2
44. Major I – 842900 – Mini Uzi
45. Major II – 886700 – One Man Army
46. Lieutenant Colonel – 931700 – M9
47. Lieutenant Colonel I – 977900 – Payback Challenges / Unlock a Killstreak
48. Lieutenant Colonel II – 1025300 – ACR
49. Lieutenant Colonel III – 1073900 -
50. Colonel – 1123700 – Javelin
51. Colonel I – 1175000 – Unlock a Killstreak
52. Colonel II – 1227800 – M240
53. Colonel III – 1282100 – Elite Challenges Part 1
54. Brigadier General – 1337900 – M1014
55. Brigadier General I – 1395200 -
56. Brigadier General II – 1454000 – M21 EBR / Unlock a Killstreak
57. Brigadier General III – 1514300 – Elite Challenges Part 2
58. Major General – 1576100 – TMP
59. Major General I – 1639400 – Unlock a Killstreak
60. Major General II – 1704200 – F200
61. Major General III – 1770500 – Intimidation Challenges Part 1
62. Lieutenant General – 1838300 – Desert Eagle
63. Lieutenant General I – 1907600 – Unlock a Killstreak
64. Lieutenant General II – 1978400 – Intimidation Challenges Part 2
65. Lieutenant General III – 2050700 – RPG-7 X2
66. General – 2124500 – Unlock a Killstreak
67. General I – 2199800 – Model 1887
68. General II – 2276600 – Unlock a Killstreak
69. General III – 2354900 – Unlock a Killstreak
70. Commander – 2434700 – AK-47

Prestige – 2516000 – Prestige Mode

I wanted to clarify the supposed “news” coming out of GameCom this morning regarding no MW2 Beta.

First, nothing has technically changed by this news. As I’ve told you many times in the past, expect no Public Beta unless we announce otherwise. That is still the case. We would never say something as definitive as “No Beta Ever!” as that’s simply not how we work. We’ll do an internal beta, if we feel a public one is needed, we’ll explore that route as well.

It is true that we have not announced a Public Beta for MW2, and that remains true unless I announce otherwise.

However, while no Public Beta is currently announced we do plan on running an extensive Closed Beta among Infinity Ward, Activision, and possibly 1st party partners worldwide. The internal beta will allow us all the benefits of a public beta test without the impact it takes on the time required to prep, distribute, & manage a public beta during this crucial time in development.

Remember, Multiplayer has been in development since Day 1 of working on Modern Warfare 2, and this is the essential run up to launch when we’re playing everyday, hammering away on it to make sure it’s as polished as can be by launch. As always, our internal QA team has daily multiplayer tests in addition to company-wide nightly MP tests we hold from the moment MP is in a running state throughout development.

Once the internal beta is completed, if for any reason we feel we didn’t receive the feedback, address the issues, or have the result we expect. We would consider pushing forward with a public one, however at this point only an internal Closed Beta is planned.

That said, any fears that no Public Beta will result in any quality loss in the final multiplayer game is completely unfounded; Multiplayer has always been and will always remain a major focus for the team at Infinity Ward and we would never ship a product we didn’t feel lived up to the high standards we hold ourselves to.

While we love public betas for all the obvious reasons, an internal Closed Beta allows us the extra freedom and flexibility to give the entire multiplayer a chance to be widely beta tested without requiring excess development time simply to prep the game for public release instead of an internal beta test which is ran on dev kits / test kits. That fact alone, allows us to have a smoother and faster process of iteration when addressing issues and pushing fixes out to beta participants.

This decision allows us to deliver a more polished experience, which in the end, is what we all want.

Now, let me show you this “polished experience” that Infinity Ward delivered. No doubt this is a high selling game, but those sales were based on an anticipated product, not on what was actually delivered. Now that the game has been out and played by a large number of gamers, the many flaws in this game have come to light. Here are a few.

Javelin Glitch

One of the many new weapons available to players in this sequel is the javelin, a highly explosive anti-vehicle weapon. The glitch allows the player to trigger their javelin to go off immediately when they die. Due to the high explosive nature of the weapon and no warning being given to opponents, this is a fairly cheap way to rack up kills by taking out large numbers of opponents in one shot.

Private Match Glitch

This glitch allows you to start an online private match and somehow get the system to put other gamers into your match from the online matchmaking system. This allows you to setup a game with your own custom rules as well as allowing you to spawn before others enter the game. This gives you a distinct advantage to camp the spawn points and easily rack up the experience.

Infinite Care Package Glitch

Care packages are rewards you get when you get a certain kill streak. The player throws a smoke grenade marker where a helicopter will drop the care package. The package can contain any of a number of other rewards, anything form a UAV to an AC-130 gunship. This is a massive game breaking glitch that gives a distinct advantage to a team that takes advantage of this over a team that doesn’t.

Unlimited Ammo Glitch

Not quite sure what exactly causes this glitch, but it seems to almost be a virus on the Xbox 360. The glitch happens when the host of the match happens to have the glitch in their Xbox 360 cache memory. If ever there was a game breaking glitch, this was it, as demonstrated in the video below.

Summary

I think it’s safe to say that Infinity Ward screwed the pooch on this game. Before the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, they took the time to prepare a public beta test of the multiplayer system. It was understandable. That was the first Call of Duty franchise game that wasn’t based on World War II. They wanted to make sure their new system was balanced and free from as many glitches as possible. With Modern Warfare 2, as you read above, Infinity Ward was so full of themselves and arrogant enough to think that a simple internal test would be sufficient to find any and all game breaking glitches.

The videos above, and many others available online, show that Modern Warfare 2 is riddled with game breaking glitches. Gamers are tired of this and expected better from a company like Infinity Ward. My confidence in their ability to put forth a quality product has taken a big hit due to their ineptitude on this release. That being said, the game is still fun and I know that eventually the glitches will get patched out, but that’s still no excuse for why they didn’t do more extensive testing before release.

Now we gamers are left with nothing but Bowling’s reassurances that they’re looking into it.

Preparing an in depth #MW2 Status Report for players to stay aware of what we’re addressing & how it’s progressing. Lots of updates in works

• GAME OF THE YEAR
  UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
• STUDIO OF THE YEAR
  Rocksteady Studios
• BEST SHOOTER
  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• BEST RPG
  Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• BEST FIGHTING GAME
  Street Fighter IV (Capcom / Capcom/Dimps)
• BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
  UFC 2009 Undisputed (THQ / Yuke’s Media Creations)
• BEST HANDHELD GAME
  Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games / Rockstar Leeds)
• BEST GRAPHICS
  UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
• BEST MUSIC GAME
  The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)
• BEST DRIVING GAME
  Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft Game Studios / Turn 10)
• BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
  Assassin’s Creed II (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)
• BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
  NHL 10 (Electronic Arts / EA Canada)
• BEST SOUNDTRACK
  DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)
• BEST XBOX 360 GAME
  Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)
• BEST Wii GAME
  New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)
• BEST PS3 GAME
  UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)
• BEST PC GAME
  Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts / BioWare)
• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
  Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft Game Studios / Bungie)
• BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME
  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)
• BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW
  South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! (Microsoft / DoubleSix)
• BEST CAST
  X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing / Raven Software)
• BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
  Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Activision Publishing)
• BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
  Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen / Activision Publishing)
• BEST VOICE
  Jack Black as Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legend / Electronic Arts)
• BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
  Shadow Complex (Microsoft Game Studios / Chair Entertainment)
• BEST COMEDY GAME
  Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (D3Publisher / Vicious Cycle)
• BEST DLC
  Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Rockstar Games / Rockstar North)
• BEST INDEPENDENT GAME FUELED BY DEW
  Flower (ThatGameCompany)
• MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
  God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

To me, the video game awards are starting to become more and more like the Oscars are for the film industry–where the awards rarely reflect actual fan preferences and work on a flawed voting system.  With the Oscars the problem is that too few people select the winners.   With the video game awards, it’s the opposite problem–too many.  The voting is done through internet website voting, which as many geek knows is far from impervious to manipulation and spam voting.   When something wins an internet vote, all that tells me is they had the most people spamming votes and/or hacking the website to get extra votes counted.

Some of the awards I agree with, while many others I was surprised won (ex. Left 4 Dead 2, a virtual expansion pack).   I kind of felt this was going to be an off year for the awards show ever since I saw the nominations.  I still can’t believe they didn’t have Halo 3:ODST nominated for the Best Cast or Nathan Fillion nominated for the Best Performance by a Human Male.

My personal preference for what games should have won would have been these:

• Game of the Year: Dragon Age: Origins – Not a ton of pre-release advertising for this game, but because it’s made by BioWare, I went out and bought it.  Wow, this game is awesome.
• Studio of the Year: Gearbox Software – Brought us Borderlands, probably the most innovative RPG-Shooter game ever.  Not only that, but in the short time this game has been out, they’ve released one DLC package and have announced a second one.  How many other game studios take care of their customers like that?
• Best Xbox 360 Game: Borderlands – Great blend of the shooter and role playing genres.  Witty dialogue coupled with fun shooting gameplay.
• Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Probably the most anticipated video game ever.  This will be where I’ll spend most of my multiplayer gaming time at.
• Best RPG: Dragon Age: Origins – see above
• Best Action/Adventure Game: Brütal Legend – Great adventure game that brings the heavy metal music to a new medium – video games.  It’s got Jack Black in it too.
• Best Cast – Halo 3: ODST – A game that has Nathan Fillion (Serenity/Firefly, Castle), Adam Baldwin (Serenity/Firefly, Chuck), Alan Tudyk (Serenity/Firefly, V) and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice)?  Yes please.

Congratulations to Marty O’Donnell for winning the Best Original Score for Halo 3: ODST.  That game had some awesome music.  I’d recommend the soundtrack to anyone, even non-video game players.

The long awaited sequel to what was, in my opinion, one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, has arrived. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 comes out swinging with every punch hitting its mark. Modern Warfare 2 takes place five years after Call of Duty 4 with you playing as a handful of characters throughout the six or so hour bad guy shooting, plot twisting, incredibly fun, campaign.

The updated Call of Duty game engine does well to increase the quality of the graphics and gameplay. New abilities such as using two weapons at once and Predator drones loaded with missiles allow for interesting new tactics to be used.

Graphics are done very well, while not a big boost from Call of Duty 4, they are still magnificent. The draw distance is much farther, so in multiplayer the Ghilie suits work very well. More detailed textures clean up most blurry pixels at close range. My favorite addition graphics-wise is the glint of scopes. It’s incredible to be able to pick out a sniper hiding in the grass, almost perfectly camouflaged, because you see a flash of light from his scope.

Sound design is excellently done. Having personally fired a few of the weapons featured in game, they sound exactly like the real thing. In the campaign your squad mates will alert you and each other to enemy positions, if they need covering fire, or if they get hit.

There are plenty of new weapons and equipment items to choose from in multiplayer, along with new kill streak rewards and the introduction of death streak rewards, which are intended to prevent players from getting what is known as ‘spawn camped’. New kill streak rewards include Predator missile strikes, Harrier air strikes, Pave Low helicopters, being an AC130 gunner, and a tactical Nuke, which wins the game for your team. Death streak rewards include having extra health for a few seconds after you re-spawn, dropping a grenade after you die, or stealing the class of the last person that killed you.

The campaign itself is incredible, with no filler missions. The campaign kept me interested at all times. From climbing an icy cliff to fighting in Afghanistan, you aren’t going to be bored.

Modern Warfare 2 is an absolutely amazing game, if you are wanting to get into First-Person-Shooters, pick up Modern Warfare 2. If you’re a gamer, pick up Modern Warfare 2. If you are breathing, pick up Modern Warfare 2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 gets my vote for game of the year.

Dez1013 seemed to like the game too.

First off, I’m pleased that this game provides lefty controls (not sure about legacy for those folks) and the option for southpaw trigger controls which to some is more comfortable (like me).
Regarding the length of the campaign I’ve heard some complaints but I feel that its so good you get sucked in and next thing you know you’re finishing the game. The AI is much more improved, actually working against you instead of just spewing 2 tons of lead at you while standing still. It’s actually tough fighting an AI that wants to flank you and move to better positions and makes for a more enjoyable and unique experience each time the game is played.

The spec ops missions are a great addition. Letting you play the parts of the game you enjoy most in fun scenarios that can be done co-op and really do require teamwork to win.

The multiplayer is superb. More weapons and better choices for secondary allow you to make multipurpose builds easier than the first MW, now allowing you to spray tons of lead and still take down a chopper, or snipe and protect yourself at mid range. The new maps are much more spaced and allow for more gunning less nading. The only maps which are generally disliked IMO are the Brazil based maps. The riot shield really helps for objective games allowing players to cover themselves and others in those open flag areas. Disappointingly, the lack of a cohesive party system where the leader can bring everyone with him or her still makes for a frustrating time. Ground war is much smoother now and with the removal of frag x3 you can safely walk around without dying a frag death every 3 seconds.

My own review of the game can be found over on my personal blog.  With few exceptions, it seems Modern Warfare 2 has jumped to the top of everyone’s most played list lately.  It has a great multiplayer system that only seems to be lacking in a few areas.  Some gamers have already found glitches, which Infinity Ward is actively working on fixing through update patches.  Overall, it’s a great game.