Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released worldwide this week to an overwhelming success, selling 4.7 million copies on a single day and raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone. Reviews have been mostly favorable too, at least as far as gameplay is concerned. But there is one group who feels slighted by a series of changes made in this latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise.
Ever since the word was out, PC gamers have been up in arms with Infinity Ward's decision to replace dedicated servers to host multiplayer matches with a proprietary infrastructure called IWNet. This has translated into less control in the hands of gamers, with no way to choose who is hosting matches (one player is assigned automatically), and no ability to kick or ban players from your game.
These are all things the PC community has grown accustomed to and taken for granted for years. Furthermore, player cap has been reduced from 64 on previous versions to just 18, with 9 vs. 9 matches becoming the new norm just like in the console versions. Looking at some disgruntled user reviews you'll learn about a few other omissions that have left people complaining of this being nothing more than a console game that plays on your PC.
In its defense, Infinity Ward claims the new matchmaking system "takes the benefits of dedicated servers and allows them to be utilized and accessed by every player, out of the box." For example, it will automatically find you a game with the best performance, ping, and preferences based on your location and individual connection as well as matching you with players of your same skill. They also promise a cheat and hack-free experience.
Today we want to know your thoughts on the new multiplayer functionality and lack of control on the user side. Is all the backlash really warranted or will the game's multiplayer mode remain just as enjoyable while making it easier for less experienced users to join the fun?