Honestly, there are too many imbalances in MW2 for me to concisely outline without writing a small novel, which I don't feel like doing. I will take the time, though, to discuss what I consider to be the game's single biggest imbalance: slippery slope. "Slippery slope" is an element of game design whereby a player is punished for losing, twice. A player is not only punished for losing by falling behind on the scoreboard, but they are also handicapped by the game as a second punishment for losing.
In MW2, this second disadvantage actually comes in the form of an advantage for the opposing player. If Player A dies a few times in a row at the hands of Player B, then he's already dug himself a hole on the scoreboard and will have to work much harder to comeback and win the game. The problem in MW2 is that Player B is not only given an advantage on the scoreboard, but also given an in-game advantage that is unavailable to Player A; namely, a killstreak reward. Player B is winning the game, and because he is winning the game, he is rewarded with new tools with which to increase his lead. Player A by comparison, is now sliding down that slippery slope and falling farther and farther behind on the scoreboard, largely because of his inability to counter Player B's advantages.
This problem is made worse by the fact that IW decided to expand that slippery slope mechanic to the leveling/progression aspect of the online mode. Every player who isn't a level 70 is handicapped in some way by not having access to all of the perks/weapons/equipment available in the game. "Pro" versions of perks, that gift players with important extra abilities as a reward for consistent use, contribute further to this problem. Basically, my biggest gripe with the balance of the game is the presence of slippery slope. Such a mechanic works fine in an RTS game like Starcraft, but it has no place in a first-person shooter.
I think the main reason that so many people whine and complain about MW2 being "unbalanced" actually has nothing to do with balance, but rather the skill gap. The game has such an unbelievably narrow skill gap that players of any ability level can jump into a game and be effective, which means that players might lose even if they're playing well. Infinity Ward has made an incredibly easy game that anyone can pick up and play, but not one that has any kind of depth or learning curve underneath the surface. People complain about MW2 because the easiest aspects of gameplay are just as effective, or more effective, than some of the more challenging aspects of the gameplay.
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