There are people that are pissed off about Modern Warfare 2.  Did you know?  If you didn't, wake the fuck up, man! 
 
The internet has been abuzz with what seems like daily bummers flowing out from Infinity Ward, Activision, and other sources in relation to Modern Warfare 2, the game that apparently bears a beard, long hair, sandals, and a couple holes in its hands and feet.  I was personally psyched about it as well.  However, that has changed.  But why?  Is it because of the game? 
 
No.  I haven't touched the game yet.  If IW's track record for making an FPS is any indication, I'm sure Modern Warfare 2 will be a completely capable first-person shooter, more capable than most.  I just don't like the feature sets.  With each announcement, it feels like another nail being driven into a coffin for something that I really don't want to let go of.  Let's go over a list of things and see what's going on in Camp Modern WTFuck 2:

•   No dedicated servers - One of the staples of PC games is the ability to have dedicated servers for game, which allow for two important things that have kept PC gaming alive for many years:  connection speeds and community.  Infinity Ward's response to these issues are that private matches are still available, and that matchmaking capabilities will improve your gameplay experience because you'll be teamed against people of your own skill level.  But will I really?  Red Faction Guerrilla has a matchmaking setup, and even with my team at blue bars (which basically means they are new), I'd still get a group of four silvers showing up in the matchmaking to stomp ass.  Halo 3 isn't that great for matchmaking either, but it is surely better than RFG.  Nonetheless, matchmaking doesn't depend on skill level - it depends on who is available for a match in that playlist at the time you are joining.  Any idea that TrueSkill or any other matchmaking setup actually creates a decently fair match is a misnomer.
• No mod community - Due to the installation of IWNet, Infinity Ward's new back-end server setup, community modding is essentially null and void.  This serves one major purpose:  IW and Activision can now charge for map packs across all platforms including PC.  My question here is why a company that started their development career on the PC would decide to cut the ability to offer mod abilities for the community, especially when a mod community can keep a game alive for many many MANY years after its time has drawn nigh.  People still play Call of Duty 2 in DROVES, and it's mainly because of the mods available for it.  I'm sure there is a way to allow the community to offer mods while also being able to charge for your DLC map packs and such.  Unfortunately, it seems there is no resolution in the end, and PC gamers will have to suffer.
• No PunkBuster - While PunkBuster may seem archaic to some, it's a proven way of keeping cheaters away from servers.  It does have its workarounds and its glitches...and it can even prevent a legit player from playing on a server from time to time...but in the end, PunkBuster has been put to the test through MANY games and it continues to pass.  Now, with the heavy usage of Steam in MW2, the game will now feature VAC.  Granted, with no mod community, there is less fear to deal with possibly getting kicked or banned...as most incorrect VAC cases were caused by simple mods.  However, VAC cases of kicking or banning are rarely overturned, even in many legit circumstances.
• Steam - This is a "love it or hate it" type of ordeal.  Personally, I work at a gaming center where we hold licenses for Steam, and even then, the functionality of it on a network using many other programs is quite difficult at times.  How difficult?  The only two games were run that use Steam are Dawn of War II and Borderlands!!!  If you are a personal home user, then maybe it's a different experience from what I see on a daily basis.  Even on my home computer, though, it can drive me nuts trying to get pre-loads and full loads and file transfers and install recognitions and everything else to work properly!