ACME™ Anti-Predator Shield

   I forgot to mention the comedy highlight of Saturday's gaming. While waiting to respawn on Skid Row, I spectated as a team-mate brought down a Predator missile right onto a guy wielding the Riot Shield. Instantly, I thought of Wile E. Coyote whipping out his umbrella to deflect the house-sized boulder falling on him. The Riot Shield might as well have had ACME™ stenciled on it. We laughed for 5 mins straight. The other team was not as amused as we were...

   I only played one match last night, as I was feeling really run down. Still am. There are (as always) multiple threads in the Infinity Ward forums complaining about this or that aspect of the multiplayer game. The latest bugbear is the akimbo 1887 shotty. I haven't come across it yet myself, but that particular weapon, combined with the Marathon and Light-footed perks, appears to be giving folks a hard time. The shotguns apparently have an unrealistic range.

   For my money, I think the game has gone a bit overboard on the HollywoodHong Kong theme. A lot of weapons are being given the John Woo akimbo treatment; there are guys with akimbo SMGs running around all over the place. Again, since I tend to be a more static player, it really doesn't bother me, game-wise, except when on the move or when playing with random Timmies, but I think it takes away a bit of the toned-down realism of the game. Maybe that's a good thing for popularizing the game, but some more traditional players are finding it disconcerting.

   Overall, I think it's a bit early to judge. Most players haven't unlocked all the weapons yet, so the balance isn't clear. And, of course, perks and attachments can greatly affect the effectiveness of a weapon. On to the sparse links:

• The Modern Warfare 2 PC Dedicated server petition is at 230,000 sigs.
• The Modern Warfare 2 PC Post-Release Petition has exceeded 6000 sigs.
• The Mirror investigates why some folks think the PC version sucks.
  
• MW2 still number one in its second week. How big is MW2? Advertising Age tells us.
  
• Reviews: Hollywood Chicago.