n00b unfriendly games

What makes a n00b friendly game?  While playing Killzone a teammate, who is a self described n00b to Killzone,  made the comment that Killzone2 was not a n00b friendly game.  What followed was a back and forth conversation about other games that are not n00b friendly. 
       Let's take a look at what makes this game unfriendly to n00bs. The first thing is the merit system.   In order to play other classes and weapons, you must earn online ranks.  This is nothing new.  Many games have had unlockables for higher ranks.  The Rainbow Six series is the first that comes to my mind, but I doubt that they were the first. In recent years a couple of games have increased "stamina" when you achieve certain ranks.  This would allow the gamer to shoot straighter when wounded.  A lower level player would be less accurate when wounded and thus giving an advantage to the higher rank. 
      Other than shooters, many other games have adopted a type of merit system.   Tiger Woods and other sports games allows you to upgrade your character to improve your performance.  Most racing games reward players by unlocking cars and upgrades at different levels.  It is rare today to find a game that does not reward a player who takes the time or effort to rank up.
        Is this fair? The answer from a n00b would be a big fat "NO".  The n00b is a player that is either a casual gamer to a game, with limited knowledge of the game, or they're simply not good. It both cases the n00b is looking for that magical weapon to lift their level of play to that of a better player.  I call these weapons "Madcats", named after the n00b Mech in Mechassault on the original Xbox.  A game like Gears of War supplies power weapons that in the hands of a n00b, can even the playing field, to a point.  Even with power weapons the n00b must have the skill to use it. To gain skill you must play the game regularly.  With regular play you will rank up thus opening up those weapons and classes that are not available at lower levels. 
       So, is it still fair? The answer from the regular players and higher ranked players the answer is "Yes".  The player that commits their time to play the game on a regular basis deserves the reward for playing the game. Most gamers enjoy the challenge to unlock items.  To a game developer this potentially extends the life of the game.  In addition, it is insulting to the regular gamer, for a n00b to assume that they should be as good or better than the gamer who plays 4 or 5 times a week for several months. This is regardless to whether there are merit systems in the game.  Even with games like Gears a player who has played a year should be better than someone who picks up the game and jumps into the game.  This of course does not address the issue of lag that plagues certain games.
       In short a truly n00b friendly game does not exist.  Even if you bust out Mario Kart for the Wii the person playing more will win 9 out of 10 times.  Some shooting games are more friendly to n00bs than others, providing "Madcats","n00b tubes" or certain "power weapons" but for the most part it still comes down to skill.  As stated before skill only comes from playing the game.  If you are a n00b please remember, a weapon or game setting that gives you a boost in skill will also give a boost to the regular player.
     Finally, back to Killzone2 and it's merit system, the majority of players use one of the first couple of guns available, at the start of online play. The weapons that are unlocked later in the game in most cases require advanced skill to use effectively.