It's discouraging enough to die as much as I do. I tend to have a 2:1 ratio of deaths to kills. And that's when I'm on a roll.

But what's really discouraging is dying and then seeing in the kill cam that I was killed by some guy who's level 35 on the day the game came out. And that furthermore he killed me by using a thermal imaging scope. When he drew a bead on me, I was glowing white hot against the background, but I could barely see him. That guy's already better than me! He doesn't need a thermal scope to kill me! I should be the one with the thermal scope!

I love the Call of Duty leveling system, with the procession of new guns, and unlockable perks, and challenges, and weapon attachments. I'm as much as sucker for this sort of thing as the next guy. But I ultimately prefer the approach taken in Section 8, a game that features far more customization options and multiple layers of strategy than the Call of Duty games. And instead of forcing you to play to unlock the new toys, everyone can always access everything, from the very beginning. Section 8 is about your tactical choices. Modern Warfare 2 is about the amount of time you've spent playing.

But I do appreciate one of the concessions made in Modern Warfare 2 for guys like me. It's called Copycat. It's one of Modern Warfare 2's new Death Streak perks. After dying four times in a row - something I do a whole lot - I get my Death Streak perk when I respawn. If I've got Copycat equipped, I have the option to take the same class, and therefore equipment, as the guy who just killed me. So, hey, a lot of times I do indeed get that thermal scope, long before I've actually unlocked it.

Now staying alive long enough to actually get any use out of it is another issue...

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