Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2 – Steam Trojan Horse?

If you are a gamer, you will know that today is huge because Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has been released.  Reviews have been high for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and it is no surprise that some PC gamers are giving it low scores.

Here are some quick reasons why PC gamers got screwed:

• 16 maps. The max amount of players on any map is 9v9.
• No dedicated server support. Infinity Ward’s IWNet protocol controls everything.  This means no mods and no customizations whatsoever.
• No console. You can’t even kick people.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  If you search Google News right now for Modern Warfare 2, there are thousands of headlines on this.

One headline that really got my sight was this one: ” Modern Warfare 2 Shunned by Several Digital Distributors Due to Steam ‘Trojan Horse’.

What does that even mean?  If you bought this game retail from the store, you are FORCED to install Steam in order to play this game.  The Steam protocol ensures your game is updated, anti-hacked, and everything else that comes with it.

Per Direct 2 Drive, an online distributor, they will not carry this game because of the inclusion of the Steam client.  Below is their statement:

“We believe strongly that when you buy a game from us, you shouldn’t be forced to install and run a 3rd party software client to be able to play the game you purchased,” D2D explains in a statement masquerading as a listing for Modern Warfare 2 in its store. A representative later told Kotaku “We don’t believe games should force the user to install a Trojan Horse.”  Source

What makes it worse is that if you had pre-ordered the game on Steam, you will have to wait until November 12, Thursday to play the game!  What is even more hilarious is that if you went out to the store and bought the game instead, you will be playing it online right now.  The retail version of the game also has Steam, so it makes absolutely no sense why pre-order purchasers are getting screwed over right now.

This signifies that DRM is not all it is cracked to be, and even innocent gamers are getting punished.  With no dedicated server support on PC side, it is expected the game is going to be released online via torrents and some hacker group will figure out a way to mod the game and get dedicated server support going.  It is just a matter of time.

Read more about the Steam debacle here.

It goes to show that Steam is not always welcomed, and when you have to tie gamer’s hands behind their back and force them to use a 3rd party client against their will, it makes you wonder if it is even worth the purchase.