The Best Gaming Moments of 2009

Harry – Modern Warfare 2

I stand by our review of Modern Warfare 2 even more so now that I’ve pumped over twenty five hours into the game’s excellent multiplayer in spite of the problems provoked by IWNet. So, it probably comes as little surprise to find it’s at the centre of my best gaming moment this year. In fact, one of the game’s most contentious issues is what actually made my story possible.

Signing into Steam on a wet December weekend, I saw a couple of friends were playing MW2 and since I had fifteen minutes to spare I quickly jumped onto our designated Ventrillo server and fired up my game for a few friendly rounds. Perhaps some Domination or Sabotage we though as we joined a server, but within minutes four more of our various Steam friends had shown up and joined our group via the game’s excellent party management system and now with one too many for a public game (sides are typically six strong) someone suggested a private match instead.

Whoever said that didn’t really know what they were getting into and within a few minutes the normal and comparatively mundane back and forth of a public sabotage or domination game had descended into a glorious free for all among friends. Banter across Ventrillo rose to fever pitch, shouts and insults were traded back and forth and we all tied our hardest to inflict the most humiliating and rage inducing kills possible.


Care package kills, throwing knives, all were fair game and as I was familiar with and trusted everyone on the server all of the apprehension and suspicion of playing on public servers was gone. It was replaced by balls to the wall fun and more than a few exasperated cries as the first chopper gunner kill streak was called in (shortly followed by its owner’s cry of dismay as it was swiftly shot down.)

You see, as much as multiplayer gaming can be great the other players you frag might as well be bots for all the personal connection you usually have with them. Sure, there are legitimate other people on the other end of user Steam IDs but that’s they’re rarely anything more than names to you. Actual player interaction on any sort of meaningful level is usually absent.

It’s rare you ever get to put a personality, voice or face to those you play with (which is why I believe LAN gaming is still relevant even in these times of high speed internet), and for UK and European players this is doubly true as we all seem to be afraid of jumping on the microphone for some friendly banter – unsurprising to be honest considering the amount of offensive smack talk so prevalent amongst online gamers.


When you’re playing amongst friends though you’re free to get stuck in without fear of upsetting anyone or reaching for the handbags, allowing you to just concentrate on what gaming is all about – having fun and inflicting humiliating deaths on your mates by falling kill streak crates.

Twenty minutes later and the match was over – the chopper gunner pilot emerging victorious amid cries of dismay despite a few of us rallying in the dying minutes and pushing to make the end game surprisingly close. Although I’ve played MW2 a great deal since its release, this short and sweet private free-for-all match amongst friends has been by far the most fun I’d had with a game this year. The only question is, when can we play round two?

Got a story of your own that you want to share, or do you just have a different perspective on ours? Either way, let us know your thoughts in the forums.