Custom games, man. Console games can learn a lot from PC games, like, you know, the ones that have been online for a decade. I put up with this because I have to, but everyone I know bitches about what the OP is about. "Why can't I play on the map I want to?" I think of it like removing the "Custom Game" from Warcraft 3, just imagine if they only offered the ladder system.
This seems to plague the most popular games, namely the ones I've played recently - Gears 2, Halo 3, and Call of Duty. Gears doesn't give you many options (crappy vote system), and forces you to play ranked mode, so you can't even play split screen with a friend unless they also have Live Gold (bullshit). Modern Warfare 2 has this awful leveling system which not only blocks you from using weapons you want to use, but leaves you with inferior perks / kill streak bonuses so you're at a disadvantage to those who spent more time on the game.
I haven't played Halo 3 enough, but it seems a lot like CoD in its setup. My friends and I played 4p split screen online (main reason I have Halo, who knows why it has no competition here), and half the time one of my friends were stuck on the other team. That was a waste of time, is there a way around this? Not to mention, half the time we were yelling at the crappy map selection...
Sometimes I just want to sit down and enjoy a few games, but these games simply don't allow it. There should be some mode for people that only care for the fun, not about the k/d ratio or some prestige icon or high number next to their name. The customer knows where the fun is at, just give us access to it already!
Essay Pro