They need to implement a feature where if you crouch behind a corner for more than 10 seconds and have a shotgun, sword, hammer or mauler...the announcer starts saying "Pussy over here!" over and over to all players in the game utill you stand up and leave the area.

LOL.  That would be epic.

Not really. In Modern Warfare 2, you pretty much start with one of the best guns in the game (the FAMAS), and most of the guns are so good that it really just comes down to personal skill. Bungie could do the same.

Yes, guns MW are all basically kill in 2 second weapons anyway.  Halo weapons are not like that.  There is a VERY large divergence in usage for the different Halo weapons.  And Bungie devs agree with me, so there :)

I agree the Famas, Ump and RPD are all really solid guns (and available at the very begining).  As a first level prestige I went 15-4 with the Famas in a pre-built class and I am by no means, an upper echelon COD player.

I hear you though, I do think there is some inherent..."dogma" issues with this kind of implementation in the Halo universe. 

Off topic, I know, but have you played MW2?  There is plenty of fun to be had early on, as the pre-built classes give you a taste of what you can build later, and at level 4 you unlock a good selection of weapons that you can use immediately, with good results.

There are some higher weapons that are really powerful (dual Model 18's and the ACR with Stopping Power come to mind) but I wouldn't say you were "gimped" early on.  I don't want to de-rail this thread though, so I'll leave it at that, fair enough if it doesn't interest you.

Halo combat is a lot about map control. Controlling the power weapon spawns is a big deal. Controlling the laser is a big deal when vehicles are on a map. If everyone could spawn with a laser, vehicle combat becomes obsolete. Not only that, but the laser kills infantry quite easily as well.

Not saying that they will not have weapon unlocks or something along those lines. But it would most likely be a large divergence from the normal Halo combat experience.

Perhaps "gimped" may be the wrong word. I'm decent enough to hold my own weight at the earlier levels, but it's still limiting. I played MW1 much more (~50hrs?), while I got maybe 1/4 of that in MW2 so far.

It's as simple as this: I don't like being forced to use guns I don't like. I don't want to kill 20 (or however many) guys with the ACOG to be able to have fun with the thermal scope. I don't want to have to level up or unlock my perks. The RPG elements in MW2 are pushed far more heavily than in the first, and it's uninviting to people that don't have all that much time to play. Must I complete such annoying tasks in order for the real fun to start?

It may sound like a casual bitch-fest, I know. I never suspected I'd be on this side of the argument, as I'm normally on the other (I used to play WoW heavily). I just don't think I'm the only one annoyed by this. It's possible the majority of people enjoy the RPG stuff, but would an unranked (no score/kdr kept) multiplayer mode in MW2 ruin their fun? If so, why would it?

I just dislike the idea of unlockables in general. (... stopping myself here!)

I also don't disagree with unlockables.  But I do disagree with unlockables that affect gameplay.  Especially when there is no matchmaking based on rank or level.

Bungie is having some sort of unlockable system (there were credits(as in money credits) seen in a menu when EDGE previewed Reach), but I doubt they will affect gameplay.  Probably armor variations.  Or they might have a mode specific for using these new unlockables.  I hope they do it that way.  Have a seperate set of game types for unlockable weapons, armor, etc.  That way the core Halo experience can still be had, but for those who are there for unlocking things, they have a playlist for them as well.

In Halo, the sniper rifle will kill you in 2 seconds. Same with the Rocket Launcher, Gauss Hog, Ghost (with splatter), etc.

I don't really care, I'm just saying that new players don't have to be at a disadvantage.