L4D Players > Gears/Halo Players

I'm gonna get on my soapbox for a little bit, and for that, I apologize in advance...

Left 4 Dead gamers are "greater than" Gears & Halo gamers...why, you ask?? One word.

MICROPHONE!!

See, if you try to get in a L4D match with random people (or even friends), I've noticed that most players want and/or require you to have a mic to talk and play as a TEAM. (Wow, there's a concept). I've actually been kicked out of L4D matches before because my mic connection didn't show up in the lobby. (I was in the process of turning it on, though.) Gamers want to play with players who talk and work together as a team in a team-based game. I like and respect that.

Comparing to Gears of War 1 & 2, I can't tell you how many times I'm the only one on my team with a microphone. Don't know why that is. But I do care that it is supposed to be a team game and I would bet in most cases, you can succeed more often then not when you can talk strategy and get feedback on where the opposing team is. What's really frustrating is when someone on my team turns on their mic after the end of the match (finally) and rips off a "Good game, guys". OK, fine, but where the heck were you the whole time?!?!?

Halo3 is almost the opposite. It's like there is too much talking and a bunch of trash talk which doesn't even matter. Don't even get me started about the pre-pubescent voices you hear in the Halo3 lobby all the time, and the obvious dorks who make noise just to hear themselves talk, or play their music through the mic (are you kidding me?). If you are playing "Lone Wolves" in Halo3, maybe the mic doesn't matter as much. But, I don't even think I need to make additional comments about the mic problem in Halo3.

What do you guys think? (I think I need to play some more with the much more mature 2o2p community...so add me to your Friends List please!!)