Via GZ

One of the most criticised elements of Modern Warfare 2′s multiplayer mode is Infinity Ward’s bizarre decision not to allow Party Chat in the majority of the game’s game types.

Of course, what that means for most of us is the prospect of having our Call of Duty experience ruined by the inane chatter of children and unhealthy amount of inbreds that populate Xbox Live. The limitations of Private Chat also mean that that isn’t a viable option when you’re looking to talk with more than one person. But we have a solution.

If you’re fed up of listening to other players talk smack, or just want to talk privately with friends, there’s a simple feature hidden deep within the Xbox Live menus that allows you to do so. To find it, just follow these four steps:

1) Boot up your Xbox 360 and sign into your profile.

2) While on the NXE, hit the Xbox button on your Xbox 360 controller and scroll right to the Settings tab.

3) Select Profile, then Edit Profile and then select Privacy Settings.

4) Select the Voice and Text menu and choose Friends Only.

Voila! You’ll now only be able to hear people on your friends list during any Modern Warfare 2 game type, and only your friends will be able to hear you.

You’ll need to remember to add everyone to your Friends list that you’ll want to talk to, of course, and if you enjoy talking to randoms while playing any other game, you’ll have to remember to switch it back after you’ve finished playing. It also means that you’ll only be able to hear friends in the same game as you, rather than the cross-game chat offered by Party Chat.