I like Ziggs more than Brand, but it's preference. Both can dominate middle lane. I like Ziggs better because of his range, but some would argue Brand is better because he has a higher ceiling late game. I like Ziggs ult much better too.
Honestly, you can't go wrong with either, they're both FUN champions to play as.
I've been playing Squads and really enjoy it. It's great for when you want to mess around a little bit but still get some XP/Squad Points. It's also useful for when you've got a shit connection. A little XP/SP is better than nothing. You can't complete challenges or anything (I don't think), but it's still fun to stomp some bots once in a while.
I'd imagine it's great for people who aren't very good online. They probably use it as a way to feel like pub stompers feel. It's nice to feel unstoppable sometimes.
As far as I know IW never announced that it was a re-skin. I think that is where some of the anger is coming from (not that's justified in my opinion). Treyarch embraced what they were doing and announced it. IW seems to have just slipped it in. I think that's the difference.
I personally don't mind. I liked Dome and I like this map. Both are fun for me and both play different.
That's awesome man. The House of Blues is cool too. I went there back in college. Crackers is supposed to be pretty good. Fort Wayne has a comedy club too, Snickerz. It's not great, but not bad.