Single Player Games

[RealBronco]

is anyone else really annoyed that virtually every title that comes out now is single player unless it's online? the days of having friends over and racing against each other, or shooting each other or what have you are almost extinct.

it's like the video game developer world is encouraging turning the next generation into a bunch of social outcasts.

i'm getting tired of having to take turns with my buddy with the controller. if we want to play a video game, we can't even be in the same room, we have to be in our own homes, miles away from each other to even do co-op or any of the aforementioned things.

very frustrating.

[12and4]

I loved halo's co-op play.


God i haven't played any games in a while...

[Hoserman117]

Yeah I have noticed this. Very few devs are trying to keep the whole split screen/lan party stuff going because of the growth of Xbox Live and PSN.

[RealBronco]

not to mention i'm willing to bet Kinect and Move have something to do with it going forward. "want a multiplayer game for the family or in order to enjoy a real social situation? get some of these cheesy Kinect or Move games that the whole family will enjoy, except for you."

[DoomTrooper]

I think a game you might enjoy (because it's fun to play with someone at your house) is Little Big Planet, or Super Mario Bros. Wii.

They're both a lot of fun to play co-op with a friend on the same television.

[Amari24]

To be honest, I'm sick of online multiplayer. Single player games that have offline Co-op I'm fine with, but honestly a lot of games are getting watered down due to having multiplayer. Bioshock, and Brotherhood are prime examples.

[Jay3]

I have both Wii and PS3, and the Wii is much better for two player games (even 4 player).

In the new Donkey Kong Country game, you can team up as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong on the same screen. Same with the new Super Mario Brothers (simultaneous play, not alternating).

[InsaneBlaze23]

is anyone else really annoyed that virtually every title that comes out now is single player unless it's online? the days of having friends over and racing against each other, or shooting each other or what have you are almost extinct.

it's like the video game developer world is encouraging turning the next generation into a bunch of social outcasts.

i'm getting tired of having to take turns with my buddy with the controller. if we want to play a video game, we can't even be in the same room, we have to be in our own homes, miles away from each other to even do co-op or any of the aforementioned things.

very frustrating.

To be honest, I'm sick of online multiplayer. Single player games that have offline Co-op I'm fine with, but honestly a lot of games are getting watered down due to having multiplayer. Bioshock, and Brotherhood are prime examples.

I agree with both of you.
It's annoying, before online became big, almost every FPS game had co-op(halo still does, and with Reach made it 4 player Co-Op). But Splinter Cell is a Co-Op game, but the Co-op missions are short and you don't use Sam Fisher.

It's like it's all slack, and some games water down the story mode(Campaign) to get people to focus on online, my example for it is the Call of Duty series.
CoD's best games was there old ones, Call of Duty 2 and Big Red One to be exact. Both of those had stories you can play over and over, and it stayed fun. Modern Call of Duty campaigns are short, leaves in and out at times and each seems to be alike. But yet the focus on online is very high with them.

[Hoserman117]

I agree with both of you.
It's annoying, before online became big, almost every FPS game had co-op(halo still does, and with Reach made it 4 player Co-Op). But Splinter Cell is a Co-Op game, but the Co-op missions are short and you don't use Sam Fisher.

It's like it's all slack, and some games water down the story mode(Campaign) to get people to focus on online, my example for it is the Call of Duty series.
CoD's best games was there old ones, Call of Duty 2 and Big Red One to be exact. Both of those had stories you can play over and over, and it stayed fun. Modern Call of Duty campaigns are short, leaves in and out at times and each seems to be alike. But yet the focus on online is very high with them.

I think some games like COD are fine focusing on multi-player. There are multi-player games, and there are single player games. Not every single game has to feature an infinitely re-playable single player campaign, and as the sales figures show, COD is doing much better by focusing on multi-player. You know what you're getting into when you pick up the game, so if you're expecting a great single player campaign, don't drop the cash on it. Games can focus on whatever they want.

Some games like Halo or Red Dead Redemption can do a good job of balancing the single and multi-player aspects, but it gets bad when a single player game makes a solid single player component, but forgoes further improvements to tack on a half finished multi-player mode.

Imagine if Mass Effect tried to create some gimmick MP mode... it'd be pointless, next to nobody would play it, and it'd use up time that they could put into the single player portion.

[Amari24]

I think some games like COD are fine focusing on multi-player. There are multi-player games, and there are single player games. Not every single game has to feature an infinitely re-playable single player campaign, and as the sales figures show, COD is doing much better by focusing on multi-player. You know what you're getting into when you pick up the game, so if you're expecting a great single player campaign, don't drop the cash on it. Games can focus on whatever they want.

Some games like Halo or Red Dead Redemption can do a good job of balancing the single and multi-player aspects, but it gets bad when a single player game makes a solid single player component, but forgoes further improvements to tack on a half finished multi-player mode.

Imagine if Mass Effect tried to create some gimmick MP mode... it'd be pointless, next to nobody would play it, and it'd use up time that they could put into the single player portion.

That's the thing with CoD, yes it's all focused on multiplayer, this would be alright if they didn't want $60 damn bucks for it. Halo is fine because it has good multiplayer with a good campaign, I'd pay $60 for it. CoD at most should be $40 for what you're getting.

Also the possibility of Mass Effect having multiplayer is high at this point, especially since EA wants next to all their games to be multiplayer. Multiplayer just doesn't work for all games, and that's why games like Fable and Assassin's Creed wern't as good as their prequels.

[RealBronco]

I think a game you might enjoy (because it's fun to play with someone at your house) is Little Big Planet, or Super Mario Bros. Wii.

They're both a lot of fun to play co-op with a friend on the same television.

i do have Little Big Planet. it's a weird game. i actually haven't played it in over a year. only reason i have it is someone gave it to me. it is/was fun though. but that brings me to:

I have both Wii and PS3, and the Wii is much better for two player games (even 4 player).

In the new Donkey Kong Country game, you can team up as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong on the same screen. Same with the new Super Mario Brothers (simultaneous play, not alternating).

i don't have a Wii, but the main reason for that is the heavy focus on children's games. not that that is bad, but it seems that since the N64 came out they have steadily become more and more focused on cartoonish, kiddy games moreso than having a wide variety. now i know they have more adult titles as well but compared to the amount of "family friendly" games they come out with, they are slim to none. again, there is nothing wrong with that, because that's smart marketing, it gets parents to buy their product more etc.

as Amari pointed out, FPS are geared more toward online play, and i'm mostly fine with that (although it would be nice to be able to have little CoD parties like my buddies and i used to back in college), but what is ridiculous is that games like Need for Speed, Gran Turismo and the Nascar games have all become one player now. what's the fun in that? it used to be fun to have a friend over and race against each other. now you can't even do that.

just about th only two player games left are sports games like football, basketball, golf etc.

these days having a friend over to play video games is becoming obsolete. one of you always ends up sitting there watching the other play and being bored.

[InsaneBlaze23]

i do have Little Big Planet. it's a weird game. i actually haven't played it in over a year. only reason i have it is someone gave it to me. it is/was fun though. but that brings me to:



i don't have a Wii, but the main reason for that is the heavy focus on children's games. not that that is bad, but it seems that since the N64 came out they have steadily become more and more focused on cartoonish, kiddy games moreso than having a wide variety. now i know they have more adult titles as well but compared to the amount of "family friendly" games they come out with, they are slim to none. again, there is nothing wrong with that, because that's smart marketing, it gets parents to buy their product more etc.

as Amari pointed out, FPS are geared more toward online play, and i'm mostly fine with that (although it would be nice to be able to have little CoD parties like my buddies and i used to back in college), but what is ridiculous is that games like Need for Speed, Gran Turismo and the Nascar games have all become one player now. what's the fun in that? it used to be fun to have a friend over and race against each other. now you can't even do that.

just about th only two player games left are sports games like football, basketball, golf etc.

these days having a friend over to play video games is becoming obsolete. one of you always ends up sitting there watching the other play and being bored.

I miss the reaction you have when you beat a friend at a game. On mic yeah you can what ever, but your friend can't see your reaction. Getting a game-winning TD, our owning your friend in a FPS, was fun when people come over.
All the online stuff is fun but it dies out, like sometimes when I'm in a XBL party, there might be a moment every time where it gets quiet. Now when you and yo buddies are in the same house playing the same game, it's never quiet.

[Jay3]

these days having a friend over to play video games is becoming obsolete. one of you always ends up sitting there watching the other play and being bored.

True, but if you're willing to play the cartoony Nintendo games, it's fun. Nintendo has really focused on games that have two players at once playing. Mario Kart is a fun race game for that reason alone.

Heck, my kids are loving a game called Kirby's Epic Yarn for that very reason -- they play simultaneously and team up (onscreen) for boss battles.

It seems to me like the other consoles are evolving to the tastes of young adult males, who like to play 2 to 3 hours a day after work. And they're not catering to the whole family, or drawing in people who haven't played a game for hours to master it.

THere's a place for good games that draw in "civilians" to want to play. After all, social interaction and friendship is important, too.

(I realize I'm agreeing with your central point -- you want the "cool" game makers to realize the same lesson that the Nintendo people have).

[Foez]

Very good topic and I agree very much. Honestly who doesn't miss getting 3 other friends in one room to play Goldeneye or Mario Kart. Those were some of the best times ever.

[Hoserman117]

That's the thing with CoD, yes it's all focused on multiplayer, this would be alright if they didn't want $60 damn bucks for it. Halo is fine because it has good multiplayer with a good campaign, I'd pay $60 for it. CoD at most should be $40 for what you're getting.

Also the possibility of Mass Effect having multiplayer is high at this point, especially since EA wants next to all their games to be multiplayer. Multiplayer just doesn't work for all games, and that's why games like Fable and Assassin's Creed wern't as good as their prequels.

I'm okay with paying $60 for CoD because I spend a huge amount of time playing the multiplayer on it.

I don't really care what I'm paying for as long as I'm enjoying it. I see it the same way as paying $60 for just a single player game.