Bring back local multiplayer!

[roastbeefy]

I find that a lot of games are mostly, if not completely, dropping local multiplayer. Like in L4D. The game bases itself around 4 people, (thus the title) but only two can play locally. also, Vesus, as well as the new mode, survival, are strictly online. I always love playing games in with my friends, all in that same room, shouting and laughing over everything we do. Sure, you can use a headset, but most people online are complete strangers, and even if you do have friends online, for me It's just not the same as the old-fashioned game gatherings. I like online play, but I love local.

Of course, part of the reason this irritates me is probably because I have a bad internet connection so I get few chances to play online.

In short, I just wish more games offered the same local multiplayer options as they do online.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Yeah, too bad I doubt most consoles can handle running 4 screens at any decent graphics setting. Local with everyone having their own 360 is awesome, playing on little 10X10 screens not so awesome.

 

[letsnoobtehpwns]

The consoles aren't powerful enough to run split screen multiplayer anymore =(

 

[Citrus]

Splitscreen can be too much for consoles to handle nowadays. And four-player splitscreen looks like crap on pretty much any TV.

Online is just more practical, but it seems developers are doing a pretty okay job at granting local multiplayer where it is due.

 

[Iron Mal]

The consoles aren't powerful enough to run split screen multiplayer anymore =(

I doubt this is the case, after all, a 360 or PS3 is easily many times more powerful than consoles that famously featured splitscreen.

I think that with the growing popularity of online multiplayer, developers are simply overlooking splitscreen (probably thinking 'no-one does that anymore anyway').

I, among many others, see this as a great shame, I have had many good times playing a game with someone who I know personally and is sitting right next to me.

 

[phar]

The consoles aren't powerful enough to run split screen multiplayer anymore =(

I doubt this is the case, after all, a 360 or PS3 is easily many times more powerful than consoles that famously featured splitscreen.

I think that with the growing popularity of online multiplayer, developers are simply overlooking splitscreen (probably thinking 'no-one does that anymore anyway').

I, among many others, see this as a great shame, I have had many good times playing a game with someone who I know personally and is sitting right next to me.

Well it is the case, most console games run at like 30 fps in single player.. Would strain the system too much to have two players running around. Look at splitscreen L4D on PC i got like a 60 fps drop when I played with it.

 

[vede]

Oh, okay, on consoles, you mean.

I was like, "I'm pretty sure you can get as local as you can get on a PC and have as many players as you like."

Couldn't consoles dull their graphics during split-screen to support full multiplayer? That seems the most logical option.

 

[amazinglettera]

Thank God! I love local gameplay! I miss the days of having your buddy sitting next to you while playing co-op on some impossibly hard game. I would much rather giggle at kicking someone's ass who can hear me as compared to some nameless polygon who could be easily replaced by a BOT!!!

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I find that a lot of games are mostly, if not completely, dropping local multiplayer. Like in L4D. The game bases itself around 4 people, (thus the title) but only two can play locally.

How does that work? Two people playing on one computer?

The consoles aren't powerful enough to run split screen multiplayer anymore =(

Games are too straining to split. Blame the graphics engine.

Alternatively, what about games with single screen local play?

 

[sneakypenguin]

The consoles aren't powerful enough to run split screen multiplayer anymore =(

I doubt this is the case, after all, a 360 or PS3 is easily many times more powerful than consoles that famously featured splitscreen.

I think that with the growing popularity of online multiplayer, developers are simply overlooking splitscreen (probably thinking 'no-one does that anymore anyway').

I, among many others, see this as a great shame, I have had many good times playing a game with someone who I know personally and is sitting right next to me.

Yeah go back and play those games though, Goldeneye, or halo 1 turned into a powerpoint presentation with 4 players. You just can not get the draw distances with the clarity, framerate, and detail, that approaches what players would demand out of today's machines. Halo 3 has done this the best, and even then pop up is pretty radical and levels are "bare".

 

[Mr.Pandah]

The consoles aren't powerful enough to run split screen multiplayer anymore =(

I doubt this is the case, after all, a 360 or PS3 is easily many times more powerful than consoles that famously featured splitscreen.

I think that with the growing popularity of online multiplayer, developers are simply overlooking splitscreen (probably thinking 'no-one does that anymore anyway').

I, among many others, see this as a great shame, I have had many good times playing a game with someone who I know personally and is sitting right next to me.

Yeah go back and play those games though, Goldeneye, or halo 1 turned into a powerpoint presentation with 4 players. You just can not get the draw distances with the clarity, framerate, and detail, that approaches what players would demand out of today's machines. Halo 3 has done this the best, and even then pop up is pretty radical and levels are "bare".

No, no, no. Sneakypenguin is right. It is the case. Its not that developers are overlooking it, its just that they'd have to tone down the graphics so much just for 4 people to even play, it isn't worth it. I remember thinking like you, but then I realized when I played Mario Kart 64 with 4 people...they didn't even play the music on the battle levels. Thats why there are no Grand Prix modes for 3-4 people, only 1-2.

Even older systems had a tough time with them. However, Goldeneye didn't turn into a powerpoint presentation, I played it recently, it wasn't that bad.

 

[Devildoc]

I find that a lot of games are mostly, if not completely, dropping local multiplayer. Like in L4D. The game bases itself around 4 people, (thus the title) but only two can play locally. also, Vesus, as well as the new mode, survival, are strictly online. I always love playing games in with my friends, all in that same room, shouting and laughing over everything we do. Sure, you can use a headset, but most people online are complete strangers, and even if you do have friends online, for me It's just not the same as the old-fashioned game gatherings. I like online play, but I love local.

Of course, part of the reason this irritates me is probably because I have a bad internet connection so I get few chances to play online.

In short, I just wish more games offered the same local multiplayer options as they do online.

Buy a Wii. That's the console still focused mostly on local multiplayer rather than focusing almost entirely online. Nintendo apparently has a fanbase that doesn't consist mostly of friendless neckbeards and assumes its fans have actual living friends that can come over to their house and play games.

While Smash Bros. Brawl and Bomberman Blast also allow you to play WiFi matches, they allow up to 4 (and 8 with blast) player local games.

 

[roastbeefy]

I find that a lot of games are mostly, if not completely, dropping local multiplayer. Like in L4D. The game bases itself around 4 people, (thus the title) but only two can play locally.

How does that work? Two people playing on one computer?

L4D on the 360, I mean.

 

[Anachronism]

I really miss local multiplayer, and this is coming from someone who doesn't play many multiplayer games. Even if you know the person you're playing online with, nothing beats playing through an entire game on local co-op in one sitting, with occasional breaks for pizza.

 

[Clirck]

PC Lan party, problem solved.
Had some parties that turned to be more fun than expected.

 

[Sevre]

LAN parties are so much fun!( I'm expecting to be falcon punched right about now.)

 

[ryai458]

my 360 can barely handle 2 people on halo 3 online i would to see what would happen with four people although if more games had bots (shadowrun, gears of war2) then this would be ok

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Splitscreening needs to be and STAY abolished. It assrapes the console processor in question and does nothing to prevent cheating (i.e. looking at your opponent's screens).

 

[Jami-33]

I miss the time when you would always have bots to play against it was always fun to play on games such as Timsplitters with friends against some bots to make it a bit more interesting

 

[WeirdNeville]

Splitscreening needs to be and STAY abolished. It assrapes the console processor in question and does nothing to prevent cheating (i.e. looking at your opponent's screens).

You what?

Since when did processors mind being utilised? That's what they're designed for!

"Back in the Day" it was absolutely the most fun you could hve playing a 2 player game vs your mates, or having a bunch of them around and playing knockout tournaments or round robins. It even encouraged (oh noes!) social interaction and friendship. And looking at the other screen isn't cheating! It's part of the game! MarioKart Battle Mode was all about figuring out where in the green zone your opponent was, which way he was going and getting that red shell strike before he was even ON your screen!

I think it is a shame that split screen modes are becoming a thing of the past. I have played split screen Gears of War and Forza. Whilst Forza is ok, Gears of war is simply too busy, and the letterbox format makes it very hard to get to grips with your environment. That said, with larger screens becoming the norm, I think that it should be be possible to each have 1/4 of it and for that to be enough if graphics have been considered carefully enough by designers. If you had 1/4 of my current tv, you'd still be about 50% up on screen real estate over my first SNES and tv combination.

COnsider this: The primary reason that the Wii is still even going (and is in fact doing very well) is that it is the only console that actually encourages people to get together, in real life, and use the same machine.