Poll: Multiplayer gaming

[DazZ.]

When I say arcadey, I'm referring to the SUPER arcadey stuff (Unreal Tournament; Tribes; etc.). CoD certainly tip-toes that line but I put it closer to "realistic" then arcadey

Fair enough, arena shooters I think is the term for Quake/UT if we felt like being overly pedantic.

Just with the amount of points and pats on the back flashing up on your screen for everything you do I felt CoD was immensely arcadey.

 

[kommando367]

I occasionally enjoy multiplayer, mostly Killzone 3.

 

[mitchell271]

Needs to be "meh" and "depends on the game" option. For example, I love Pre-Halo 4 multiplayer and TF2 but I can't stand Call of Duty.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Went with hate since there seems to be zero middle ground there. I usually don't have time for multiplayer, but occasionally play Borderlands 2 on coop or a console game with some friends.

 

[octafish]

I like multi-player when it is team based, when it is a racing game, when it is a football game, when it is a flight combat sim, when it is a co-operative MMO (GW2), when it is a strategy game, when it is turn-based, when it is, above all else, balanced. I also like Minecraft, and now I get bored playing it alone.

I'm not much one for deathmatches, fighting games, MOBA games, or games with a tacked on multiplayer. I really hate co-op against AI, if I want co-op I'd rather play BF3 or Chaos Theory.

 

[blackrave]

I like the concept, but really hate what they have turned into :/

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

I enjoy myself a good story experience through the campaign, but nothing beats the thrill or adrenaline rush of competitive online multiplayer...especially in a GOOD game that is mostly balanced with a robust design and diverse maps/modes...e.g. CS, UT, some MOBA's, some MMO's, etc.

Especially once you've become good at it and can look down on most of the playerbase with a smug sense of superiority, nothing beats that fucking feeling XD

 

[FantasticMrLP]

I don't typically enjoy multiplayer. Unless the people you're playing with are people you KNOW and ONLY people you know. It becomes intimidating and unfun. Besides, I agree with yhatzee that a game that is good shouldn't need multiplayer too keep it going, because one day those servers are going to go down, and if you need multiplayer to play then youre screwed. Unable to play or even enjoy the game if the only reason it's there is for the multiplayer aspect. (Thats why COD only lasts for one year before they Menstruate anther one)

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I liked it when I was able to do it. The problem with online multiplayer though is what happens when you're unable to access it. We all know that some games are virtually dead now when it comes to online play but there are still achievements/trophies to be unlocked...achievements/trophies which will be locked out for all time because nobody is going to get online to play Duke Nukem Forever or, Crackdown 2. I think system link bypasses this problem BUT if it doesn't completionists and hypothetical future gamers are going to be locked out of those experiences.

I think bot matches could fix the problem of games inevitably being taken offline but that's not going to happen. It should happen so even people like me can play those online modes but it's not going to happen...

 

[MammothBlade]

Where's the neither option? I enjoy multiplayer sometimes. I really do. It can be fun to play with or against other people. But sometimes it can also be a drag. Some games don't seem to work well with multiplayer. And sometimes it's best to be alone. It's a mixed bag, and whether I want to play single or multiplayer depends on how I'm feeling, other players, and how good the game plays with other people.

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

As a general rule of thumb, I dislike ALL multiplayer in general. However, as some have pointed out there will indeed be times when I can find it rather enjoyable. Playing with my cousin and his two friends in Halo 4's "Spartan Ops" or the 4-player Co-op Campaign was a whole lotta fun. In fact, I'd have never touched a Halo game if they hadn't invited me over that one time - but keep in mind, I only ever do play Halo if it's with them.

I refuse to play it with others in any situation because 1) I'm comfortable around them and 2) they're all in the same room (or house, as it were; we used two 360s).

Insofar as MMOs go, I can't stand them either. The few times I've set foot into one I've regretted it. The sole exception is if I decide to dabble in something, again, with a couple of friends. In this case, my ex and a mutual friend of ours. We decided to try out Final Fantasy XI. It's a fun time, usually, but since it's an MMO and you do have to deal with other people, we end up getting into arguments or find ourselves in situations that just make us wanna log off.

So as for the whole "multiplayer gaming" aspect.. I could seriously do without it. In fact, what I could really do without is developers thinking that's what "everyone" wants and shoehorning the shit into their games. I'm looking at YOU, Portal 2. Gods damn was that fucking annoying to have to play it with someone else.

 

[Naeras]

How about "depends on the game"?

Not all games suit it, and not all games should have it. In many cases, I honestly think the multiplayer part of the game could just be ditched altogether, freeing up resources for the single player part of the game. That being said, there are a lot of games, and even genres, that suits multiplayer a lot better(fighting games and RTSes, hello) than singleplayer, and I do spend quite a bit of time playing multiplayer with friends or online.

 

[Yopaz]

And this thread gets the nickname "Binary Domain". My opinion on multiplayer is a little more nuanced than just love/hate. "I like multiplayer" but this statement must be accompanied by the clarifying statements "but only on platforms that do not demand I pay for the privilege" and "and only on the rare occasions that i can muster up the enthusaism required to co-operate / compete with strangers." That's my take on multiplayer.

Yeah, I hate having two options that are both on their own extremes. I sometimes like multiplayer, I sometimes don't. I rarely play online though. I can't say I love or hate them. It's fine when it works. Yes, let's leave it at that.

 

[the_duke_CC]

I like online multi-player most of the time, in fact sometimes I only play a game if someone else I know is online. What can I say I like playing with people I know, especially if microphones are involved, I like to chat to others whilst playing with them.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I'm really surprised at how close the polls are, let alone that "love" is winning. If you'd asked this question six months ago, it would have been overwhelmingly negative, because A.) this site just tends to attract a kind of hipster-ish gamer that looks more at story than gameplay, and B.)Yahtzee at least used to constantly talk about how much he hated multiplayer and how a game should stand on singleplayer alone unless it didn't have a singleplayer component at all (so WoW is fine, but not CoD despite singleplayer not being the point of the game, and if you take it literally, TF2 took a nosedive in quality once bots were introduced.) Anyway, Yahtzee's fans can be a bit... overzealous in the way they take his word as gospel.

As for myself, I love online multiplayer. Wish I had more time to enjoy it.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I 'unno, I've never been much good at dealing with people, so I tend to do it only rarely; but from what I hear there's a wealth of fantastic experiences to be had.

Guy at work told me about he and his clan or team or whatever built a massive camp in DayZ over, like, a month. Sounded AMAZING.