Poll: What happened to single-player?

[xitel]

In the old days, games were mostly made for people like me, people who don't care about multiplayer, who buy a game based on the fact that it is fun to play when noone is around. A majority of the games on my shelf right now either have no multiplayer, or the multiplayer has yet to be touched. If a game has no story mode, no campaign mode, or at the very least no bots, I refuse to buy it, save for a few exceptions. To be honest, I only owned one controller for both my 360 and my Wii up until a year after I bought them. With the advent high-speed internet and online multiplayer, single-player modes have fallen by the wayside, in favor of capture-the-flag and deathmatch. Now, this is not to say that I don't enjoy a round of Smash Bros. with my friends every now and again, but multiplayer is not a deciding factor for whether I buy a game or not. Think about this: how many articles have you seen or read about a game that didn't ask the question "How good is the multiplayer?" Very few, right? And these questions aren't asked as a last-minute thing. Many times they are the main focus of the article.

Now, I'm not saying that signle-player games today are all horrible. In fact, the single-player games coming out nowadays are some of the best I've ever played. But the true single-player games, ones that have no multiplayer, not even leaderboards, are few and far between. I am not a competitive gamer. I don't strive to get the top score, the most frags, the most headshots. I strive to enjoy a game. Yes, multiplayer adds replay value. But I say, if you have a good enough storyline, and good enough gameplay, I'll play the game a million times. Take Breakdown as an example. I constantly applaud this game's story and gameplay, to the point where I feel I am whipping a mass of flesh that used to be a dead horse. Breakdown had no multiplayer. No online connections. Nothing. And yet I have played and beaten in at least four times, if not more, and each time I enjoyed just as much as I did the first time.

So, before I get spammed with a million cases of "tl:dr", I will close with this question: why has single-player been forsaken?

 

[TheGreenManalishi]

I'd rather have a brilliantly design one player mode than an ok single player with a medicore multiplayer tacked on (metroid prime 2, i'm looking at you)

and regardless of how good the halo series is, every time it was compared with a game in a similar vein, fanboys just said 'yeah, well Halo has awesome multiplayer'. that was the start of multiplayer (especially online) becoming more of a sale point than an extended, fulfilling single player.

also, the rediculous sales of third-rate party games.

 

[zontax]

two words: TEAM FORTRESS 2

 

[FrankDux]

I don't think it's dead. However, the success and the staying power of a game with good multiplayer is really attractive now. Obviously manufacturers want you to continue playing their game after you beat it and they really want you to keep giving them money, so they create DLC and online multiplayer modes. This means that you continue to play the game and that you buy it in the first place.
Another important thing is that there's finally infrastructure to facilitate this gaming. The internet is powerful and widespread so that nearly anyone can jump on a play a game. I still buy games for their single player components though.

 

[Zippy1313]

Left 4 Dead is one of the only multi-player games I am looking forward to. I give two shits about playing online with some squeaky voiced 12-year-olds. They are probably the most foul mouthed bastards I have ever heard. Isn't that what parental controls are for? Now when I play online, I never use my headset unless I am playing with friends.

 

[merf1350]

two words: TEAM FORTRESS 2

Three words: over hyped

 

[Amnestic]

two words: TEAM FORTRESS 2

Three words: over hyped

I hope that was deliberate.

As for the main topic, I hardly think single player games are dead. Don't forget that some of the rated best games ever are single player (To name an obvious one: Portal). As TheGreen said, I'd prefer to have a brilliant single player and no multiplayer to mediocre both. Sometimes you don't want to play with other people, sometimes you just want to lose yourself, and only yourself, in a story and run with it. Multiplayer games often rid themselves of story because they can't function with one, and that's something not all gamers want. Single player is not going away any time soon ;p

 

[Smiles]

I can't play with other people, I get too self-concious. I keep thinking like, am I doing what they want me to do? am I not being social enough? are they hating me because I'm a useless part of the team? also I'm kinda bitchy to the people I'm familiar with, so if i get to know anyone too well...

I hate multiplayer, unless I'm playing with my sister or brother...

 

[TheDean]

Multiplayer is good, but for me the real point of a game is for me to play it and complete it.

 

[revolverwolf]

I'm one of those biased views. Because I'm part of a large family and large network of friends. Which means I have to buy multiplayer games because otherwise I get very lonely on single player. Most of my favourite games have multiplayer split-screen. Getting rid of multiplayer, especially split-screen, would hurt me deeply.

 

[xitel]

It's not the foul-mouths that I dislike about playing online; I swear like a one-eyed sailor when I play with my friends. What I dislike is the fact that a) they don't STOP, b) my friends and I make fun of each other, but never maliciously like the pricks you run into online, we do it in jest, and most importantly c) you can't see the people you're playing against, and you never make a real connection. Yeah, you can friend them, but that doesn't make them your friend. Like I said, I like multiplayer every once in a while, but only if it's with friends, especially if we're in the same room playing split screen. I love small LAN parties with your friends, because you know each other, and you can talk about the game outside of the game. The social element of split-screen is what makes me like it. Yes, there's a social element to online multiplayer, but you'd be hard-pressed to argue that it's the same.

 

[FLSH_BNG]

I don't really have a reliable internet connection unless I take my computer next door to my neighbor's house and I can't be bothered to do that all the time. Besides, I like to play the single-player campaign first to get a feel for the game's style.

 

[merf1350]

two words: TEAM FORTRESS 2

Three words: over hyped

I hope that was deliberate.

I wish it wasn't.

 

[goodman528]

We should separate single player and multiplayer games. Both are good, both a game that tries to do both is not so good, except COD4.

 

[Gamer137]

I like both single and multiplayer, and I will buy games even if they dont have one of the two. Shadowrun is a great shooter. No single player. Zelda is fun, but no multiplayer. If a game has both, great. If they dont, they can make up for it buy putting such a big focus on what part they have, that it becomes better then a game which features both.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

I like both single player and multiplayer games. But honestly, I would rather if they made more games that had just one or the other, and not both. Instead of two games with good campaigns and cool multiplayer modes, I would rather have one incredibly good single player game and one amazing multiplayer game.

 

[PureChaos]

Most games are all about the single player but a multiplayer is always a welcome addition. i always buy a game based on the single player and if it has a multiplayer option then great.

 

[hem dazon 90]

im a split screen guy me brother and i always tried to beat halo on legendary.

but i prefer single player

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

Never bought a game that didn't have single-player, actually I think you'll be hard pressed to find one without single-player.

In fact if you're counting the training modes in ShadowRun and UT3 as a single-player mode then the only multiplayer only games I see are TF2 and some MMO's.

 

[DeadlyFred]

Simple: single-player takes more effort. With multi-player components all you need is a static set of assets and a player base. With single player you need stories, objectives, you need content that goes beyond a handful of maps, player models and weapons. You need enemies, you need AI. Single player aspects are basically getting the same level of content as their multi-player counterparts these days. Which means they are incredibly brief and bereft of any depth.