Portal 2 "Probably" Valve's Single-Player Swan Song

[moosek]

Valve just has a habit of jerking their fans around. Which is why I'm not paying them any attention until their games actually hit store shelves. I own a laptop and an Xbox 360, so their products are going on the system that can actually run them.

Just trying to cover my ass so any PC gamer assholes don't automatically condescend to me, but just so I piss them off anyway, Crysis 2 is awesome on Xbox 360. The keyboard and mouse break immersion because of the disconnection between keys and character movement.

 

[Nuuu]

They said they are still making Single-Player games, but no more that feel like you are isolated or the only person there. So Half-life Ep 3 is still going on because you obviously arent isolated, being surrounded by combine and rebels.

 

[Chaos Marine]

Geoff Keighley. Yeah, because that fuckwit is a reliable source of anything but shit.

 

[oldtaku]

If I can't play the game alone, I'm not buying it. I don't mind the option to play with others (Portal 2 co-op mode is nice), but if I have to rely on other people's schedules to even beat the damn thing it's no deal.

Even WoW is still quite playable/beatable solo, which was one of the reasons it took off so well compared to other MMOs that forced you to group - you can't beat the end raids, but I consider those a separate multiplayer game.

 

[Kermi]

Last single-player game? More like the last Valve game I will ever buy, then.

 

[Lancer873]

It'll be interesting to see how this works out, but I doubt this means they're totally abandoning it. It's Valve, they're not gonna do something that makes half the fanbase ragequit.

 

[Red Pawn]

What.
WHAT.
WHAT!!
http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/
*Weeps for the triumph and the glory of gaming*

 

[Jegsimmons]

ok....as long as i CAN play single player im fine with this....

 

[Vonnis]

Either they completely lost their minds, or they're trying to get attention. Either way, that might mean no more valve games for me (the vast majority of my game time is spent on SP), which is something I'm okay with.

 

[Jumplion]

However, it doesn't mean that Valve is going to stop creating single-player games entirely, just games with what it deems an "isolated" single-player experience, meaning that other players might at least have the ability to jump in through a co-op feature or some other method.

Then why did you write the article title as if it were?

I'm sorry, I just see that as incredibly irresponsible journalism. You call Portal 2 VALVe's "possible swan song" of single player games, yet it state right there in the article that "VALVe won't stop making single-player games, just single-player games by themselves." There's already 5-pages of people screaming doom-and-gloom and "dumbing down" for the company for anybody who has not actually read the article. C'mon, you're better than that (unless someone else writes the article titles or whatever).

Anyway, this is an interesting revelation and shows how VALVe are careful with their policies. They only release games when they are absolutely sure it's ready, so an addition of multiplayer on top of strong single player would be an interesting twist to many of their games.

 

[Speakercone]

...but I like isolated single player games...

 

[Flamma Man]

However, it doesn't mean that Valve is going to stop creating single-player games entirely, just games with what it deems an "isolated" single-player experience, meaning that other players might at least have the ability to jump in through a co-op feature or some other method.

Then why did you write the article title as if it were?

I'm sorry, I just see that as incredibly irresponsible journalism. You call Portal 2 VALVe's "possible swan song" of single player games, yet it state right there in the article that "VALVe won't stop making single-player games, just single-player games by themselves." There's already 5-pages of people screaming doom-and-gloom and "dumbing down" for the company for anybody who has not actually read the article. C'mon, you're better than that (unless someone else writes the article titles or whatever).

It's even worse on the front page considering it blatantly contradicts what's actually in the article, which people don't seem to even be reading and are just assuming that VALVe are halting their single-player experiences indefinitely.

No More Single Player Games?

Valve says Portal 2 could be its last single-player experience.

I mean, for fuck sake, that wording had to be done on purpose. There isn't even a strong suggestion of it being a possibility like the original title, but states it as if it's fact when it very clearly isn't.

Amazing journalism right there, causing people to flip their shit for no reason as we've seen in the thread already.

 

[Android2137]

But I LIKE single player! I don't have to worry about someone being available just to play a game!

 

[kasperbbs]

Damn.. I hate coop, like always i won`t have any friends that bought the same game so i will have to play with random people on the net. I hope half-life 3 won`t have that nonsense in the campaign.

 

[The Youth Counselor]

There already was a good thread on this, before this story came up. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.279720-VALVe-no-longer-doing-single-player-only-games#10920762]

But instead of the reactionary types on this thread, everyone pointed out the obvious:

VALVe only made one game with no multiplayer and that's Portal 1.

 

[Greenansatsu]

Let's play a game called ten ways to interpret one sentence.

Portal 2 will probably be Valve's last game with an isolated single-player experience

1. Valve will never make a game with single player ever again.
2. All future Valve games will have single player and multiplayer.
3. All future Valve games will have the ability to Co-op somehow.
4. Characters in a single player game will no longer be isolated from society like Chell was.
5. Future games will have a character select screen, play this level as Gordan or Alyx
6. future valve games will include a sidekick, maybe a talking headcrab!
7. Future Valve games will be split into two versions like Pokemon games and allow people to trade game exclusive hats between the two.
8. Some guy misheard something and decided to scare the internet
9. Valve is going to make a Halflife MMO, and then live off the micro-transactions for the rest of eternity.
10. Portal 2 will be Valve's last game with an isolated single player or multiplayer making it valves last game ever.

See so many ways to take one sentence, personally I'll wait till the next Valve game/announcement before getting worried over hearsay.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Half-Life 3: play as Gordon Freeman or as some other random civilian dude. Or maybe as Barney.

 

[Theysaid]

"Portal 2 will probably be Valve's last game with an isolated single-player experience."

Portal 2 also has two-player co-op, so to me that statment means no more single player "campaigns", period. Maybe there will still be co-op in future games that you can fill with computer-controlled players to emulate single player (like in L4D), but it sounds like Chell and Gordon Freeman just can't survive on their own anymore.

That does make me wonder about the next Half-Life game. (You know they are still working on one, even if it does take another 5 years.) Maybe it will end up being a co-op story line instead, such as Gordon and Alyx player controlled throughout the game. I don't know if that's the best way to continue the series, changing the style of the game after it has built a large following based on single player experience.

I don't like what the quote suggests, but I'm sure Valve is going to do what makes them the most money just like any other company. It doesn't mean they've lost me as a customer. I usually don't buy single player games through Steam unless 1) They are on sale at a great price that I can't pass up or 2) I want the game and it's required to have Steam (Valve games are the obvious example). So what I buy from Valve may not change all that much, just the loss of sales from any single player games they will no longer make.