The Day the Multiplayer Died

blankedboy

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Feb 7, 2009
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TimeLord said:
I miss bots! Me and my sister used to love playing Red Faction (1+2) in local multiplayer split screen in a team by ourselves against as many enemy bots as possible.

I wish modern games would go back to those days :(
This. Even game I know from 2001 and 2004 have no bots or splitscreen, it's starting to really annoy me. I oughta stock up on obscure PS2 games... got any recommendations?
 

Kinichie

Penguin Overlord
Jun 18, 2008
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While I have been an avid critic of Halo 3, the lack of bots makes it that much less enjoyable when you're unable to connect your 360 to the internet. Meaning with only two controllers it's a constant duel.

Roll on Timesplitters!
 

Zodiac_A17

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Feb 2, 2010
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The best split screen (for overall) was Perfect Dark on the N64, just a fun game with friends or bots and loads of weapons
 

PseudoDuck

Bacon Robot
Oct 18, 2009
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An example of one thing I don't like:

Distinct local and online multiplayer. The Call of Duty games are the worst for this. You can play with your friends in the same room. You can play with your friends online. But you can't play with both at once.

But Halo 3 allows this. Play with your friends locally, then take your party of friends online from the same console - you and your mates in the same room can play against other people (friends or strangers) online. Call of Duty is a step backwards in multiplayer integration.
 

FinalFreak16

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Mar 23, 2010
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I'm so glad this article was posted. Just a couple days ago I had a few of my mates over and we had barely anything to play other than FIFA.

I had to get my mate to bring his copy of Motostorm Pacific Rift so we could actually play a racing game together, which by the way is incredibly fun with 4 player plus 8 CPU's.

Rag Doll Kung Fu also offered an hour or so of 4 player histerical madness. Good times.
 

Alar

The Stormbringer
Dec 1, 2009
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While I never used to play a lot of split-screen games back in my time, the ones that I did play were usually more enjoyable than an online experience. LAN has also always been a big part of how I like to play, and I'm very disappointed when I hear that games like StarCraft 2 are not going to include them (I think it even needs you to log on to play the single-player mode, which is just ridiculous).

The worst part is, yes, most gamers aren't going to put their hands up and avoid buying these games. Why? Because many of them are highly anticipated, especially when concerning sequels to games (like StarCraft 2) that people have been waiting to get their hands on for years!

I don't know about you all, but I for one would love to see the return of split-screens and LAN support.
 

Lionsfan

I miss my old avatar
Jan 29, 2010
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It awful. They assume that we all have steady fast internet and that we're willing to shell out extra cash to play online (in Xbox's case) and it's just not worth it. Like Yahtzee has said I think (and probably many others) multiplayer is more fun when you can hit your friend for being a d-bag in the game. And about the whole bots thing, you can't tell me that it's too hard to make realistic enemies to play against. It's more just more money if more people have to buy the game to play with each other
 

TimeLord

For the Emperor!
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Aug 15, 2008
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PoisonUnagi said:
TimeLord said:
I miss bots! Me and my sister used to love playing Red Faction (1+2) in local multiplayer split screen in a team by ourselves against as many enemy bots as possible.

I wish modern games would go back to those days :(
This. Even game I know from 2001 and 2004 have no bots or splitscreen, it's starting to really annoy me. I oughta stock up on obscure PS2 games... got any recommendations?
Timesplitters 2 and Red Faction 1+2 are the only ones that come to mind at the moment
 

Javarino

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Mar 15, 2010
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I dont even HAVE xbox live. I played ghost recon 1and2 with my father and brother split screen and it was one of my favorite experiences. Also, they didn't just make it player vs player they added a hunting mode that let you actually track down and kill AI. With an actual secondary campaign built for multiplayer, I think ghost recon had the right idea, I just wish other games would come back to it.
 

SageRuffin

M-f-ing Jedi Master
Dec 19, 2009
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The only time I truly prefer "splitscreen" co-op or multiplayer is when I play a fighting game for the simple reason that since most fighting games today rely on elaborate combo strings for maximum damage, the inherent lag of online play makes it difficult to pull off certain attacks or even notations. And of course there are some tactics that only work offline and vice-versa.

As it stands, the only shooters I play online are L4D2 and Borderlands, and I only play with people on my friends list for that. For those types of games, given how frantic they can and often do get, playing online has an advantage over local splitscreen since you have a wider range of view, especially since most companies are abandoning toggling between horizontal and vertical notations (largely in favor of the former).

Just my (-twenty)two cents.
 

Byrn Stuff

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Nov 16, 2009
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I remember being so pumped after I beat Crackdown. I invited my friends over to play with me because I had just downloaded the free four player multiplayer patch. I discovered -- long after everyone else, I'm sure -- that many games these days don't support local four player games.
 

DeASplode

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Nov 26, 2009
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razormint21 said:
It really bugs me that splitscreen is slowly being phased out.
Considering that TV's are getting the widescreen treatment and have respectable sizes already...
What annoys me now is that in some games, instead of cutting the screen horizontal or vertical some games give the players a tiny box each to play with.

COD WAW did this, Resident Evil 5 did it as well on my LCD TV, but I swear that on a normal def TV it was just normal Split Screen...

At the very least, if games are focusing so much on online play, atleast put Online, LAN and Split Screen CO-OP into the game. The other player doesn't have to effect the story at all, they can be a clone of Player One for all I care. There's just not enough games that support CO-OP be it Online or not.

Call Of Jaurez 2 could have so used CO-OP, considering it had the "Don't let yer pardner die on yez" critical mission on basically every mission.

I just think any game with a form of CO-OP will be brilliant. I wasn't too fond of Doom 3 Singleplayer but CO-OP? Man those were the days.
 

carpathic

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Oct 5, 2009
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Totally agree. Halo was so fun in Split Screen, and this was what made Golden Eye so good in the first place anyway.

Hope this changes!
 

ssgt splatter

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Oct 8, 2008
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TimeLord said:
I miss bots! Me and my sister used to love playing Red Faction (1+2) in local multiplayer split screen in a team by ourselves against as many enemy bots as possible.

I wish modern games would go back to those days :(
Well, Gears of War 2 has bots so it's not completely dead.
 

offalimb

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Nov 30, 2009
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psrdirector said:
If it doesn't have split screen multiplayer, I dont buy it (if its a shooter), This is the only reason I dont own Battlefield Bad company 2, since it has no split screen, to me its bargin bin or nothing.
It's kind of the same thing for me too. I'm a PC gamer so it's all about LAN support for me.

I was so excited when I learned that Bad Company 2 was coming to the PC. The thoughts of the fun and laughs as couple of my friends and I battled with droves of mindless bots (as we have done so often in Battlefield 2) through nearly 100% destructible environments. Then I learn that there is exactly ZERO lan support. As soon as I learned that it was scratched off my list. Here's hoping that Battlefield 3 (if it ever happens) uses that beautiful Frostbite engine and has LAN support.

I'm glad I'm not the only out there that's lamenting the diminishing LAN/local multiplayer support that's been happening lately.
 

xuldinga

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Aug 31, 2009
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I wish more games would support split screen w/ online play. I tried playing Border Lands with my girlfriend on line with some friends of ours and I was severely disappointed when we found out SS wasn't supported online. We both had gold memberships too, so I know that wasn't a issue.

I found a used xbox really cheap, but found out it was banned from Live. So I tried doing system link and bought several copies of Saint's Row II, Crack down, and Left4Dead. I got the first 2 to work nice on system link, but Left4Dead is complaining that the versions don't match. I assume its because my original xbox has all sorts patches and updates. Sine the other xbox can't get online, should I just sell my other copy or is there a way to get the patch to it via thumb drive?
 

Redlin5_v1legacy

Better Red than Dead
Aug 5, 2009
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Timesplitters 2, 007 Agent under Fire and Nightfire, Medal of Honor.... I continue to play these with my friends because they are so much damn fun. It easier to bond with friends when you are in the same room. I like online gameplay but I still believe multiplayer is better when all combatants are in the same room (and thus capable of throwing pillows or cats at you, all in good fun). I rarely play TF2 anymore because it is more fun to go crazy as a Monkey in Timesplitters 2. Sorry Valve.
 

Jacob.pederson

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Jul 25, 2006
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Diligent said:
I think split screen games are a soon to be a thing of the past. Maybe its just the people I know, but I have a hard time finding anybody willing to play a game when its squished into the tunnel vision of 1/2 or 1/4 of a screen. Especially when it is included like Gears of War, and there is no option to make the split vertical, which to me would make much more sense on a widescreen TV.
Local multiplayer is still awesome though, and I'm pretty confident it wont go away. Maybe when hardware is powerful enough, and monitors are super cheap, game consoles will have the option to plug in up to 4 monitors or TVs doing away with split screen, and keeping all your friends in the room to play.
I'm gonna pick on you, but it's not just you, a LOT of people want that dang verticle split. Here is why it sucks. Periphial vision is absolutely key in first person shooters. Without it, you don't know who is shooting you, and you don't know who to shoot. I made the sorry mistake of playing through the entire Vegas 2 coop campaign in verticle split. AND omg was I ill from it. Screen real-estate is not the issue, as we played on my 160 inch projection screen. . . but 8:9 is not an acceptable screen ratio! The 16:5 split does feel a little wierd at first, but play through Gears 1 or 2 and then try to go back to Vegas. I dare you.