Single Player Vs Multiplayer

[lenguy]

Remember back in the day? Before Xbox live,before DLC,before established juggernaut franchises like Halo,CoD and Gears of War dominated online multiplayer?Not to mention the slue of casual games the Wii has ushered in and with Microsoft and Sony jumping in, it could only get worse from here..right? Or how about those days before raging grown ass men and and high pitched prepubescent children were screaming at you through head sets and calling you noobs among other..immature things. Remember when you didn't have to put up with such nonsense?

I remember those days,those soda after soda,chip residue playing thumbs,fuck homework, long live games, all night glory days. Back before the new millennium swept it, it was different being a gamer in the 90's. If you bought a game, it was because you desired the rich and engaging and sometimes seemingly endless single player experience. Sure games had multiplayer but the major difference was that,it wasn't online(unless you're a PC guff that is). It was split-screen,it was actually you getting together with your buds and pulling an all nighter, playing whatever,Goldeneye,Maro Cart, Super Smash Bros, it didn't matter. If you were like me and you literally grew up in this era, you will cherish those memories for a thousand lifetimes.

As much as I love those days,I would still not favor any of them if it meant I couldn't enjoy good single player action from time to time. I could easily suck away as many hours as possible in a single player mode as I would any multiplayer match. There was hardly any noticeable common ground between multiplayer and single player back then. Now there are two very distinct sides and two different experiences.

Today I see a growing trend rising and a fading tradition losing ground. With the rise and popularity of online play continuing to grow A lot of the developers seem to be sacrificing single player campaigns for more robust and enduring,long lasting multiplayer. I mean,I don't mind multiplayer but when I can complete a campaign in less that 4 hours, its rather,unsatisfying. I know a lot of games being released today still offer up massive single player experiences but for every one of those games there are the massive online multiplayer games.

Though developers make what sells and online multiplayer sells. I mean what? Call of Duty has how many players on any given day? A ton I can only imagine. However,not everybody is enthralled by the online experience and,unsettling atmosphere that comes along with it. A recent poll on IGN concluded that a lot of players are actually turned off and even disgusted by the experience,for obvious reasons....

Click for Spoiler:

Remember before raging grown ass men and and high pitched prepubescent children were screaming at you through head sets and calling you noobs among other..immature things.

Then again,that only accounts for a small portion of gamers, it does not cover everyone and with the millions of players on each and every day, it doesn't seem to matter.

Whatever the case may be. Its becoming very clear that a lot of developers out there are implementing more focus on multiplayer than single player these days,quite a reverse from a decade ago. It leaves some people concerned that developers will focus too much attention on multiplayer that single player will eventually be phased out entirely. I can't see it but I can see why some would think this way. We play games for different reasons. Whether it be the raging fueled adrenaline rush of online player or a more plot and theme oriented single player experience. We do it,because we love games.

Which do you prefer personally,single player or multiplayer? Why?

What do you think about this topic and my observations? Are developers focused too much on multiplayer and ignoring single player? If they are,is it a problem?

Will we ever see the death of single player games? Or more specifically,single player modes and campaigns?

Achievements/Trophies are nice additions to keep the player going back to the campaign. What other ways could they implement in order for people to not just toss single player aside once they beaten it but too keep coming back?

I'm I overreacting or just over analyzing things?...

and Just for the hell of it.

Favorite single player game or experience?

Favorite multiplayer game?

Anything else to contribute..sound off below.

[Ekacnap]

Originally Posted by lenguy

Which do you prefer personally,single player or multiplayer? Why?

Personally, I am both a fan of Single-Player and Multi-Player. I buy games like Battlefield in order for me to spend my late nights with my friends, pawning noobs. But I get a lot of single-player games like SSX, and Mass Effect to play at my own pace. It is much more relaxing to play a game by yourself than doing your best not to get killed 9 times by the 8 year old with the Sniper Rifle.

Originally Posted by lenguy

What do you think about this topic and my observations? Are developers focused too much on multiplayer and ignoring single player? If they are,is it a problem?

It is not an issue of games focusing too much on Multi-player, but trying to find ways to create more replay ability in their games. And Multi-player is the best way to do it. Look at huge titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield. People will continue buying and playing their games because they've created such successful multi-players in their own rights. When you can get a fan base that loyal, you can continue charging them money for things like DLC and map packs. Which is something both Call of Duty and Battlefield Developers do on a constant basis.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Will we ever see the death of single player games? Or more specifically,single player modes and campaigns?

The day we see the death of single-player games, is the day video games die as a whole. Nobody bought the GTA series for the free-roam multi-player. They bought it for the story and the dynamic game-play Rockstar games offer in the GTA series. The same could be said for other Rockstar titles like Red Dead Redemption, and L.A Noire. Hell the game of the year of 2011 was Skyrim. And you can't get much more Single-player than that.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Achievements/Trophies are nice additions to keep the player going back to the campaign. What other ways could they implement in order for people to not just toss single player aside once they beaten it but too keep coming back?

EA is doing a brilliant job in increasing the duration of their single-player games by implementing leaderboards into the Single-Player. The latest Need for Speed game and SSX games feature leaderboards where you can compare to your friends on how many points or how fast you completed a race. I don't know how many times I've been racing down a line in SSX trying to beat a time or a score my friend put up.

Originally Posted by lenguy

I'm I overreacting or just over analyzing things?...

Over analyzing.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Favorite single player game or experience?

Without a doubt, the Mass Effect series brought me pure, and unadulterated joy. Single-Player games can't be dying if Bioware can constantly release titles like KOTOR or Mass Effect.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Favorite multiplayer game?

Like I said earlier, Battlefield is just buckets of fun. Huge 12vs12 matches with vehicles and explosions. You couldn't ask for a better First Person Shooter.

[Dagger Dias]

Originally Posted by lenguy

Which do you prefer personally,single player or multiplayer? Why?

I generally prefer single player. I am an oldschool gamer and remember how fun the days were when it was all about clearing a game by yourself and defeating the computer. Playing with friends can be fun too, but I have always preferred single player action and watching a story unfold like a movie as opposed to multiplayer where you mostly just kill each other all the time.

Originally Posted by lenguy

What do you think about this topic and my observations? Are developers focused too much on multiplayer and ignoring single player? If they are,is it a problem?

I think that developers are doing just fine honestly. There is a rather good balance between single player and multiplayer games that are available these days. There is something for everybody and if you prefer one type over the other, go buy more of those games and less of the style you might not enjoy as much.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Will we ever see the death of single player games? Or more specifically,single player modes and campaigns?

I doubt it. Even in games that focus on multiplayer gameplay there is always room for a single player mode. When no one else is available to play the game with you then you still want to be able to play it, plus oldschool gamers like myself often prefer playing against the computer anyhow. That market demographic is larger than most people realize and single player will not be phased out until its target market has become a tiny fraction of the gaming community's population.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Achievements/Trophies are nice additions to keep the player going back to the campaign. What other ways could they implement in order for people to not just toss single player aside once they beaten it but too keep coming back?

Replay value in games, especially single player modes, can greatly be increased by imementing decision making systems that create different playthroughs based on your decisions. More and more games are doing that these days and it does wonders for single player action.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Favorite single player game or experience?

Final Fantasy 4 and 7 will always be my favorite single player games. They were perfect for their time and have stood the test of time by still providing excellent single player gaming even by today's standards, for those who can get past the outdated graphics. The music, the characters, the story, the worlds themselves, everything about them is phenominal. There's a reason games like those are held in such great regard.

Originally Posted by lenguy

Favorite multiplayer game?

My favorite game of all time, Tales of Symphonia, a Gamecube RPG, is actually multiplayer. Friends can join in during battles to play as the other heroes. However when it comes to multiplayer action then it is none other than Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64, and it will probably never be topped. Smash Bros Brawl and Mario Kart Wii rank rather high on my list as well. No gaming party is complete without a few rounds in these games.

[WallsofZakku]

Originally Posted by lenguy

Which do you prefer personally,single player or multiplayer? Why?
Single player, though multiplayer is fun when it comes to fighting games like DOA, Tekken, etc. or games like Resident Evil 5. Me and a former comrade spent literally HUNDREDS of hours perfecting Mercenaries and Versus Mode Slayers. But in general its about Single player to me.

What do you think about this topic and my observations? Are developers focused too much on multiplayer and ignoring single player? If they are,is it a problem?You bring valid points. I too feel like developers are focusing too much of their efforts into Multiplayer due to the times, with Xbox Live and Playstation Network being able to connect people around the world together for the sole purpose of pwning each other i feel as though developers are viewing that as the main priority of the players that buy their product. Yes it can be a problem, focusing too much on multiplayer and not enough on Single player gameplay, what about those who dont have or cant afford internet? they essentially get short-changed.

Will we ever see the death of single player games? Or more specifically,single player modes and campaigns?No, IMO there's always gonna be a single player mode for the rogue player but im pretty sure there's always gonna be that emphasis on the multiplayer aspect of the gameplay.

Achievements/Trophies are nice additions to keep the player going back to the campaign. What other ways could they implement in order for people to not just toss single player aside once they beaten it but too keep coming back? Perhaps add different game modes to unlock once you've beaten the game. for example like on Devil May Cry 4 you could unlock 5 different game modes by beating the game and the other unlockable modes or Resident Evil which allowed the same. This would bring players back for more while also making them better at the game.

I'm I overreacting or just over analyzing things?...
haha neither, just a concerned game worrying about the foundation of what gaming was based on before this whole internet crazed multiplayer era.
and Just for the hell of it.

Favorite single player game or experience?Tales of Vesperia, a great game with an amazing story, nice characters, and a lot of weapons, side-quests, Arte moves, etc. to get the player to play multiple times. ^__^

Favorite multiplayer game?Resident Evil 5 by far, Slayers on Versus mode was my thing before my account lost Xbox Live Gold.

Anything else to contribute..sound off below.

This was an interesting thread!