Multi-tat, The forgotten joy of single player

First things first this is aimed at games consoles, as multiplayer online games on PC were around much longer what with there ability to naturally get online and so on.

Lets start this!

More and more games are focusing on the multiplayer aspects of games and just the multiplayer aspects. Seemingly ignoring the importance of strong single player campaigns, in depth story or anything that doesn’t involve someone being a noob or blaming lag. with the new Xbox being connected to the net pretty much 24/7 and Sony investing in there own online ventures ( that strange watch your friend play thing) its likely that games are going to become more and more mulitplayer as consoles become social super hubs.Time and time again, I hear ‘ Yes the single player isnt great but the multiplayer is amazing’ and I ask.. is that enough? No is the short answer…. No 

Hey buddy check out the noob

Single console, single player

I’m going to put on my old(ish) man hat on here and go back to the 90’s days of the PlayStation and yeah, even the N64. Back to the days when to play a multiplayer game not only did you need a friend, a relative or a random homeless person next to you, you also needed ( with the playstaion at least) a multitap, taking your two slot, up to 5!. Crazy numbers, like anyone has 4 friends right ha…..ha.. oh.So most people were playing alone trying to relax, take a load off and avoiding the evil that is the outside. ( I joke I love the outside all that green and smog mmm)

Curse you outside….Curse you !!

Developers were aware of this and aside from sports or racing, games were made with the single player in mind. Games like syphon filter or resident evil were focused on the single player experience, the story, the feeling being totally into the game and not wanting it to end. in today’s gaming world however that feeling plays second fiddle to the ability to shoot other players in the groin and T-Bag them.

T – bagging like a boss

Some games in this period did do multiplayer and single player together really well, Golden Eye was amazing but the single player was great and the multiplayer was an incredible extra addition lengthening playing enjoyment, not a multiplayer game with a single player game attached. Now though Resident evil 6 has you running around with friends and the single player leaves a bitter taste in the mouth a lonely bitter taste.

Dial me up for some broadband

During the mid to late 90’s boradband started to roll out. While the PS2 tried to use extras to connect to the internet for games it wasn’t until 2005+ with the 360 and PS3 did online games really take off. Everything suddenly started to develop an online feature and for somethings it was really good. Games like fifa for example are really use the online ability well, playing against real people really add to the experiance and nothing and I mean nothing beats beating some smug guy who celebrated his first goal but is now loosing 3 nil.

Draw me like one of  your french girls

But not all games need this extra, and it should never be put in place at the cost of the single player campaign. I would go so far as to say that the best single player games we have had in the last few years have all practically ignored the multiplayer aspect of the game completely. Sure Far cry had a multiplayer element but it wasn’t sold on the basis of its multiplayer. Fallout 3 and Skyrim were both single player focused and both amazing games.

Multiplayer games are great and done right they can add to the enjoyment and give a game hours of extra life after the single player campaign has been and gone. But, a game shouldn’t be made and marketed souly on the basis of its multiplayer. If  a games single player campaign doesn’t hold up then it isn’t really a good game. A good game needs depth of story and character to engage the audience and immerse them in the story just like a book or a film, and multiplayer does not tick those boxes.