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When was the last time you had a bunch of friends over to your place for a good ol' fashioned gaming spree?
I don't just mean a single friend whom you might've been playing Modern Warfare 2 Spec Ops with, or even Super Mario Galaxy's co-op, but a real sort of party-promoting game where you had 4 people or even more just taking turns and switching off playing endless rounds of various multiplayer games?
Super Smash Bros. for example, is one such game that I can remember inviting a whole bunch of my friends over. Regardless of whether we were gamers or not, or regardless of how good we were at the game or not, everyone could jump in and have a blast. Even if you had more friends over than controller ports, no one minded switching off and watching and waiting for their next turn, there wasn't any need to rush to keep playing. Watching your friends play and goof around and goof up was just as amusing if not more as actually playing yourself.
What happened to these days? Sure online gaming is widely accepted and popular, but ask PC gamers, and a lot of older gamers, and they'll probably say their fondest gaming memories are LAN parties where people brought all their consoles together for system linking or PCs for LAN gaming of StarCraft or Counter-Strike, or even Defense of the Ancients on Warcraft 3.
I recently put up a thread in the general video game area, asking fellow forum members to help list off some great local multiplayer games, but unfortunately, the list turned out rather small, even though there were some great selections. You can find that list here.
There are a few gems here and there, notably games like Castle Crashers and generally, as long as Fighter games keep getting released, those are always decent. However, games like these carry flaws, not necessarily the fault of the developers, but even the faults of the console makers themselves, that I feel, prevent them from being real local multiplayer games that we once enjoyed.
There's nothing wrong with online games, however, the shift from local to online gaming has cost the gaming community something valuable. That social interaction we once had with our good friends has gradually shifted to internet dickwad-ism with complete strangers.
Remember how much you enjoyed GoldenEye with your friends way back when? Could you imagine what GoldenEye would have been like with an online multiplayer? Probably a lot like your average Modern Warfare 2 online match with a lot of cussing, trash talk, and generally, people being dickwads.
I'll begin with an oddity of an item that I feel to be a strong factor in the shift of local to online gaming, that many are probably glad is gone.
1. The Memory Card becoming obsolete/Internal Hard Drives
You may wonder why this is an issue at all. First, with integrated hard drives and such, there is no longer a need to spend extra money to buy a memory card. Plus, we now have a near unlimited amount of save data space, as compared to the limitations of the memory card.
However, the memory card did afford gamers one very valuable and irreplaceable feature: The portability of save data from your home to your friend's home.
Citing games like Borderlands and Castle Crashers, both of these games are amazingly fun to play with friends. Both feature RPG elements of leveling up and gaining gear and things. However, these games are generally best played online... why? Because each person who is playing has their save data saved on their console, and all the gear and levels they've earned on there. Given how games save and load data now, mostly the fault of the console makers, it isn't possible anymore to bring over characters you've been playing as to play locally. When you go to a friend's place for that gaming party, you can't bring your character over to enjoy that same game you've been playing online. In fact, most games you found that you enjoyed online with your friends, you'll find are NEVER games you'll be playing unless in the comforts of your own home.
These games we used to have save data of our characters stored in a card, we'd bring them over to a friend’s place, and we'd continue the adventure right where we left off. If I'd found a cool new weapon or item since we last played, I could show it off and brag about it, you'd have some good laughs at each other, and split a pizza with some casual banter. One might say that short of the pizza, microphones/cross-game chat still allow this, but I would argue, you're still losing that social aspect of getting out and having a good time.
2. The Stagnation of Local Multiplayer Archetypes
Even Guitar Hero and Rock Band are pretty old if you think about it. New songs may come out each week, but it's still the same game, and how many iterations of Guitar Hero and Rock Band do we have now? Even with Rock Band 3 on the horizon, can we really say we're THAT hyped for it? The same can be said about Fighters and Racers, the most common local multiplayer gametypes. Fighter fans always look forward to the changes in each iteration, and racing games offer new tracks that you're unfamiliar with, but unless you're totally hardcore into these games, they won't hold your interest for long. For many though, the games boil down to "Another racer" or "Another Street Fighter? How many adjectives are on this one?".
There's a very real lack of innovation in the local multiplayer front. While we constantly see many new video games push forward into new boundaries, local multiplayer games have remained the same as ever.
That's not to say efforts have not been made, as games like LittleBigPlanet have revolutionized the multiplayer experience, both online and off, however, in terms of LBP, it suffers from issue #1, not being able to bring over your Sackboy to a friend's console was probably one of the biggest gripes I had with the game, and LBP's local multiplayer experience while amazing, needs a bit more of a push to become perfect.
3. I'm going blind... everything's too darn small on this handheld screen.
The best local multiplayer games these days are relegated to handhelds, that's a fact. Due in part to the technology of the modern handhelds, it's easier to transmit a larger amount of data between handhelds over ad hoc connections than it is over the internet. Let's face it though, it's not that great playing on a handheld. Sure you have fun for a little bit, but then your hands get so sore so quickly from holding the device. Your neck gets sore from whatever viewing angle you're playing in, and developers just don't have all that power and capacity that a console game benefits from.
Handheld multiplayer games are more often than not, a watered down experience that you end up wishing "Why isn't this on a console, with better controls, better visuals... heck, better everything?".
4. The Removal of Split-Screen/LAN Gaming.
More often than not, I'll boot up a game, ask if it has a split-screen mode, and be disappointed.
"Why the heck does Halo 3: ODST only support 2 people in firefight split-screen?"
"Why the heck did they take out split-screen in the Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram port to XBLA?"
"WHY THE HECK DOES ARMORED CORE 4 HAVE A SPLIT SCREEN THAT USES ONE-THIRD OF THE SCREEN?"
...are some of my gripes from experience. If split-screen wasn't the issue, then the issue probably falls under point #1, yet again.
LAN gaming recently had its biggest disappointment with the announcement that StarCraft 2 would not have any LAN support and that everyone was required to log into Battle.net to play regardless. Goodbye LAN parties, I don't think any of my friends have an internet connection capable of handling 8 of us connecting to Battle.net on one line and not lagging to death. Great job Activision. THANKS FOR NOTHING.
Conclusion
While some may say that the loss of local multiplayer gaming is inconsequential thanks to the greater variety of multiplayer games made possible by the internet, I feel that the loss of the social aspects of gaming due to the shift towards online gaming is far more significant. Gone are the days where a group of friends might sit together in the same room, have a few good laughs and a generally good time, we now sit in our respective rooms/basements in our homes as we remember times that have long since passed.
Thoughts?
Written by: TemjinZero
Comments
14 years, 3 months ago
Beast of a post....sad to see this...
14 years, 3 months ago
"Even with Rock Band 3 on the horizon, can we really say we’re THAT hyped for it?"
Keyboard
Yes
14 years, 3 months ago
This one really hit home for me. I remember fondly a LAN center that used to be down the street from me. Some friends and I used to hang out there every single day, playing games together and enjoying the company we had. Now it's gone, and all of those memories are just that, memories.
And as for the Rock Band 3 thing, I agree with Hannibal on that. I am totally hyped for the keyboard addition.
14 years, 3 months ago
Online is beginning to dethrone any local multiplayer games/game types unfortunately...what fun and exciting times those were..you and your buds fighting over a game/match and just constant stabs at one another.ho hum :(
14 years, 3 months ago
The wii actually has some fun Multiplayer, non-online games still keeping the good fight. An example is that Wipeout game based off the t.v show. Despite it's crappy appearance, I had sooo much fun playing against my friends and watching the game glitch out in the funniest ways possible. The wii is in a crappy class of it's own so basically it can do whatever the hell it wants without penalties. So the crappy wii gets some love.
14 years, 3 months ago
Kind of a long post, but this story is so damn true and I felt the urge to share!
One game that kept me at my friend's place to play local multiplayer this year when it was first released was surprisingly, Splinter Cell Conviction. All throughout April I would bring my profile information on a USB stick and he and I would boot up deniable ops without any problems and work together to neutralize some terrorists. We worked hard to get the full experience of earning 1000/1000 gamerscore on it. Sure, some of the achievements were ridiculous, such as the one where you have to stay alive through all the waves during a Last Stand match on each map, but that experience of going through the co-op story and other games modes was the most fun multiplayer experience I've had in the past 3 years in gaming since quitting World of Warcraft. I haven't been able to stand most of the online multiplayer experiences of this console generation as it's usually filled with asshats, griefers and prepubescent, high-pitched spoiled brats. Bad Company 2 was the ONLY online multiplayer game I enjoyed this year and even then I could only play it for a month at most before it grew tiresome.
Speaking of memories, I would have sleepovers with all of my friends over to play Super Smash Bros 64, Mario Kart 64, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Party 1-3 and so forth throughout the night. You have to acknowledge the N64 for one thing, it was one of the first consoles in my generation that introduced us to social-based localized gaming. I'm 22 now and those long days of constant 6-stock matches on Sector-Z and Hyrule Castle with no items were the battlegrounds to prove our mettle and the highlights of our youth. I can still play a badass Link when opportunity calls! Another I recall is when SOCOM was first released on the ps2. My friend was among the first to pick it up and I would stay up late with him passing the controller back and forth after every couple of deaths or so. Good times were certainly had! When I finally picked up my own copy and the 3 of us were always online together, god that was so damn fun. Representing West 4!!
14 years, 3 months ago
I still occasionally have a few bros over and we co-op shit all night while getting stoned. Splitscreen is best screen.
14 years, 3 months ago
Kinda sad to see local multiplayer dwindling as it is, all you ever see anymore is Single Player/Co-op.
I hang out with a small group of friends almost every other day of the week and half the time we get stuck playing a co-op game and then rotating people out on deaths. Specifically because arcade games don't really appeal to us most of the time, and it's usually a situation where we'd rather all hang out than sit at home alone playing with each other Online.
14 years, 3 months ago
I wish more local multiplayer games were played on the feed as well. Most of 4PP's best momemts involve some or all of the gang participating.
As for my thoughts, of the current generation consoles I own only a Wii, so I have generally more options for local multiplayer than those who own Xbox 360s or PS3s. I also have a brother and other friends, all of whom are willing to play whenever. What I like about Nintendo is that they still cherish local multiplayer in ways that Microsoft and Sony are just about ready to relinquish. The poor online functionality of the Wii was probably Nintendo's implication that local multiplayer should not become a curiosity in this era of gaming.
14 years, 3 months ago
Man, Halo 2 LAN...
I miss it.
14 years, 3 months ago
For me, it was years ago. Halo 2 just came out and i was invite to a lan party where everyone brought their xbox over and we just played all night. There is a downfall of local gaming and i guess now that it's all about the online gaming
14 years, 3 months ago
I remember playing perfect dark with my cousin all the time, that and starwars pod racers. It was so much fun, for a whole week we would take turns spending the night at each others houses just to play these games. (we each got the N64 on the same exact date)
But one of my friends came up with a great idea recently. We are going to have a LAN party (it might just be me and him) but were going to be playing Dead Space 2 the night it comes out. I have a ps3 and he has a 360, were going to be putting the tv's back to back and just go at it (in the dark haha)
I would love to get more people in on this, but its hard to find people in the area i live in that actually play a wide variety of games. (besides MW2 and Halo)
14 years, 3 months ago
Good article. I never had many friends that I actually hung out with, therefore I never had many LAN party experiences. The experiences I did have were with some of my family, which included my half-sister and her husband and my niece and nephew. We would often get together and have a LAN party on Halo 2 with pizza and the like. Those were my favorite moments. Then later I met my recent friend in my senior year of high school and we wouldn't have LAN parties, but we would get together and play splitscreen over at his house or mine. But nowadays, I rarely ever get to play splitscreen or LAN because that portion of my family has moved out of state and my friend has been too busy with work and his family to even call me. If anyone out there is like me, their growing older, and their friends and family are moving on and growing away from them. And especially in the area where I live, finding friends that are hardcore gamers that are close to your age is becoming even harder. :(
14 years, 3 months ago
Excellent post. Despite the work a LAN party is, nothing beats playing games with your friends in the same room.
14 years, 3 months ago
My friends and I always get our 4 PS3s in the same room and all use the same wireless. We use a 42" LCD TV, a 32" LCD TV, and two 22" LCD monitors. We'll join a game of BC2 or start a GTA4 lobby. It's pretty fun, if not a little unorganized.
14 years, 3 months ago
It's been awhile since i've had friends locally to game with....., Things have happened, And thus things are the way they're not. We used to play alot of games though, And before shit hit the friend with the friendship we played alot on the N64 mostly with that being the best and only 4p console out at the time before the dreamcast.
We did game on the dreamcast for alittle too on Power Stone 2, And Cannon Spike which were two pretty good DC games despite being on a short lived console.
so we played even the shitty games, And laughed at it's shortcomings. Of course that probably won't happen with alot of people since it's more convenient to play 'Online' these days with the 15$ maps packs, And overpriced themes lol.
14 years, 3 months ago
I hate online gaming. it ruined everything, especially xbox live, its the reason shit games like call of duty got popular
14 years, 3 months ago
Halo 2 LAN partys were the best...
Sport games now a days just arent the same you against a family member or friend trying to out smart the other while trying to showboat... And laugh about it with each other. Now when you play online, with FIFA 10 being my example, you get people who only want to play in one position and its just frustrating. The most fun games are the games where everyone makes funny mistakes but everyone plays their best and plays where they should, keeping possession, making the other team frustrated and everyone being involved.
14 years, 3 months ago
I think the worst part of online gaming is it takes the focus off of playing with your friends, and places it on playing with some stranger. Moving to another state, I had a "final hurrah" with my friends here, and decided we should all swap friend codes/gamertags/etc. A few bounces around of "I don't use Steam," "I have a PS3", "I have a 360 but don't subscribe to Live", I realized that compatibility is the biggest obstacle when ten years ago, that meant that the host just needed to invest in an extra controller or two. (And as it turns out, I'm leaving without a way to play with any of them. Still kinda bummed about that.)
It's not a substitute for local multiplayer. Not by a longshot. But the developers certainly think it is. And furthermore, why is splitscreen such a four letter word these days? Back during the reign of the N64 and the Dreamcast, we gladly played four-player games on tube TV's half the size (if that) of what we have now. Speaking of Dreamcast, was it just me or did 70% of those games include a multiplayer mode just as a bonus and a value incentive? (And if it was crummy, we just ignored it. We didn't feel the need to dock the single player game credit just because an extra mode was lacking.) It seems as games became a more "serious, cinematic medium", this was something developers were all too happy to put on the chop block in the name of a "focused, uncompromising experience".
I have 4 Wii-Motes and I've put them to good use, but I can count those games on one hand. Meanwhile, I've yet to find a reason to buy a third and fourth 360 controller altogether.