What's happened to split screen Multiplayer?

[Eldritch Warlord]

Eldritch Warlord do you actually play Local Multiplayer matches? They're terrible because of too big maps and screen peeking.

Yes I do, I've lost track of how many LAN parties I've been to/organized. Screenwatching does become a problem of sorts but I've found that the only people who can take advantage of it are probably gonna win anyway. Plus it's difficult to system link more than two Xbox's and the availability of routers makes more than four nearly impossible.

But I've had more fun at LAN parties than online multiplayer.

These are Halo parties by the way.

Joking EDIT: Oh God, the disease is more widespread than I thought! Safeguard your brains people, lest the Idiocy take hold!

Yea thats LAN I'm talking about Local (1 system) multiplayer where you only have one screen and up to a max of 4 people. That sucks balls.

Actually I've played more than a few games on one system. Never very competitive but (Halo 2) King of the Hill on Beaver Creek or SWAT on Lockout or Ascension was always fun. And Glitchez, nothings more fun than going out of the map or launching people with Wraiths (for a short while).

But your right, it's always way better to have more people. That way you can justify teams and vehicles.

 

[Takatchi]

People like me happened to split-screen multiplayer. Unless you have an obscenely large, and by this I mean measured in feet television screen, I can track the motion on a four-player split-screen and identify familiar landmarks or powerup spawn points, even register area textures and colors to locate enemies.

It removes some of the challenge when everyone else seems honor-bound not to do this, but I can't help it. If I'm looking at a split-screen match I can tell where you are, simple as that.

Or it could have been the implementation of readily-accessible, reliable online multiplayer allowing for 16+ people to easily interface with each other, without having to worry about taking an analog stick to the frickin' eyeball for whoring energy swords.

 

[Divinegon]

I hate split screen multiplayer, specially on FPS. It was a necessity for multiplayer but darn it, I can't count the amount of situations where the others cheated on me and looked at my screen to see where I was. Still in co-op games it was nice, although the reduced visibility felt annoying. Still, it was a necessity.

 

[scoobyduped]

Eldritch Warlord do you actually play Local Multiplayer matches? They're terrible because of too big maps and screen peeking.

That's why the gaming gods created small maps. And screen looking only works if the three other people you're playing with all suck. And if you're playing with 12 more people online? Fuggedaboudit.

I'd rather play games with real friends in the room with me than with complete strangers over the internet, or even the aforementioned real friends over the internet. If CoD4 had allowed split screen/online play, I would have sold my copy of Halo 3 a long time ago.

 

[Terramax]

Lack of 4-player split screen is why I've still yet to buy any of the Burnout games after Burnout 2. To me, there's just no point.

I think it depends on they system. the Wii has plenty of 4 player games, a number of them split screen. This is because the console is specifically built and sold to be a multiplayer machine.

Games on the 360, PS3 and PC are being built for single player, 100hr simulation or online games.

 

[SilentHunter7]

Well, processor speed has something to do with it, but that is just from the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter perspective. The framerate plummets when there are four onscreen at once...

Then again, there's Halo. Four player split screen, no framerate problems.

Maybe its just problematic for certain games.

Only for games whose developers are too lazy, or don't have enough time to properly optimize the multiplayer. Just one example; Halo saves graphics power in split-screen by not rendering objects that are decently far away.

 

[irrelevantnugget]

Developer: We are almost done the game!
Community: We want Splitscreen!
Dev: But you will barely use it online is where all the people are at
Com: We want Splitscreen.
Dev: Ok but its will be twice as taxing on the hardware so we will have to make the graphics worse.
Com: We want Splitscreen and the best graphics.
Dev: You can't.
Com: You suck.

Thanks for inventing a complete bollocks story.

 

[Sylocat]

The reason games don't have split-screen multiplayer anymore is very simple. If you let players use split-screen, then you have up to four people using one copy of the game. If you only have online play, then each player has to buy a different copy. So, by eliminating split screen, they sell more copies of the game.

There's no REAL problem with processing speed, at least not a prohibitive one. And getting only a quarter of the screen isn't any less user-friendly now than it was in the days of Goldeneye, and I seem to recall a lot of people liking it then. And what's more, there's more to gaming than FPS's, anyway. Processing issues and screen space are just the tired excuses they throw up to justify this price-gouging.

 

[Danny Ocean]

I know what you mean, I used to have friends around all the time, we even planned linking two Xboxs up to play Cod4 with 8 people. Only to find out when everyone came around that it wouldn't do it. EVEN THOUGH IT SAID IT ON THE BOX. That's just flat out lying.

Why don't they make PC games split screen? It's not like we don't have enough USB ports. Plus we can use gamepads.

 

[Jinjiro]

I know what you mean, I used to have friends around all the time, we even planned linking two Xboxs up to play Cod4 with 8 people. Only to find out when everyone came around that it wouldn't do it. EVEN THOUGH IT SAID IT ON THE BOX. That's just flat out lying.

Why don't they make PC games split screen? It's not like we don't have enough USB ports. Plus we can use gamepads.

Too true, a couple of my friends and I got a cheap USB converter that will recognise PS1/2 pads (was about £2.50 I believe) and I've had endless amounts of fun playing certain FPS's and emulation stuff.

I really don't understand those who don't like playing split screen with friends. Suuuuuure, your friends can play with you online now, but to be entirely honest that loses some of the magic of videogames. There's nothing like watching a mate beat you at the last second at Burnout or Mario Kart, then do a mini victory lap round your room.

They should bring back Micro-Machines esque games where you could play 4 player with only 2 controllers! Ah, the days of trying to wrestle gamepads away from friends while they were trying to take a turn...

I refuse to buy racers or shooters without split screen. No matter how good the single player might be. Yeah, might be good, but I'm not going to play it after I complete it, therefore, may as well rent it and complete it. Halo, while being overrated as a shooter, has multiplayer SPOT ON.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Yeah, there's nothing quite like throwing popcorn at your best friend when you run them over in a ghost. Then run them over again. And again. And again. Then they end up tussling with you and the whole group ends up in a brawl.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

The reason games don't have split-screen multiplayer anymore is very simple. If you let players use split-screen, then you have up to four people using one copy of the game. If you only have online play, then each player has to buy a different copy. So, by eliminating split screen, they sell more copies of the game.

then why do these same companies not require a CD Key for their PC Games when playing LAN games?

kind of goes against your logic don't it?

 

[Danny Ocean]

Don't give them ideas!

 

[Jinjiro]

Long live Nintendo, to be honest. They at least know where gaming should be. I've had some classic moments with my Wii, whether it be seeing 4 people desperate for breath after a night's rental of Rayman Raving Rabbids or classic moments from Mario Kart. I wish there were more games like that for my PS3.

 

[shaboinkin]

Tell me, which would be more fun.
Playing your with your friends online, or playing with them in real life. I find it more fun to have my friends over, cause you happen to do stupid crap. If theres 4 people playing and a few others watching, its fun for everyone. If you are online, not everyone may be lucky enough to have the console/game. Those that arent playing can watch all four people play at the same time, verses, playing online, you only see one person play. You can't really choose who you want to play with. If you know your friend is better then you, you can wait for another turn until you play with your other friends who arent as good.
And the whole deal with screen watching, if you screen watch, you are a douche. plan and simple.

I played with my friends on live a few times. It just isn't as fun. No real social interactions. All you got is a mic, and a picture in your mind of your friend crying cause you just owned him.

 

[osaka35]

how odd. Last game I got that needs it uses it(mario kart wii). I don't really go for the multiplayer games for multiplayers sake, with a few exceptions, so this hasn't been a problem for me.

how blissful I was in my ignorance.

 

[Sylocat]

The reason games don't have split-screen multiplayer anymore is very simple. If you let players use split-screen, then you have up to four people using one copy of the game. If you only have online play, then each player has to buy a different copy. So, by eliminating split screen, they sell more copies of the game.

then why do these same companies not require a CD Key for their PC Games when playing LAN games?

kind of goes against your logic don't it?

I know it damages my credibility to suggest that there is more to gaming than PC gaming, but I can't help but point it out.

 

[Trogd0r]

I agree, bring back split screen, some people do still have friends you know?!
I hate it when even racing games (I'm looking at you codemasters!) do not have any splitscreen multiplayer.

I for one can't wait for UT3 on the 360 tomorrow, splitscreen online + bots = WIN!

 

[HellsingerAngel]

Split-screen is my life blood when it comes to video games. I'm generally the guy who brings in the games in my area and with a library of around 45 games for my 360 (not including my XBL downloadable games) and a few other fighting games for my Wii, (Budokai 3 is just too fun with a WiiMote) I have a good selection. I'm constantly looking at the back of boxes to see what exactly it supports and I'm often disappointed with the lack of single machine multiplayer options. LAN parties are great, but when nobody else owns a next gen console (we have real life issues that suck up money, like rent/food/utilities/girlfriends/student loans/ well, you get the idea?) it comes to the point where we're begging for good single console multiplayer when we get together.

Now, I know the discussion seems to be mostly for two genres (first person shooter and racing games) but I, for one, have enjoyed a lot more four player action in other genres as well, comapred to the single player modes of said genres. I don't know how many times I've heard my best friend shout in the most kiddy voice he can muster "Aqua Laser" as he used Genis in Tales of Symphonia. Hell, one of my friends prides himself on being able to effectively combo and dispatch multiple enemies off screen in that game because of our attempts in trying to find out how the camera system worked. We spent hours on end running through that game together at University, even completing it with a "must have at least 3 people playing" rule in a "see how many titles we can get in one run" attempt. In short, this RPG (yes, that's right, a 4 player RPG!) was one of THE best, if not the best, RPG I've played in my life. Not because of the game mechanics, not because of the nice cell shading, not because of the story, but because now I have fond memories and a lot of inside jokes from playing the game with my friends.

Another great example was a party I went to just yesterday where a bunch of my old highschool friends were going to be because one of their father's was celebrating his 50th birthday (we knew him very well because of all the community service and youth programs he ran when we were kids). So after all the catching up was done we decided some video games would be cool. Almost immediately, one of my firends piped up and said "Hey! You know what would be awesome? Some Diddy Kong Racing!" No next gen console came to mind because of the memories of slapping in that cheat code to play Adventure Mode Co-op and firing ten missles up Wizpig's ass as we sped along the wackiest locations in our airplanes, cars and hovercrafts. And why WOULD next gen come into play? Too few games have decent local multiplayer.

So what is the point of this huge rant? I'd like to see more multiplayer in ALL genres for single consoles, much like Ultimate Alliance or Eternal Sonata did. I'm not saying multiplayer doesn't have it's uses. I like playing on Xbox Live when my friends and I can't get to eachother easily and I've even made some pretty cool online buddies that I consistantly play with, but playing games with a group of friends in whatever room is dedicated to gaming that day is an amazing experience and I'm sad that we'll potentially lose it. Game designers need to realise that if a game is just kick ass enough, we'll still buy multiple copies to run through the single player and rack up our own characters/achievements/practice, so that when it comes time to play against friends we're fully equipped and ready to rumble for a rockin' good time.

Long live single console multiplayer!

 

[CTU_Agent24]

Split-screen is my life blood when it comes to video games. I'm generally the guy who brings in the games in my area and with a library of around 45 games for my 360 (not including my XBL downloadable games) and a few other fighting games for my Wii, (Budokai 3 is just too fun with a WiiMote) I have a good selection. I'm constantly looking at the back of boxes to see what exactly it supports and I'm often disappointed with the lack of single machine multiplayer options. LAN parties are great, but when nobody else owns a next gen console (we have real life issues that suck up money, like rent/food/utilities/girlfriends/student loans/ well, you get the idea?) it comes to the point where we're begging for good single console multiplayer when we get together.

Now, I know the discussion seems to be mostly for two genres (first person shooter and racing games) but I, for one, have enjoyed a lot more four player action in other genres as well, comapred to the single player modes of said genres. I don't know how many times I've heard my best friend shout in the most kiddy voice he can muster "Aqua Laser" as he used Genis in Tales of Symphonia. Hell, one of my friends prides himself on being able to effectively combo and dispatch multiple enemies off screen in that game because of our attempts in trying to find out how the camera system worked. We spent hours on end running through that game together at University, even completing it with a "must have at least 3 people playing" rule in a "see how many titles we can get in one run" attempt. In short, this RPG (yes, that's right, a 4 player RPG!) was one of THE best, if not the best, RPG I've played in my life. Not because of the game mechanics, not because of the nice cell shading, not because of the story, but because now I have fond memories and a lot of inside jokes from playing the game with my friends.

Another great example was a party I went to just yesterday where a bunch of my old highschool friends were going to be because one of their father's was celebrating his 50th birthday (we knew him very well because of all the community service and youth programs he ran when we were kids). So after all the catching up was done we decided some video games would be cool. Almost immediately, one of my firends piped up and said "Hey! You know what would be awesome? Some Diddy Kong Racing!" No next gen console came to mind because of the memories of slapping in that cheat code to play Adventure Mode Co-op and firing ten missles up Wizpig's ass as we sped along the wackiest locations in our airplanes, cars and hovercrafts. And why WOULD next gen come into play? Too few games have decent local multiplayer.

So what is the point of this huge rant? I'd like to see more multiplayer in ALL genres for single consoles, much like Ultimate Alliance or Eternal Sonata did. I'm not saying multiplayer doesn't have it's uses. I like playing on Xbox Live when my friends and I can't get to eachother easily and I've even made some pretty cool online buddies that I consistantly play with, but playing games with a group of friends in whatever room is dedicated to gaming that day is an amazing experience and I'm sad that we'll potentially lose it. Game designers need to realise that if a game is just kick ass enough, we'll still buy multiple copies to run through the single player and rack up our own characters/achievements/practice, so that when it comes time to play against friends we're fully equipped and ready to rumble for a rockin' good time.

Long live single console multiplayer!

nicely put