Why I Hate Halo (And Other Stories)

[Ampersand]

Never really got into mass effect, I started playing but then i just rewatched babyon 5.

Oh snap.
oh no you didin't

Bioware is the only company that can keep me coming back to a game

Yeh I get you ^_^
They don't really appeal to me but i get why their so popular.
To tell you the truth a game i'd really like to play is one with a story as great as mass effect or dragon age but with gameplay like prototype (I heart prototype, but you could substitue any game that you thought had epic gameplay in there)

 

[SideburnsPuppy]

You say that party games like Rock Band or Mario Party don't need strong Single-player. I perceive games like Halo and Call of Duty to be games like that, only the party is online.

 

[Thyunda]

also snip

I don't mean to be offensive, but have you no friends? There is nothing that compares to the major laughs to be had while playing online. I live in England, and I play often with a friend in Chicago. Me, him, my brother and his brother always play as a team, and we have the most fun ever. Singleplayer might be good for a quick runthrough, but the multiplayer is where the serious fun is. I could play a multiplayer game for years. The experience is something new everytime. Okay, sometimes it is just dicks yelling into the microphone, but there are some truly fun people on there.
With singleplayer, it's the same shit over and over again. But, if it counts for anything I can't read the same book more than once, or watch the same film repeatedly.

no offense taken [sub]and I don't have many friends... ok, I only have 1[/sub]
so you use the multyplayer as more of a chat room than playing for the sake of playing.
the actual game play takes a back seat to you hanging out with your friends. something like that?

but that's not my point.
It's not a problem that games like that exist
it's a problem that FPS (and other multyplayer focus games) are a monopoly

last console generation you could cross out all the FPS games and be left with a healthy game library
this gen you cross out all the FPS's and you have God of war rippoffs, Gears of War rippoffs and a few RPG's

all multyplayer means is the dev team doesn't have to do any work on the single player

all these main stream games play identically
sit behind cover
pop out
bang bang
sit behind cover
dodge a grenade
lather
repeat

then a game Like Bioshock comes around and seems to say
"Yes there is hope play a good game"
then Bioshock 2 comes along and shits on my hopes and dreams

but this turned in to a rant so I'll wrap it up

there are more than enough (far to many) multyplayer focused FPS games out there
and the singleplayer crowd has bugger all to choose from. just RPG's rippoffs and sequels

[HEADING=1]NEW IP'S!![/HEADING]

It's called SIMPLICITY. And it's not always a bad thing. FPSs go by the old rule 'easy to learn, hard to master'. If you strip them to text, then yes it looks silly. I could say the same about Bioshock...which makes me sad. It's a damn good game, I just found it very difficult. Bioshock 2 I much prefer. I just find it easier, gameplay wise, I'm not constantly scavenging for ammunition.
I don't use them as a chatroom, I just know what you mean. Multiplayer is awful if you solo it, so to speak. Play Halo: Reach with a bunch of mates, you'll have the time of your life. Play it on your own, you'll get depressed. Same with World of Warcraft.

 

[C95J]

The reason more work goes into multiplayer is because most people who buy the game play it. It's really popular and the majority likes it. The single player campaigns of The Halo/CoD series I found was really good and well done, quality over quantity. So really when you say they can't tell whether they play multiplayer, they actually can.

Your also saying that gamers are anti-social which is untrue and very stereotypical.

Also, maybe people want to play multiplayer and not singleplayer? your flawed argument works both ways.

What your actually saying is that game designers should go against what their target audience wants and make a better singleplayer for the minority.

It may be the same dozen environments but each and every game is completely different and has got much more variety than singleplayer. More interesting for the people playing.

Looks like your part of the louder minority.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

snip

You say MAG is fine but then complain about CoD? I haven't played MW2 and never plan to but the CoD games have alway been about the multiplayer I don't remember anyone getting it for the singleplayer.

Not always the multiplayer never really kicked off until MW.

The 1st COD game I played was COD2, which I played for the single player (infact I don't even think it had a multiplayer)

My first and longest running clan was in CoD2 multiplayer. Infact I had gotten 300 hours on multi before even playing single.

 

[Vykrel]

(because its popular)

there, now i dont have to read your giant hate rant

 

[Mikeyfell]

Never really got into mass effect, I started playing but then i just rewatched babyon 5.

Oh snap.
oh no you didin't

Bioware is the only company that can keep me coming back to a game

Yeh I get you ^_^
They don't really appeal to me but i get why their so popular.
To tell you the truth a game i'd really like to play is one with a story as great as mass effect or dragon age but with gameplay like prototype (I heart prototype, but you could substitue any game that you thought had epic gameplay in there)

that's why I miss games like Ratchet and Clank
or Jak and Daxter

 

[Ampersand]

Never really got into mass effect, I started playing but then i just rewatched babyon 5.

Oh snap.
oh no you didin't

Bioware is the only company that can keep me coming back to a game

Yeh I get you ^_^
They don't really appeal to me but i get why their so popular.
To tell you the truth a game i'd really like to play is one with a story as great as mass effect or dragon age but with gameplay like prototype (I heart prototype, but you could substitue any game that you thought had epic gameplay in there)

that's why I miss games like Ratchet and Clank
or Jak and Daxter

Jak and Daxter was epic =D

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Multiplayer is a FEATURE for fuck's sake, not a premise.

Totally wrong.
Look at MMOs! Multiplayer is the whole focus of the experience!
Games like Halo and Call of Duty are like a halfway point between the MMO and the singleplayer experience.

Now, don't get me wrong: I love singleplayer in games. My favourite games are all singleplayer-focused games (Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, Homeworld, and so on). But multiplayer is huge and it's here to stay. Like it or not. Some games do put single player in second place, like MW2, but that's why you research the game you're playing.
There are still plenty of great singleplayer games out there, and more being made!
It's not like there are zero games out with great singleplayer!

This whole rant seems to way-overblow multiplayer shooters in a very sensationalist way.

this. i honestly can't put it much better, i love my single player games to death but multiplayer games are here to stay and as long as my rpg's are still flowin good im fine with it. honestly some of the best experiences i have had in gaming are through multiplayer games with my friends (theater mode on halo...some definite good laughs)

 

[Siuki]

This whole rant seems to way-overblow multiplayer shooters in a very sensationalist way.

Definitely. Just because I'm thirteen doesn't mean that I'm a total dick. I have a functioning brain and I admit that I've seen a lot of 12-13 year old assholes who only talk about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on their PS3s.

OT: So you're saying that Team Fortress 2 should never have been made? Your rant seems to overlook games whose entire gameplay is based upon multiplayer and still- wait. Just scrolled up and saw the whole "multi over single games". Sorry.

I think it's because multiplayer keeps a buyer playing the game much longer than the singleplayer. Games that have both, like Halo, expect 6-7 hours of gameplay in the campaign and an enormous amount of time invested in the online multiplayer. Games that only focus on the singlepayer aspect should be much longer, like Mass Effect or the Fallout series.

What did you expect from an FPS? A first person shooter should and will include at least one unchanged aspect: The game takes the point of view in the first person perspective. Any additions or innovations have already been added and there are few things that we could put into an FPS that wouldn't be copied from something else.

 

[Mikeyfell]

It's called SIMPLICITY. And it's not always a bad thing. FPSs go by the old rule 'easy to learn, hard to master'. If you strip them to text, then yes it looks silly. I could say the same about Bioshock...which makes me sad. It's a damn good game, I just found it very difficult. Bioshock 2 I much prefer. I just find it easier, gameplay wise, I'm not constantly scavenging for ammunition.
I don't use them as a chatroom, I just know what you mean. Multiplayer is awful if you solo it, so to speak. Play Halo: Reach with a bunch of mates, you'll have the time of your life. Play it on your own, you'll get depressed. Same with World of Warcraft.

value the characters and story above all else
so when my friend ties me to a chair and forces me to play a teaspoon shallow mainstream game like Call of Duty or Gears of War I get board immediately

but when I tell him to play some epic story driven game that's lacking the fast passed action like Dragon Age or Enslaved he'll get board immediately

but the majority of games are on the shallow FPS multyplayer side with only Half Life and Bioshock meting us half way


I'd be fine if it was like 50/50 but it's much closer to 90/10 (not exactly of course)

 

[Mikeyfell]

Never really got into mass effect, I started playing but then i just rewatched babyon 5.

Oh snap.
oh no you didin't

Bioware is the only company that can keep me coming back to a game

Yeh I get you ^_^
They don't really appeal to me but i get why their so popular.
To tell you the truth a game i'd really like to play is one with a story as great as mass effect or dragon age but with gameplay like prototype (I heart prototype, but you could substitue any game that you thought had epic gameplay in there)

that's why I miss games like Ratchet and Clank
or Jak and Daxter

Jak and Daxter was epic =D

yup...and now Naughty Dog is making Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider
oh dear what is the world coming to

 

[Thyunda]

It's called SIMPLICITY. And it's not always a bad thing. FPSs go by the old rule 'easy to learn, hard to master'. If you strip them to text, then yes it looks silly. I could say the same about Bioshock...which makes me sad. It's a damn good game, I just found it very difficult. Bioshock 2 I much prefer. I just find it easier, gameplay wise, I'm not constantly scavenging for ammunition.
I don't use them as a chatroom, I just know what you mean. Multiplayer is awful if you solo it, so to speak. Play Halo: Reach with a bunch of mates, you'll have the time of your life. Play it on your own, you'll get depressed. Same with World of Warcraft.

value the characters and story above all else
so when my friend ties me to a chair and forces me to play a teaspoon shallow mainstream game like Call of Duty or Gears of War I get board immediately

but when I tell him to play some epic story driven game that's lacking the fast passed action like Dragon Age or Enslaved he'll get board immediately

but the majority of games are on the shallow FPS multyplayer side with only Half Life and Bioshock meting us half way


I'd be fine if it was like 50/50 but it's much closer to 90/10 (not exactly of course)

If single player games are so much better, the split is clearly not an issue. By the time you finish one uber-awesome singleplayer game, the next will be out. At least you'll never suffer from the dilemma of choice.

 

[Mikeyfell]

If single player games are so much better, the split is clearly not an issue. By the time you finish one uber-awesome singleplayer game, the next will be out. At least you'll never suffer from the dilemma of choice.

well.....um....good point. but you're kind of missing my point

with out a large pool of single player games the single player market won't evolve any time soon.
Ninja Theory just came out with Enslaved. an amazing single player experience but like 4 people bought it. so as a result the next game they're coming out with is Devil May Cry 27.
now if there was a much larger pool of single player IP's it might attract new money to the single player market and more people might have bought Enslaved and Ninja Theory wouldn't be putting out a sequel next year...or when ever.

We'll never suffer from the dilemma of choice for all the wrong reasons.
not because we know what we like. but because there's only one person doing what we like.

I know the Bioware RPG's are the only thing I'm looking forward to
Someone else knows that the new Call of Duty game is the only thing they're looking forward to
Someone else knows that the new WoW expansion is the only thing they're looking forward to
it's madness

 

[Thyunda]

If single player games are so much better, the split is clearly not an issue. By the time you finish one uber-awesome singleplayer game, the next will be out. At least you'll never suffer from the dilemma of choice.

well.....um....good point. but you're kind of missing my point

with out a large pool of single player games the single player market won't evolve any time soon.
Ninja Theory just came out with Enslaved. an amazing single player experience but like 4 people bought it. so as a result the next game they're coming out with is Devil May Cry 27.
now if there was a much larger pool of single player IP's it might attract new money to the single player market and more people might have bought Enslaved and Ninja Theory wouldn't be putting out a sequel next year...or when ever.

We'll never suffer from the dilemma of choice for all the wrong reasons.
not because we know what we like. but because there's only one person doing what we like.

I know the Bioware RPG's are the only thing I'm looking forward to
Someone else knows that the new Call of Duty game is the only thing they're looking forward to
Someone else knows that the new WoW expansion is the only thing they're looking forward to
it's madness

Or they could make a more multiplayer game and then BAM! They hit the big money. Single player, once again, has pretty much hit its limit. What else you can do with another form of telling a story? Make it more interactive? Well, wouldn't it be fantastic if you could interact with REAL PEOPLE?!

Make no mistake, I am practically constipated, I want Fallout: New Vegas that badly. I'm not saying singleplayer is bad, I'm just saying multiplayer is at least equal to the singleplayer gaming experience, and NOT merely a 'feature'. Take Monster Hunter, for example, way back on the PS2. That game was...divine. The original, I mean. Never played the sequels. Offline play was damn good fun..but difficult. Online, multiplayer...now that was badassery. That was absolutely fan-bloody-tastic.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Or they could make a more multiplayer game and then BAM! They hit the big money. Single player, once again, has pretty much hit its limit. What else you can do with another form of telling a story? Make it more interactive? Well, wouldn't it be fantastic if you could interact with REAL PEOPLE?!

wow...what brought this on

and secondly what's so great about real people
real people are all shallow one dimensional characters who I find boring and predictable.
It's grating just to know they exist

am I some how less of a person because I get more emotionally invested in fictional well written characters that don't exist and never will.....

okay don't answer that please........
I'm begging you
answer this instead

no other form of media could get away with this zero content zero evolution approach to making profit.

okay except movies and television...... and books [sub]damn you Twilight[/sub]

alright fine so I'm talking out my ass

but all those shows and games and books and movies are just shooting for the lowest common denominator
and I put generic multyplayer driven games like Call of Duty at the nadir of media along with movies like Jack Ass and TV shows like American Idol and books like Twilight

there does that make me less of a person

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

It would suit me just fine if Call of Duty would take the Team Fortress 2 approach and just ditch the single-player entirely. I'm sure there's some people who only bought CoD for the campaign, but I'd wager they're in the VAST minority.

Shooters and Fighting games are better as multiplayer experiences, plain and simple. The Halo series has managed to have some above-average single-players throughout the series, but it still plays second fiddle to the awesome multiplayer.

 

[twistedheat15]

TLR!! From what I did get, you're basically bitching because you think special work goes into multiplayer over single which it doesn't but even if it did so what? For a long single play to work in a game like CoD or Halo you need extensive levels, Big in depth story lines, a slew of other crap. To make the multiplayer work you just need a map, guns, and people, everything already taken from the single play, but adding people gives it replay value.

I just got a great idea for a game
It'll have extensive levels, a big in depth story line and a slew of other crap.
doesn't that sound better than six hours of staring at the back of a chest high wall waiting for the bullet noises to stop long enough to poke your head out form behind cover and try to head shot one of the billion identical terrorists or aliens that clog up FPS's like the toilets at an Indian restaurant?

doesn't that sound more fun than Call of Halo Reach of Honor of War 2 Theft Auto?

or is an original thought to much for you to handle?

Nope it isn't an original thought because there are hundreds of games with the same premise. Picking the one with chest high walls, flying bullets and identical terrorist and then bitching because it doesn't have what you want outta it, instead of playing something else is stupid.

 

[GLo Jones]

About 60% of this thread seems to be people shitting on each other's opinions. Seriously guys, some people just really really like multiplayer, some think it's a waste of time.

I personally live for it. I can't think of many singleplayer campaigns I've ever actually finished (aside from the Mass Effects). They just don't do it for me.

The thrill and unpredictability of playing human opponents however, is where I spend most of my time. Every death isn't simply the game smacking me down a notch, it's being overcome by another person, with their own tactics, and play style. While every kill/victory is one won over other people, and is so much more rewarding than simply completing some set-piece burned onto the disc.

I loved the Shadowrun FPS for this very reason. Many complained about the lack of singleplayer, but I took joy in the amount of options and tactics open to each player. You had to use genuine cunning, teamwork, and 'on the spot' decision making, and it was so satisfying when the results of your tricks paid off.