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1. daytripper
   Member

   Hello everyone, love the site revamp, fantastic work, i dont post as much these days due to unnecessary hostility/trolling that lingers from certain members but I think some of you will relate to the subject of single player games - they must continue and they must thrive.

   having just completed uncharted 2 for a third time, mass effect 1 & 2 a few times , gears 2, dead space 2 i feel saddened that these experiences, these incredible experiences ( uncharted 2 & mass effect 1 & 2 especially ) are ignored more and more each day by people who seem to believe games are just military affairs with a certain 1st person mode. military 1st person multiplayer is more dominant than i ever thought they would be on consoles.

   i just found out the recent sales numbers for call of duty black ops and i was stunned a game of that quality compared to those mentioned above can completely destroy them. i just dont get it with that series, uncharted 2 for example deserves a lot more sales than it's got and in my opinion deserves more profit than any call of duty game.

   it's all personal preference of course and i do enjoy multiplayer modes (3rd person) but i'm getting slightly concerned with the way games developers are wanting a piece of the call of duty pie and we are seeing many replicas of that series when i personally want to see developers do their own thing instead of accommodating to people who just buy one game a year or are narrow minded enough to rule out a purchase no matter how well received simply for the lack of either co-op or versus multiplayer (looking in the direction of neo gaf snobs).

   i'm probably being selfish but i do get slightly frustrated with many gamers today with their attitudes towards single player experiences. i even think half life 3 could lose sales or uncharted 3 or mass effect 3 despite probable high quality. i wonder how these studios like naughty dog, bioware etc will survive should this trend continue.

   Posted 2 years ago #

2. Hunam
   Member

   I don't think there is anything to worry about. Yes sales of Call of Duty are high, but that also has a single player mode that most of the people buying the game complete. Multiplayer modes are important because it's a good way of keeping interest in a series whilst the next game is in development and as a way to broaden the game (playing with their mates) or revenue (DLC map packs).

   I don't know what the statistic is at the moment, but only a couple of years ago it was around 45% of players who actually took their games online. The majority of video game players do not play the multiplayer modes for what ever reason. Dead Space 2 has done very well based on the single player portion alone, I think most people don't even care for the MP mode in it and I bet less than 20% bother to play it. Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 both did exceptionally well sales but if you compare everything to CoD then it's going to look grim as CoD has a mainstream presence that no other game has, like the GTA series had before it.

   MP is big bussiness these days, but back in 1999-2005 we had this same discussion with the likes of Quake 3, Counter-Strike Retail and UT2K3 and Battlefield 2 being released with almost no single player portion present, just bot matches but the SP game rode past that as it's still the main reason people buy games.

   Posted 2 years ago #

3. Ireland Michael
   Moderator

   The funny thing is, nearly all of the games you mentioned have multiplayer modes as well.

   I think people obsessed over these numbers too much myself. I mean, Uncharted 2 was hardly a poor seller. A game does not need to sell 10 bazillions copies like Call of Duty does in order to be a success.

   I do not believe single player games are going anyone, and I think peoples' assumptions that they are is little more than ignorance. Video games with only single player components are successful all the time. Again, a game doesn't need to net itself CoD level sales to be considered successful.

   Single player and multiplayer can go hand in hand together.

   Posted 2 years ago #

4. daytripper
   Member

   cant help having a dig can you?

   Posted 2 years ago #

5. Ireland Michael
   Moderator

   What?

   Posted 2 years ago #

6. Da Man
   Member

   the issue is that SP games have little to zero replay value, unless it's something like Vanquish or a sandbox/open world one like Just Cause/RDR/Fallout . with Halo or Cod you buy a game and can play it online for a year or two.. people want value for their money.

   with the spread of broadband internets and the game budgets rising drastically in the latest decade it's not surprising it affects what's being made and what sells the most.

   personally, the only SP games I play these days are those with some kind of post game time trials, or considerably hard difficulty modes.

   Posted 2 years ago #

7. Ireland Michael
   Moderator

   I don't even agree that multiplayer games "sell the most". I think it just so happens that the biggest sellers (namely CoD) just happen to have multiplayer components.

   Perfect examples that discount this misconception: Portal. Batman: Arkham Asylum. Mass Effect 2. Super Mario Galaxy 2. Dragon Age: Origins.

   And those are just the ones off the top of my head.

   Posted 2 years ago #

8. DSB
   Member

   The notion that singleplayer is under threat is extremely hysterical. Once you start overreacting to 2-3 succesful shooters like that, it's probably time to turn off the PC and go for a walk.

   Singleplayer is usually a rigidly defined, immersive experience, whereas the fun of multiplayer relies on the chaos from the people you're playing with. It's apples and pears as far as I'm concerned, and I'm pretty sure most people enjoy both.

   Like DaMan points out, there are plenty of games out there that can offer you between 20-40-60 hours singleplayer, which is probably about as long as anyone can stand to play against code.

   The fact that most games don't really hone their gameplay to the point where it's worth sticking around and trying new things is solely down to the developers themselves. Super Meat Boy would be my off-the-shelf example of a singleplayer game that turns you into a hopless completionist by virtue of fun gameplay and incremental challenge.

   Posted 2 years ago #

9. daytripper
   Member

   @michael sorry my bad it was meant for another forum in separate window not at you. some good points made guys, cheers

   Posted 2 years ago #

10. G1GAHURTZ
    Member

    SP is old hat.

    I'm sure, however, that it will still continue to have it's enthusiasts, just like vinyl and VHS.

    £40 for a measly 10-15 hours?

    LOL!

    Posted 2 years ago #

11. BraveArse
    Member

    The truly interesting thing for me is where we go with SP and MP from here. FROM have started something huge with the integration of online tech into what is essentially a single player game. Having every player play a bit part in everyone else's game is just genius. Dark Souls, I'm willing to wager, will push it again, and from what I've seen of Armored Core V they're really going to take that concept even further.

    Then you have BRINK this year, which is looking at other ways of blending single player story with online multiplayer, but admittedly coming from the L4D school of game design. Then of course, there's Journey, which looks extremely interesting from that standpoint too.

    Does anyone remember J Allard talking about the idea of "anti-coop" back during the 360 launch? I reckon this is the year where that concept truly begins to mature.

    Posted 2 years ago #

12. mojo
    Member

    lol giga and mp is a new hat or what?
    ur 15 years late for the party

    Posted 2 years ago #

13. Anonymous
    Unregistered

    I agree with you SP games are almost dead especially shooters
    deadspace 2,bioshock 2,U2.. have MP when there is no need
    also SP is getting Short as developers are focused towards MP to sell their game

    Posted 2 years ago #

14. mathare92
    Member

    ^ Wow, I think that's the first thing you've written that's been at least semi-rational.

    Posted 2 years ago #

15. OlderGamer
    Moderator

    I play a lot of MMORPG type games.

    The MMO is of course Masive Multiplayer Online. We all know that, but what you might not know is that a great many(believe it or not most) players in such games spend most of their time playing solo.

    I do.

    The MP aspect fo the game are there if I want them. But the solo play is my fav part of a game be it wow, EQII, and newly RIFT.

    I don't think that element is going anywhere any time soon.

    However(you knew this was coming didn't you), I think you should redefine what is SP.

    Playing solo in an online world is SP.

    Playing alone in an offline game is also SP.

    But the latter pick there is indeed a dying breed.

    What you guys are talking about is those story driven, tightly structured, heavily scripted games. In the traditional sense. The type of games that dominated Playstation and Playstation 2. And yes the market for those games is shrinking.

    The thing G1GA said and some others is spot on it boils down to value. An SP game costs as much as a OMP game. And the ride in the SP game is over in a few hours(at best) and the OMP game can have thousands of hours of gameplay.

    Factor is that gaming is a social experience, best shared with friends, and you have a win win.

    I think the days of sitting alone in a dark room and playing all by yourself are fading. Remember back to the days when gaming wasn't cool? Its like that. Why do that any more?

    The games coming down the pipe will intregate sp and MP into the same game world. No doubt about it. Sandbox type games that you can do your own thing if you feel like it, or mix it up with friends and foe if your in the mood for that.

    I am sorry but if you want one of those enriching story lines that speaks just to you, places you in the very center of all things, buy a create your own adventure pop up book.

    Its just a fact gaming experiences change and evole. Sometimes some folks feel left out in the cold when that happens. You will deal, I have an more then one occasion.

    And if indeed the SP games fade away from center stage spotlights(and they already have), I am sure there will still be a few choices here and there. I love 2D side scrolling shooters, they aren't filling the store shelfs like they did once upon a time, but just recently I bought Raiden Jet, Radian IV, DeathSmiles, and there is a host of rebooted arcade shooters too.

    You just have to accept that what you like, isn't the coolest catch in the sea anymore.

    Posted 2 years ago #

16. G1GAHURTZ
    Member

    Excellent comment there, OG.

    Very well put.

    Posted 2 years ago #

17. Crab of Thunder
    Member

    While i'm a sucker for a good MP, i still feel that the SP is the meat of most games, and without them the package would not be complete.

    If you mean there may be a decline in SP-centric games i would agree, these days all the sequels to great SP games seem to have added MP. While it can sometimes be good, it mostly feels like its tacked on and almost like a side attraction. Still, this definitely won't lead to SP dissapearing.

    OldGamer made some damn good points though, maybe it's just the evolutionary path gaming is taking.

    Posted 2 years ago #

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