More or less. And even when it's debateable whether a game should have multiplayer (Bioshock 2 springs to mind), the resulting component tends to be rather impressive. But that causes its own sub-set of problems, particularly for someone like myself who has to play through multiple games a week. There just isn't enough time for all this multiplayer.
By its very own nature, multiplayer gaming is about repetition. Since the onset of Call Of Duty, that repetition has been complemented by frequent unlocks. But at its core multiplayer is still all about familiar scenarios against differing opposition. It's about being competitive (or co-operative) within a set of mechanics. It's about spending serious time with a game to really learn it.
That was fine back in the original XBOX days. Halo 2 was the only real truly fantastic XBOX Live shooter. It meant you could enjoy the single-player on every other game, whilst constantly dipping back into Halo 2 whenever necessary. You learned it and your week had space for it. Now I'm just not sure I've got the time.
And that's not because I'm playing more games, it's because more games have great multiplayer. I come to the topic of Bioshock 2. Sure, the franchise didn't need multiplayer - but they made it and it's totally awesome. But how can I ever find time for Bioshock 2's multiplayer, when Uncharted 2 just got a map-pack, Modern Warfare 2 is still near the top of my pile, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing just came out, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is on the horizon.
There's an episode of the Simpsons in which Mr. Burns visits a doctor and is diagnosed with multiple diseases. The doctor explains that the reason he isn't dead is because said diseases are all vying for the space to act. He gathers up a group of balls and pushes them towards an open doorway where the balls subsequently get stuck. It reminds me of my current plight — there's just so many good multiplayer modes that I actually end up playing none of them.
I'm sure the situation isn't relevent to those people who are only able to stretch to one or two good games a year, and to those people I say enjoy it. Sometimes I wished I had time for just one game. MAG's come close to drawing me in regularly like Halo 2 did — but I assume come March I'll have a pile of new multiplayer games pushing MAG right to the bottom of my blu-ray tower, and subsequently vying for my attention all over again.
Twiggy is an anonymous PushSquare columnist who has been spotted in three major cities across the globe. Its rumoured hes on the run from the British monarchy who accused him of treason.
Previous entries in the Twiggy range:
- I Love Games Set In The Wild-West Twiggy The PushSquare Opinionator
- Why Are Sony Letting Microsoft Bully Them Out Of Familiar Franchises? Twiggy The PushSquare Opinionator
- The Mass Effect Franchise Has To Come To PS3 At Some Point Twiggy The PushSquare Opinionator
- MAG Is The Most Enjoyable Online Shooter Ive Played In A Long Time
- Playstation Motion Controller Delay: The Good & The Bad
- Is 3D The Future Of Playstation 3 Or A Nice Little Extra?
- Co-Op Is Definitely The Future Of Online Multiplayer
- Playstation Network Premium Could Be Amazing If
- Whats The Obsession With Cross-Platform Comparison?
- Guess What Playstation Games Im Playing This Christmas
- So, At What Point Do The Games Delayed From Q4 09 Get Pushed Out Of Q1 10?
- Valve Should Really Shut Their Mouth
- Why You Should Be Playing Siren: Blood Curse This Halloween
- Could Eye Pet Expand The Playstation 3s Audience?
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Puts A Number Of Hollywood Movies To Shame
- Why Is Everyone So Angry About The PSPgo?
- Playstation 3 Provides More Diversity Than Any Other System Available
- This Is How You Make The Playstation Motion Controller A Success
- The Playstation 3 Is Everywhere These Days, Somethings Changed
- Playing PSone Classics On The PSP Is The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
- Sony Must Be Feeling Bullish After An Excellent GamesCom
- Ill Rue The Day The Singleplayer Dies
- Please Stop Extending Your Games With Annoying Treasure Hunts
- The Scope Of DLC Is Changing
- Why Do People Promote A Single System Future?
- The Digital Download vs. The Peripheral, Is The Video Game Industry Moving In Separate Directions?
- The Ideas Presented In Mirrors Edge & Red Faction Guerrilla Will End Up Everywhere
- The Importance Of Exposure Against An E3 Splash: Which Is More Important?
- Sonys Wand Technology Sent Out A Fierce Message To Competitors Hours After They Comfortably Assumed Victory
- Sonys First, Second & Third Party Alliances Will Ensure A Thrilling E3 2009 Showcase
- Playstation 3 Is Platformed Out With Bionic Commando & inFamous This Week, And It Reminds Me How Much I Love Super Mario 64
- In A Year Dominated By Blockbuster Sequels, Quantic Dreams Heavy Rain Vision Could Be The Diamond In The Rough
- Heres What Id Request In The PSP Go! If I Had A Job At Sony & A Say In Such Things
- Does The Playstation 3 Need Motion-Control & How Will Sony Apply It?
- Why Did Guerillas Killzone 2 Force Me To Kill The More Interesting Good Guys? I Hate The ISA!
- Sonys E3 2009 Press Conference Could Be The Biggest In History & A Turning Point In Software Perception
- A Playstation 3 Pricecut Could Cripple Sony So Stop Asking For It
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