What ever happened to offline co-op in video games?
Anyone who has played games when they were young has memories of playing them with others. For instance, when I was a kid, my friends would come over to my garage and we would hook up the PS2 and play some Dynasty Warriors 3 or NBA Street Vol. 2, or maybe even bust out the old NES and play some Double Dragon. Those were some good times… Now fast-forward to last week. I go over to a friend’s house and after mentioning that a new Castlevania game with co-op has just hit the Xbox Live Arcade, we downloaded it.
We then spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get some offline co-op going before we finally came to the conclusion that the game was, in fact, online-only multiplayer. Why is it that so many multiplayer-focused games for the 360 come out with a lack of offline support? Why the hell do games like Perfect Dark come out and tout “offline split-screen action” like it’s a crowning achievement?
I can’t be the only one upset about the fact that offline multiplayer in 360 titles isn’t even an afterthought for most developers now; its simply nonexistent. Games like Castlevania: Harmony of Despair come out with a heavy emphasis on playing with others, yet they require those others to own their own 360, Xbox Live, and the game. It doesn’t even make sense when all the action can take place on one freaking screen.
Don’t think this nonsense stops with XBLA titles, though. Oh hell no. Games like Splinter Cell have been doing this for a while now too. Sure, in a multiplayer round, split-screen might not be best for sneaking up on somebody, but in co-op it works perfectly. Instead, the offline multiplayer option is usually a LAN connection which requires at least two of everything.
Granted, PC games have functioned this way forever, but these are consoles we’re talking about here. One of the things that made consoles so enticing was the concept of simple plug-and-play action on one screen with multiple friends on one couch. Perhaps the problem with games developed for the 360 is that Microsoft has been handling it more and more like a PC (just as Sony has). Just look at the new 360 Slim model. It looks like a freaking Alienware PC.
While PCs may be Microsoft’s forte, they and their developers need to remember that they’re making games for consoles, not just PCs. Now, I’ve been wagging the finger at the 360 quite a bit here, and maybe I shouldn’t since not every game on the 360 is pushed out by Microsoft. Games like GTA4 that go multiplatform also have the same problems, but with 360 being the PS2 of this generation (don’t try to deny it), even if games go multiplatform, the online focus still seemed more geared towards the 360 audience more than anything.
Meanwhile, PS3 developers seem to have a better concept of how offline multiplayer should be handled, and you don’t need to create a second account to get a friend in on the action either. However, online games like Warhawk do still exist there as well. Don’t get me started on the Wii, though, since it has horrible online, which obviously puts more emphasis on offline multiplayer development. I wouldn’t exactly mark that as a “win” in the Nintendo column.
“If the game isn’t a shooter, then it doesn’t get split-screen.” As of right now, this seems to be the message the 360 has been sending to the minds of developers. Maybe it’s because they’re too lazy to deal with the graphical glitches that would follow, or maybe it’s because Microsoft executives want more reasons for added Live accounts. Either way, these developers need a big slap in the face. There are still people with friends in the real world that would like to play in the same room together and play something other than an FPS, Fighting, or Sports game; and they’re just as important as the online gaming public. Consoles were made to bring people closer together for their gaming, so despite this digital age, this needs to be remembered and utilized.
***Want some more hot Genki action? Check back every Saturday for more editions of Gotta Rant ‘Em All.***
About the Author
Josh "Genki" Michaelson
Writer of the column “Gotta’ Rant ‘em All,” Josh became obsessed with gaming after playing Super Mario Bros. 3. Since then, he has been deeply rooted in the culture of video games. This love for the medium had led him toward a degree in 3D Animation at Northern Illinois University.
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