Single Player Gaming - Dead?

This year's GOTY is focusing almost exclusively on multiplayer, MMOs are more popular than ever and single player isn't what it used to be.

Will single player gaming be dead in a few years? Will we soon see a majority of games released without single player? Personally, I think we will.

Will single player gaming be dead in a few years? Will we soon see a majority of games release without single player? Personally, I think we will.

The_Frederick

That's silly.

Halo 3 is far from confirmed GOTY.

And with games like Mass Effect, The Witcher, Crysis and the recently released Bioshock I think it's safe to say single player games are doing great.

Halo 3 is far from confirmed GOTY.

And with games like Mass Effect, The Witcher, Crysis and the recently released Bioshock I think it's safe to say single player games are doing great.

inoperativeRS

Yeah I hardly see single player gaming going anywhere anytime soon let alone dieing. Along with the games you mentioned there are numerous other games I could mention in many different genres where there looks to be a very solid single player expierence. I think multi-player is growing though in different ways such as co-op modes in what is typically an single player campaign.

Didn't Jeff say that the single player expierence in Halo 3 done well and is a pretty satisfactory expierence anyway?

single player will never die... most multiplayer games have a single player mode on it. single player and multiplayer are always gonna be around.

Didn't Jeff say that the single player expierence in Halo 3 done well and is a pretty satisfactory expierence anyway?

Archangel3371

Come on. It's Jeff.

BioShock and God of War II are both two possible strong contendors for GOTY nomination this year....both are single player.

In addition we have games like The Witcher, Crysis, Mass Effect, and Super Mario Galaxy which are all multiplayer focused.

....and after that games like BioWare's Dragon, Mafia 2, Alan Wake, Metal Gear Solid 4, Darksiders, Heavy Rain and Grey Matter all look to be high quality single player games.

BioShock and God of War II are both two possible strong contendors for GOTY nomination this year....both are single player.Robnyc22

Nah, Bioshock won't win GOTY. Too... high concept.

[QUOTE="Robnyc22"]BioShock and God of War II are both two possible strong contendors for GOTY nomination this year....both are single player.The_Frederick

Also note that Halo 3 isn't the only game that was awarded a 9.5. World in Conflict was given a 9.5 in the past week as well, and is just as much a contender for the award as a handful of other games. Just because a game is the highest rated game of the year is no guarentee that it will win GOTY.

In regards to Single Player games, I highly doubt that they will, in general, be 'dead' in any short timeframe, given genres that thrive on either a focused single player campaign, or the most multiplayer that is found is in offline two player co-operative/competitive action.

Or it simply has design flaws that keep it from being /that/ stellar.Skylock00

We've been over this; don't like it, don't play it.

Also note that Halo 3 isn't the only game that was awarded a 9.5. World in Conflict was given a 9.5 in the past week as well, and is just as much a contender for the award as a handful of other games. Just because a game is the highest rated game of the year is no guarentee that it will win GOTY.

Skylock00

World in Conflict isn't popular enough to win it.

[QUOTE="Skylock00"]Or it simply has design flaws that keep it from being /that/ stellar.The_Frederick

We've been over this; don't like it, don't play it.

Also note that Halo 3 isn't the only game that was awarded a 9.5. World in Conflict was given a 9.5 in the past week as well, and is just as much a contender for the award as a handful of other games. Just because a game is the highest rated game of the year is no guarentee that it will win GOTY.

Skylock00

World in Conflict isn't popular enough to win it.

Regarding World in Conflict, the game is absolutely a contender for GOTY, and the decision of what is awarded GOTY isn't mere popularity, as that would be more in line with the user choice awards, whereas the main awards are picked by the editors, and can be awarded to whatever game they see fit as being worthy of the award.

Regarding World in Conflict, the game is absolutely a contender for GOTY, and the decision of what is awarded GOTY isn't mere popularity, as that would be more in line with the user choice awards, whereas the main awards are picked by the editors, and can be awarded to whatever game they see fit as being worthy of the award.

Skylock00

Nah it's not. I have never seen an unpopular or lesser known game win GOTY. They have a specific category for those games, Best Game Nobody Played.

[QUOTE="Skylock00"]

Regarding World in Conflict, the game is absolutely a contender for GOTY, and the decision of what is awarded GOTY isn't mere popularity, as that would be more in line with the user choice awards, whereas the main awards are picked by the editors, and can be awarded to whatever game they see fit as being worthy of the award.

The_Frederick

Nah it's not. I have never seen an unpopular or lesser known game win GOTY. They have a specific category for those games, Best Game Nobody Played.

Single player gaming will never, I repeat, NEVER die. Period. Too many amazing games revolve entirely around the single player experience, and regardless of their replay value or longevity, millions of gamers worldwide love them. God of War, BioShock, Okami, The Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Grand Theft Auto, etc. The list of amazing single player games and franchises both past and present is too staggering to even suggest that it will ever die out. Not to mention that most online multiplayer experiences are heavily tarnished by the inevitable invasion of immature gamers who feel safe talking trash behind the anonymity of the internet. I'm a fan of both multi-player and single player games, but there are those on both sides of the fence who don't subscribe to the other for various reasons. It's simply a matter of taste.

Okami won game of the year from IGN. These things happen.rragnaar

How did that happen? Did an IGN reviewer develop Dissociative Identity Disorder, with one of the identities being a gamer with taste?

I basically only play single player games. I would much rather play a good single player game than a game that has a world-wide multiplayer appeal.

I just finished Beyond Good & Evil last night. Catch my drift?

This years GOTY is focusing almost exclusively on multiplayer, MMOs are more popular than ever and single player isn't what it used ot be.

Will single player gaming be dead in a few years? Will we soon see a majority of games release without single player? Personally, I think we will.

The_Frederick

no, Oblivion, Fallout III, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy.. due I need to cont.?

Nah, Bioshock won't win GOTY. Too... high conceptThe_Frederick

I never said it would definitely win, but simply that it is a strong contender. Which is basically true.

[QUOTE="Skylock00"]Also note that Halo 3 isn't the only game that was awarded a 9.5. World in Conflict was given a 9.5 in the past week as well, and is just as much a contender for the award as a handful of other games. Just because a game is the highest rated game of the year is no guarentee that it will win GOTY.

The_Frederick

World in Conflict isn't popular enough to win it.

Since when was GOTY about the most popular title....if that was the case, then how did Wind Waker beat out GTA: VC in 2003?

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]
Okami won game of the year from IGN. These things happen.The_Frederick

How did that happen? Did an IGN reviewer develop Dissociative Identity Disorder, with one of the identities being a gamer with taste?

How did that happen?...here's how...the majority of IGN Editors voted for it cause it was an excellentand unique game.

what is the number one game element that is demanded of any "great" game ?

a compelling and intriguing story...

its very hard to tell a story in a "multiplayer" environment... it is however loads of fun to play through what is essentially a single player campaign, with multiple players...

Another important aspect you have to keep in mind is that an overwhelming amount of game critics discount a games score if it doesnt have some kind of online component. Whether its vs. battle, team battle, additional downloadable content it seems to me that if you are a next generation game developer and dont integrate some kind of net connectivity gizmo then you are likely to get a lower score. Just my paranoia feeling.

I have been seeing the trend of solid games with great stories slowly evaporating and being replaced by either the FPS or driving carbon copies. I am SOOOO burned out of FPS right now. Just finish bioshock which was good but I know I didnt enjoy it on a level I really should have. I can't wait to play something where I am not looking down a barrel running and strafing L/R.

Space

what is the number one game element that is demanded of any "great" game ?

a compelling and intriguing story...

its very hard to tell a story in a "multiplayer" environment... it is however loads of fun to play through what is essentially a single player campaign, with multiple players...

1fast6

Good point, but I get the feeling that gamers are moving away from story, atmosphere and setting and are moving towards simplism.

Good point, but I get the feeling that gamers are moving away from story, atmosphere and setting and are moving towards simplism.The_Frederick

[QUOTE="1fast6"]

what is the number one game element that is demanded of any "great" game ?

a compelling and intriguing story...

dvader654

What, no its not. Just have excellent gameplay, thats all that is demanded of a great game.

Of course, to be absolutely and totally brilliant, the idea is to make the distinction between gameplay and story nigh impossible...

I do sometimes feel that a lot of what could go into the single player campaign was sacrificed for the sake of the multiplayer, but still, I think both is important.

For one thing (please note that I'm not dissing Halo 3 at all), I do sometimes wonder how much more could have gone into Halo 3's single player campaign if there was no multiplayer. This is just an opinion so please don't take this the wrong way. But what if Halo 3's single player could have been twice as long, maybe like a 20+ hour campaign? Personally, I wish it was like that, but I do acknowledge that multiplayer for Halo is just as important, so I'm glad that Halo 3 is the best yet for Live. Still, even though it's a short campaign, I'm glad to hear that the game does satisfy at the end.

And to answer the thread creator's question, nah, single player campaign will never die. It's a silly and unrealistic assumption if you ask me. If there was no more single player than there'd be no more video game industry.

Singleplayer dead???????????? What????????

Multiplayer is certainly very popular but single player is still alive and will be for the foreseeable future.

In games like Halo 3 the focus isn´tonly the Multiplayer...GS said it has above 10h which is pretty high for an FPS and the Single-Player is absolutely stunning (a friend of mine got it yesterday,of course he isn´t through now) and you got a good MP...what you want more?I´m not a big Halo fan myself but I get it these days.There´s nothing better then a Co-op-Mode :P

Shure Shadowrun was a huge step back.MP only!Even Unreal Championship 2 on XBox made it better...

The bigger problem are the RPGs.It seems to get a bit better,but if I look at FFXII which was originally planned online,but ended in a SP-RPG witha cheapStoryline...why can´t anybody make a MMORPG with a Storyline???PSU has got both too.But the problem for me is that I should pay 10Bucks a month...I don´t pay for a game I have to pay again and again.I got PSU for 15Bucks and it got 30-40h of playtime alone so it was ok,but this was,besides PSOthe only MMORPG I´ve ever bought.I can play 9Dragons,Trickster and stuff like that even on my weak PC for free!

I'd rather have a rich, atmospheric single player game over a 32 player fragfest any day of the week. For me, multiplayer is there to deal with longevity issues. Personally, I can't deal with 100-hour playtimes anymore.

Of cause not. I am a big fan of PC game. In my opinion, single player games will not be dead.

PS GTA 4 and Empire total war is coming 2008!

Halo 3 is far from confirmed GOTY.

And with games like Mass Effect, The Witcher, Crysis and the recently released Bioshock I think it's safe to say single player games are doing great.

inoperativeRS

It's not dead at all.

Many of us don't like playing inferior console multiplayer games with 12 year olds.

This thread has nothing to do with a realconcern about the death of single player gaming. It was originated to voice disapproval for Halo 3 winning goty (in a round-about way)... and that hasn't even happened yet. To the OP I say:

- Halo 3 being uber-popular isn't evidence whatsoever that single player games are dying.

- If anything, it's skill/strategy games that are dying in favor of story based games where story progression is deemed more important than pure gaming challenge.

- The industry is more and more catering to antisocial gaming geeks, so you havenothing to worry about.

-Split-screen multiplayer gaming is definitely dying a slow death.

To be fair, BioShock was brought up for some reason and repeatedly cheap-shotted in the Halo thread so Frederick went completely over the top. Now single player is dead.

The fact BioShock was a main topic of discussion in the Halo thread was bad to begin with. Two very different games on the same system. Showed insecurity. Metroid would have made more sense. And Killzone is the Halo-killer. That's the comparison.

What if we have two different types of gamers who aren't even trying to understand each other anymore? Just elementary things like maybe Frederick is Australian, so he defended BioShock. If I'm trying to understand Frederick, I'm certainly going to try to understand Jeff. Someone is asking Ask GameSpot the best year for video games. GameSpot and Jeff are saying, "1998, no contest, StarCraft, Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid, Ocarina of Time, no need to say more." Have you read Jeff's MGS review? Jeff's a great reviewer who is very different from some of us.

For whatever reason Halo is the only FPS that makes me feel comfortable online, other games I get on and I feel out of place, so not in control. To me there is no better FPS multiplayer than Halo, so I want Halo 3's multiplayer to be as good as it can be cause it maybe the only online game I need all generation long.
dvader654

The focus of multiplayer over single player in the current market is certainly being stressed,but I wouldn't say single player gaming is going to die anytime soon.Many developers still focus on delivering a quality single player experience,and I don't think that's going to stop anytime soon.