To begin I am a fan of multi-player games.  The more options one has in a multi-player situation the better.  Apparently this opinion is not shared by the people who make games.  It seems now that multi-player only extends to deathmatches and on-line play.  What has happened to the local gaming communities?  Does no one play with others at the same place any longer?  Is it that hard to make multi-player cooperative games?  It seems that the original purpose of games was to entertain groups of people, who also happened to be at the same place.  Now if we customize our games so that you can play together but only on-line or just by your onesies, it seems to me that we are tearing at the very foundations of gaming.  Also is not odd that more we become attached to our connected lifestyles through cellphones, the Internet, and whatever else have you, the more people grow apart.  If you have not had a video-game night with some friends or family in a while try it and perhaps you will be reminded of how much fun it can be.  Long live the Gauntlets and Timesplitters and all those that dare walk in their wake.