For an industry with offerings lacking suitable substitutes, I am surprised just how elastic the offerings of games are. For most games being released it seems you either bring a game to market with online play or you don't sell.

Black got marked down for not having online or any multiplayer (among other things). Metal Gear Solid has entered the online experience with Subsistence. Even Final Fantasy and Warcraft brands have moved to the MMORPG genre.

Warcraft has supported online for years, but the MMORPG is the ultimate deposit in the online bank account. You don't have a game, unless you have online.

 Microsoft has basically laid down the gauntlet and told all developers what the requirements for developing for their platform would be: Online play, customizable soundtracks,
etc. . . Truly you either bring those features to the table or you don't ship for the 360.

I'm not saying it is impossible to be successful without online experiences. Unfortunately for Microsoft's rules, Oblivion has departed from that formula. Does Condemned have online play? Should Full Auto really have had online play? It certainly would have suffered more without it.

So how much of this is required by the consumer, and how much is required by the competitive market? Splinter Cell has online multiplayer, is that why Konami added multiplayer for MGS? Perhaps it was a natural growth of the brand based upon players' demands. Pretty soon I suppose Metal Gear Ac!d will have the ad-hoc wireless multiplayer option (which would be great).

The bastion of single-player and single hardware multiplayer experiences, Nintendo, is finally caving to the online multiplayer requirements. I suppose since their competitors are doing it, they have to. Either that, or they are placing another patch of road on their way to obsolescence. It just has to be done. If you can't supply with the costs, and product requirements, being what they are, then you don't supply in that market.

The two-paddle Pong game just won't cut it anymore. It has to be online against someone far away. . . and you need a $400 console to play it. Take-Two has read the revelation and is being an obedient servant of the online masses.