Here is an excellent blog that got soapboxed a while back.

What happened to cheat codes?

Jericho was an average game. I enjoyed it, but it certainly could have been better. Hopefully a sequel can fix the issues I had with it.

1. Make the Artificial Intelligence of your team mates (alot) better. Maybe have a squad set up feature, so you can assign certain behaviours to them. For example, having the guy who heals play defensively, and the heavy hitters on the front line.

2. Make it more obvious that what you are doing is working/not working. In one of the boss fights where there were two things to attack, I was stumped. I had to look up a walkthrough; one of the things could not be killed first in this fight, but previously in the game you had already killed one. I had pumped lead into for a several minutes and died a couple of times because I assumed I could kill it again, before thinking something must be wrong.

3. Let me figure out how to use the powers. Before you even approached some of the obstacles in the game, it was telling you which character you had to be and which power you had to use to proceed. If I've wandered around an area for 60 seconds and made no progress, then tell me. On a similar note, the big dude was able to lift up certain gates, but not other identical gates which was a design flaw in my opinion.

4. I don't play multiplayer, but surely there was a way to balance the characters for some class-based multiplayer modes, ala Team Fortress? And co-op. Co-op should be an absolute requirement for a sequel. Specific co-op levels where each player controls a 3 man team and have to meet up or assist each other from a distance would also be pretty rad.

[QUOTE="dunamistheou"]

The sooner the better!

Developers need more RAM!

martialbullet

even more important:

Developers need more time!!!

Exactly. The more powerful the machines get, the more elaborate games are expected by gamers, and much more time needs to be invested in them by developers to complete the game. We've had several games that have been in development since before any of the current consoles were even released, including some big names, that have only seen recent release. Halo 3 released almost 2 years after launch. GTA4, two and a half years. Dark Sektor was apparently the first game announced for this generation of hardware, and has only just been released. I think MGS 4 was announced in 2004, and is still yet to hit.

Given the longer lead times for titles, I think we are still early in this generation, and that we have not seen the best yet with what developers can do with the current platforms. I'm sure if you look at a range of first year PS2 games, you won't find anything that compares with the likes of God of War 2.

Who will be first? My guess is Microsoft. Multiplatform games look similar now, but in a year or two I imagine that developers will start taking more advantage of what the PS3 has to offer. It could be Nintendo, but not until the Wii stops selling, and I don't think it will for the next couple of years.

In any case, I'm hoping for no sooner than 2012. It probably doesn't really matter. I'm guessing there will still be plenty of support for the current generation for a few years after the launch of any new systems.

I reccomend buying a wii, the 360 is made for multiplayer, while the wii has virtually no multiplayerplayer, if your stuck with jsut a 360....erm bioshock the orange box, AC, and sooon to be fable 2.PyroPice

I have a Wii and a 360, and the 360 probably gets 80% of the play time, and I don't have Xbox Live Gold. The 360 certainly has games that are considered excellent for multiplayer, but assuming it is all it is good for is just plain wrong.

As well as the games I highly recommended earlier in this thread, I still have plenty of fun playing 'average' games. Even though there might be 'better' games for me to play, sometimes I just want a certain type of game. So if you have exhausted your list, there are still others like Jericho, Stranglehold and Medal of Honour Airborne which aren't great games, but aren't god-awful either. It wouldn't justify buying them, but you would probably enjoy them if you rented them.

thats sa dif you dont care for mutiplayer you must have no frineds

and you saying halo 3 was only game you play online? lol try other one

and all games are becoming more mutiplayer base so get use to it

what do you exspect from a game that is number one online game? they gonna focue on mutiplayer not sigle player lol

and avivements in mutiplayer piss youi off? because you dont like online thats ad your a avivement whore may i ask whats the point having the points when you got no friends? why dont you play video games the right way! enjoy the gameplay not just to get points thta do nothi

k2theswiss

This is rather ignorant. Perhaps he has no friends that play games. I have friends, including some that play games, and I am not interested in online at all. I will play with my friends split screen or link up from time to time, but I'm mainly in it for the single player. To each their own.

As for all games becoming more multiplayer, some of the biggest most hyped releases of last year were single player; Bioshock, Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect, plus Uncharted and Ratchet & Clank on PS3, and Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 on Wii. This year has seen Devil May Cry 4 and Lost Odyssey join those ranks. Single player experiences are far from dead, and sales of these titles reflect that.

So, to the question. I don't care about achievements, so I can't comment on whether these games have online-centric achievements.

GTA4 - I've only just scratched the surface, but I'm having a blast. You said above about your concerns for driving, but I can't answer that as I never played previous instalments in the series. Apparently it has changed.
Forza 2 - I never thought I would be interested in a racing simulator, but this game has sucked up dozens of hours. Huge number of events to go through, and is accessible to people who know nothing about cars, like me.
Assassin's Creed - I have to say I got a little bored with this one, but you may want to check it out.
Puzzle Quest - I haven't played the Xbox 360 version (I have it on DS) but this is a great blend of puzzle and RPG. I think it is only 800 points of XBLA. Could be 1200, but it's still a steal.
Dead Rising - Excellent zombie action.
Viva Pinata - Don't let the cutesy animals fool you, this is a strategy title that appeals to all ages.
Saints Row - If you want a game like this, GTA4 is better, but this one has it's own charms, and you can probably pick it up cheap if price matters.

My 'to check out' list (haven't played, but pretty sure I'll enjoy from a single player perspective):
Burnout Paradise
Eternal Sonata
Devil May Cry 4
Lost Odyssey

Most other recommendations are ones listed on your profile, or you have mentioned you've played in this thread. While COD4 and RSV have strong multiplayer by all accounts, the single player is still great anyway.