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PoV: Is local multiplayer dead?

Posted Jul 14, 2011 at 6:00PM EST by Carl B

Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: Microsoft, multiplayer, Nintendo, psn, smash bros, Sony, xbox live

SmashBros

In the age of online gaming, has local multiplayer finally been phased out?

For the most part, it has. I understand the appeal behind playing an FPS splitscreen, but what's the point in doing that when almost every home has a wireless Internet connection?

I don't want to see local multiplayer die for every game. Some games are still amazing with local multi, specifically Super Smash Bros. Some party games are fun, but I'm personally not into those types of games.

I present this question mainly because the Zelda: Four Swords that's coming to DSiWare this September will only have local multiplayer. As a college student most of my friends are in different places in the country now. I only have a few friends that actually have a 3DS or DSi, and playing Four Swords locally with them is out of the question due to our distance.

Do you still like local multiplayer, or has online completely taken over? Sound off in the comments section below and be sure to continue the discussion on our community forums.

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The most fun I've ever had with video games was at a series of lan parties at a coworkers house about 5-6 years ago where we'd hook up four xboxs and go nuts playing Halo 1. It was a hassle lugging my tv over to his house but it was absolutely worth it. Online gaming can never compare to hanging out with a bunch of friends, eating chips and drinking sodas, though, on the plus side, if you're better at the game than all of your friends, it's easier to find players who are as good as/better than you online.

I was stoked for Halo 2's online (I'd never been much of a pc gamer so I'd hardly played online at all), but I got tired of it quickly. I didn't care for the matchmaking system and it seemed like the majority of people I ran into were complete jerks. I hardly ever play online these days and when I do, it's mostly with people I've already established a friendship with--I have to be pretty desperate before I start playing with strangers.

+2 # RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — Samm3h 2011-07-14 19:08

It had better not be, not all of our friends live across town or in different states some of us have real friends that come over to our house and want to kick it in front of the console, I for one applaud the new Dungeon Siege game for trying to revive that feeling. In my opinion games like: Baldur's Gate and Champions of Norrath. are the best games to play with friends on the couch

# Loved those — NathJam 2011-07-16 02:51

The wife and I used to play Norrath, Baldur'sGate, et al. for hours. Nice being able to sit on a couch beside a real person and play an actual game.

The last one we got to really play together was Borderlands, LOVED that you could play together on that one, really added to it.

+2 # gauntlet — xavis75211 2011-07-14 19:11

your forgetting gauntlet. best game for local multiplayer.

+9 # RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — crait 2011-07-14 19:16

I actually only play video games locally. Online is cool sometimes, but companies tend to stop paying for the servers after a while for various reasons. The only way to play the Call of Duty games online, for example, is to keep buying the newer versions of the game. (Albeit not as soon as they are released.)
Local multiplayer can last forever. I can still pop in my Tekken 3 game and play with someone if I wanted to.

+11 # RE: RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — crait 2011-07-14 19:17

As a side note, you also don't experience lag or immature griefers.

+8 # yes — Teflon02 2011-07-14 20:36

they need to keep local multiplayer in every game possible, cuz i hate that stuff. i love stuff like modnation and lbp2 when friends are over, but the problem is.. i looked at all my multiplayer games, which was atleast 14, and then took all the ones with local multiplayer, 4 !!. i love those games but really games need to have split screen for it. if it has online then have a offline mode, with a lan signal, so if anyone close by is playin they can play witth u and ur split screen friends (i know some games do) but i mean after games like warhawk what games do (sry im a ps3 guy so my examples will have to be about what i know best :P)

+3 # RE: RE: RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — Walo 2011-07-15 10:16

@crait that in itself is priceless lol.

+2 # RE: RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — Musev 2011-07-15 10:34

Quoting crait:

The only way to play the Call of Duty games online, for example, is to keep buying the newer versions of the game.

Huh? mw1 and above all still work on pc and ps3.

+1 # RE: RE: RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — crait 2011-07-15 12:28

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100518173722AAgrLhR
Oh, I guess I got confused as this guy did.
Anyways, EA is shutting down a lot of games come Aug. 1st like Army of Two, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, and NCAA Football 10.

+1 # RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — EzioAuditoreDaFirenz 2011-07-14 20:39

Unlike the author of this POV who obviously does not have any friends, let alone friends who come over, i do. As such we frequently enjoy playing local multiplayer games to pass the time.

+1 # RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — LordRaziel 2011-07-14 20:56

I only play local because I have satellite internet (fiber coming soon). I think they will have to keep a local multiplayer because not everybody has broadband internet that will let them play online.

+1 # RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — Uplink 2011-07-14 21:11

i cant stand split screen so im pretty muching not playing local co-op online co-op for me. and as for that ds game well thats just not gonna happen for me no one else i know has a ds only iphones and psp's

+1 # RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — Beansta 2011-07-14 21:30

lets put it this way, id rather play against my own friends on the same screen (have quite a large screen), than playing some snot nosed punks who like to exploit glitches and lag out all the time.
saying that i rather enjoy the combat training on black ops...actual good fun

# thats good — xavis75211 2011-07-14 22:24

play with people you know who arn't jackasses when it comes to playing a fucking game.

# RE: RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — leo9891 2011-07-15 00:34

So then create a Private Match and invite only people you know who don't cry and glitch... problem solved. NEXT!

# pretty bad — jip 2011-07-15 00:18

The industry killed local multiplayer and imposed online services to generate revenue by making the customers connect to their network, and they have succeeded quite well.

Not everyone lives in the US/Europe, and not all countries have a good internet connection. In small countries, like mine, playing online due to slow connections is outta question. (been playing WoW for 4 years with latencies of 400-1000ms).

The small community of gamers here do play mostly games offline, and it's quite sad when most modern games have no LAN support

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — HattoriZangetsu 2011-07-15 01:19

I've stopped buying some shooters because do not come with offline multiplayer. I like much more playing with the friends in the same room.

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — SaDuWoOFFLINE 2011-07-15 04:19

It's only dying because they aren't putting it into games anymore, so that we buy new consoles and games.. >_< FML. Used to be the best part of a day, get all your buddies together and fuck around.

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — Buzbegone 2011-07-15 05:46

lol, I swear someone just came through and thumbs'd up everyone's comment.
It'd be pretty rare for me living down under to have someone else at the same time living near me looking for a local match of the same game
Just saying...

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — SarcasticGamer 2011-07-15 06:19

Online multiplayer is cool and all but nothing beats playing a game cooperatively splitscreen with friends and family...

+1 # RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — harry_truman 2011-07-15 08:57

I'm a local multilayer; i've done that song and dace with people online and let me tell you...its not that bad. The only issue is that when i want to play a game with people, its not something that i really want to do (play online). I want to be able to see them, give them immediate feedback on their actions, directly share in their celebration of victory....and the shame of defeat. The gravity of such things is lessened for me when it's done over the internet. I would also like to mention that for games that have LAN i usually set up multi console/computer and just have a lan party with my buddies/whoever wants to play. seriously..contra..conkers bad fur day..gran turismo(1+2+3+4)..half-life..those games and more were games that i got into solely on the experience of the local multilayer (except for gran turismo..that was just a cool car game for me). and i think that if i had tried online multiplayer for those games, i wouldn't have appreciated them anywhere near as much.

The point that I'm trying to make here (albeit, a little bit of a ramble) is that local multiplayer should never be phased out; because unlike online multiplayer (which is good in its own right) which each server will eventually be shut down, making that multiplayer unavailable, local multiplayer will always continue; as long as you have a console, some controllers and a friend (or the pizza guy...im not judging).

+2 # AND THE BEST POINT — Osama B 2011-07-15 09:54

AND THE BEST POINT: If someone is camping, spamming, cheating, turtling, or plays another cheap tactic, THEN YOU HIT 'EM HARD IN THE FACE WITH YOUR CONTROLLER. That sure will teach them and its SUPER EFFECTIVE against annoying little brothers.

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — MPfan 2011-07-15 15:32

I stillt have PS1, NGC and XBOX here to play split-screen - racing games are perfect for that, as well as beat em ups.
Borrowed an x360 but will not buy one because there's hardly any split-screen games - even Burnout lost that supoort. Why can't i just have the Burnout/NFS/... experience for multiplayer with better graphics? Everyone has a huge TV today, why not make use of that screen?

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — tuan 2011-07-15 19:50

i think local multilayer is almost as important as online . i've put plenty of hours into games because they are local multilayer. dynasty warriors for example , would be trash without local .

# N64 — JT33 2011-07-16 22:01

i still remember when my neigbors came to my house to play smash bros N64 and mario kart and it was awesome

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — Jim Johnson 2011-07-17 07:46

Local Multiplayer all the way. I have a 140" HD projector, so even with 4 player local splitscreen, everbody still has a 60-70" screen. I'm very sad to see so few games with local multiplayer (or coop). I have quite a large PS3 collection, but very few games support 4-player local multiplayer :-( Games like Blur are really good fun in local multiplayer, and with people getting larger screens these i'm secretly hoping for a comeback of local multiplayer.

# RE: PoV: Is local multiplayer dead? — SomeGuy1212122 2011-07-19 13:03

The point is playing with people you know and can actually see and interact with in real life, rather than frustrated retards online. I don't even play MP anymore, I can't stand it. I call my friends over and we play 2-4 players on the PS2. I refuse to buy a modern console simply because they are forcing everyone to be an asocial twat. When I can play a new Burnout game on the PS3 with my friends then we'll talk about buying it.

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