Feature: Local vs. Online Gaming
By Dimorphic
Multiplayer gaming has always been one of the huge draw cards of video gaming for people all around the world. The ability to get a group of friends together be it offline or online has such a fantastic addictiveness to it that many of us now buy games depending on whether the multiplayer is good or not.
Ever since the original Xbox was released way back in 2002 and the Xbox 360 in 2006, multilplayer gaming has always been one of the big features that Microsoft has pushed when advertising the consoles. And why not, with a huge library of excellent multiplayer games from all genres and a number of ways to play with your mates, be it on the same TV in split-screen more, at a LAN event using the system link capabilities or the mother of all online services, Xbox Live, Xbox owners have been spoiled for choice when it comes to competitive and social multiplayer gaming.
But the with the new generation of games and consoles, and the increasing convergence into an ‘always online’ society, is the split-screen and system link multiplayer scene dying out? And is online gaming really that much better that we don’t need the others?
Online gaming has only really taken off with consoles in this generation. The original Xbox had Xbox Live and it was very successful with 2.1 million subscribers, but the PSN network on the PS2 was lackluster and Nintendo didn’t even have an online system in place with the Gamecube. So up until now unless you were a PC gamer local multiplayer has been your first and sometimes only port of call.
I can remember back to the Nintendo 64 days when me and a bunch of friends would crowd around the TV and play 4 on 4 Goldeneye deathmatches with gametypes like slappers only (only melee) and the classic free-for-all. The camaraderie was there as well as the rivalry. Taking down your mate after an epic slappers duel only to have him scream in agony beside you, to see the look on his face was priceless. It went on from Goldeneye to games like Mario Kart 64 and later Perfect Dark which introduced me to co-op gaming. Playing together through the main story, working toward the same goal was a fantastic idea and one that I hadn’t done before.
When I got myself an original Xbox, multiplayer was taken to another level. While I didn’t own Xbox Live with the original console I hosted frequent LAN events in which we played epic matches of Halo 1 and 2, huge all out fights on maps like Coagulation, first too 150 with all the vehicles turned on. We got together at various mates places, ordered pizza for lunch, had a stock of chips and coke in the fridge and went at it all day. Working together side-by-side or viciously attacking one an other made the days fantastic fun.
During the lunch breaks of these LANs I had a game of the most recent Madden (which went from Madden 05 to Madden 07) with a mate who I had quite a rivalry with. We counted who had won each match on each iteration of the game, restarting the count when the new version was released each year. I played as the Eagles, with him the Panthers and we each knew the others weaknesses and strengths and could exploit them as such. While you could easily do this online bing in person made it seem that much more epic.
But while these types of events are great fun, not everyone can do it. First of all you need a group of like-minded friends who all have consoles and copies of the intended game or games and a place where you can all gather for a day without being interrupted. Places like this are often hard to come by and even more often do you not have enough people or consoles/games to make organising one worthwhile.
With this problem comes an easy solution, online gaming. In this case, Xbox Live. For a fee (around $80 for a 12 month subscription) you have unlimited access to online play with anyone in the world. And with the new features that the 360 brings to Xbox Live (every game supporting Live, friends list, private chat, etc) its easy to organise big games between friends or just jump in and play with anyone.
The ease by which online play can be done has lead to it being the prefered choice of multiplayer gaming. I won’t lie, it’s my favorite as well. But there are also a number of problems with online gaming. First of all it depends on what type on internet connection you have. Broadband is a must, with at least a 512/128 connection, but to be able to host matches a 1.5 connection is almost a necessity. Another is that there are a lot of idiots out there which ruin the game experience for everyone. From quitting once the game starts to team killing and just general play that isn’t in the best interest of the match, online gaming depends on people doing the right thing. Your much less likely to have something like that happen when playing local. Lag is also a concern, with different internet connections meaning the possibility for lag will always be present.
But when you weigh the negatives against the positives for online play, the positives come out on top. Online play is heaps of fun, its easy to jump into and also deep enough for the most hardcore gamers. The proof of this is in the numbers, with Xbox Live having millions of active subscriptions each year. And with these numbers developers decide on what features to put into their games.
It is becoming more and more often that local multiplayer is being left out of new games. Recently we’ve seen the release of Turok, Burnout Paradise and others that only offer online play, no offline. Why an offline mode cannot be intergrated is beyond me, the framework for it is already laid out with the online mode so why not put the little extra effort in and cater for all consumers? Many people still do not game online for many reasons; some do not have the money or access to a viable internet connection, others simply don’t want to.
Developers should, if including multiplayer, always have both fronts covered. Just because online gaming is so popular it shouldn’t mean that gamers that don’t play online get the short end of the stick. So what it boils right down to is, local and online gaming shouldn’t be competing but working in harmony. Many of the top selling games; Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 and Gear of War for example offer both online and offline multiplayer play and the fans are thankful for it. Don’t phase out one for the sake of the other.
Raised some convincing arguments there mate.
I myself have online yet play only semi-regularly. So I rely on games having a very strong offline component. I can’t see myself buying a game that was purely online.
I’m not talking about online only games Hyperion, I mean online vs. offline multiplayer gaming. Single player is still a HUGE port of all for a game, probably bigger tha mutli.
Interesting points, since the 360 I find I play a lot less online due to the hardcore gamers that carry on and talk rubbish during games. Really I don’t need a running commentary while playining a game from a childs P.O.V
@ Dimorphic; Yeah, I know. What I was pointing out was how games are becoming more and more reliant on the online component.
Personally I don’t use Xbox live a whole lot. My connection isn’t amazing and I’m in Perth so chances of getting a decent ping are very low. It makes me want to kill my xbox when I get that melee lag in halo so it’s better to stay offline most days.