Local Multiplayer Should Not Be a Luxury

Hardcore Gamer: We shouldn't have to hold our breath for local multiplayer whenever a new game is announced.

[ValKilmer]

Neither should online multiplayer. Should always just have both available.

[randomass171]

^This. If there's multiplayer then it should be local and online. Devs should stop cutting corners around them.

[LAWSON72]

It is not usually cutting corners, for example despite split screen being in Halo 4 it did not work well because of hardware limitations.

It is up to the developer to sacrifice graphics and processes to have a split screen option. Consoles are only capable of so much.

One does not simply just add local MP. It comes down to the focus of the game and a lot of the time local MP does not make the cut.

[ErcsYou]

I like the idea of local multiplayer but split screen multiplayer sucks...

[BitbyDeath]

I agree with this, every online multi-player game should allow for local multi-player.

That should be a standard among gaming.

[GiggMan]

I've been screaming this for years. As much shit as the COD franchise gets one thing I can say is it allows local multiplayer. I will continue to support the franchise as long as they continue to do so.

It saves me from having to get two copies of the same game and the family can sit down and have fun, like I use to do back in the day. My wife and son are playing Ghost on the PS4 right now split screen online.

I've got B4, definitely picking up Destiny, and might get hard-line depending on reviews and stability. That's potentially 3 FPS's that are online multiplayer only. I don't have room for another shooter unless it is going to have split screen, even Advanced Warfare.

I hope they add it and I will buy it.

[user5669510]

Agree. People are now defending buying half of a game until they buy the mp sub. Gotta love new age gamers. Didn't buy a xb360 because having to pay to play mp of a game I brought and I will not buy a ps4 for the same reason. Love ps consoles but every Gen is looking like more nickel and diming

As for local mp most of indie games have it but pub see that it's better to have gamers pay for their own copy. It the main reason why a lot of my friends buy cod because of local coop.

[HOLDERofFOOD]

@LAWSON72

I agree about console limitations, but good devs easily find ways around them. Halo 4 runs terribly on any non-default map in split screen, agreed. However, Halo 3 ran wonderfully, and that's not just because Halo 4 looked better as a whole. It's because in split screen on Halo 3 the graphics were downgraded to a point where the frame rate could still run properly while it still easily looked nice enough to maintain the same level of playability. They should have just found ways to take stress off the hardware, I don't care if that means lower resolution textures and what not, it worked fine in Halo 3. They just messed up. That's my opinion.

[Relientk77]

Agree, I love playing local multiplayer with friends

[Nathan170]

Why is so difficult to have local multiplayer?
It could have been easily in:
TLOU MP
Killzone MP
Bf4 MP
Titanfall MP
Gta V MP
...
The list goes on and on and on...

[LAWSON72]

No it could not and don't act like you know how easy it would be. Unless of course you have a history in video game development

Here are examples of the demand split screen requires
Mario Kart 8 to my knowledge takes a big res or FPS drop to support the function and Halo 4s split screen did not work well due to the limitations of the system.

[RedDeadLB]

What do you mean it didn't work well because of the limitations of the system? I played Halo 4 splitscreen coop with a friend and it seemed just fine to me, and I'm sensitive to framerate drops.

[Nathan170]

I was overreacting,but don't you think that isn't possible those games to have splitscreen especially on current gen versions.
It may take some resources,but I think is doable

[LogicStomper]

@Buljo

Ever tried playing online split-screen multiplayer on Complex? It is a frame-rate drop-fest.

[MurDocINC]

Local MP renders 2 to 4 times the screen, that can make hardware crawl. It requires graphics/assets overhaul, so it's not easy at all.

[oODEADPOOLOo]

felt same about The order since its a squad based game, but seemed to annoy some people when I talked about it. If not local then online...it just sets its self up as a co-op game.

[AshleeEmerson]

No... If you think that... Just no. TRUST ME!

[Summons75]

Local multiplayer is always better than Multi, it sucks devs are ignoring the fact people want to play together and force people to be online. The WiiU has been amazing so far with local multiplayer, especially since they have a way to eliminate the 2 player split screen with the gamepad.

[danny818]

I enjoy multiplayer only because I game alon but when friends are over and all we have is shitty ghost to play together and are limited to two players then there is a problem

[isarai]

Exactly, i find it so ironic that MP games are actually pushing me and my friends apart these days as they only work online. so to play together they have to be back at home. I mean it's SERIOUSLY messed up when racing games don't even have split screen anymore, like WTF MAN!

[isarai]

Seriously, maybe someone should start one of those online petitions to bring local couch co-op back to any game featuring MP. I could see that blowing up, hell i'd sign it, and i never sign those things

[BitbyDeath]

I'd also sign it and don't usually do that either.

[Master-H]

If Cod Aw has 4-player splitscreen i'll definitively buy it, even if it's not that good, had a lot of fun with Blops 2 with friends over the weekends, please non of that 2-player max Ghost crap.

[Rimeskeem]

All studios should remember that the more option there are in the game the more happy the consumer will be. Just keep and options simple.

[Metallox]

Some days ago I wanted to play Plants vs. Zombies with a little cousin, but then it was revealed that it was an always online game. I don't understand why, seriously, I think it could be fun, and especially for those ones who don't have access to Gold (something that happens very often in Latin America).

Meanwhile, practically all Nintendo games seem to have a local mode, which now I'm grateful to have.

[SBones83]

We're at a point in time where TVs are high def, big enough, and affordable enough to make split-screen pretty good. I remember playing Goldeneye with my friends at my house on a small 19 in CRT mediocre TV. We had a blast and it was easy to play even with such a small screen for each player. Now most people have big enough TVs where, with 4 player split screen, each person would have about that same size to him or herself. If I could get my friends over for Goldeneye on my current TV, that would be so awesome.

In comparison, my friends and I played both Borderlands online on our ps3s, and it was definitely a fun time. But defnitely not as fun as all 4 of us at one place.

[DaNineTwo]

There is no reason local multiplayer should not be a feature especially in today's games. The hardware is capable, there is more than enough storage on the disc, and all it would take is some graphical downgrade(graphics does not matter, gameplay does) to acheive this, but even downgrading the graphics is not that big of a roadblock to find a way around.