Death of the Split-Screen?

Bitsofjoy argues: "Gone are the days of 4 drunken friends crowding around a telly playing Goldeneye deathmatches talking trash in all directions – developed from years of cumulative banter, in favour of 64 player team deathmatches comprising of individuals from around the world pwning the avatars of strangers."

[Spolodaface]

Old skool multiplayer is dead.

Long live new multiplayer?

[ABizzel1]

Never. I like online and split screen, because I actually have friends who like to play when they come over to my house.

[BadCircuit]

The biggest disappointment this gen has been the abandonment of local multiplayer imo.

[Darkstorn]

I always have the best times when I'm playing splitscreen. Online gaming just feels so...aloof.

[SupeerSteebbi]

.

[greeneggsnsam]

Headsets don't cut it when you compare to hanging out with friends.

[SKUD]

@2.1

That doesn't make it ANY better. Makes it worse.

[PhantomT1412]

Well, I prefer playing with my friends by my side, talking with them instead of hearing an annoying little kid shouting in his mic.

[PoSTedUP]

this is why i like halo3, resistence2 and warhawk, they have online splitscreen mode. games need to bring back 4 player splitscreen, motorstorm recently did. i want to see more though.

[shadow2797]

Twisted Metal will have 4 player split screen. You can thank David Jaffe.

[NeutralGamer]

Splitscreen was the best thing to happen to gaming and now they are killing it???!

[pixelsword]

I LOVE splitscreen.

Me and my family playing is the best time for me.

And if I had a bud over I could get my gameplay on without any racist garbage or children to mute.

If PC's had splitscreen for a lot of their games, I'd never get a console game again.

[BadCircuit]

agreed. Online is different style, but nothing beats playing with mates in the same room and laughing at each other.

[Kalowest]

Say that to Halo:Reach, GeoW3, and KZ3.

[Parapraxis]

I'm not sure what kind of point you are making... do these games have split-screen?

[Kalowest]

yes they have split-screen, GeoW3 has 4player SS.

[FantasyStar]

Err...I heard of 4p Co-op, not 4p Split-screen. Link?

[DarkSpawnClone]

@FantasyStar "Err...I heard of 4p Co-op, not 4p Split-screen. Link?" .. meet warhawk

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[BBAM]

gears 2 has 2p split-screen, hopefully epic will keep on improving gears and that this will include pumping up the SS to 4p

[FantasyStar]

I meant Gears 3.

[Parapraxis]

Ah great, I'm surprised actually.
Great news to me though, I'll most likely be getting all 3 of these games.
Thanks!

I think even more games need local multiplayer.
:)
Bring the party back to the living rooms!

[IrishAssa]

Thank god for that. Split screen should never die. I don't want to have to buy another console to play with my brother. Rediculus that so many games don't have it this gen

[Spolodaface]

Totally, it should come as a standard feature - how difficult would it really be to implement.

I wouldn't even mind paying a little for it as DLC if they had to develop it post-release, when i've got mates round my game library suddenly becomes very limited.

[BBAM]

Split screen is difficult to implement as their engine needs to be able to render 2 - 4 different scenes, while also working with the input from 2 - 4 different sources. This is why the graphics take a notable hit, especailly in 4 player.
However, I was surprised at how this doesn't appear to apply to Heavy rain which effortly renders multiple scenes without any noticeable drop in the visuals.

[Kalowest]

O Sh1t iam wrong, your right GeoW3 has 4player Co-op,and 2player SS (hopefully it well have 4player SS), i know KZ3 has SS or Co-op this time around, and of course H:R will have Tons of stuff for its MP online and offline.

[shadow2797]

Don't forget Twisted Metal. 4 player split screen, online, or both.

[Fanb0y]

Wai... what? Did I miss something over the past few weeks?

Killzone 3 split screen?

[telekineticmantis]

Truely my PS3 gets neglected sometimes merely for the lack of split screen for their games. Really it is a major contributor for their lack of sales when compared year in year to the PS2. I can usually only play 360 or Wii games with my friends resulting in them buying one of those consoles instead of the PS3. Split Screen and Co-op is what you call free advertising

[Parapraxis]

Usually when I have people over we end up playing SingStar, Buzz, Resistance 2, Motorstorm 2, Fat Princess, WiEoutHD and Call of Duty or a fighting game.

...SingStar the most...what can I say, after a few drinks everybody is a vocal powerhouse!

Point is there ARE split-screen/mutiplayer games for PS3, but you have to know which ones.
Don't neglect you PS3, neglect is a form of abuse =(
lol

[DarkSpawnClone]

don't for get warhawk 4 player split-screen online :P and lbp ..but i agree more games need split-screen

[Nasseh]

I am so glad Warhawk included that feature. It really was the game I played every single weekend with my neighbours and little brother, for hours on end. Great times.

[Cajun Chicken]

Totally agree. Not enough splitscreen games on PS3, lets hope that changes.

[BBAM]

disagree, because of the amount of splitscreen games I play with my flat mates all the time.

[HOSe]

blur

[Garnett]

360 has lots of split screen gaming, L4D series, Halo series, Gears of war Series ect...

Your just looking in the wrong direction, take a friend and JUMP IN!

[FantasyStar]

I find my self taking my 360 over to parties more often than my PS3. There's just more fun split-screen games on 360. Especially games that support split-screen LAN. ( best times is Halo 3, Gears 2 Horde Mode)

[Cajun Chicken]

Yes, but it's also declining.

[Spolodaface]

there are a number of good split-screen games, yes but the question is: are there enough of them?

[M_Prime]

Also some games are better done on XBOX then PS3
I have RE5 for XBOX and having 2 players play is so easy and each one has his own save so i keep my guns and my friends keep theirs..

my friend has a PS3 and we cannot figure out how a second player can sign in as anything but guest meaning i can't upgrade my guns.. or save for that matter.. and the game is hard with just a stock pistol... (if anyone knows how to do it properly please message me in my inbox)

Xbox is so much better for having people over unless its music/rythem games..

[ddounis]

bringing new things into gaming is always a good thing.but that doesn't mean we have to do without something that we loved in the past.i love playing online but i hate it that i can't play games i love with friends at home!face to face!it's so much fun!playing online just feels differently!

[FantasyStar]

The advantage of consoles is that it has the ability for split-screen play. Without split-screen, what is the difference from PC to console? Absolutely nothing.

[BBAM]

SSARPBC*,
fat princess*,
pixel junk series,
littlebigplanet*,
modnation racers*,
peggle,
worms,
feeding frenzy 2,
cod series,
halo series*,
gears series*,
resistance series,
Super Stardust HD,
Wipeout HD,
motorstorm series*,
fifa series,
Split/second
all say hello. And they're just the games I own that have split screen; I'm sure they're others. However I do agree there's a steady increase in developers concentrating more on online multiplayer over local which is a shame bc I enjoy playing along side my mates. However I welcome with open arms the ones that incorporate both (the one's with *)

[Nickster800]

I hate how now a days there are almost no games with split screen i mean have game creators forget about siblings? My brother and I just want to play a descent game together and have fun, I get sick of seeing game that have no split screen modes, but have plenty of unnecessary multiplayer(online) modes.

[TheBuIIetSponge]

Nope, Halo is still here. Beer and friends too.

[Funky Town_TX]

You can't expect them to render those nice images if certain games 2 or 4 times can you? 4 player split, lan parties with Halo on HD projectors are always a blast.

[Swiftfox]

It's not that developers say to themselves "We don't want gamers to enjoy the multiplayer while they are in the same room."

Alot of it does have to do with the stress it places on the system when you have to multiply the same screens by 2 or more. Gamers today are stressing 1080p visuals with 60fps gameplay. It would be a challenge to achieve that on the same screen x4 with the level of complexity of some games like Killzone 2 or Uncharted 2.

Sacrifices to graphics and performance have to be made for 2 to 4 player splitscreen. However, with the advent of new programming code, and talented developers I'm sure they are not out of the question, but please don't assume that developers leave it out because "They get more money," or "It's to much work and they are lazy." There are other hurddles involved.

[Spolodaface]

I get you, at the same time though, I don't mind having bad graphics in return for extended gameplay.

[BlackIceJoe]

I wish more games had split-screen. I so much prefer playing with some one I know over don't. I pass on playing many multi-player games that are online only. Because even if the feature is good I don't want to have constant screaming & name calling. So I hope more game developer will put back in their games split-screen. Because I would like to play them but it is never as fun as playing with the friends you know.

[R6ex]

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 doesn't have split-screen but allows 4 players to play on the same screen ... COOL!!!

[M_Prime]

If that game didn't have 4playet co-op it would be a GIANT FAIL..

[gcolley]

split widescreen just didn't work as well. they kept forcing you to have it side by side and not top and bottom which made playing games like FPS painful

[M_Prime]

You know what surprises me..

consoles now can all support 4 controllers connected to it at once.. WII, XBOX and PS3.. yet there is a decline in these games..

however at least SPORTS games allow it pretty easily..

I remember for the PS1 i had the splitter so i could play WWE games with a group of friends.. and football games let us play 5 players on 1 console..

hell i even have a splitter on my SNES so my friends and i could have BOMBERMAN parties.. those were the days.. playing BOMBERMAN from 6pm friday night to like 4am saturday

[bokharij]

Since 3D is coming in, developers might add spitscreen since they have to double render the screen anyways.I hope they add it to future games(and bots), even sandbox(I don't like the splitscreen players rendering excuses)

[jmallymav]

i was playing mw2 the other day at my friends house and had ball playing 4 player splitscreen. actuall funner than playing online, none of my friends camp, and its gives u the option to turn off killstreaks..etc.., but we also turned off radar/hud/crosshairs, brung back memories