Single player games, where's the fun?

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butterfliesrpretty

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I don't understand why anyone gets pumped for single player anymore. Any notable game that is known to have a great story (bioware games for example) usually has a story that's not nearly as good as most b movies, not that game developers aren't capable, but when you add interaction into the mix it makes it much harder, and who wants to play something twice when you know whats going to happen especially when you're paying around $50. Although I can understand playing them if you're paying way less, ( I guess)and games with tons of replay value/long single player like super meat boy for example, I'm not talking about these type of games.

Multiplayer on the other hand lasts for years and has tons of variety, nothing linear about it. If I wanted to play a game for the reasons most people like to play single player games I'd play an mmo and just go through dungeons with friends. It blows my mind that people still care about single player.

This was mostly in reference to people going nuts over the single player footage in BF3, when lets face it you'll probably be lucky to get 6 hours out of it.

I think it boils down to people not being able to compete, but if I was one of those people I probably wouldn't play video games at all, maybe it's my personality type but I don't understand safe interaction (no chance of eventual failure/losing) within video games. Going through something with a terrible story (I know that's a matter of perspective) knowing you're going to eventually beat it no matter what.
 
People online tend to be immersion-breaking and annoying. Simple as that. Not everyone of course, but enough of em.

And besides, I don't really care if a story sucks, as long as it's presented well and I care about the characters. Since you brought up Bioware, the story in ME2 sucks. But the conversations are well done and the characters are mostly funny and interesting. I enjoyed it.

Ultimately it comes down to fun. I have more fun playing SP games these days. Ten years ago it was completely the opposite, but that was back before voice communication and back when I had a crapload of free time. Now I'm in graduate school and have more to worry about than getting good at MP games.
 
same for me, i just cant connect to the story they force on me. its like going through the motions and with no real satisfaction. In multiplayer in a way I can make my own stories, apparently ones where i get pwned hard because i suck but thats okay.
 
dioxholster said:
same for me, i just cant connect to the story they force on me. its like going through the motions and with no real satisfaction. In multiplayer in a way I can make my own stories, apparently ones where i get pwned hard because i suck but thats okay.
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Exactly, and if you're into that sort of thing why not play an mmo. There's so many different ways you can play most of them (just do professions to make money, go through dungeons, pvp, farming, etc)
 
The reason we get CoD games is because of stupid attitudes like yours. Consoles didn't help either, they started this OMG MP ONLY shit. Honestly, SP still > MP. Battlefield, sure they can be MP only. But when you get games like Crysis 2 where it seems they start to focus more on MP its just frustrating. Next we get a TES that's a cod multiplayer copy? lol
 
xIronCrossx said:
The reason we get CoD games is because of stupid attitudes like yours. Consoles didn't help either, they started this OMG MP ONLY shit. Honestly, SP still > MP. Battlefield, sure they can be MP only. But when you get games like Crysis 2 where it seems they start to focus more on MP its just frustrating. Next we get a TES that's a cod multiplayer copy? lol
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How about addressing one of my many points? But I guess it's just easier to call my opinion stupid. I'm guessing you actually got into the first crysis's single player. I gave it a try and couldn't finish because I was falling asleep, and too busy laughing at the ai.
 
Perhaps you mean mean "where's the fun for me".

Believe it or not, people who are not you have a different opinions and different tastes than people who are you.

This will be an important truth to remember throughout your life.

Also this:
images
 
So you don't get it? Big fucking deal. I don't get why people love COD games or multiplayer but I don't go around making threads about it. Just enjoying whatever the fuck you want to enjoy and don't worry about other people. Multiplayer bores the living hell out of. I can't stand it. Good co-op with friends is fun, but its nothing something I'd do with random strangers. I'd rather kick back and enjoy a game instead of running around with a bunch of assholes who whine like five year old girls if you actually attempt to enjoy the game instead of being obsessive about winning.
 
Some people find competition to be stressful and no fun. I bet a good SP game is a more relaxing experience than MP, which is what some people are wanting from a game.

My feelings are with you, though. I feel there's no fun to be had in single-player games.
 
Derangel said:
So you don't get it? Big fucking deal. I don't get why people love COD games or multiplayer but I don't go around making threads about it. Just enjoying whatever the fuck you want to enjoy and don't worry about other people. Multiplayer bores the living hell out of. I can't stand it. Good co-op with friends is fun, but its nothing something I'd do with random strangers. I'd rather kick back and enjoy a game instead of running around with a bunch of assholes who whine like five year old girls if you actually attempt to enjoy the game instead of being obsessive about winning.
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so whats the point of being on a forum if you don't like discussions, sorry my opinion made you butt hurt, maybe adress one of my points?
 
I played TWL for around 2 years on and off. It was the most boring shit I have ever played. It was for CoD WaW and CoD 4 and CoD MW2. A bit of BF BC2 as well. Same camping spots everytime, same shit of bunnyhopping and extremely high sensitivity. Just nothing fun there. I played CoD MW2 for 600 hours, yep it was fun and all, but occasionally all the aimbotters and stupid bunny hoppers really god on my nerve(Lag too). CoD 4 was fun too, but again the bunny hopping got lame after a while and so did the same camping spots. For TWL I was usually top player out of the game and in CoD4 I usually went something like 20-0 or so when I was sniping and 100-35 with the MP5/P90 in pubs. It gets very repetitive. The only thing that kept me going was leveling up and getting a new prestige/new guns/new emblems (MW2).

I have beat Oblivion once now but have played through a lot of the quests a few times. Its still pretty fun even if I played it now. Crysis 1, sure the AI is pretty stupid, but hey its always fun cloaking and sneaking up behind one of em and strength punching them.

I will admit, I am a huge multiplayer fan, but honestly I still prefer a good SP since I got all the MP games I want, I got BF BC2 and CoD for multiplayer fun.

Then there is the STALKER series, I love the story(even though its difficult to understand at times) so much. And the setting, jesus its like a dream come true for me. I love the whole Cherynobyl area with The Zone. I get more pleasure out of that game than CoD or BF BC2.

Also what about HL2, that game was great and had a great story. Even though Freeman didn't talk, it was still extremely fun.
 
fattypants said:
Perhaps you mean mean "where's the fun for me".

Believe it or not, people who are not you have a different opinions and different tastes than people who are you.

This will be an important truth to remember throughout your life.

Also this:
images
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This answers all
 
It really depends on personal preferences and apples to oranges. Do I get more hours out of multiplayer games like BC 2, SC 2 and Dow 2? Yes. But those hours aren't exactly equal.

If I say only had time to play through a single player game like Mass Effect 2 for the first time once or spend the equivalent time in multiplayer of one of the aforementioned games, I'd take the first time Mass Effect 2 playthrough, as I feel I get more quality per hour during that first playthrough of a quality single player experience then a more generic hour of a multiplayer.
 
Single player games are more fun for me just because I like the relaxed atmosphere and how immersive they can get. MP is the same thing over and over and over.

Games like Oblivion, you can do things differently every time, and it doesn't get boring (unless you hate RPGs)
 
People can have 1000 hours of fun unlocking and customizing the weapons they earn from mindless, tacticless/spawntime-less multiplayer, or spend infinity in skinner boxing MMOs and loothording games, for all I care.

If I want that version of "fun" I will turn on Killing Floor or something for an hour. When I want to play a marvelous video-game, that brings immersion, entertainment, art, etc together, I will play Stalker, Morrowind, Amnesia and other pearls.


A comment though - good teamplay, with strangers and/or friends, always makes a multiplayer game much better. But you need tactics and meaningful deaths to do this, so its not for kids playing consoles (not implying that everyone who does is a kid)
 
I don't buy the make your own story bit either. To me it's similar to scripted TV shows vs. "reality" TV shows. Sure some scripts are better than others, but I'll take a scripted show like Seinfeld, The X-Files, Breaking Bad or the like any day of the week over a so-called reality show where they don't need to write a script because "the story will write itself!" I respect that some people love that kind of entertainment, but for me, it's shallow, repetitive, and dull. (MP games aren't that bad, but story wise I think it's a fair comparison)
 
butterfliesrpretty said:
so whats the point of being on a forum if you don't like discussions, sorry my opinion made you butt hurt, maybe adress one of my points?
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I addressed enough by giving my opinion on multiplayer. If you don't that thats enough, too bad. Your topic is pointless, you offered no points and instead made some inane post. You left no room for discussion. It was simply "I don't like or understand single player". Well, good for you.
 
I think games should be either MP or SP, but not both. It detracts from both and they end up half-assed. Oblivion is a good example of a SP game, it's better without (and doesn't have) a MP. BF on the other hand should be all MP, there's just no point in spending so many resources on 6-10 hours of SP when most everyone is going to put like 100-500 (or more) hours of MP in. Just seems like a waste to me. Also naming a MP oriented game that sucks and saying that represents MP only (like someone did with COD) is silly, I mean Daikatana had MP and SP, so games with both modes suck worse right?
 
To answer your question, because some people like to play single player games. So lets all look at your points.

butterfliesrpretty said:
I don't understand why anyone gets pumped for single player anymore. Any notable game that is known to have a great story (bioware games for example) usually has a story that's not nearly as good as most b movies, not that game developers aren't capable, but when you add interaction into the mix it makes it much harder, and who wants to play something twice when you know whats going to happen especially when you're paying around $50. Although I can understand playing them if you're paying way less, ( I guess)and games with tons of replay value/long single player like super meat boy for example, I'm not talking about these type of games.
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No idea what the bold text means. Why are people playing the game twice? You mean because it's some b-rated story? Then why the hell would you ever watch any movies then, when 99% of movies today are just rehashes of the same old cliche storylines.

Why do people pay $50? Cause they have a well paying job lol. $50 is chump change and if I get a week or two of enjoyment out of a game then that was a $50 well spent. Maybe one day when you have disposable cash flow, you'll understand.

butterfliesrpretty said:
Multiplayer on the other hand lasts for years and has tons of variety, nothing linear about it. If I wanted to play a game for the reasons most people like to play single player games I'd play an mmo and just go through dungeons with friends. It blows my mind that people still care about single player.
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lol multiplayer games have a ton of variety :rolleyes:. I've played competitively in Quake, Quake 2, and CS. Played a bunch of other games, tribes, tribes 2, jedi knight II, etc... Then got into WoW raiding. Once you know your shit the online experience is the same thing over and over. Yeah the circumstances change, but if you're good then there really isn't a difference between the last time you got into a firefight and this time.

butterfliesrpretty said:
This was mostly in reference to people going nuts over the single player footage in BF3, when lets face it you'll probably be lucky to get 6 hours out of it.
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The reason you only get 6 hours out of these games is because of people like you only care about multiplayer games. So if this game is marketed towards that crowd, why bother with putting a lot of effort into the single player experience. Other games you get 15-30 hours of gameplay.

butterfliesrpretty said:
I think it boils down to people not being able to compete, but if I was one of those people I probably wouldn't play video games at all, maybe it's my personality type but I don't understand safe interaction (no chance of eventual failure/losing) within video games. Going through something with a terrible story (I know that's a matter of perspective) knowing you're going to eventually beat it no matter what.
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Hopefully one day you understand that not everyone is exactly like you and that everyone prefers different things. In response to people not being able to compete, well I am competitive, but occasionally like to pickup a single player game and beat it. It breaks up the monotonous online gameplay. So your hypothesis is incorrect.
 
Derangel said:
I addressed enough by giving my opinion on multiplayer. If you don't that thats enough, too bad. Your topic is pointless, you offered no points and instead made some inane post. You left no room for discussion. It was simply "I don't like or understand single player". Well, good for you.
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my points were:

1. the stories in video games make saturday morning cartoons look deep (and im talking about the games that supposedly have good stories).
2. if you like stories why not watch a movie
3. for a single player experience, why not play an mmo that offers quite a bit more content and can offer the same experience in a much more expansive way
4. People who don't play multiplayer do so because they probably can't compete online.
5. multiplayer offers a different experience everytime, and years of fun, not hours
 
Oh boy, these silly kids these days. Good lord help us all.

Where's the fun? Look at yourself in the mirror, that's all the fun you need right now.:p
 
Single-player does have the chance to give a greater sense of immersion than multiplayer with atmosphere, story and deep gameplay. Unfortunately quality single-player games seem to be on the decline with a 4-6 hour "story mode" (Killzone 3 WTF) slapped together as a token gesture, which certainly makes multiplayer seem more appealing.

I love multiplayer, but not everyone has the same ability to enjoy it if they have a garbage internet connection, don't have "1337" skills or are easily offended by being called a faggot noob whenever they do get a kill.
 
Single-player games generally have completely different gameplay to multiplayer games. Many people, myself included, like that kind of gameplay. Many people, myself included, also enjoy both single-player and multiplayer gaming. If you don't get it, that's nice for you, but there are plenty of other people out there with different tastes and different opinions.
 
I enjoy "good" games whether they be single-player or multiplayer. That said I wont play any multiplayer game that forces me to listen to the whinging of other gamers over my headphones.
 
I am a solitary player and sometime co-op with friends. Why? Simple, I don't like dealing with the personalities that comes with playing multiplayer. Some of the posts in this thread are prefect examples of the personalities to which I refer.
 
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dioxholster said:
In multiplayer in a way I can make my own stories, apparently ones where i get pwned hard because i suck but thats okay.
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I lol'd. With practice you can make the kind of stories where you are pwning other people and getting raged at and called a hack. Very rewarding :D
 
Tudz said:
I enjoy "good" games whether they be single-player or multiplayer. That said I wont play any multiplayer game that forces me to listen to the whinging of other gamers over my headphones.
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I've seen this reason posted multiple times, I guess I'm assuming everyone here is a pc gamer, and you don't really ever have to do this, but I can see this as being annoying on consoles.

I guess my main thing is it's really hard for me to comprehend how anyone can get immersed in a video game story (at least any that are out these days, who knows what the future will bring)
 
butterfliesrpretty said:
I guess my main thing is it's really hard for me to comprehend how anyone can get immersed in a video game story (at least any that are out these days, who knows what the future will bring)
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You assume:

1) People play SP only for plot

2) All SP games are only about plot

3) There is absolutely no way you can get immersed in a videogame plot.

All of which are terrible assumptions. I'm sure Super Mario Bros. was the epitome of Hollywood blockbuster dramas.

There are also plenty of SP games that have nothing to do with plot. Was torchlight about plot? Mount and Blade? There are certain things games can accomplish in a player centric system that gets muddled or simply can't happen in a MP environment. There are also many MP games that I play in SP mode a lot, for example SC2: campaign, custom games, and simply playing against AI.

In terms of immersive / engaging plots, this is going to be completely subjective. Saying that something subjective can't possibly be seen differently is absolutely absurd. I've personally been immersed in plenty of SP games (lots of RPG's fall into this category such as Fallout 3, Oblivion, Grandia II, Lost Odyssey, etc. etc.).
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
You assume:

1) People play SP only for plot

2) All SP games are only about plot

3) There is absolutely no way you can get immersed in a videogame plot.

All of which are terrible assumptions. I'm sure Super Mario Bros. was the epitome of Hollywood blockbuster dramas.

There are also plenty of SP games that have nothing to do with plot. Was torchlight about plot? Mount and Blade? There are certain things games can accomplish in a player centric system that gets muddled or simply can't happen in a MP environment. There are also many MP games that I play in SP mode a lot, for example SC2: campaign, custom games, and simply playing against AI.

In terms of immersive / engaging plots, this is going to be completely subjective. Saying that something subjective can't possibly be seen differently is absolutely absurd. I've personally been immersed in plenty of SP games (lots of RPG's fall into this category such as Fallout 3, Oblivion, Grandia II, Lost Odyssey, etc. etc.).
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read the op, I'm not talking about those types of games
 
butterfliesrpretty said:
read the op, I'm not talking about those types of games
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What's the point of this thread? If you are going to ask a question, and then be stubborn and reject any of the answers you get, then you haven't exactly learned anything have you? :)
 
I cant stand multi player but why would I start a thread just to say that? if people enjoy dying respawning and repeating that over and over then good for them. I play games to get away from real people and stress. single player is the only thing that appeals to me and many other players.
 
I've been a gamer for about 27 years now... A loooong time before MP became mainstream. I still prefer a good SP game over MP games. I enjoyed a few MP games like Borderlands, Battlefield, L4D1 & 2, Red Faction: Guerilla and a few others, but SP gaming is where it started for me and is still where the best moments of my gaming life have been.

I think you'd probably find a lot of older gamers have strong SP roots and the younger folks will lean more towards MP.
 
Stop with the "Go watch a movie if you want a good story" bullshit. If I wanted a good story, I would much rather read a good book.

If we're going to draw parallels between storylines in movies and storylines in video games, however...

I go see a movie when I'm looking to enjoy a good ride, as movies are much faster paced and far more intense than many singleplayer games.

I play a Singleplayer game when I'm looking to experience a good story. I don't want to simply be told the story, I want to live the story. Knowing that my actions within a game have a tangible and immediate affect on the storyline, that I can not only experience, but also alter the game character's attitude, his relationships, the way they view the world and they way the world views them... it's just intoxicating to me. It's my natural high.
 
butterfliesrpretty said:
my points were:

1. the stories in video games make saturday morning cartoons look deep (and im talking about the games that supposedly have good stories).
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Ridiculous exaggeration. I've heard this tripe before from people, but when challenged on it their reasoning for why these stories are supposedly so terrible can be applied to 99% of what exists in other forms of media..

2. if you like stories why not watch a movie
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Another ridiculous statement. Stories come in a multitude of forms, which form you prefer is merely a matter of preference. Some like to read. Some like movies and TV. Some like to listen to audiobooks. Some like to play games and interact with the story more directly.

3. for a single player experience, why not play an mmo that offers quite a bit more content and can offer the same experience in a much more expansive way
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For a single player experience, play online with thousands of other players? There is precious little to do in an MMO for someone who prefers single player games. Even if all they do is sit there and craft, they still have to trade with others. Even if all they do is level characters solo, they'll run into and interact with the same idiots they try to avoid by playing single player games.

Most MMOs lack any kind of coherent story, not to mention viable and enjoyable single-player gameplay.

4. People who don't play multiplayer do so because they probably can't compete online.
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More illogical nonsense. Not all online multiplayer is competitive in nature, and while it is probably true that people who don't play online would not be able to compete, you have the cause and effect reversed.

They can't compete because they have no desire to even try, not the other way around. You can't get practice if you don't play. To put it another way: You can say I don't play basketball because I suck at it, when in reality I suck at it because I don't play.

5. multiplayer offers a different experience everytime, and years of fun, not hours
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That's not broadly applicable. Multiplayer is often very derivative, with a handful of game modes that date back 15 years. Many use the same array of generic realistic weapons as their competitors. While it is true that the outcome of a multiplayer session is more unpredictable than a singleplayer game, the differences will not be as refreshing as you imply. Multiplayer gaming gets old very quickly as well, with the rare exception of a superb game.

Your whole premise here is flawed at its core. You essentially state that multiplayer is objectively superior to a singleplayer game, and that you cannot understand why people might prefer that.

Maybe you ought to take a long hard look at what multiplayer usually consists of. Generic weapons, generic levels, generic gameplay. It usually strips out all the great elements of whatever single player mode the game has in favor of being some Call of Dogshit clone.

Of course the worst drawback to multiplayer is having to deal with people like you.
 
Nothing wrong with singleplayer. Nothing wrong with multiplayer. Both good — in different ways.
 
drako said:
What's the point of this thread? If you are going to ask a question, and then be stubborn and reject any of the answers you get, then you haven't exactly learned anything have you? :)
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I don't think that the OP was trying to learn anything or start a two sided discussion.

Personally I find MP games to be mindless and repetitive but I'm not narrow minded enough to think that's the only valid opinion. In addition to the story in SP games(which can be great to horrible just like movies) I enjoy games that have more to do than just shoot enemies, mainly because I like games that make me use my brain as well as testing my reflexes.

If I liked games that only involve killing enemies I would probably prefer MP if it wasn't for the jerks you have to deal with.
 
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