Reason for alarm?

[Golgo13]

I was listing my potential Playstation2 purchases for the remainder of the 2002 year when I noticed the severe lack of multiplayer games available. Sure we have fighting games and sports titles but is that all? I've always had a blast when playing Chu-chu or Bomberman with my comrades but are sequels all I can look forward to?

I'm convinced this is a "PS2-only" problem because Nintendo has aleady delivered. Xbox is in a similar situation to that if Sony (which maynot be a coincidence). That brings me to another concern though:

Do PS2 owners even care about multiplayer?

When I think about Multiplayer games all I remember was the Dreamcast and N64 (with a few spatterings of Halo on Xbox and Puzzle games on PSone). PS2 only brings thoughts of the aforementioned sports and fighter games.

The "tripleA" games for PS2 are all composed of RPGs and Action/Adventure style games. All strictly one-player games. Is this supposed to be a marketing ploy to sell more systems since one can't share them as readily? Is it a ploy to make the gamer himself more antisocial? There has to be a reason why Sony forwent the inclusion of extra controller ports.

In summary:

Too many one player games being made
Group play discouraged?
Nintendo seems to be doing it right (no 2 player marios though)
I loved ChuChu and Bomberman
Sony deliberately manufacturing outcasts to society?

[lithium]

Notice the number of controller ports on the multi-player friendly systems you listed as compared to the PS2. A game that thrives on 4 players has a sub market of ps2 owners, those that have multitaps. Why cater to a smaller market when a 2 player game will cater to the entire market and you'll most likely make more money? With the DC, GC and N64, everyone has the potential to play 4 player games right off the bat, there is no submarket.

I'm mostly talking about multiplayer games that really need several players, like Bomberman, Chu Chu Rocket, etc. Sports games and the like support more players, but also get by just fine with just two.

[Golgo13]

But wouldn't the 4 player games leave a more positive impact on the industry? The more the merrier, no?

The Submarket thing does make sense since I've only met one person in my life that had a multitap (and it was just for basketball games). Furthermore the more people you have playing a game, the more potential customers you'll have (or so I think)

Thinking more about it really depresses me. Long gone are the days of "family computing". It's all about the one man virtual vacations now. I know it means more money for the industry but it damages gaming (or at least my vision of it) at the same time.

[Andy787]

Originally posted by Golgo13

Do PS2 owners even care about multiplayer?

I think the question is; 'do Cube owners ever care about multiplayer?' I mean sure, you've got your Monkey Ball, your SSBM, and those are well and good. But can you play against 16 of your friends in Tribes: Arial Assault? Can you get your ass handed to you by your friends in Unreal Championship, while switching to your fancy robot voice-filter to save face? Don't think so

[Yoshi]

I, for one, don't give a flying rat's ass about multiplayer. If the game can't stand on its single player mode, it's not worth my money. Multiplayer should be viewed as a feature, not a game's main strength.

[lithium]

I dunno about that. Worms is friggin brilliant in multiplayer and duller than pong single player. I don't see anything wrong with that. A game should use/do whatever it takes to be good.

[Despair]

Well, I dont really care much about games to have more than 2 players option anyway, since other than DJ I dont have other people to play it with. So 2 player or co-op play is enough for us.

As for multiplayer over the net PS2 is getting the network and modem adaptor, so here you go.

[Saint of Killers]

Originally posted by Golgo13
Long gone are the days of "family computing".

The Famicom only had two controller ports. So did the SuperFami. What the hell are you bringing them up for?

[Golgo13]

I refer to them to accentuate the point that gaming had a more friendly appeal to it in the realms of a "group/family activity"

This is in contrast to PS2's (or rather gaming in general) focus on the single player experience.

[Andy787]

"Group/family activity" gets a firm 'feh' from me