How can Squeenix fix itself?

[Loyal]

Multiplayer can go fuck itself in the ass until it bleeds. Other people are racist elitist pricks, and most of them can't even play worth a shit. Fuck playing with other people. You've all logged onto X-Box Live or Battlenet or WoW. You know I speak the truth.

Alternatively: Just because YOU think multiplayer is better, that does not make it so.

I was actually saying that with the more traditional, people-sitting-next-to-you kind of multiplayer in mind (the more people the better, as it tends to moderate itself fairly well the more people that get involved), but hey, sure.

Also, I cannot think of very many single-player exclusive games that have a longer shelf life/period of replayability/whatever you wanna call it, than a multi-player game with a similar budget and degree of competence behind its production. Just saying.

[Azisien]

Originally Posted by Loyal

I was actually saying that with the more traditional, people-sitting-next-to-you kind of multiplayer in mind (the more people the better, as it tends to moderate itself fairly well the more people that get involved), but hey, sure.

Also, I cannot think of very many single-player exclusive games that have a longer shelf life/period of replayability/whatever you wanna call it, than a multi-player game with a similar budget and degree of competence behind its production. Just saying.

Agreed, and it's going to be a mixed bag of opinions in the same way gamer preferences are a mixed bag. People's prick-ish-ness is probably proportional to the size of the multiplayer medium, but out of my top 50 favourite moments in gaming, 49 have been during multiplayer over a variety of different games. That 50th is singleplayer, but I honestly can't bring it to mind right now, maybe Super Mario World as a child? Actually no, never mind, even then I preferred 2P games.

In particular:

Alternatively: Just because YOU think multiplayer is better, that does not make it so.

Just because you don't think multiplayer is better, that does not make it so.


As for how SE is supposed to "fix" itself in terms of multiplayer however, you've got me. I guess games like NWN or what not are examples of adding multiplayer successfully into an RPG setting, but they seem kind of specialized. That is, unless the consensus believes SE should, um, copy some of the more innovative ideas that western RPGs....Oh fuck it, that Bioware releases.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Originally Posted by Krylo

until it bleeds. Other people are racist elitist pricks, and most of them can't even play worth a shit. Fuck playing with other people. You've all logged onto X-Box Live or Battlenet or WoW. You know I speak the truth.

Alternatively: Just because YOU think multiplayer is better, that does not make it so.

As Azisien says, that is also an opinion.

I first got onto Xbox Live four days ago, or so. I have yet to meet one of these racist elitist pricks I keep hearing about. I have met a couple of straight out assholes, but the ratio of people I would hang out with to assholes is like 2:1 so far. And that's out of a couple of hundred people. I'm not saying that they don't exist, but you're acting like the entire multiplayer community is a bunch of assholes going "LOL WHUT FAG N****".

On the subject of storytelling in games: I would much rather play an open-ended game than another JRPG.

Videogames are an inherently different medium than movies or books. A linear story with cutscenes is what some people are into, and that's fine. People have different tastes. However, I believe videogames should move away from that kind of thing. Videogames have what movies and most books don't, the element of choice. I think that should be focus in the future of videogame storytelling, as it's a unique aspect that very few other forms of media have.

/end ranting and raving

[Kim]

Open ended? The only example I can think of is Killer 7, which was open ended in that the game was open to interpretation. Every game has linear plots. You can just choose between which linear plot you get in some of them, so it's three linear plots for the price of one.

Angel of Justice Ending

Evil Bastard Monster Ending

Uncaring Asshole Ending

Unless I am forgetting about that game where the ending is different for every player. All of you go on about choice, when in any game, the choice is really an illusion. You can choose what ending you get, but it isn't really anything special. Chrono Trigger, a JRPG of all things, had five endings, unless I miscount, to choose from. Yeah.

Multiplayer? I love multiplayer, but you know what, if someone says, "You can play this game where you can frag your friends for hours, or you can play this game where you are told an interesting story." I would probably choose the latter, just cause I, personally, like single player better.

Nothing wrong with multiplayer, but unless I see a game that has multiplayer and a story I love, managing to work the multiplayer into the story even, you can't compare the two. They are two entirely different things.

When playing single player you are looking for something entirely different from the game when playing multiplayer. It'd be like complaining that a romantic comedy sucked because it didn't have enough action scenes.