Comments on: Scarcity of Content in Games

By: NiveouS

NiveouS — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:04:02 +0000

(Odd, somehow it got posted before I finished my sentence)
since… you’re playing with real people you know. So, I would say multiplayer gameplay is what kind of has killed singleplayer games.

Before, almost everything for the PC was SP with some MP focus, now it seems the most popular titles are known for their MP focus and gameplay. Probably the most impressive SP series is the Final Fantasy games, whose games are still extremely popular and can be considered somewhat long. What makes them so popular? Story is a big thing, and also the gameplay is liked. A recent game who is worth mentioning is CoD4, who did an amazing single player experience (too short if you ask me) and the multiplayer gameplay is also extremely popular. What they did, which was done very well, was the story, cinematic, and very varied gameplay/missions. I guess a good single player game obviously comes down to storyline and gameplay. And, if you can put together a storyline which is revealed well and is very attractive with a great gameplay that varies and is not repetitive, it will be an attractive game.

Well, going to stop writing, since this is a hell of a long comment But, just worth saying is when you look at all the famous single player games, such as Baldur’s Gates you can see what makes them so popular. They are innovative – as in its completely different from what was done before. Same as the Warcraft titles, they were so popular for a reason. And that is, they are a huge step up from what was available during their time. I would say the key thing for a single player game to be very popular now days is to do something (easier said than done) that is different and innovative. Something that will keep people playing no matter how long the game is. Sadly, I just don’t see this happening any time soon, with multiplayer games being so prominent and popular.

Just to somewhat conclude: Good gameplay, story, non-repetitive, and
being different and innovative appear to be the key things needed to make a good single player game. Though they may seem somewhat obvious things, more than half the gaming studios appear to fail to realize this.

Wow… this is the longest comment I’ve done yet… could almost be a blog.

By: NiveouS

NiveouS — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:47:23 +0000

Sadly, I must admit I am the average gamer who does not complete single player games. I can’t remember since I’ve played a full game. On games like Warcraft III, I use cheats to get through the story, instead of playing the game like its meant to. Call me lazy, but I enjoy the storyline more than playing again and again. Single player games tend to get repetitive from what I’ve experienced. For me a good story is what separates a good SP game from the bad. Now, when you combine co-op such as Neverwinter Nights and games like Left for Dead, when you take single player gameplay and combine it with other people (multiplayer), now thats is where games really become enjoyable.

Before the internet was so widely available, then I would fully play single player games, Starcraft, Warcraft II, Diablo (yes I’m a Blizzard fan boy ). Also should mention Neverwinter Nights, an amazing game with single player story. But once again, I stopped eventually, even though the story is something I really wanted to finish.

I guess the change from SP being less focused is simply because of the opposite, multiplayer. When you get MMOs like WoW and FPSs like CoD4 and CS. They last longer and are more rewarding with time spent. You start taking part of your realm/community in the form of guilds or clans and then continue playing those games. They don’t get repetitive for the most part since

By: slicedlime

slicedlime — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:35:47 +0000

You’re right… side quests is actually an excellent example of a good way to make a game with a varied length.

By: James

James — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:51:30 +0000

I’m pretty sure there are games like The Elder Scrolls which are the video game equivalent of the LOTR movies. Well, theoretically, anyway. The main quest supposedly isn’t amazingly long, but most people get caught up doing random sidequests, dump a ridiculous number of hours into the game, and then quit without ever seeing the ending.

Super Mario Galaxy and a few of the Zelda games are also varied and well crafted all the way through. Pretty much anything non-casual made by Nintendo tends to be longish and fairly solid.

By: M0t0rBreath

M0t0rBreath — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:22:36 +0000

Awesome post. I personally rather play multiplayer, but now that I see the hard work put into single player, I’m definitely going to play it. The only really single player game I fell in love with is Metal Gear Solid. I love those game, they are so entertaining and they are perfect. Its a mash-up of things that makes it great. The cut-scenes, storyline, gadgets, Snakes voice(lol), characters, etc. My suggestion for the audience who likes longer play times is to make a story that the consumer would not expect. Ex, In BC1, a 4 man squad fought all the way through the campain. In BC2, ppl will think that the same might happen, but now you change things up. You can start with a 4 man squad and leed it to be a really big firefight with these 2 humongous armies battling each other with crazy stuff happening. Keep the audience thinking is what makes Metal Gear Solid so great.