The Death of Splitscreen? (1 Viewer)

[Larry Talbot]

A while ago I posted a thread requesting suggestions for good multi-player/co-op splitscreen FPS on the Xbox. I asked because I had been playing splitscreen Halo and really liked it. Thanks to the nice members here, I am now the happy owner of Timesplitters 2 (the best!) and Nightfire (also a lot of fun - especially Capture the Flag.)
But as the popularity of Xbox Live increases, I seem to read more and more game previews that mention multiplayer ONLY in terms of Live, as if the very idea of splitscreen had faded from the earth. When you don't even bother to mention whether a feature is or is not included anymore, the future for that feature (tongue-twister?) doesn't look good.
Is this true? Can games incorporate both, or is splitscreen doomed by the rising popularity of online gaming?
If it is, then I think that's a shame. I don't have a DSL connection, but I might not get Live even if I did, because I mostly play multi-player games in a social setting, I.E. I have a couple of friends over or we're having a party or whatever, and it's fun to play against the people you're sitting next to on the big screen...
Is this going to become a distant memory? What do you think?

 

[Dean Martin]

Well the question is, how many games had split screen before XBOX Live? I don't think there were really that many. Multiplayer is something people are always asking for more of. I don't see split screen as a doomed feature. As an alternative you can get a second Xbox and do a system linked connection in many games and not necessarily have a DSL connection.

 

[Leroy]

I never really cared much for splitscreen play (with the exception of racing games). For FPS's it seemed like a waste of time since you can't really employ much in the way of strategy since all you have to do is look over to your enemies portion of the screen to see where he is located.

Now LAN gaming with my Xbox is awesome. Of course I know this may not be an option for a lot of people. As long as modem users outnumber broadband nation and until more people own 4 consoles/copies of game and tv's to have LAN parties on a whim, there will be a splitscreen feature.

Don't forget these games for splitscreen fun:

Serious Sam, Coflict Desert Storm, just about any racing game, Crimson Skies, Unreal Championship and many many others. Too bad there have been no more San Fransisco Rush games. SFR 2049 for the DC in stunt mode was the most fun splitscreen party game ever! Trying to top your buddies last stunt before time ran out was priceless.

 

[Damien]

I thought about this when Rainbow 6 3 didn't have any split screen.

 

[Larry Talbot]

"I thought about this when Rainbow 6 3 didn't have any split screen."

Me too, Damien. Splitscreen co-op would have been amazing.

"For FPS's it seemed like a waste of time since you can't really employ much in the way of strategy since all you have to do is look over to your enemies portion of the screen to see where he is located."

I know what you mean, Leroy. When playing death match on my 27-inch TV, it was a big problem because you couldn't help but see your opponents screen the whole time. But, having gone from that TV to a front projector and an 80-inch wide (not diagonal) screen, it isn't really a problem for me anymore. Believe it or not I get so absorbed in my top of the screen, I often don't even notice what's happening on the bottom half.
More importantly perhaps, I like playing split screen co-op more than death match, and I also play splitscreen death match/capture the flag with a friend on the same team, in which case splitscreen helps rather than hurting.

That SWAT Xbox game has two person splitscreen co-op, but I haven't actually seen it and I know the game as a whole got bad reviews. Anyone play SWAT co-op?

 

[Steve Y]

Perhaps one day the price of monitor equipment will go down enough so that multiple flat (and light, portable) viewing screens will be more available - I personally can't stand split-screen multiplayer. Having my own viewing area makes all the difference in the world. I even have a hard time getting into great multiplayers like Goldeneye and Timesplitters when gameplay is chopped up into little strips.

That said, it's really the best those of us LAN-challenged folks can do for the time being. That or find multiplayer games that are not 3D-splitscreen-based (such as puzzle games or fighters like the PowerStone series)

~s