Why why WHY can't you save in Xbox two player split screen? (1 Viewer)

[James Zos]

I've been looking forward to the co-op two-player split screen in Wolfenstein since it was first announced the game would have this feature. Stuck with a 56k modem I can't use Xbox Live, so this is a big deal for me. I loved co-op play on Halo but was always frustrated that there was no way to save two-player games. It makes it pretty pointless IMO, especially for those of us who maybe only have an hour or two at a time that we can play, with no way to make it through some of the larger levels. Why bother when you have to start over from the begining EVERY SINGLE time? It reminds me of the bad old day of gaming on the NES with no save system.
So of course I was very disapointed to learn that there is NO way to save games in Wolfenstein two player co-op. How hard would it be to include the option to do so? I may end up crossing Wolfenstein off my purchase list for this (and the lack of a 16:9 mode.) It is so frustrating because a lot of time and care was obviously taken with the game, but for me, the co-op mode has been crippled.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

AFAIK, in Halo co-op, the game automatically saves how far you get in terms of which levels you have finished, but not exactly where you are. So if you finish a level, you can play the next one at any time, even though you have to start that level all over again.

Maybe Wolfenstein is the same?

 

[James Zos]

I don't know if it is, Morgan. I know that you can start any level in Halo co-op, but you can't SAVE during a level, so unless you have the time to play a level all the way through from start to finish, you end up starting from the begining each and every time, which just sucks, IMO. I think many Xbox users on this forum are lucky enough to have broadband/LIVE connections, so for them it is no big deal, but for 56kers like me...

 

[Bob East]

James, I was going to post the same thing. Even for those with Xbox live this sucks if you choose to play co-op with your friends. I played Halo co-op with a friend and we got near the end of the first level and chose to quit after a checkpoint. And you know what happened when we came back to play the next time-we would have had to start again at the beginning! Needless to say we have never played Halo co-op again. Now Castle Wolf states right in the instruction book you cannot save in co-op mode. What the heck and that's putting it mildly is up with that. I refuse to believe it is not technically possible. If anyone knows of co-op games out there in which you can save I would like to know. To be blunt not giving the buyer of their product the option to save in this mode is just PATHETIC!!! It does almost make me want to return it, however just like Halo there is a lot of other stuff worthwhile in the game. I just checked out the review in Xbox magazine and they say co-op is a blast and their negative about it is that it is only available in split screen-no mention of the lack of saves in this mode. Shame on them for not calling the developer on it. I wonder if this ability is something they could add via a download? Well, I could go on and on but let's hope developers read newsgroups like these and understand peoples anger at something which should have been easy to allow for.

 

[Damien]

its even worse in timesplitters 2, each player gets one life.

 

[DwightK]

Once you complete a level in co-op Halo it is saved and you can go back to that level whenever you want. Otherwise when playing just pause until you play again. I've had my xobx paused for over a week at a time before.

In RtCW you CANNOT save in co-op. However, you can start up a co-op game at any level completed in single-player mode. I and a buddy were further along in co-op than I was in single-player last night so I have moved ahead this morning a bit. That way we don't repeat anything.

The only game where saving in co-op was well thought out (that I have played) is Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance.

Co-op is the stepchild of gaming. No one wants to develop with that mode in mind for some unimaginable reason.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I think that it would be too much of a pain in the neck for the developers to create a system to save in the middle of a level in co-op mode, versus just allowing you to start at the beginning of each level. I played Halo co-op with a friend at a party once (it was around 2 AM and we played through until dawn) and I didn't find anything wrong with the setup.

Though in TimeSplitters 2, you only get one life in the single player mode. Why would you get more in the multiplayer mode? Especially when the levels are a LOT shorter than those in Halo.

 

[Dave F]

I was also very disappointed that co-op play doesn't work over XBL.

-Dave

 

[Saurav]

I was also very disappointed that co-op play doesn't work over XBL.

Does any form of multiplayer Halo work over XBL? Or were you referring to a different game?

 

[James Zos]

"I played Halo co-op with a friend at a party once (it was around 2 AM and we played through until dawn) and I didn't find anything wrong with the setup."

But that's exactly my point, Morgan. With my schedule, I wouldn't have the time to play "until dawn." And why should I have to do that just because a game developer didn't bother to add a save option for co-op? Some of the levels in Halo, as I'm sure you know, are quite long...

"Once you complete a level in co-op Halo it is saved and you can go back to that level whenever you want. Otherwise when playing just pause until you play again. I've had my xobx paused for over a week at a time before."

Dwight, what if you wanted to play another game in the mean time? Say I have a friend I play co-op Halo with and we get together a couple of times a month. You're suggesting I leave my Xbox on pause the whole time and skip out on playing any other games? That doesn't seem like much of a solution to me.

"I just checked out the review in Xbox magazine and they say co-op is a blast and their negative about it is that it is only available in split screen-no mention of the lack of saves in this mode. Shame on them for not calling the developer on it."

I agree 100 percent, Bob. It is frustrating how many reviewers fail to even mention major shortcomings in a game. They'll talk about an option, but won't say anything about OBVIOUS flaws with that option. A good example is UFC: Tap Out II (I'm probably the only one here who actually bought this game.) Most of the reviews I read mentioned that you could use the Xbox hard drive to play your own music during the game. What they did NOT point out was that the game only allows you to play one song, over and over...making this feature worse than useless (it actually teaches you to hate songs you used to like.) I think a lot of reviewers either don't spend much time with a game, or they mention options that they just read off a PR sheet without actually bothering to check them out.

I forgot to mention that I do know of a good co-op game that allows you to save at various points in any level, and that is Hunter. Hunter isn't a FPS and it's not split screen, but it is still a great example of a co-op game that doesn't make you start over from the beginning every time you boot it up (It is also the only xbox game I've ever gotten my girlfriend to play.)

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I've had my xobx paused for over a week at a time before

That's not good for your console, especially an X-Box.