The rise of FPS's and the fall of multiplayer...!

[MrEco]

I've noticed that as time goes on the popularity of first-person shooters is directly proportionate to how common it is to find a game have multiplayer in which someone has to be on the same console sitting next to you (Like split-screen). Multiplayer in which a friend can come over, sit down on the couch, and play a competitive match in some video game is hard to find nowadays. I think it's the fault of first-person shooters. Just about every FPS that comes out has an online multiplayer option. Tons of people play the online mode and it makes the developers think that an online FPS is the only thing gamers are interested in. Nowadays most games either don't have multiplayer, or the only multiplayer they have is in the form of an online match against some stupid 13 year old kid that keeps screaming and calling you a "bitch" whenever you kill him (Which isn't often). And hot-seat multiplayer isn't the only victim of FPS's, oh no. Video games in general are being hurt by the massive popularity of first-person shooters. Their becoming so common that other genre's are becoming hard to find. Hell, point-and-click adventure games have died out as we made the switch into the 21st century. Yes their still around, but you never see them. You don't go up to your friend and hear him ask "Hey, did you hear about that new Tales of Monkey Island coming to the Wii?" instead you walk up to your friend and hear him say "Hey, did you hear about MAG on the PS3? 256 people man, CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE IT?!?!?!!?!?!" or "Hey, did you hear about Halo 3: ODST on the Xbox 360? It doesn't have Master Chief man, CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE IT?!?!?!?!!?!" or possibly "Hey, did you hear about Left 4 Dead 2 on the Xbox 360? It's coming out just a year after the first Left 4 Dead man, CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE IT?!?!!?!?!!?" Also, aside from Final Fantasy XIII, I don't see any turn-based RPG's taking the spotlight. Another genre being hurt by the popularity of FPS's. Just back in the 6th generation of consoles (Only one generation ago) turn-based RPG's were very common and extremely popular. Now they practically don't exist.

Personally I think developers should boycott the entire FPS genre for about a year or two. Then they can spend that time realizing that people will buy thing's other then the newest Halo or Call of Duty (Or other related shit).

What are your thoughts on this?

[SpaceBooger]

Well said!
I am not a fan of FPS. Hell I almost hate them, but I have purchased a couple because of all the "hype." I got the Orange Box from steam when it was $10 and play only HL2 single player. I tried online FPS, but I am so new/bad I cant compete.
I love platformers, which are the next endangered video game species, point and click adventures, and standard JRPGs... Maybe that is why I am a retro game player/collector and you cant find many of those types of games on newer consoles.

[Hatta]

It's a shame single screen multiplayer has disappeared. The first great console FPSs (Goldeneye, Perfect Dark) had this feature. It seems like it would be even better these days with HD, you could easily fit 4 screens in HD resolution without sacrificing much visual quality. Probably some of it has to do with games pushing the hardware so much that it's just not capable of rendering 4 games simultaneously.

[fast]

If you think splitscreen is dead, try finding new games that support legacy controls and left trigger shooting and is not Halo or Call of Duty.

The Southpaw Legacy fans are sorely forgotten by developers.

[Ack]

Ah yes, the FPS. I remember when JRPGs dominated the market, and before that fighting games, and before that platformers.

I don't think that first person shooters are really the reason for the fall of split screen. GoldenEye was split screen, both of the first two Halos were split screen. It's just that console developers have been attempting to get online gaming down for over fifteen years, since Sega released a modem for the Genesis at least. I just think that it's taking off now because we have the technology and the infrastructure to make it possible. FPS titles just happen to be the dominant genre right now. Perhaps the next wave of consoles will feature a different genre that gets overdone(I'm leaning towards sandbox games, since they've been on the rise for several years now).

[Octopod]

I for one hope JRPGs are dead but I seriously doubt it.

I'm left handed and using the right trigger has never bothered me but I guess I see how it could bother some people. I think Im just used to having to adapt to things made for right handers.

[slag]

about multiplayer: The few FPS I have played on the PS3 have all had split screen 2 player support, so I don't think it has died just yet. Heck, FPS are a boon to split screen play since some of the other genres you listed are single player only. Wide screen Tv's don't help ether since the only way to do split screen on them is Left/Right. Top/Bottom is a pain since you have a screen that has dimensions of 5" x 14" or some other horrible ratio. I haven't tried 4x split on wide screen so I can't comment on that.

about FPS being bad for the Industry: FPS make the Industry money, plan and simple. Yes; other games also make money, but FPS make a lot right now so they are being produced. FPS are also one of the few types of games that can actually use the all of the power of the current gen consoles. If we had stayed with just Point&Click, platformers, and JRPG's, the PS2 would probably have been the last console ever made since it would be able to run everything.

[Hatta]

I for one hope JRPGs are dead but I seriously doubt it.

I for one hope your favorite genre is dead.

[Octopod]

I for one hope JRPGs are dead but I seriously doubt it.

I for one hope your favorite genre is dead.

Oh it is.

[fast]

I have too many years of really firing a gun under my belt for me to just adjust. Both digital and real guns. So while I can be ok firing with my right trigger, when I panic in game I start pulling the left trigger and that is usually grenade or zoom.

If you want an exercise in frustration, try finding new games that fit the criteria I mentioned and have 4 player split screen (again omitting Call of Duty and Halo). You will be very hard pressed to find any.

As for the next dominant genre - Im pulling for hack and slash dungeon crawls. Bring back Gauntlet!