Online Ramblings

I don’t think it’s really fair to say that I hate multiplayer, I’m just not a fan of it. Every game nowadays has to have some sort of multiplayer online deathmatch mode shoehorned into it. It’s ridiculous. To make matters worse this is the section where companies poor all of their DLC plans into.

I’m a big Transformers fan. I love the franchise and I still collect toys to this day. Naturally I purchased Transformers: War for Cybertron when it released. I had fun, it’s a decent game, but once you finished the story you were expected to play the online modes. Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Plant the Bomb, blah blah blah. I played it for a little while, It was entertaining in short bursts. But I wanted more story. I wanted more interaction with the characters. Not just the same back and forth  battle on the same two maps. I purchased the DLC when it came out, but it didn’t really add anything to the overall game. The new map were not that exciting and the new characters didn’t add to the game at all. They were just there. I would have preferred if I could have used them in single player mode.

My main reason behind this is the current PlayStation Network outage. You can’t play online right now. If you own a game like M.A.G. or D.C. Universe online you can’t play them. Eventually the servers for War for Cybertron will be turned off, that DLC I got will be worthless, completely worthless. Sure I can play the story mode again, but Jazz and Shockwave are not playable during story mode. At least the Revenge of the Fallen game allowed downloaded characters to be used in single player mode.

This is why I’m generally unhappy with online components. I want to know that in 10 years I can pull the game back out and still play it without any concerns. I keep old games, they make me happy and yes, I do play them. But multiplayer on Halo doesn’t work anymore because Microsoft shut off the server. That’s just the way it goes.

I haven’t been into an MMO for years for many of the same reasons. I want to be able to play the game when I want and no that’s not asking to much. I can drive my car when I want. If a server goes down my car doesn’t automatically become obsolete.

The other issue I have with online gameplay in particular is the repetitive nature of it. You do the same thing, play the same map. Your avatar has zero personality. There’s no personal involvement in it. I want a flowing story with fun, (hopefully) solid gameplay. Sure I enjoy puzzle games and arcade style games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders, but I also know that I have control of when I play and when I stop and I don’t have to worry about anyone else being online to get it done.

Sure I want my PlayStation Network back. I do occasionally enjoy the online experience, but I’m just sick of having it pounded in to every single game. I applaud the upcoming Batman: Arkham City for not having a multiplayer mode. Good on you Rocksteady.

There’s also the fact that once I get online I have to deal with other people. I’m not some sort of recluse, I do have friends and I like going out, but it’s the foul-mouthed, tea-bagging jerks that you have to deal with online that ruin the whole thing for me.