Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Great online games should never die

Don't you just love it when you find a really great game? A game that sucks you in the minute you start playing. And one that will do that all over again even if you haven't played it in months.

I've wanted to play Gears of War again for a long time but I've been having too much fun (even though I suck) playing Call of Duty 4 with my friends. Last night a couple of them were playing Gears so I put the disk in. It took awhile for me to get use to the controlls again. But after I figured out that I needed to hold A down to run instead of the left stick all the old memories came back and it felt good.

There was something comforting about shooting locus hordes and watching their bodies contort themselves in death that just felt good. I remember coming from large teams in Star Wars Battlefront to having only 4 people on a side and thinking that was ridiculous. Last night it seemed right. Four people were plenty enough for me, thank you very much. Matches were short and sweet (or should I say bloody). And it just felt right.

But before I jumped into the match with my friends I did a search for ranked and player matches. I was disappointed in how many matches were available. Only 2 ranked matches showed on my list. And only about 8 player matches. I'd like to think that was because there were already hundreds of other matches being played that were full. But considering how long this game has been out I doubt that. And that makes me sad.

For games that have great online multiplayer game play there should always be lots of matches to choose from. We shouldn't let those games die or be transported to online purgatory. You know, the place where someone hosts a match but nobody joins them. Something needs to be done to save these games and their online lives from becoming extinct. Games like Star Wars Battlefront I and II, Gears of War, Halo 2, Counter Strike, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Burnout Revenge, Chromehounds, Call of Duty 2 & 3, G.R.A.W 1 & 2, Lost Planet, Rainbow 6: Vegas, I could on for awhile, but I think you get the picture.

Every time a new game comes out we set aside the old game and don't play it. Most people probably sell it back in order to afford the new game. But "newest and latest" doesn't always mean better. And even if it did, that doesn't lessen the enjoyment you got out of that "old" game or that you still can't enjoy it again if you played it. It's the game play that matters, not "realistic graphics" or "seamless scene loadings" or "largest weapon selections than any other game out there". If we don't enjoy playing a game, we won't. Funny how that works, isn't it?

So don't give up on older games. You liked them for their game play once so you can still play them for that reason again no matter how "old" and "dated" they may look or feel. If you did sell back your copy of those games you can always pick it back up used. Video games should be played and enjoyed for many years, not just the few months they're the latest thing out there before the next new game come out. And it is okay to buy the latest great game like Rainbow 6: Vegas 2 that's coming out next month, but don't forget to show some lovin' to the older games as well. No one likes to be stuck in purgatory trying to find a match.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A) You don't even have Lost Planet or GRAW 2 ;p

B) I'm glad people "move on". For instance, I can enjoy Halo 3 now that the majority of the A-holes that typically play that game have moved on to COD 4. I'll be glad when the jackasses that pollute Chrome Hounds find something else to play so I can have fun in the Neroimus War again.

Yes, it is fun to go back to some of those old games. But while I'll always enjoy a good game of SW: Battlefront (send me an invite if you ever want to play), Frontlines scratches a similar itch. The "latest and greatest" games/sequels/updates are supposed to be the same old games with "enhancements". At least, that's the intention :(

Pengwenn said...

I do have Lost Planet . . . but I've never played it. And I have the first GRAW but not the 2nd one. Some day I'll take some time and play all these "older" games so I hope there's still an online community for them when I do.

metallicorphan said...

thats just it,i bought return to castle wolfenstien for the xbox 1 when it was about a year old,and it was pretty dead online,but the few games that did happen it was a fun game

lost planet is a decent affair online,but shuffleing through the snow can be tiresome,it takes a while to get to places

star wars battlefront is the one that brings most pain,here in the UK,i tried it at about 3pm and there were 2 rooms,one with 3 people in and the other with one person in...shame,but all of them have gone to the next best thing,thats why sequels should come out within a set time..like i think star wars bf 3 is well overdue,and not just because i am a massive fan but because the crowds for the star wars battlefront games are still hanging about(like pogues site,or that swbf2 is number 2 in the xbox 1 charts)...its a game that is in dire need of next gen online kickass gaming

Anonymous said...

Of course I was just teasing.

I can really only "compare games" to see what you haven't played and assume that you don't have them. I mean... Why would someone buy a game and not play it?! ;p
(teasing again)

2thumbs said...

Like to no There are some Ladies out there that are hard core too!! I am in Hawaii and Love First person shooter's I am Trying to set up my blog to ustream some tournies you might be interested.

Pengwenn said...

hey, thumbs, while 1st person shooter are not my first choice in genres I do love to play them with the right group of guys (or gals). I'll look at tourneys too, but with Rainbow 6: Vegas 2 coming out that might take up a lot of me time over the next couple of weeks.