Online FPS Overrated?

Qwert1

Anyone else agree that the whole fps online experience is overrated? Don't understand the obsession with playing COD, Halo, Battlefield etc. online to earn worthless achievements. Shouldn't designers focus on developing a consistent long-lasting game campaign instead of the five-hour ones tacked on as an afterthought to a monotonous online slugfest we're getting in this generation? Just interested to know what people think.

deathrider

I think the last generation or so of FPS games are highly over-rated in gerenal... and that's even before this explosion of online really hit them. They all got very realistic, and nine times out of ten, they are war based. Personally, I'm quite bored with the constant flow of war games, and I don't think I've really enjoyed one since the first two Medal Of Honour games back on the PS1.

OctavarIan

You leave Battlefield out of this. :mad:

Polar101

OctavarIan wrote: »

You leave Battlefield out of this. :mad:

Exactly. I don't play it to unlock achievements, but because it's so much fun.

Jazzy

play quake

calex71

Half-Life 2 and it's glorious orange box was a last console based FPS that got any significant amount of my time. Throughly enjoyed it's single player campaign and episodes, then you had team fortress for a multi player jaunt and portal for variety. Nothing came even remotely close for me in terms of value for money or enjoyment. Even if you split it into single games they would still hold up.

All the others that have come in the last 2 years or so have either been jumping on the call of duty band wagon or are call of duty games which have been stale since the cod 2 (all my opinion, of course I realise some people actually quite like cod:mw etc)

Actually Left for Dead was a worthy FPS that does deserve merit in the age of cod clones, and now i'm remembering games the rainbow 6 vegas games were decent too.

animaal

Anybody played Mirror's Edge? It's not really a shooter, but it is first person.

It's one of those games that I picked upon a whim. I really enjoyed it though! Where FPSs are all twich and shoot, this game was more about smooth flowing movement.

Stingerbar

When I saw online quake for the first time it was mind blowing..

Just blowing the **** out of random strangers and your friends was great fun

then it got a bit meh..

then I got into the whole clan scene.. teams.. different games.. getting good, playing in leagues, tourneys, competitions what have you

Competing against yourself, your teammates, constantly improving.. and having a laugh at the same time.. it never gets boring

But if you through me into an online fps with randoms.. yeah, after the novelty wears off.. public play just gets boring

deathrider

If I'm to load up a FPS, it's uaully classic oldies- Doom, Duke Nukem and the likes. Now having sid that, I have played lot of the latest CoD over the last week or so, but it's mainly because all my frineds back home play it, and it's about the only game I jam on them with. It can be a bit of craic, but nothing mind-blowin, in my oppinion.

Fnz

Qwert1 wrote: »

Anyone else agree that the whole fps online experience is overrated? Don't understand the obsession with playing COD, Halo, Battlefield etc. online to earn worthless achievements. Shouldn't designers focus on developing a consistent long-lasting game campaign instead of the five-hour ones tacked on as an afterthought to a monotonous online slugfest we're getting in this generation? Just interested to know what people think.

I think the industry should make games for you! To hell with people who say defeating AI-controlled enemies in a "tacked on" campaign is "worthless". :rolleyes:

BostonB

They are all a bit like playing paintball in a shed tbh.

I much prefered games like Deltaforce/Flashpoint which were far more tactical.

I personally think that online multiplayer has ruined the gaming experience. I don't buy a game to play against other people, I play a game to become engrossed in the story, to get a good deal out of longevity out of the €40+ I've shelled out on the game. It's why I'm so greatful for titles like Oblivion and Fallout, where you could play 50+ hours and not even be halfway through the game.

pablomakaveli

I don't like the way developers seem to spend more effort on the multiplayer than the single player anymore. The last single player campaign i really enjoyed was COD2.

I do like multiplyer especially BFBC2 but it'd be nice to see more effort on the single player campaigns in FPS.

VenomIreland

Team Fortress 2 is absolutely wonderful fun, as long as you steer clear of the whiny forums.

Stupidly Naked

Qwert1 wrote: »

Anyone else agree that the whole fps online experience is overrated? Don't understand the obsession with playing COD, Halo, Battlefield etc. online to earn worthless achievements. Shouldn't designers focus on developing a consistent long-lasting game campaign instead of the five-hour ones tacked on as an afterthought to a monotonous online slugfest we're getting in this generation? Just interested to know what people think.

The vast majority of players who play those games play them simply because that's what their friends do. They don't associate the good times with the game, but in reality the times were good because of their friends reactions or the conversations during.
My friends who game are extremely competitive, we all prefer Halo3 simply because its far more competitive than CoD. We enjoy a hard game that takes skill and the good times are associated with winning.
So, people are different and a lot of the hype of games ("OMGZORS BLACK OPS IS THE BEST GAME EVAR") is in reality untrue simply because a large part of your enjoyment of a game comes down to the people you game with.
Also, its extremely infuriating that the only FPS that people play are either; Halo, CoD, Battlefield or Killzone.
we need more games like Shadowrun.
Also, Borderlands was a great game for me and its all campaign. You should check it out, you might like it.

PirateShampoo

Im sorry but COD: Modern Warfare 1 is a brilliant game.

Retr0gamer

Kind of bored of online FPS games since the consoles went on line. I find Halo painfully slow and not rewarding as all compared to stuff like the old Unreal tournaments. Still play the classic Source games on online with my brother when he calls over at the weekends but ever since every FPS started appearing on consoles they have just become so slow to compensate for the lack of keyboard and mouse. This is fine in team based games like L4D and battlefield but for straight up deathmatch it just doesn't work.

I hate the way games have gotten more pseudo realistic with every weapon being a variation on the last one with the only differences being the rate of fire and the power of the bullets. Give me a silly shooter with 2 modes of fire that can be comboed, steerable rocket launchers, rocket jumps etc. Those games require real skill. Compare how plain Halo multiplayer is to something like Tribes with it's skiing skills or quakes rocket jumping lunacy. Even MW1 was a pale immitationof CoD and MOH:AA's multiplayer although the levelling up system and good level design alleviated a lot of that.

Also a big fuck you to Halo 2 for introducing and popularising god awful matchmaking systems. I don't need the computer to find the best game for me at my skill level only to get dumped into a game with 10 players at prestige level and a 300+ ping. I'd rather pick my own server by ping and if I like it maybe get involved in the community around the server.

The only real online FPS innovations seem to be CoD 4's levelling up system and Left 4 Dead getting co-op so right.

noodler

Love Battlefield.

One attraction is for those with only an hour or so to spare in an evening.

You are straight into the action and get good bang for your time.

Agricola

To me, yes they are overated, but then I would say that. Anytime Ive fired up the MP section of an fps ive found it to be a futile exercise. I rarely buy games when they release and even they rarely buy pure fps's, so invariably I find MP frustrating. Lets face it, Im up against an army of 14 year olds who spend every waking hour honing their skills. They have the reflexes of a caffeine boosted cat. Ive lost count the amount of times Ive been knife killed or dispatched with a pistol while holding an assault rifle or RPG launcher!

I just dont have the required level of interest to work at improving myself in this ultra competitive field, so Ive found Im better off out of it.

Left for Dead is more my thing, really enjoy a blast of that.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Online FPS is awesome. I can't think of any single player game that's more fun to play.

KilOit

Left 4 Dead 2 is fun with a good group, any you're forced to work together to get through it, unlike cod games were everyone is a solo gun nut working on his k/d

cian1500ww

TF2 is good enough fun but play it with friends in a proper team and that's when the game really shines. I've found it very hard to go back to online FPS games like COD after playing it.

Sisko

Hasn't been a real battlefield game since Bf2 and Bf2142, since then the battlefield series has been suffering from consolitis.

All these new fps sicken me with the mindless achievement crap and this messed up system where you get a number of kills in a row and you can call in mindless airstrikes and the likes.
They all seem like clones of each other. But this is all a matter of taste.
For people who never got to play PC fps's or people who just prefer to keep things basic and casual I can really see the appeal.

But its starting to look a lot like fifa to me with a new clone every year.

I just hope BF3 does not suffer from consolitis. It really does seem like the quality of FPS has been dumbed down since the consoles got online.

Overrated though? They do what they're supposed to do really, they're only overrated when you compare them to the PC shooters that came before but they're not really meant to be compared.

Really depends more on how much you enjoy multiplayer gaming in general.

Magill

I dont see what the problem is ? if you dont like them, dont ****ing play them... its not like 90% of games released this year have been online fps based games !!!!! theres only been 3 or 4 out of what.... 30-40 top rate games.

Sisko

Woah don't go postal at the guy!

Well , from his post he seems annoyed that the console FPS games that once concentrated on single player now have only a short 5 hours of single player gameplay and instead the focus is more on the online multilayer.

So I imagine he enjoys the FPSs but feels the multiplayer focus is ruining it for him? So not playing them at all is not exactly what he's looking for.

There seems to be alot of people with this opinion of late and while I've no interest in the games the op mentions , I am a multiplayer fan so for example when theres talk of multiplayer DLC for mass effect 2 I get disapointed when the forums are filled with people yelling "noooooooooooooooooooooooo anything but multiplayer!!!!"

I think what it comes down to is having friends that play games too rather then playing online with randomers.

For example , I love L4D but I couldnt go near that game unless my mates were playing too. So many bad experiences with random online total idiots.

Funglegunk

I thought Enemy Territory: Quake Wars was a fantastic game. Perfectly balanced teams, classes and vehicles; a reward system that discouraged (for the most part) lone snipers, kill seekers and rewarded completion of objectives, teamwork and tactics; a generally good community that is unfortunately dwindling.

I loves me some tactical heavy shooters, ET:QW is the only decent one released in the last few years. COD and Battlefield seem to encourage trigger happy loners. Maybe I'm wrong about this?

Hoping Dust 514 will be the next to fit the bill but thats a ways off yet.

BostonB

You should be able to use the weapons as they were designed. Rather than a SMG used for sniping and a sight, and a sniper used as close in weapon.

krudler

What about the value you get from it? i bought Modern Warfare 2 a few months after its release (had it from day one on 360 but crappy net at the time so never played MP) got it again on PS3 in Feb and I'm still playing it, 24 days worth of play on it now, thats "worthless"? compared to say, Heavy Rain, which I enjoyed, but have played all the way through once. Uncharted 2 got the balance right, fantastic single player and the MP is a blast to play online as well.

Online fps's can be massively rewarding, but it depends on what kind of games you're into to begin with, I wouldnt have the time or patience to play something like Starcraft oe WoW but I play COD and try get better at it, I wouldnt say I'm a fantastic player but I can definitely hold my own in the majority of games I play, and I've had great nights playing with the lads from the COD forum on boards, we nearly all use headsets so with a party theres great banter and people playing as a team as opposed to running around like headless chickens when you play with random public lobbies.

CMpunked

I know it isnt a fps, but i always thought GTA-IV had the perfect mix of everything.
There was a great extensive story and the MP had real serious co-op gaming, completing objectives, but then you could have mad craic like running around blowing lads up in cars with RPG's with no reprecussions.

Great fun.

Ross_Mahon

The newer FPS games have lots of pace online, Which keeps people happy

gimli2112

It's all down to rewarding you for taking certain actions. The whole leveling up, earning money, points, unlocking stuff etc. This is what makes it addictive. Things flashing up on screen and a big fanfare hook you in subconsciously. There's a programme on BBC about it later.

I'm totally addicted to COD but to actually explain it to a non-believer is very difficult.

Stingerbar

Stupidly Naked wrote: »

The vast majority of players who play those games play them simply because that's what their friends do. They don't associate the good times with the game, but in reality the times were good because of their friends reactions or the conversations during.
My friends who game are extremely competitive, we all prefer Halo3 simply because its far more competitive than CoD. We enjoy a hard game that takes skill and the good times are associated with winning.
So, people are different and a lot of the hype of games ("OMGZORS BLACK OPS IS THE BEST GAME EVAR") is in reality untrue simply because a large part of your enjoyment of a game comes down to the people you game with.
Also, its extremely infuriating that the only FPS that people play are either; Halo, CoD, Battlefield or Killzone.
we need more games like Shadowrun.
Also, Borderlands was a great game for me and its all campaign. You should check it out, you might like it.

The choice on PC is a little better, plus there are a lot of amazing mods that have sucked me in over the years.

To get away from the screaming kiddies, there are some great realism mods, tons for battlefield 2 and half-life - a more mature crowd, so real tactics and teamplay

Duggy747

FPS have become neutered thanks to online gaming. Single player is more of a tutorial for multiplayer than as a standalone game. Half Life 2 and it's episodes are probably the last good single-player FPS I can think of.

I don't play COD or any of those games as they're just too mental and full of idiots (As well as cheating bastards). I do play Left 4 Dead 1 most nights on one server and that's just brilliant fun (being an Admin and abusing my powers is also fun :pac:). I've always prefered co-op games to free-for-alls, used to play the 1st Rainbow Six online all the time.

CMpunked

Does anyone play the new MOH online?

I think i lasted 5 days before i traded it in. It had a great original multiplayer concept, one that if it was given a bit more work could be great when they bring out MOH 2.

Magill

Sisko wrote: »

Woah don't go postal at the guy!

Well , from his post he seems annoyed that the console FPS games that once concentrated on single player now have only a short 5 hours of single player gameplay and instead the focus is more on the online multilayer.

So I imagine he enjoys the FPSs but feels the multiplayer focus is ruining it for him? So not playing them at all is not exactly what he's looking for.

There seems to be alot of people with this opinion of late and while I've no interest in the games the op mentions , I am a multiplayer fan so for example when theres talk of multiplayer DLC for mass effect 2 I get disapointed when the forums are filled with people yelling "noooooooooooooooooooooooo anything but multiplayer!!!!"

I think what it comes down to is having friends that play games too rather then playing online with randomers.

For example , I love L4D but I couldnt go near that game unless my mates were playing too. So many bad experiences with random online total idiots.

Thing is, cod/battlefield and halo(Since 2) have always been about multiplayer, so its not like those games have changed from having great single player to having limited single player. Games like half life dont come around very often, but you still have great single player games like bioshock/fallout and killzone.

It is definitely who you play with that makes or breaks an online game, i think that is one of the biggest advantages of the PC, clan run servers often have a great community feel to them. On the consoles unless your playing with a few mates, its easy to get bored.

I guess hes right in that games like cod and battlefield sell far more copies than what they're worth, sort of like EA sports games imo , they arent great games... they're just not challenged enough to make the developers put the extra effort into them

mcgovern

If you want to play a single player FPS, get Bioshock or a game of its ilk.
If you to play a multiplayer FPS, get CoD or BF:BC2 etc.
It's a case of knowing what the game's focus is before purchasing.

PogMoThoin

CMpunked wrote: »

I know it isnt a fps, but i always thought GTA-IV had the perfect mix of everything.
There was a great extensive story and the MP had real serious co-op gaming, completing objectives, but then you could have mad craic like running around blowing lads up in cars with RPG's with no reprecussions.

Great fun.

Are You serious? The story was shíte (worst in the series) and the missions were repeats of missions We had all done before in the earlier games. Mp was a mess with all the grievers with Rpg's, no objective, no cooperation

CMpunked

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Are You serious? The story was shíte (worst in the series) and the missions were repeats of missions We had all done before in the earlier games. Mp was a mess with all the grievers with Rpg's, no objective, no cooperation

What about the bomb the base, cops and robbers MP missions etc?
And all the gta games follow the same suit storywise to be fair. But yeah I stand by what I said. When it comes to the best mix of story, sandbox playing, MP and then general devilment, gta 4 had it all.

Looking fonward to no.5.

Duggy747

GTA: San Andreas Multiplayer wipes the floor with GTA IV, absolutely awesome stuff.

I think the feeling that FPS have become more online-focused than singleplayer is rather annoying to a lot. It's been like this for the past few years but single-player is beginning to make somewhat of a comeback.

Retr0gamer

Saints Row 2 was far better than GTA4. Sure the story was rubbish and the graphics pretty poor but at least it didn't forget what made the old GTA games good, fun and mayhem, two things that GTA 4 was sorely missing.

Sisko

gimli2112 wrote: »

It's all down to rewarding you for taking certain actions. The whole leveling up, earning money, points, unlocking stuff etc. This is what makes it addictive. Things flashing up on screen and a big fanfare hook you in subconsciously. There's a programme on BBC about it later.

I'm totally addicted to COD but to actually explain it to a non-believer is very difficult.

I utterly hate this crap sooooooo much, it all hit the fan in 2005 and its been down hill ever since. For me its all about killing the other guy, single handedly turning the tide of a battle in BF2 and having coordinated team play. Going against the odds, killing 5 guys in a row, taking the flag and winning the game for my team, so on and so forth. All this other crap is incredibly artificial , almost seems like its there to make bad players feel like they're doing something worthwhile instead of being cannon fodder.

I know I'm in the minority here due to the sheer popularity off all that crap. Still, it literally disgusts me. The other day I added a custom soundtrack to Gran Turismo 5 and I got an achievement for it. It sickened me.

Feels like a constant insult to gamers intelligence imo. Next I'll be getting an achievement for turning on my console or finding where the start button is on my controller. YAY...........

(not ranting at you, just in general )

Magill wrote: »

Thing is, cod/battlefield and halo(Since 2) have always been about multiplayer, so its not like those games have changed from having great single player to having limited single player. Games like half life dont come around very often, but you still have great single player games like bioshock/fallout and killzone.

It is definitely who you play with that makes or breaks an online game, i think that is one of the biggest advantages of the PC, clan run servers often have a great community feel to them. On the consoles unless your playing with a few mates, its easy to get bored.

I guess hes right in that games like cod and battlefield sell far more copies than what they're worth, sort of like EA sports games imo , they arent great games... they're just not challenged enough to make the developers put the extra effort into them

I pretty much agree with you although playing the devils advocate, taking pc gaming out and just talking about console military shooters specifically. I'm pretty sure COD and MOH all started as solid world war 2 single player shooters and gradually concentrated more and more on their multiplayer, which from what I can see is just glorified team deathmatch. So maybe the OP is missing some of the older days for his console shooters.

But for me, I have no interest in any of those games cause imo they don't even touch average PC shooters from 10 years + ago. This is mainly cause you can't really get indepth or over complicated on a console at the moment and can't go much beyond glorified team deathmatch. BF1943 for example is seriously dumbed down compared to any PC BF but if they didnt dumb it down it'd be a disaster on the consoles.

But the op appears to be coming from a pure console gaming perspective in with that in mind, I wouldn't necessarily say all these shooters are overrated , they do what they're meant to do. People buy them for the multiplayer, people who enjoy multiplayer and as someone else said and I agree, some multiplayer games last much longer in terms of hours, then most single player games.

(X-fire has me as playing BF2 for 1000 hours )

Retr0gamer

Sisko wrote: »

Next I'll be getting an achievement for turning on my console or finding where the start button is on my controller. YAY...........

There's an achievement in the Simpsons game for doing just that.

Sisko

oh my ****ing god



/kills self

richymcdermott

wish there was more modding done on ps3 . unreal tournament 3 i think the only one who support it besides modnation and lbp, like to play more fps games with endless maps

CMpunked

Duggy747 wrote: »

GTA: San Andreas Multiplayer wipes the floor with GTA IV, absolutely awesome stuff.

Really? Must check it out, cheers!

marco_polo

Even Crytek, whos games have always had a lengthy single player campaign such as Far Cry and Crysis (leaving aside views as to the actual quality of those campaigns) seem to be putting an worryingly large amount of emphasis on the multiplayer aspect of Crysis 2 recently. I would not be completely surprised, for Crysis 2 to end up with a 10 hour or less singleplayer campaign, although i am hopeful I it will be of a decent length (and with a good story obviously).

Still the prospect games such as Deus Ex:HR, Rage (and hopefully Crysis 2) leave me with reasonably grounds for optimism for single player FPS in 2011, hears hopeing at least some of them get it right.

Retr0gamer

Well Crysis 2 single player is being handled by the Crytech team while the multiplayer is being handled by another EA team so it might work out ok. I played the multiplayer and it is basically very very similar to call of duty except the maps are more vertically orientated since you can jump and grab ledges.

marco_polo

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well Crysis 2 single player is being handled by the Crytech team while te multiplayer is being handled by another EA team so it hmight work out ok. I played the multiplayer and it is basically very very similar to call of duty except the makes are more vertically orientated since you can jump and grab ledges.

I seem to recall a certain Medal of Honour having the same two studio split, and churned out a whopping 4 hour campaign.

But that does make me feel a little bit more optimistic all the same.

Magill

Sisko wrote: »

I utterly hate this crap sooooooo much, it all hit the fan in 2005 and its been down hill ever since. For me its all about killing the other guy, single handedly turning the tide of a battle in BF2 and having coordinated team play. Going against the odds, killing 5 guys in a row, taking the flag and winning the game for my team, so on and so forth. All this other crap is incredibly artificial , almost seems like its there to make bad players feel like they're doing something worthwhile instead of being cannon fodder.

I know I'm in the minority here due to the sheer popularity off all that crap. Still, it literally disgusts me. The other day I added a custom soundtrack to Gran Turismo 5 and I got an achievement for it. It sickened me.

Feels like a constant insult to gamers intelligence imo. Next I'll be getting an achievement for turning on my console or finding where the start button is on my controller. YAY...........

(not ranting at you, just in general )



I pretty much agree with you although playing the devils advocate, taking pc gaming out and just talking about console military shooters specifically. I'm pretty sure COD and MOH all started as solid world war 2 single player shooters and gradually concentrated more and more on their multiplayer, which from what I can see is just glorified team deathmatch. So maybe the OP is missing some of the older days for his console shooters.

But for me, I have no interest in any of those games cause imo they don't even touch average PC shooters from 10 years + ago. This is mainly cause you can't really get indepth or over complicated on a console at the moment and can't go much beyond glorified team deathmatch. BF1943 for example is seriously dumbed down compared to any PC BF but if they didnt dumb it down it'd be a disaster on the consoles.

But the op appears to be coming from a pure console gaming perspective in with that in mind, I wouldn't necessarily say all these shooters are overrated , they do what they're meant to do. People buy them for the multiplayer, people who enjoy multiplayer and as someone else said and I agree, some multiplayer games last much longer in terms of hours, then most single player games.

(X-fire has me as playing BF2 for 1000 hours )

CoD + MOH only made it big because of how good they were online on the PC, consoles at the time just hadnt got the online features to support it. The single player on both games was no better than it is on the current games.. MOH sp is actually quite fun tho.

Shooters haven't been dumbed down to suit consoles, the best online shooter on the PC is cs, at least imo it is. And its very simplistic, theres nothing about cs that would be impossible to recreate on a console. The cod series, dedicated servers aside, are pretty much teh same and BC2... i cant really say because i've not played it much on either console or pc. BF1943 was a PSN and XBOX live game, it was nothing more than a very quick port so dont read into it much.

I dont see how they are glorified death matches, if they are i dont see how its any different on the PC (I really dont want to get into a PC vs Console thing with you again btw). Is SnD a glorified deathmatch mode ? What about CTF ? Demolition ? What the new wager modes ? If thats the case... what exactly are you suggesting isnt a deathmatch ?

As for achievements.... meh, i dont even pay attention to them, but sure hasnt every game got them now (WoW/Steam games/PS3+xbox). Apparently some of them are quite hard to get or at least take alot of time (I know some of the warcraft ones are HARD !)... nothing wrong with adding a bit more to a games lifespan for people that like that sort of thing.

TwoShedsJackson

Don't see how anyone could not love being called a n1gger jew fag by some 12 year old in Texas whilst playing Counterstrike :rolleyes:

Magill

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

Don't see how anyone could not love being called a n1gger jew fag by some 12 year old in Texas whilst playing Counterstrike :rolleyes:

haha yeah exactly