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[Shadowstar39]

Also , these games you posted look like ass!!!!

Seriously, who plays this stuff?

Where is new Motorstorm with awesome mud and water physics with 25+ people tearing up a track?
Where is wipeout?
Where is reistance war scenes with crazy weapons or gritty killzone?
Where is warhawk with battlefield like more cartoonish gameplay with fun phyiscs?
Where is platformers like lbp?
Where is Spinter cell and its spys vs mercs.
Where is Quake
Where is team fortress 3?
Where is a new unreal tornament?
Where is skate boarding like skate 2?
Where is a classic battlefield game?
Where is a ww2 cod without nikki manaj or "Cosmetics"?
where is new mmos that make you want to play?

I get no desire to play any of those games you put out there.

 

[Shadowstar39]

I liked chaotic 64 player servers you could join and play for 5 minutes or 3 hours. No levels, no matchmaking, no balance. That was peak. Games like Enemy Territory, Battlefield 2, Tremulous, AvP 2, Unreal Tournament, Call of Duty 2.

With multi-page server lists that had pages full of servers with people. Those days were bliss. It didn't last.

 

[Guilty_AI]

The golden age of multiplayer were arcades. Now its all socially inept kids and try-hards who cant even see each other's face.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Growing up and experiencing online multiplayer for the first time was huge, even though it was dial-up, lol. It paved the road for insane experiences, especially when, as a kid, you had never seen such a thing before and then before you know it you're playing online with strangers. When you realized they were on the other side of the world it was even more mind blowing.

So true. I do forget what that was like. I used to try to put a piece of cardboard up on my TV when playing Halo. Online play was revelatory.

I can't speak on behalf of everyone, but for me, coming from that era and all the experiences that came with, it's really hard to be woo'd by "new multiplayer experiences." I think the most monumental ones revolve around new game types or mechanics we've never really seen before. Depending on what those are really affects their staying power, how hard they land, etc. But after all the games and mods I've played over the decades, it really feels hard to be woo'd.

Fair enough. I've been primarily a console gamer my whole life, which means I've been sheltered from the more diverse array of games found on PC (plus mods). I see your perspective a bit better now.

It could just be a "problem" of my own. I DO still really enjoy and love multiplayer. But with all the experiences I've had, something REALLY has to click, and for me none of those intrigue me at all. I AM curious about Marathon, but I'm also kind of tired of the whole extraction shooter core gameplay loop. Depending on how they approach it really affects my interest.

How many hours have you put into the genre?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

 

[Beechos]

For me it was the diablo2/starcraft/counterstrike days for online and n64 days for local multi.

 

[Begleiter]

Multiplayer games on console had their golden age in the era of Halo LANs and multitaps. I've spent more time with Red Faction 2 on PS2 than I will ever spend with these other games.

 

[simpatico]

No. Can't happen unless devs can somehow prevent any type of party chat and get rid of developer moderation and speech bannings. OG Xbox Live and early 360 Live were the golden age on the console side, and it won't be matched or replicated.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

That had better be Goldeneye!

Mario Kart 64 battle mode on the Block Fort map popping each other's balloons.

 

[nowhat]

No, but your golden age of "why the hell this guy still has thread posting rights" seems to be going strong.

 

[12Goblins]

Golden age of multiplayer died in the late 2000s when we abandoned games like quake broodwar cs 1.6 mvc2 etc. The final nail in the coffin was when Nintendo released Brawl. Now we have fortnite, rocket League, Mario kart 8 and other fisher price tier garbage

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I get you are like the MP guy, and that's your persona and so on.

but like...

Nothing in your OP cries "golden age of Multiplayer", nor are any of them doing anything that could be considered new or stepping into a new era. Besides MK:W, most of those titles will be ghostlands after a few months.

Maybe Marathon ends up being great, but even then this hardly signifies anything.

I dunno... Sometimes you don't have to play the character, you know what I mean.

No, I actually see it this way.

This new crop of games (found in the OP) represent a new era of game type, imo.

The shared DNA of everything found in the OP (not sure about Duskbloods) is a new emphasis on player options.

Marathon and ARC Raiders take the Battle Royale format, remove the storm circle, and give you a list of objectives rather than a single objective. That means through every phase of your session you're weighing the values you had a minute ago against the new information you've acquired. This is way more complex than BR.

Wildgate is like a simpler version of Overwatch with macro ship navigating decisions that influence how you power scale. This is a truly inspired Battle Royale...a genre that hasn't seen real innovation since...Fall Guys?

I've never played a stealth / puzzle / social game like Monaco 2. I literally can't think of a parallel game outside of Manoco 1.

Rogue Core is taking the roguelite genre and adding a new layer of social teamwork on top that we've never seen.
All these games are trees with significantly more branches on them. It's game design for people who love the sandbox.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Man I dig your enthusiasm for MP and all, I am a MP guy myself, but these threads are always posed in such dumb ways.

Anyway, no, not a golden age.

Local MP golden age = anything from Dreamcast and back

Online MP - PS360 era.

Speaking strictly console, of course. PC has been in a golden era for decades.

 

[kremiso]

> Phantasy Star Online <

 

[DirtInUrEye]

Categorically no. Christ.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Man I dig your enthusiasm for MP and all, I am a MP guy myself...

but these threads are always posed in such dumb ways.

 

[MiguelItUp]

So true. I do forget what that was like. I used to try to put a piece of cardboard up on my TV when playing Halo. Online play was revelatory.

Haha, you had to! It really was. It was just so wild experiencing anything that wasn't split-screen. Everything felt like a monumental step.

Fair enough. I've been primarily a console gamer my whole life, which means I've been sheltered from the more diverse array of games found on PC (plus mods). I see your perspective a bit better now.

I was the same way. I was born in the late Atari but prime NES era, so I got to ride that wave. It wasn't until late 1997 or early 1998 that my family got our first PC, right when things were getting more active. In a lot of ways, it felt like perfect timing, haha. I was huge into Quake 2 multiplayer and mods, spending an ungodly amount of time on Gamespy 3D, Heat.net, and MPlayer.com. Then came Half-Life, all its mods, and the cycle repeated with other games. I actually juggled consoles and PC for a long time. It wasn't until the Xbox One/PS4 generation that I started leaning primarily into PC. But I'll always have a soft spot for consoles.

How many hours have you put into the genre?

To be honest, not that much, but mostly because I haven't been a fan of the weaponry, the universe/IP, or both. I've really grown tired of "realistic weaponry" in a lot of games, especially competitive ones. I miss multiplayer games with wildly varied arsenals instead of the usual MP5s and AK-47s. Growing up with DOOM, Quake, Half-Life, and Unreal Tournament spoiled me, lol. I've always loved a mixed bag of experiences. For a while, the only games I played with "realistic weapons" were Counter-Strike, Battlefield, or Call of Duty. After a while, playing as a standard grunt with the same guns gets stale. That's partly why I'm so curious about Marathon, the IP alone suggests a more unique setting than something like Tarkov, with (hopefully) more interesting weapons and abilities.

It took me a long time to warm up to battle royales, too. For the longest time, they didn't do much for me, often for the same reasons. It wasn't until Fortnite introduced Zero Build that it finally clicked, I never cared for the building aspect. Of course, adding IPs/characters I loved (or still love) made it more enjoyable. But the ridiculous abilities and weapons alongside "realistic" ones also helped.

The only BRs I've genuinely enjoyed are:

• Fortnite (Zero Build)
• Rumbleverse
• Spellbreak

The only extraction shooters I've genuinely enjoyed are:

• Dark and Darker (by far the most played, high double-digit hours)
• Starsiege Deadzone (fun for a bit, but it fizzled out)
• Hunt: Showdown (though I wish it clicked sooner, it's struggled since the update/rerelease)

 

[AJUMP23]

Halo 3 golden age. The original modern warfare.

 

[Codes 208]

Multiplayer peaked with Halo 2 thru Blops 2 (so '04-'11)

 

[No BBC=Anger]

Golden age of multiplayer died in the late 2000s when we abandoned games like quake broodwar cs 1.6 mvc2 etc. The final nail in the coffin was when Nintendo released Brawl. Now we have fortnite, rocket League, Mario kart 8 and other fisher price tier garbage

Speaking of Fisher Price style stuff, I can't believe how Rainbow Six changed from this very serious sim like experience to this.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I don't know but I hope not.

 

[Soodanim]

My personal golden age was when MW2 was so big that it broke PSN. All my friends were on it every night after work. Then BC2, such a great time.

You could probably argue the golden age was when it was only hosted servers, that might be the most objective golden age. As time goes on things get diluted.

 

[Buggy Loop]

You will of course get a triggered reaction from neogaf who are mainly grumpy jaded peoples without friends who spit at MP any chances they have..

But its been very very popular for a long time

That list is mainly online.

If we had the stat of how long CS has been #1 daily CCU on Steam it would probably blow minds.

I've enjoyed a shitload of Grounded + Valheim + Abiotic factor + Enshrouded in coop with IRL friends too. Amazing online experiences that peoples refusing anything MP are dearly missing on.

 

[Topher]

The golden age is when you're age 13-20

Damn.....just missed it

 

[Hari Seldon]

Coop with friends with survival games are an incredible amount of fun. A polished Enshrouded with say Diablo loot would be absolutely amazing. The problem is that these games cannot scale to infinite money, so we don't get AAA studios doing the necessary polish.

 

[bitbydeath]

Today's version of multiplayer doesn't come anywhere close to having people playing in the same room as you.

 

[vodka-bull]

Golden Age was everything on Xbox pre-private parties. What a joy it was hearing how many dicks my mom sucked while waiting for the lobby to be filled up, THAT was the golden age of multiplayer. Today it's just empty, boring, non communicative botlike people. We had trashtalk for hours on end and it was fun! I could find friends through gaming, today I need to have friends before I can game with them. Halo 3, Gears of War and the original Modern Warfare were peak multiplayer!

 

[Audiophile]

The golden age of everything is over for some of us, perhaps one day we're lucky enough to see our children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews experience a golden age of one thing or another; and we'll just be happy with the porch and the wind in the trees.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Coop with friends with survival games are an incredible amount of fun. A polished Enshrouded with say Diablo loot would be absolutely amazing. The problem is that these games cannot scale to infinite money, so we don't get AAA studios doing the necessary polish.

The fact that we don't have a AAA survival game, not only at this point, but not even on the horizon, is unreal. It makes no sense. They pump out a Dragon Age Veilguard and not a Valheim killer...truly bizarre.

 

[Alebrije]

its Ending for good , specially GAAS.

 

[ReBurn]

Damn.....just missed it

 

[BennyBlanco]

I really don't understand the animosity towards multiplayer games. I love single player games as well but there is nothing like competitive gaming. When you're locked in with a character in a fighting game and feel comfortable with their whole moveset. Reading frames, hitting all your punishes, predicting the other guy's flowchart. Nothing else like it. Then you come across someone way better than you and they just smash you, making you realize the skill ceiling is always higher. Same with RTS. It's so crazy that I can go find a match of AOE2 right now and there are thousands of players every day. I don't even hate the new games and their creative monetization. Marvel Rivals is fun as hell and I've never felt compelled to spend a red cent on it.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Today's version of multiplayer doesn't come anywhere close to having people playing in the same room as you.

"LAN party" went nowhere.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Paid online with tons of micro transactions? Nah, this was the golden age of multiplayer.

man, the good old days of spending the night at friends home and playing Mario Party until someone start throwing punchs out of rage, kids nowadays ll never fully experience this.

 

[bitbydeath]

"LAN party" went nowhere.

It's more difficult to organise but the payoff is far greater than any network MP game.

 

[Bernardougf]

Are you 8 ?

 

[HRK69]

I've seen my man Summit1G play Wildgate for a bit

That shit is trash

 

[Xbox 360 slim]

I know there aren't a ton of multiplayer gamers on NeoGAF, but there's a real story developing here.

Multiplayer seems to be entering a golden age. I've never seen so many compelling multiplayer games getting ready to release in such a short time frame. Look at this beautiful bounty...

Even if you aren't into multiplayer (but especially if you are), you see this right? We're stepping foot into a new era.

Xbox live from 2001-2013.

 

[Poppinfresh]

Multiplayer gaming peaked with Unreal Tournament 2004

 

[The_Mike]

The golden age of multiplayer games started two decades ago you are way late to the party pal.

 

[Tams]

Posting images of Birmingham is a bit far.

 

[bender]

The Golden Age ended a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time ago.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Beginning? I hoped we were getting close to the end!

No chance in the digital-era.

Why would you even want it to end anyway?

 

[WhamBamThankYouMaam]

The golden age disappeared when community servers stopped being the norm.

Bring back All Seeing Eye.

 

[RoadHazard]

With all that GAAS shit? No.

The golden age of online multiplayer was probably the PS3 era for me. BFBC2, KZ2, UC2, etc. Fun times.

 

[IDKFA]

It was the CS Source and World of Warcraft time.

Two games that are still going strong over 20 years later

 

[StueyDuck]

No, I actually see it this way.

This new crop of games (found in the OP) represent a new era of game type, imo.

The shared DNA of everything found in the OP (not sure about Duskbloods) is a new emphasis on player options.

Marathon and ARC Raiders take the Battle Royale format, remove the storm circle, and give you a list of objectives rather than a single objective. That means through every phase of your session you're weighing the values you had a minute ago against the new information you've acquired. This is way more complex than BR.

Wildgate is like a simpler version of Overwatch with macro ship navigating decisions that influence how you power scale. This is a truly inspired Battle Royale...a genre that hasn't seen real innovation since...Fall Guys?

I've never played a stealth / puzzle / social game like Monaco 2. I literally can't think of a parallel game outside of Manoco 1.

Rogue Core is taking the roguelite genre and adding a new layer of social teamwork on top that we've never seen.
All these games are trees with significantly more branches on them. It's game design for people who love the sandbox.

I'd expect nothing less than sticking to the shtick.

I get it; it's your character. gotta Kayfabe and all.

But I'm just not buying it.

It's hard to have a genuine discussion about something when it's with a persona and not a person.

 

[FeralEcho]

For me the golden era was during the PS3/360 days. HALO 3,Gears 2,Killzone 2/3 ,Uncharted 2/3, Battlefield 3 and The Last of Us hold my fondest memories of multiplayer gaming.

For some maybe that golden era is now but all those games in the OP look uninspired and bland as hell to me so for me that era has long gone sadly.

 

[rofif]

fuck no.
Golden age was halo3
Cod 4 and cod 5 (modern warfare 2)
Gears of war trilogy.
At least on console side

 

[Shubh_C63]

For old people nothing BETTER will ever come in the future because everything was awesome back then. Except maybe the inevitable graphical jumps.
Golden age of MP, Yeaaars ago.
Golden age of Storytelling, PS2 classics.
Golden age of Videogame soundtracks, true classics are the only answer
Golden age of you name a genre, the first game they ever played of that genre.

I don't think this is golden age of MP. If it is, let me crawl into a hole and hibernate.