What's happened to split screen Multiplayer?
I was looking for a 4 player split screen game the other day and couldn't find ONE.
Online games are fine, but why do we really have multiplayer?
Remember when you use to have mates round to play 'Goldeneye' on N64, they were some great times. Now playing multiplayer with mates involves calling him/her and arranging to join a specific game server.
Whats happened?
You can no longer find original split/screen 4 player games where you sit at the same TV, laugh and have fun.
What has happened?

I don't know man i am tottaly agreeing with you on this one out of 16 games i have for 360 and ps3 i only have 1 game that can play 4 player split screen. even the racing games i have support 1 or 2 players split screen thats it. Those games are basicaly the calling for 4 split screen. I don't know if video games are really worth it if you can't play it with your close friends.

A few months ago, I vowed to never by a console shooter without Splitscreen again. I made that my Xbox forums motto. If it's a shooter, and I can't play it with friends, well then I'm just not going to play it anymore. People knock Halo all the time, but at least Bungie appreciates Splitscreen.

the best game I've played that was 4 player was gauntlet for n64, but yes more games need 4 player split screen multi. because whats the point of having 4 controller ports when you can only use 2?

Well, processor speed has something to do with it, but that is just from the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter perspective. The framerate plummets when there are four onscreen at once...

Then again, there's Halo. Four player split screen, no framerate problems.

Maybe its just problematic for certain games.

Alright, I hate all the Halo games for their storyline, characters, etc... but rooster makes a good point, at least the splitscreen multiplayer is there. The other thing that pissed me off is that Sony likes doing the 2-controller thing, I have a lot of friends that come over and want to play games, using a splitter can get irritating.

Also one of the reasons I like the Timesplitters series.

friend purchased grid for ps3 other day, no split screen, on a racing game!

I love splitscreen, its why i play Halo so much, its got the ability to please me and my mates, not having it makes me so angry i hit your mothers with the force.

Resistance; Fall of man.

Apart from the criminally contrived story and weapons (gameplay not bad) its 'massive multiplayer' is about as fun as a ball massage from a hungry raccoon

a lot of games these days require a full screen to incorperate the HUD of a game but yeah MORE multiplayer split screen games! (and if its possible could they not suck at the same time?)

Perfect Dark split-screen almost made me believe in God. Almost. Maybe we should start a petition. Not sure who to send it to, though. Everyone I guess, seeing as no developer seems interested any more. (Free Radical don't count... until they make Timesplitters 4.) There are SO MANY arguments for split-screen - particularly in this age of 40" HDTV's - and very few flimsy ones against. Frame-rate shouldn't be an issue as any sane gamer would be happy sacrificing some texture detail. I fear that part of it may be down to money - i.e. by not implementing split-screen it ensures that every person who plays needs a copy of the game.

TrevorOfCrete:
friend purchased grid for ps3 other day, no split screen, on a racing game!

Exactly.. WHY?

TrevorOfCrete:
friend purchased grid for ps3 other day, no split screen, on a racing game!

Exactly.. WHY?

TrevorOfCrete:
friend purchased grid for ps3 other day, no split screen, on a racing game!

Exactly.. WHY?

Why did it post that message three times?

haruvister:
Perfect Dark split-screen almost made me believe in God. Almost. Maybe we should start a petition. Not sure who to send it to, though. Everyone I guess, seeing as no developer seems interested any more. (Free Radical don't count... until they make Timesplitters 4.) There are SO MANY arguments for split-screen - particularly in this age of 40" HDTV's - and very few flimsy ones against. Frame-rate shouldn't be an issue as any sane gamer would be happy sacrificing some texture detail. I fear that part of it may be down to money - i.e. by not implementing split-screen it ensures that every person who plays needs a copy of the game.

not everyone in the universe owns a 40" HDTV.....they have projectors :p and then the other half of the universe dont even wield that.

Splitscreen was fine back in the day when there were no other options, especially on consoles. But I think it's time to start letting go of it, since it was never really more than the video game equivalent of the Judgement of Solomon.

Actually I haven't noticed that split-screen has been neglected so much recently.

meatloaf231:
Well, processor speed has something to do with it, but that is just from the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter perspective. The framerate plummets when there are four onscreen at once...

So stop shining up the game. No one will care. In Goldeneye's days, ITS graphics weren't so bad.

It has to do with the arrival of online play on consoles more than anything else. I feel your pain as I remember having a good time with Goldeneye back during the N64 days. but at the same time I tend to accidentally look at the other person's screen when doing splitscreen so I don't miss it too much. I do wish it was included in more of these shooters though.

I love online play... I'm a multiplayer gamer and base my gaming on my ability to play online with it... one of the reasons Shadowrun is my favorite 360 game and Warhawk my favorite on PS3...

And I absolutely agree that Split-Screen Multiplayer has died off completely... ESPECIALLY Split-Screen multiplayer that lets you play online... it sucks, and a game jumps a few degrees in my book if it includes 4-person split screen... games like Gears of War and Rainbow Six that only allow 2-person multiplayer are complete shit in my opinion... the game's are great, but a half-assed split-screen is unacceptable to me...

TheIceface:

Also one of the reasons I like the Timesplitters series.

Thank you! Timesplitters is truly brilliant to play with friends!

haruvister:
Perfect Dark split-screen almost made me believe in God. Almost. Maybe we should start a petition. Not sure who to send it to, though. Everyone I guess, seeing as no developer seems interested any more. (Free Radical don't count... until they make Timesplitters 4.) There are SO MANY arguments for split-screen - particularly in this age of 40" HDTV's - and very few flimsy ones against. Frame-rate shouldn't be an issue as any sane gamer would be happy sacrificing some texture detail. I fear that part of it may be down to money - i.e. by not implementing split-screen it ensures that every person who plays needs a copy of the game.

True that, everyone seemingly has a big TV now a days so why not have split screen, it's not like you're staring at a matchbox anymore....

splitscreen co-op is so damn fun in shooters. And Halo 3 is all I've got. Shenanigans.

You LIKE Split-Screen???? I like to have the full screen to myself, and if you're sharing it with three people, it's easy to be confused and look at the wrong screen. I only like Split-Screen in versus matches, where I can screen watch, but I feel cheap doing that.

I hate that games don't at least have 2 player split screen. You would think companies would look at how the Wii brings families together into the same room and leverage this new aspect of gaming.

I grew up playing games with my brother. We play online now but when we get together all we can play are Wii games. No Burnout, Half-Life, UT3, Turok, etc... I really wish I could hunt him with a cerebral bore again....

Split screen may be annoying and small but MAN is it convenient. I too remember many good days of mariokart, goldeneye, etc. And now the same friends are dragging around a second big TV to my house and we're having 8 player halo matches with only 2 copies of the game. We just couldnt *do* that otherwise. It's not like PC gaming where everyone owns a rig.

Online multiplayer has more lag than split-screen. The reason they're ditching split screen is to squeeze more money out of us by forcing us to buy more copies of the same damn game. Yes, they're stooping THAT low and they'll stoop lower if we don't fight them

Splitscreen has really died off now that online gaming on consoles has become very viable.

I've never really cared though since I play almost all of my FPS on a PC.

Halo? Rock Band? Mario Kart? All these great games support split screen multiplayer

Speaking of Goldeneye 64, I recently got it home in my mailbox along with 2 other controllers, 2 rumble packs and Quake 64 :)

I completely agree. There are so many games that I'd love to have split screen multi-player just so I can play with my fiance, who lives in the same house. As it is, I'm seriously contemplating buying another Xbox 360 to be able to play with him by taking advantage of the multi-player aspect of games that just don't possess the convenience of split-screen.

CoD4 has split screen multiplayer -_-

Zombie_King:
You LIKE Split-Screen???? I like to have the full screen to myself, and if you're sharing it with three people, it's easy to be confused and look at the wrong screen. I only like Split-Screen in versus matches, where I can screen watch, but I feel cheap doing that.

So, you prefer putting 4 tv's next to eachother, use 4 consoles with a copy of the game on each if you want to play against some friends irl?

I'm missing splitscreen too nowadays, we have to alternate each race/match when someone's playing games at my place. (it's not a prob with Guitar Hero, but for stuff like DiRT...)

Blu3Forever:
CoD4 has split screen multiplayer -_-

Ya, but it's shitty. I can almost see the conversation now...

Head Boss Man: Alright, it looks like the game is just about finished, singleplayer's a go, the multiplayer beta was a success, and we are working on ideas for new DLC. Before it ships, anybody have anything to add?

Idiot Programmer: I've got it! In order to increase sales, we should have the split screen suck, and keep co-op away with a ten foot pole! After all, the less multiplayer options, the more games people have to buy in order to play it!

HBM: Well, the co-op's no problem, but what about the split screen death match and such?

IP: It's simple really, all we need to do is make it so only one person can play online, take away custom class for split screen, make the other player always appear on rader, and pretend we've never heard of bots!

HBM: Brilliant!

In short, I want 4 player split screen, bots (even bad ones can spice things up a bit), and campaign co-op.

I could never play F-Zero GX on multiplayer until we decided to get a Wii as a family's thing. Now it's under the big T.V and theres nothing better than pounding round mute city only to slip off the endge and have my brother speed past me at 2000km/h. no matter how crushing a defeatit may be, I'd rather share it with someone next to me, than someone who's alone and I've had to ring just to have someone other than the CPU to play against.